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 I talked to Lisa and Leo Laporte, the husband-and-wife team behind podcasting empire TWiT on how you can build a community so engaged in the brand they would like to listen to your commercials.

"When we first started TWiT the company, we had only a small group of people that were real technophiles. Today, it's like, 'Where isn't tech? !" smiles Lisa Laporte, CEO of TWiT. "It's completely evolved." The community element of podcasting meant that this industry was seen as to be a "logical expansion" of the Chief TWiT Leo's goals in life and the main reason Lisa became a fan of the new medium.

The couple had been building their empire of podcasts for the past sixteen years before the pandemic began to spread in the year 2020. "Those few years were isolated," Lisa explains. "We were all in little Zoom boxes. But we've got a large technical fan base that loves and desires the community." TWiT needed to come up with a better means of connecting with its fans during this time of solitude.

Lisa talked to one of TWiT's sponsors Tech training company ITPro.TV on how they could offer something back to TWiT's fans. "Simply enough ITPro.TV permitted its customers to stay in the building and hang out online for about an hour after dark. Sometimes they would play games. Other times, they'd simply chat" Lisa continues. "I kept thinking"That's exactly what I'd like to achieve. I wanted for our customers to find a spot to go and relax.

Lisa affirms that having the option to include a Discord server to their membership offering formally made it "a more enjoyable experience" that just establishing the first online club. "It was time to provide our community that little additional benefit; members were tired of being locked in their homes." Club TWiT was all set to launch.

From content to cruising: The launch of Club TWiT

Lisa clarifies that she explains that TWiT team encourages its members to get involved in the club in the most effective way. They seek feedback on their show as well as host regular Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions, and they have a space where their supporters can just come in and hang out. This is especially crucial in the online space when the virus was circulating, but it's being translated into real-world situations.

"We are hosting a photography exhibit and I'm thinking it would be fun to announce, 'Hey We'll take part in this event. We invite you to join us on a photography stroll!'" continues Lisa. They plan to host many more in-person experiences as well. TWiT held a recent cruise for 100 of its members. Leo and Lisa are both of the opinion that, perhaps counterintuitively, it's in-person events such as this are the "fundamental core of what the podcasting industry is all about" and is what sets it apart from traditional media.

Lisa and Leo are also using Club TWiT to premiere and evaluate new content. If a show starts to get noticed, it may be added to the premium Club TWiT offering or become an ad-supported program. In this case, Lisa will approach the show's host and encourage the host to begin practicing their ad reads, and include the show in their arsenal to get started with sponsors. Each ad must be read out by the show's host so that it feels like an authentic and integral part of the show.

Selling your sponsors better than they sell themselves

Making sure that the advertising strategy is beneficial to sponsors and people who listen to it is crucial to its growth: "Our advertising works because the community trusts us. We have the ability to suggest the products and services they need, and they want to support us, so they purchase them. We sign up advertisers when we do We thoroughly vet their credibility as a business We also look over their reviews." says Lisa.

The woman explains: "We do such a excellent job with our ads-supported side that our Club members are constantly saying"Hey, I need you to add ads.' We actually have a Discord channel exclusively for ads we show on our programs!" She adds that viewers ask them to share an ad once a month from each show because the listeners want to know where to purchase the advertised items: "They trust us so they ask, 'You're required to share a feed with us so that we can watch ads every once in the course of time.'"

As of now, I have to double-check what I'm hearing. Lisa confirms: members actually compose their own scripts for the show in order to request links to TWiT's adverts. "Isn't this hilarious? !" she smiles. She goes on to say: "Our Club TWiT members are getting the shows ad-free however, they do write us to tell us that we're not getting the ads, we'd love to hear the ads!' Therefore, we frequently include courtesy commercials for active sponsors or whenever we get a new partner. That's how compelling they are."

"Our sponsor says, 'Can you send us a commercial courtesy for each ad that is seen? Our sales trainers take a look because you've made them watchable since you've helped sell our business better than half of our junior staff I thought that was quite cute."

It is important to start small

How do you build an organization that members appreciate and are confident enough that they request to hear the ads you put out? "Really have a look at the competition and think about the way others are operating," Lisa suggests. "Look at others who are similar to you and see what they're up to before you jump into the fray. Have conversations: call me or reach out to anyone that has done this."

She suggests "just taking your time" to look at different ways and different structures. "Don't take more than you're able to chew. If you plan to accomplish fifty things, that you're not able to do them effectively. Start with a small amount, just as we did. "We started with AMAs."

Leo and Lisa describe how they explain that TWiT team is slowly but steadily figuring it out while they move along the way. Now that they're getting grips of the process and are beginning to add to their offerings with bonuses content. "I never want to over-promise to deliver only for them to disappoint," Lisa continues.

Lisa encourages podcasters to take a look closely at all the features they provide with the membership program. "See the features that are relevant for what you're trying to accomplish and then shop around to find an appropriate product. Since we're both audio and video with a couple of peculiarities that are not typical as a podcasting network."

Supporting the community

"If you're interested in the field of technology then check out our website. There's a show that's suitable for all!" she smiles. "We offer shows for beginners like The Tech Guy; we have iOS Today, which is fun if you have the iPad or iPhone and would like to learn more about how to use these devices. We also have geeky shows, like Security Now if you're into security. If you like some show, sign up to Club TWiT and download the podcast! We must remember to support one another in this group."

The support of the community of podcasters as well as its amazingly inclusive character is something that has always been an important aspect for the TWiT team "We continue to offer free content, but it's an excellent opportunity to provide this additional benefit to the fans who are super. I love having both options because anyone with an internet connection can access our content and don't need to pay for these shows. This is very democratic." says Lisa.

She ends: "We have fans in third-world countries who've written in to say that they heard your podcast. I used to hang out in a local electronics shop for your show and learn a few things. And now I have an opportunity in the field of technology""

Perhaps Lisa, Leo, and the team at TWiT are not the only ones to witness tech's evolution from a subject that was reserved for enthusiasts, but also an ubiquitous issue nowadays. Perhaps they've been helping to make the transition.