Adam Rogers is a content marketer who works for ecommerce platform Shopify, a blogger, and member of Boston Content. He’s also the host and producer of the new Boston Content podcast, which will be launching soon. In the podcast’s first season, Rogers interviews freelance content marketers about how they’ve built their businesses.
Rogers says he loves learning “how various freelancers have dealt with the ups and downs of a freelance career and life,” asking his guests to reveal “their writing processes, the digital tools they use, and their favorite resources for doing their freelance work better.” We recently caught up with Rogers to learn more about the upcoming first season of the Boston Content podcast.
Why did you decide to launch the Boston Content podcast?
Rogers: I got frustrated with all the marketing podcasts out there that lack a real focus. There's no topic area where you can dive into learning about being a freelancer, and pick up ideas about the in's and out's as well as great stories of what it’s like to be a freelance content writer. So we’ll be doing separate seasons where we focus specifically on freelancers, in-house marketers, and agencies. We’ll have topic discipline, so someone could say, “You should listen to the Boston Content podcast because I know you want to freelance, and they have a full season devoted to how to grow a freelance business.”
How did you choose the podcast guests for the first season?
Rogers: I started with people I've worked with who are freelancers, or people I’ve heard about in the community who are freelancers. There's something to be said about just having a successful freelance business. One thing that frustrates me about marketing podcasts is they just focus on getting the big names, because those big names get downloads, win sponsorship deals or partnering activities. That's great, but there's a lot to be learned from freelancers who’ve been running their own businesses for years -- they have unique stories to tell. That’s what I’m trying to highlight in this podcast.
When it came to getting marketing guru and author Seth Godin as a guest, I simply emailed him and asked! It was just a risk that I threw myself into, and I was prepared to fail. I was completely content with the outcome either way. In the end, Seth gave us a great interview.
What has surprised you most in interviewing podcast guests?
Rogers: How everyone approaches the interview process differently. I've had people write down their answers and read them back to me like a script. Other people have been easy to have conversations with, while still others have been difficult to jive with in the beginning and then have warmed up afterward.
How do you see yourself learning and growing via the podcast?
Rogers: I have a set of questions I ask podcast guests. Generally, people are very good at giving answers. But there can be a point where I'm slow in processing information that they've just given me. I want to be quicker and smarter with my responses. Sometimes I'm just caught back on my heels.
I hear the recording later and I’ll think, "I should have asked that,” or "I should have segued here to another question." I suppose we all think about what we would have said or done differently. I just go forward in the moment. Perhaps, I'll get better at that as I carry on this podcast.
What makes the Boston Content podcast unique and valuable for content professionals, and why should they listen?
Rogers: The Boston Content community itself is quite unique. Not many communities can pull together so many different professionals with very different backgrounds. Our community is made up of freelancers, people who work in-house or for agencies, people who have an interest in marketing and aren't writers, and journalists transitioning to content marketing.
With the podcast, I'm looking to showcase these diverse professionals, their unique perspectives, and their great stories. What I'm ultimately hoping to offer is a playbook people can use to kickstart a freelance career, to be successful as an in-house content marketer, to be a great agency owner or employee. I'm hoping people will listen to amplify their skills and to hear these diverse stories.
When can we expect the podcast to launch?
Rogers: I can't put an exact date on it now. [[Editor’s note: At the time of publication, the podcast is launching on Wednesday, September 5.]] We're running a giveaway, and the goal is to get the podcast into the “new and noteworthy” section of iTunes. They (iTunes) have 70% of the podcast market, but I also plan on applying to the big ten podcast distribution apps. We want to become a top business podcast. So we’re making sure all our ducks are in a row around the partners we want. We’re also making sure there's a sound strategy in place.
The whole team has eight weeks to amplify our efforts around getting this podcast up and running, and getting the promotion right. Once those eight weeks are up, it'll be a top-ranking podcast or not. It's a grandiose ambition, but you've got to have something big to aim for. I'm willing to try and I'm looking forward to collaborating with the Boston Content team.
What else would you like to say to the Boston Content blog readers?
Rogers: I'm very open to feedback, so email me. Seriously, reach out at adamrogers.uk@gmail.com, and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear about where you want the podcast to go, any guests you'd like to hear, whether from an agency, as an in-house marketer, or from any of those disciplines. I'm looking to serve the community here. I don't want the podcast to be a walled-off audio format that doesn't integrate with the wider Boston Content community or any other listeners.