I’m sure you’ve heard this line a million times, but trust us when we say this didn’t happen overnight… quite far from it actually.

Power in Heels was created in 2019, with both of us having zero knowledge of podcasting. It first aired as a school radio show on SpiritLive and was all in all a way for us to get our hours to graduate. We never really expected it to grow outside of that radio suite.

Fast forward to March 2020 when the whole world shut down; leaving us with two choices. 1. Call it quits, or 2. Adapt and find a way to keep this going. As I’m sure you can guess, we chose the latter option. From there we began recording our episodes in Maysee’s parents’ basement, using her mom’s mic (thanks mom!).

Then something really cool happened and we got a sponsorship, allowing us to buy our own mic, keep our website, and ultimately continue to podcast! As unfortunate as the pandemic was, in the end, it gave us the push we needed to go for it.

Between 2020 and 2021 the podcast went through many big changes. We unveiled a huge rebrand with a new logo, updated episode structure, and revamped our socials! Here’s where our first tip comes in; find a mentor. We are forever grateful for Stephen Sills, and other amazing individuals, who saw our potential way before we did… a HUGE thanks to all of you!

We’re going to be honest here, before the re-brand we were sitting at a whopping 22 downloads. I’m sure many of you can agree when we say this was always a bit disappointing to see. When you pour so much passion, and time into something, it sucks when the numbers don’t align.

But, here’s the thing, if you were to picture 22 people in a room wanting to listen to what you have to say, that’s pretty cool! Plus, it makes hitting your first 100 downloads that much more exciting! Celebrate all the wins, even if they seem small.

We wish we had the perfect formula for growing a podcast, but the truth is we are still learning. Our biggest takeaway is that it involves a ton of patience. In March 2021, we made a slideshow all about how we were going to get 1,000 downloads and just finally accomplished this goal in September 2022.

This also was not something we did alone, our team of 6 other University students have put their talent and time into editing our show, writing our newsletters/blog posts, creating graphics, videos and so much more. We will forever be so thankful for them <3

So, remember: patience is key, write down your goals (and add an achievable deadline), ask for help, and most importantly don’t give up!

What we wish we knew before starting a podcast:

Make it Accessible
Have it on as many streaming platforms as possible. If nothing else at least Spotify and Apple podcasts.
Short and Simple is Best
We quickly learned that having episodes run 30min or less is best. Include one main topic per episode so your listeners can easily digest the content.
Focus on Having Quality Audio
You don’t need to have the most expensive equipment but try to at least buy a decent microphone and record in a quiet, non-echoing room - oh and headphones will become your best friend!
Go Easy on the Ads
Don’t overload your episodes with too many ad breaks - if you have them try to keep them short, so listeners don’t leave.
Episode Description
Keep it clear, and concise. Explain what your episode will be about and what listeners will gain. This goes for your mission statement too - this way potential listeners get a strong understanding of your show right off the bat!
Use Your Competition to Your Benefit
Look at other podcasts in the same genre as you. Uncover what they do well and what they do poorly. Then decide how you are going to stand apart. Hot tip: Read their reviews!

Through this journey, we found we learned best by making mistakes and not being afraid to try. It’s also important to remember that the numbers aren’t everything - what matters most is that you love what you do, and have fun doing it!

We can not wait to hear what you create - and remember, our DMs are always open if you have more questions! Happy Podcasting!

- Maysee & Whitney

P.s. It took us three years to hit our first 1,000 and a matter of days to hit our next … that’s the crazy thing about podcasting, you never really know what is going to ‘take off.’

Sharing Success and Sparking Power