New Voices Amplify
In February, the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) launched its newest program, New Voices AMPLIFY—a marketing accelerator for independent creators with an existing podcast ready to take it to the next level. The program equips independent audio makers with marketing and development skills to help their shows stand out among the two million podcasts and grow their audience.
In the span of eight weeks, the 16 participants attended meetings focused on different marketing aspects where they learned strategies and tips from guest speakers that they applied to their shows with the guidance of a mentor. Each participant received a $1000 stipend, ongoing support, AIR member resources, SoundPath video library, and networking opportunities.
"Since the end of the program, we've updated the SEO on our website, shifted to the correct (sci-fi) category through our hosting platform, done promo swaps with three other shows (with other New Voices AMPLIFY peers), and seen a 23% increase in downloads over the last 60 days!
Next on our to-do list include some re-branding of our cover art, as well as an attempt to get featured with Apple Podcasts in order to increase our listenership there."
Felicia Dominguez
Creator of Auricle
Guest speakers present on the following topics: data, legal issues, monetization, campaign development, audio trailers, audience growth, and engagement. Participants leave the program with tangible items for their podcast promotion campaigns.
"As a result of Queue Points' participation in AIR's AMPLIFY program, we were able to get connected to DJ LiKWUiD. We are proud to be a media partner for the August 3rd Banjee Boombox festival that LiKWUiD co-founded.
Queue Points has had the opportunity to feature and be featured by several AIR AMPLIFY co-hort members, and even was selected for a paid partnership to raise awareness for the What's Poppin' Penny? Juneteenth episode."
Johnnie Kornegay
Co-host and Producer at Queue Points
We aim to work with people who represent groups not typically represented in the public media and podcasting. This could be based on a candidate’s race, gender, class background, and/or vision. The committee that reads the New Voices applications is mindful of selecting candidates with different abilities and experiences from underrepresented communities and geographic locations. We aim to find candidates who will bring an inclusive and dynamic mix to the cohort, the New Voices alum network, and the industry in general.
This program is led by New Voices AMPLIFY Captain & Alumni Keisha "TK" Dutes (‘16) and AIR’s New Voices Program Manager Lynn Casper with support from an alumni Advisory Board: Alicia Zuckerman (‘09), Kyle Norris (‘16), Keisha “TK” Dutes (‘16), Elena Rivera ('17), Ray Pang ('21) and Liz Mak (‘15).
