Ginni Saraswati is the owner and founder of Ginni Media, a one-stop shop podcasting studio that provides multiple podcast services under one roof, from audio production, album art, to distribution. Ginni Media has worked with clients including Allure, Architectural Digest, and other Conde Nast publications.
Her own podcast, The Ginni Show, was a finalist at the Australian Podcast Awards in the Comedy category, as well as nominated for Broadcaster of the Year at the Australian LGBTI Awards among numerous other awards. On her radio show, she has interviewed celebrities including Ruby Rose, Eric Bana, The Pussycat Dolls, Natasha Beddingfield and Chaka Khan.
What is The Ginni Show all about?
The Ginni Show is all about learning, adventure, freedom, laughter, learning through laughter. I talk to various people from around the world, and they share their experiences of adventure, travel, and memories, and how those experiences have shaped the people that they are today. So, it’s a combination of sharing stories and learning about yourself through listening to other people’s experiences.
Tell us a little bit about your personal background – how, and why you started your podcast?
I started a podcast as a consequence of being on radio, and having my own morning show in Australia on and off for 10 years. When the iPod came out, FM stations in Australia started releasing episodes of the interviews that we were doing live as podcasts. So, if we had a celebrity interview, that portion would get cut and then pop it on iTunes, repurposing it as a podcast. I started to notice that our downloads were creeping up quite quickly, which gave me an indication that people were very inclined to listen on their own time. They wanted that autonomy to choose when they would listen to content. They didn’t necessarily want to wake up at 6AM to listen to me talk; they wanted to catch that interview I did with Paula Abdul or Jennifer Beals at a time that worked best for them.
It was this notion of on-demand radio that was creeping up. As a result, I started my own podcast, The Ginni Show, in 2016.I started it because, when you’ve been on radio for 10 years and you’re bound by always doing things a certain way, and you’ve got to deliver content in a certain light, it was nice to have a blank canvas to create whatever I wanted. That’s how my podcast started. It was like a narrative piece, where I was taking the listener on a journey in the life of Ginni, and trying to create that storytelling experience.
Now, it’s still got that storytelling element, but it’s no longer just my story. It’s collectively all of our stories and what we’ve learned through our experiences.
What was the biggest problem you encountered launching your podcast and how did you overcome it?
Being from a radio background, having some audio training, and being heavily influenced by theater, I was under the impression that a podcast had to look a certain way, sound a certain way, be titled a certain way. The challenge with this left me wondering, “What do I call my podcast? What do I do with it? What do I talk about?” All those kinds of hesitations that people have when starting a podcast, I went through those a well.
What I found is that organically, it just evolved. I just let it evolve on its own. I got behind the mic, taking it one day at a time.
From a production standpoint, some of the obstacles I experienced were that I didn’t have the production support that I needed. I was working a full-time shiftwork job, in a long-distance relationship, and this podcast was a side-hustle. A lot of my time was used up, and I didn’t know how I was going to promote the podcast! So, I asked myself, “What does a podcaster need to launch, and stay on a consistent schedule to release content?” Funnily enough, that became the blueprint for what I’ve created now: Ginni Media, my podcast production company.
What are some mistakes you made as a podcaster?
When people start a new project, I find that they tend to bite off more than they can chew. They get so eager and say, “I want to release two episodes per week!” That’s a big commitment. So, sometimes I get overly excited and over-commit. I think that’s something I am continually trying to refine and not judge myself on. Sometimes I can be quite hard on myself for the few things I left incomplete, rather than celebrating what I was able to accomplish. This mentality happens in podcasting as well. Commit to what you can, and be honest with yourself.
Do you have any other projects or businesses you are working on?
My full-time gig is being CEO of Ginni Media, which is a podcast and content production company run in New York City. We have a team of 24, who are all remote. We look after podcasts for entrepreneurs, coaches, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses. It has been an absolute honor to serve the voices and stories of these individuals and their brands.
I also am a serial entrepreneur myself. I also co-own the Metro Podcast Studio, which is a podcast recording studio located in Flatiron, NYC. The other one is called Podcast Accelerator, which is the only done-for-you, concierge-curated, podcasting, and coaching program on the planet. We literally launch your podcast within 8 weeks. So, everyone who signs up to our program receives live training and, by the end of the 8 weeks, they will have a professionally produced and published podcast on all major apps, along with the skills to continue consistently after the program.
I’m also working on investing, growing, and doing whatever I can to make a positive impact while I am here on this earth.
Do you monetize your Podcast, or plan on monetizing, tell us how or how you plan to do it?
Launching my podcast off the back of my radio career was the best thing that I did for myself, because within a year I was signed to Nova Entertainment (Australia’s largest media network). With this, I began receiving advertising revenue. During that time, my podcast was also nominated for Best Comedy Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards, and I was also nominated for Broadcaster of the Year at the Australian LGBTI Awards. So, this is also the very reason people sought me out as a producer: they wanted me to show them what was possible with a podcast.
Still today, beyond being signed to Nova and creating a 6-figure business, I think the biggest ROI of having a podcast is relationships. The ability to reach out to people that you admire, those who have influenced and inspired you, who have wisdom that will always stay with you. That is the greatest ROI for me. Who knows where those relationships can lead to?
What are three books or courses you recommend for podcaster?
Great question! I recommend any book by Oprah for podcasters, because she knows how to put in the hard work, put one foot in front of the other, and understand the time it takes to build an empire. When we start, we’re not going to be where Oprah is, but her key is staying consistent. If we stay consistent, take it one day at a time, put one foot in front of the other, we will see some results.
I also recommend the course I co-run called the Podcast Accelerator. Again, it’s the only program of its kind on the planet. You literally receive a produced podcast at the end of the 8 weeks.
Another book I recommend is Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln by James C. Humes. If you have fears of public speaking and need some tips, this is a great book to help you get comfortable behind the mic.
How do you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business and podcast?
I’m going to be really real here. Not every day looks the same. I don’t wake up each day feeling the same. I sometimes wake up and just want to hit snooze – and sometimes I do. When I have an appointment with my trainer, sometimes I cancel because I’m exhausted. I don’t always do the things I planned to do, because each day varies. However, what I do aspire to do is, is to do what it takes to stay consistent most of the time. At the end of the day, I am human, no matter what my business card says.
How do I keep motivated? Essentially, I look at what I value – which also are the fundamental values of my company. I value freedom, joy and fun, adventure, community, and growth. As long as those 5 things are making frequent appearances in my life, that is what keeps me motivated. I know that at Ginni Media, we’re giving people a platform to share their brand, voice, or message. We’re essentially creating their own media companies for them. When I hear about the impact they’ve made on the world, the return on investment, what they’ve been able to achieve just by remaining consistent, that’s what keeps me motivated and driven.
I have little reminders scattered around my apartment that remind me of how far I’ve come and how far I’ll go. I have a little snow globe from the M&M store in Times Square sitting on my desk, which I bought when visited New York for the first time. When I bought it, I thought to myself, “One day, I’m going to live here.” Now I do. This apartment that I live in at the moment, when I started visiting New York, I used to rent this as an Airbnb. I remember sitting here one day thinking, “I would love to live in this apartment.”
“Remember when you used to dream of the things you have now,” is written on a Post-It note on my desk, which serves as a reminder to think back to how I used to work, and how far I’ve come. This keeps me motivated. Before all this, I had a white-collar job for a number of years – which I hated – and I remember being stuck in traffic, always being late, feeling behind, always stressing out. I just wasn’t happy. But I know that in my current job – regardless of the stresses that I experience, or the multiple hats I have to wear – there is purpose behind it. There is a mission. There is a sense of creation in it. That’s what keeps me going.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your podcast?
The one thing I wish I knew is the difference between an XLR and USB microphone, and what parts you need for them!
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your audience?
For me, just having marketing collateral to share on social media that spreads the message. I wish I had that when I first started, because I find that that’s how you tell stories, and that’s how you reach people in the context of the platform that you’re trying to reach them.
For example, if your podcast is about business and entrepreneurship, obviously LinkedIn is a killer platform for you. If you have content in your podcast that you can repurpose, that is – and has been – the most effective marketing strategy to grow a podcast. We’ve seen that for our clients, too. The content repurposing, putting the podcast where you’ll likely find your listeners, that has been the most effective marketing strategy for growth.
What is your definition of success?
Frequent experiences of joy.
If you had to start a brand-new podcast today, what are the steps you would take?
I would enroll myself in a program that holds me accountable and actually ensures that I understand what I’m doing, and holds my hand, and takes me step-by-step to launch.
I think the reason why there’s only a 2-5% completion rate on digital courses, is there’s not that level of accountability. This course, there’s live training. We will hold you accountable to get it done, and hold your hand to bring you across that finish line.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new podcasters?
Just start! Don’t overthink it. Start.
I know this is easier said than done, but I’m telling you that if you have a best friend, spouse, family member, or anyone significant in your life, then you have already proven that you have the most important skill to become a podcaster: the ability to make a connection. So, if you know how to maintain a connection, you know how to have a conversation. That’s all a podcast really is.
Also, don’t obsess over the microphones. Fellow podcast producers will slap me on the wrist for saying that, but if you have the money to invest in a decent microphone, please do! You can get a decent one for less than $100 on Amazon. But if you can record on your phone, that’s still decent audio quality. I know top podcasters who record their podcasts on Air Pods. You know how terrible the audio quality is on that?
Here’s the number one rule when it comes to starting a podcast or any form of content creation: quality of content trumps quality of audio.
What is your favorite quote?
I’ve got a few.
“The world treats me exactly as I treat myself.”
How can readers get in touch with you?
To get in touch, head over to ginnimedia.com. You can find and connect with me on Instagram with the handles @theginnishow and @ginnimedia. I’m also on Facebook at facebook.com/ginnimedia.
Podcaster Entrepreneur Interview: John Lee Dumas Host & Founder of EOFire
