Five Podcasts We Loved Listening to During Our First Year as Dog Podcasters
As Italian greyhound dog podcasters, we love talking about our niche. Our podcast, The Iggy Parents, was borne out of this blog, and our love of performing. As listeners, we love consuming dog content but also exploring more topics and genres. When first listening to podcasts, you may stumble on the very popular, top charting podcasts. They might range in topics from true crime to celebrity interview shows or even television watch-along podcasts. The possibilities are truly endless with podcasting. There are many celebrities branching out and dipping their toes in the podcast pool as well and it seems effortless for them to have a sponsored ad-filled podcast.
As it turns out, most of our favourite shows however are not these big shows. While it’s fun to listen to your favourite celeb hosting, we’ve found that our favourite shows are smaller, more intimate and hosted by those strangers that feel like best friends. Of course, as dog podcasters we have aspirations to continue to grow our audience (who wouldn’t love a big sponsored gig?), but creating community within our niche has always been the goal.
Ryan has always loved podcasts and been a fan of many shows. Podcasts were new to me, but after some recommendations from Ryan and exploring a bit on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, I was hooked too.
We’ve compiled a short list of our favourite podcasts that we listened to during our first year as podcasters and we’re going to tell you why they inspired us. Big or small, conventional or maybe outside-the-box, these podcasts were enjoyable and inspirational for us starting out as first time podcast hosts ourselves.
1. Smart Passive Income hosted by Pat Flynn. Mainly an interview show with guests that are experts in the business/entrepreneurship industry. As an early podcaster (started podcasting in 2010), he has a lot of insight into the world of podcasting. He offers many courses about the podcast and entrepreneurial world including email marketing and affiliate marketing. While this is a large scale podcast in a network (created by the host), Pat does an amazing job of making every listener feel welcome and helps empower you to take the leap into podcasting or starting your own business. Episodes are weekly, and can be found here.
2. Top 4 hosted by Tiffany and Marco Arment. A monthly podcast self-described as “an opinionated podcast by opinionated people” this podcast inspired a lot of the spirit behind our banter as a married couple host team. These hosts are a married couple who also host other podcasts within the same network, Relay FM. Mostly a solo, co-hosted show, each episode has a completely different topic (from favorite holidays to types of cheese) but the form is the same - the hosts’ pick their “top 4” in the category and playfully agree or disagree as they go through their list. Their opinions inspire the listener to partake in the fun. We love listening to this podcast together because it inspires playful debate. Listen to the debates here.
The Iggy Parents’ Pet Podcast Challenge
The first round of our challenge was a big success, and is now closed. Sign up for our newsletter to get notified when we run the challenge again.
3. With a Dog Podcast hosted by Carly Liedtke (and Issy Barnes, monthly). This is the podcast for the modern dog parent. Mainly an interview show, they also have some solo episodes, all surrounding the topic of being a dog or pet parent. With a wide range of episodes, dog moms Carly and Issy have interviewed some incredible pet industry guests in their first year of the podcast and have great insight as members of the pet industry themselves. For year two, Carly will be hosting the show and Issy plans to return monthly for “The Monthly Scoop”. Great insight, hilarious pop-culture banter and interesting topics, we loved listening to this podcast as fellow dog podcasters. You can find them here.
4. The Morning Ritual hosted by Lilly Balch. The Morning Ritual hosted by Lilly Balch. Initially a daily podcast, now occurring weekly, Lilly guides centering meditations to bring more ease, balance and joy into your mornings and ultimately your lives. This is an out-of-the-box idea that we love as lovers of meditation and calming recordings, much like those found in apps like Headspace. Each episode is short and designed to be listened to more than just once. Linked to her own service as a yoga and meditation teacher, this podcast helps create community surrounding that business. According to Lilly, “you don’t have to be a morning person or a meditator!” Listen to the meditations here.
5. Wear Wag Repeat hosted by Tori Mistick. A weekly interview podcast with women in the pet industry, this podcast is perfect for dog parents, pet parents and pet-preneurs. The episodes are usually 25-30 minutes in length, and cover a range of topics with interesting guests. Tori is an amazing coach, an experienced pet influencer, social media manager and more. Tori is approachable outside her podcast and continues to build a strong community of like-minded pet-preneurs and pet parents. While primarily an interview show, we absolutely adore her solo episodes with helpful tips and inspiration. Find her every Wednesday here.
These 5 podcasts are very different in style, frequency, format and scale, however they all share the common trait of creating community surrounding their content. Each host has an opinion or something to share. They all make you feel welcomed and like you’re their best friend. When first starting our podcast, we searched for inspiration. There are many podcasts in the pet space however not every podcast will speak to you. We chose these 5 to show you how much possibility there is as a podcast to reach an audience in a meaningful and impactful way. You don’t have to be a top-charting podcast to leave a meaningful impression on someone or to make someone feel included in your circle.
If you’ve wanted to start your own podcast, we are starting our own Pet Podcast Challenge, where we will get you recording your pilot episode in JUST 5 DAYS.