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 I spoke to Lisa as well as Leo Laporte, the husband-and-wife team behind the podcasting company TWiT, about how to build a community so engaged in your business that they want to hear your commercials.

"When we first started TWiT the company, we had a certain niche of real technophiles. Today, we're like, "Where's the technology? !" smiles Lisa Laporte who is CEO of TWiT. "It's totally evolved." The community element of podcasting meant that this industry was seen as an "logical expansion" of Chief TWiT's goals in life and one of the reasons Lisa became a fan of emerging media.

The couple had been building their empire of podcasts for the past sixteen years before the pandemic hit in 2020. "Those two years of isolation were lonely," Lisa explains. "We were all in small Zoom boxes. However, there is a tech audience that loves and wants to be part of a community." TWiT needed to find a new means of connecting to its followers during this time of solitude.

Lisa was talking to one of TWiT's sponsors, tech training platform ITPro.TV regarding ways to offer something back to fans. "Simply enough, ITPro.TV let its users stay in the building and hang out online for an hour at night. They would sometimes play games, and sometimes just chat," Lisa continues. "I kept thinking"That's what I'd like to achieve.' I wanted to let our followers find a spot to go and relax.

Lisa confirms that the ability to add a Discord server to their membership offering formally made it "a richer experience" than just creating the first online club. "It was time to provide our members that more; they had grown tired of locking themselves inside their home." Club TWiT was set to go live.

From content to cruising: The arrival of Club TWiT

Lisa explains that Lisa explains that the TWiT group encourages members to get involved in the organization in the most effective way. They seek feedback on their show and they hold regularly scheduled Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions; and also host a space where their supporters can just come in and socialize. This was especially important in the online space during the pandemic but is being translated into real-world situations.

"We will be exhibiting our photography and I'm thinking it would be fun to tell people"Hey we're coming to be at this event. Join us for a photography walk and a photo shoot!'" continues Lisa. The team envisions doing several more experiences in-person; indeed, TWiT held a recent cruise for its 100 members. Leo and Lisa are both of the opinion that, perhaps contrary to popular belief, it's events in person like this that are really the "fundamental core of what the podcasting industry is all about" and what distinguishes it from traditional media.

Lisa and Leo are also using Club TWiT to premiere and try out new shows; once a show starts getting noticed, it may be added to the top Club TWiT offering or become an advertisement-supported series. When this happens, Lisa will approach the host of the show and ask them to start practicing ads, then include the show in their arsenal to get started with advertisers. All ads need to be read out by the host to ensure that it appears as an organic and integrated element of the program.

Your sponsors can sell you better than they sell themselves

Creating an advertising approach that is beneficial to sponsors and the listeners is essential to TWiT's achievement: "Our advertising works because our community trusts us. We have the ability to suggest items and services to them as well, and they're willing to be a part of our team, which is why they purchase them. We sign up advertisers when we do to sign, we thoroughly review the company they represent, and we check their reviews," says Lisa.

She says: "We do such a excellent job with our ads-supported side that our Club members say, 'Hey, you need to add ads.' We actually have a Discord channel just for the ads we show on our programs!" She adds that their audience asks for them to post an advertisement each month on each show because viewers want to know where to purchase the advertised items: "They trust us so they say, 'You need to give us a feed so we can go and hear ads every once a while.'"

In the moment I must double-check my perception of what I'm hearing. Lisa says that TWiT members do make entries into the shows for the TWiT's advertisements to be linked. "Isn't that hysterical? !" she smiles. She continues: "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 want to listen to the ads!' Therefore, we regularly drop in us courtesy ads for sponsors who are active as well as when we've got a new partner. They're so compelling."

"Our sponsors ask, 'Can you send us a complimentary commercial with each advertisement that you read? Sales trainees are required to take a look because you've made them watchable since you've helped sell our brand better than half of our junior staff I thought that was pretty cute."

The importance of starting small

What can you do to create a membership business that people are so fond of and trust that they request to hear the ads you put out? "Really have a look at what's available and take a look at the things that other businesses are doing," Lisa suggests. "Look at people like you, and look at what they're doing before you jump into the fray. Talk to me: or reach out to anyone who's done it before."

She suggests "just slowing down" to look at different ways and structures. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. If you plan to accomplish 50 things, you'll find you can't do those effectively. Start with a small amount, just as we did: we began with AMAs."

Leo and Lisa discuss how they explain that TWiT team has slowly but surely figured the issue out as they go further down the road. Once they're comfortable with it all, they're starting to add to their offering with bonus content. "I never want to over-promise to deliver only for them to disappoint," Lisa continues.

Lisa encourages podcasters to take a examine all of the services they offer with their membership package. "See what makes sense specifically in the context of what you're trying do and shop around for the best product. Because we're both video and audio and video, we've got a few quirks that are unusual for a podcast network."

Helping to support the community

"If you're looking for a career in technology take a look at our channel. We've got a show for everyone!" she smiles. "We offer shows for beginners like the Tech Guy; we have iOS Today, which is enjoyable if you own an iPad or iPhone and want to know more about using the devices; and we also have some 'geek' shows like Security Now if you're into security. If you like the show, you can join Club TWiT and download the podcast! It is important to remember that we must support each other in this community."

Supporting the podcasting community and the incredibly inclusive nature of it is something that's always been a priority for the TWiT team "We remain committed to providing gratis content, however it's an excellent opportunity to offer this added benefit for those who are super fans. I love having both options because everyone with internet access can access our content and they don't have to pay for the content. This is very democratic." Lisa adds. Lisa.

She concludes: "We have fans in third-world countries who've written in to say, "I've heard of your podcast. I used to hang out at the local electronics store and listen to your podcast and learn a few things. And now I have a job in tech""

Maybe Lisa, Leo, and the team at TWiT have not only witnessed tech's evolution from a subject that was reserved for enthusiasts, but also an ubiquitous issue nowadays. Maybe they've helped make the transition.