Back in August 2024, I did something a little wild. After being single for 8 years (yes, eight), I decided to turn my love life or lack of it, into a podcast. I called it “Why Am I Still Single?“, and every Friday, I sit down behind the mic and tell stories about the girls I’ve dated, liked, or almost had something with. It’s a solo storytelling podcast, part comedy, part personal journal, and very much my public search for love.
Here’s the twist: the podcast ends the day I get married. Until then, it’s just me, my stories, and an amazing audience that has slowly been growing with me.
How I’m Building a Community — One Laugh at a Time
Right now, I get about 250 to 300 downloads daily, not bad for a one-man storytelling train. But it didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been grinding.
Here’s how I’ve been marketing my podcast:
Instagram DM Strategy:
I wrote down the top 5 podcasts in my category on Spotify, stalked their Instagram pages (peacefully), and started messaging people who liked or commented on their posts. Around 100 DMs a day, each one personalized with greetings, my podcast link, and a funny gift (plus an unrealistic one if they actually click). That strategy? Golden.
Social Media Ads:
I run clickbait-style ads once a month — mostly the funniest 30-second clips from the podcast. The kind that makes people stop scrolling and go: “What did I just hear?”
Email Newsletters (2x a week):
I don’t just share podcast updates. I plug in blog posts, videos, upcoming live events — basically, anything happening in my world.
WhatsApp Broadcasts + Influencer Friends:
I told a few influential friends about the podcast and asked them to spread the word. Some of them even got hooked and now share it on their own.
Why the University of Lagos Is My Main Target
I’m a proud Unilag (University of Lagos) alum, and I know what kind of energy lives on that campus. Creative, diverse, and hype. That’s exactly the crowd I want to connect with. My goal is to build a 1,000 daily download base from Unilag alone. Why? Because if it can thrive there, it can thrive anywhere.
Unilag students aren’t just listeners, they’re potential fans, sharers, and hype machines. Once I hit that number, I’m planning more live events, collabs, and community stuff to keep the energy going.
Making It Sustainable
So far, I’ve been able to monetise through Buzzsprout ads and audience donations. Buzzsprout Ads connects advertisers with podcasters, aiming to deliver targeted ads to relevant audiences. Advertisers create ads and set preferences, and Buzzsprout then matches them with podcasts based on categories, language, and potentially specific podcast choices. Podcasters have full control over which ads they approve and have the option to decline ads they don’t want. Not a mansion-yet budget, but it’s paying off slowly. This year, I want to lock in real sponsors, grow engagement, hit bigger download numbers, and sell out some live shows. Simple.
Why this strategy, you ask? Well, I didn’t want to wait for luck. I built this podcast like someone building a small business, one listener, one laugh, one DM at a time. I knew I didn’t have a marketing agency or a production team (except myself and my sound editor), but I had stories, drive, and a plan.
This strategy works for me because it’s personal. It’s scrappy. It’s consistent. I chose methods that kept me in control, that let me build real connections instead of chasing viral moments. I didn’t just want downloads; I wanted a community. People who would listen, laugh, relate, and come back. And most importantly, I wanted CheckMates, people who would root for me, not just as a podcaster, but as a person trying to figure life and love out in real time.
So, if you’re building something—a podcast, a brand, a dream—remember this: strategy is not about being the loudest. It’s about being the most intentional.
And that’s the Check Edgar Method.
