I am about halfway through earning my Master's Degree (Interdisciplinary Studies: Professional Communication) from Southern Utah University. One of my recent classes was Professional Social Media, and I wanted to share an assignment that was part of my Final.

I had to find a company, evaluate their social media and produce a presentation (as if I worked there or consulting) that gave suggestions for improvements. I decided to pick Podcast.Co because I love podcasting, and I liked what they were offering to the market.

This isn't about criticism, because at the end of the day, a lot of companies could make improvements to their social media. I wanted to share this to help you come up with ways to evaluate your social media and maybe help a podcast company in the process.

If you've been in content marketing for any length of time, you've likely heard a common term called repurposed content. If you're hearing it for the first time, or if you've always wondered what it is, know this - it's a necessary part of any content strategy. It also provides marketers with many benefits, especially those with limited time to create content.

Repurposed content is taking an existing piece of content and using it to create other types of content. For example, you could write a blog about ice cream recipes. After you post that blog:

1. You take a recipe and create graphic to share on social media
2. You then record a podcast episode and discuss the different recipes
3. You create an infographic showing the steps to creating one of the ice cream recopies
4. You produce a slide show featuring the different recipes
5. You produce a quick video showing how to make a recipe, a montage of ice cream creations mentioned in the blog, etc.

The 1-5 steps came from creating that one ice cream blog...

​and made us all hungry for ice cream!Other ideas for creating repurposed contentOne reason why repurposed content is so critical today is marketing departments need to evolve into publishing departments. You can't rely on just one form of content (like blogs or print). Your audience consists of people who:

1. Don't like to read
2. Have short attention spans
3. Are having ads, CTAs, content, photos and the kitchen sink thrown at them online
4. Consume content different from other people

Also keep in mind it doesn't have to start with a blog. You could create a video featuring a conversation or sharing some valuable insights. Then:

1. Take the audio from that video and turn it into a podcast episode
2. Cut the video up into smaller quick-hit insight videos and spread them out on social media
3. Take the highlights from the video and write a blog (and feature the video on the same post)

Repurposed content gives you a path to maximizing your reach.  Here are some repurposed content strategies from experts:

Colin Gray explains How to Repurpose Content for Your Blog and Beyond
Hubspot shares 12 Great Examples of Repurposed Content
Syed Balkhi (Entrepreneur) explains How to Repurpose Marketing Content for Small Business
Ann Smarty shares ideas for Repurposing Videos Into Many Forms of Valuable Content

Marketers aren't in control anymore, and they can't solely focus on promoting and selling in everything they do. The relationship between marketer and audience has changed, and if you've been in it for more than 20 years, you might struggle to adapt.
​
As Judy Ungar Franks, author and clinical assistant professor in the Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University, says - when you apply old-school media thinking to a new media world...nothing happens!

This is a key reason why marketers struggle to meet goals or get the best results from their content marketing efforts. The content on this blog will consider both parties in the audience and marketer relationship.

If the "sell" or "pitch" is the end goal, you can't spend all your time focused on that part of the conversation. However, recognizing the change in the relationship is only half the problem. The second half deals with a crowded room of people trying to build a relationship with the same consumer. If everyone is talking the same way, it's harder to make the case that you're the right one for them.
​One of the best ways to optimize communication in a relationship is remembering to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This relationship is no different. You have to think like a marketer and a consumer.

When you're not thinking like a marketer, you and your audience probably have similar attitudes, emotions and reactions to online content:

• You know what gets your attention
• You know what angers you about sales and promotion tactics
• You know what you're likely to ignore
• You know what draws you to a brand and what earns your trust
• You know how much time you have to read, watch or listen to something (and what keeps your attention)

Remembering your consumer habits can help you develop better marketer habits.

Do you find yourself struggling to develop topics for your company blog? You're not alone. Have you ever considered why it's so difficult to generate content? It could be one of many challenges companies face in their content creation:

There isn't time to write a blog
The product or industry doesn't "inspire" topics
The belief that blogs can't translate to sales

Well, the good news is there are answers to all of these challenges.  Here are some concepts to consider to help you break these content creation barriers and feel better about your blog strategy.

I have simple response to that blog.

Plus, do you think I'll be fooled by that company again? Nope.

The concept of customers and blog topics covers two typical blog strategy barriers - the time challenge and the company product/service topic issue. Marcus Sheridan saved his swimming pool business by simply creating blogs that answered customer questions:

The title is the question, and the answer (even if it's short) is the body of the blog. Now he's made a living teaching businesses how to provide value by providing questions that customers are asking - often times via search. It's amazing that Marcus turned this into a content phenom, because on its surface it seems kind of an obvious idea.

However, what are we talking about in THIS blog? This is explaining why blogs don't always have to be long, time-consuming epic reads because people have a tendency to think that's what they have to create.

And Marcus will tell you - his They Ask, You Answer strategy works for all businesses.

Beyond conducting internal research to find out what your customers and prospects are asking, there are online resources like AnswerThePublic, HubSpot’s blog topic generator and Buzzsumo that help generate blog topics.

Brand and digital content strategist Chris Brogan expanded his content strategies beyond the written word when he noticed trends pointing towards video and audio. In making his case for why watching and listening is the new reading,  Chris pointed out that people only spend an average of 19 minutes a day reading - including their texts and emails. 

How many minutes do you spend reading your emails or phone communications? How much time is left to read a few articles and blogs?

In the bigger picture, Chris's point shouldn't be taken to stop writing blogs, but to not always default to writing content that takes a lot of time to read. These days, you'll find websites that offer the option to read their blog or listen to an audio version of it.

If you choose to record a video, just share some insights. Make it fun and engaging. Talk to your audience and save them some time by recording something that can also be shared on your blog.

Once you realize you don't have to write an epically-long blog post, you may realize just how much content you can create. It's all about providing value, and there are a variety of ways to prove you have a lot to offer your customers and prospects.

When I first learned about this approach from a content marketing expert, they said something that has always stuck with me:

If you provide a lot of value through content, your audience starts to think, "If I get this kind of value for free - imagine what I'll get when I buy something from them."

So, take the time you might spend on an extremely long and complex blog and use these 60 ideas for bloggers, entrepreneurs, marketers and businesses to generate ideas.​

Whether it's Terminator 2 or the AMC series Humans, people have always had that worry in the back of their mind about "the machines" taking over. My question is - why don't we have the same concern in marketing?

After all, you can do something about it before it can start to damage your business. Before you get visuals of your office computers growing legs and saying, "Must destroy the company - resistance is futile," let me explain what I mean.

Whether it's Humans or Westworld, the story always starts the same - we develop robots to make our lives easier, and then everything goes to crap. In the realm of social media or content marketing, we're seeing an overreliance on making things easier through automation and analytics while forgetting to be human.

Unlike the apocalyptical machine stories, I'm not suggesting it's something you shouldn't be doing in the first place. However, like a recent Forbes article pointed out - automation still has to have a human touch. This is especially true on social media, especially since it's called social media.

You'll find plenty of brands of all sizes that are doing nothing but automating the content on their feed. They'll post content all of the time, hoping that it will gain them the benefit of your engagement, and that's where the effort ends. You never see them start a conversation, or  start one with wanting all the replies to come from you, but they don't feel they have to add anything more.

This is actually a pet peeve of mine. I've been known to unfollow social media feeds that  feature easy automation but not human interaction. It tells me they don't care that much about my involvement in their online presence. On the brand side, lack of a human element can cost you engagements, shares, reputation and advocacy.

Unfortunately, I also see an overreliance on automation and a lack of human effort from many content marketing and social thought leaders. To me, promoting yourself as a thought leader in social media and then never engaging with people on a platform is like an ad agency touting their social media strategy tutelage while showcasing terrible following numbers on their platforms. ​

If you've spent quality time on social media over the last few years, you've probably witnessed or experience an automated response fail.  For example, there was the time Dominos apologized for a customer's great pizza. I've also seen automation offer a positive response to a post about a negative experience or situation. In this case, the "machine" isn't intelligent enough to respond, but people definitely know the difference.

Another example of an automation challenge that does more harm than good is utilizing a powerful social listening software that doesn't have the right data incorporated into its processes. For example, if Chevrolet told its social listening engine to track people talking about "Chevrolet," they would overlook the audience that refers to them online as "Chevy" or "bowtie."

Bots and automation aren't the only things that provide a critical pros/cons dynamic to your marketing efforts. Humans are also capable of taking data, analytics and code and jumping to the wrong conclusions:

• In baseball, it can be when a manager pulls a pitcher too early because it's what the analytics say
• In hiring, it can be overlooking potential talent opportunities hidden in resume keyword data
• In marketing, it can be confined to specific rules that don't allow much creativity or humanity.

While such parameters could be rooted in meaningful and relevant standards, it's important to have flexibility or awareness of some of the unique ways to create engagement, leads and ROI.  A great example is the legend of Nathan Apodaca.

Andrew makes the same point  - Could you pitch an idea featuring someone riding a skateboard on an actual highway with one hand guzzling a branded drink and lip-syncing? If your automatic response is no, you may have some good reasons why:

It's unsafe?
It doesn't directly sell the product (where's the CTA)?
It doesn't fit the brand (but what brand would this fit)?

Then again, you would've never tested it and seen the amazing results. In Ocean's Spray's case-  skyrocketing sales and doublimg their stock. Some people think it's nothing more than one of those lucky viral video stories.  Mark Schaefer says it's a prime example of the power of creating "human" commercials.

"The video is real, raw, human, and vulnerable. Generally speaking, everything ads are not," he said.

​When I wrote and produced fundraising content at the North Texas NPR affiliate, one key messaging point was that listener support helped the station produce radio with less advertising - leaving more time for interviews and shows each hour. The more content/fewer commercials component of podcasts have a similar appeal, and you don't have to follow an hourly clock.

​So, what should you do with all of that time flexibility?

​There is no "perfect" length for a podcast episode, but, some guidelines can help determine what's best for your show.

In the book Content Chemistry, Andy Crestodina points out that:

1. The Top 10 business podcasts average 42 minutes.
2. Stitcher research says the typical listener stays connected for 22 minutes.
3. Ted talks are 18 minutes for a reason - Attention rates drop after 20 minutes.

Consider what successful podcasts are doing
One of the most shocking things I heard someone say about their podcast episode length was that you can't go in-depth on a topic in under 30 minutes.

Really? What if your listener thinks you've said enough about something after 18 minutes, and they feel like you dragged it out for another 22?

When I launched Comic Book Noob a few years ago, people said they wanted a simple comic book show that shared simple insights and recommendations. One person told me they would listen to other shows discuss comics, but they would get so into the weeds the content felt overwhelming or confusing. 

Our episodes are under 30 minutes - some are under 20 minutes.  

Insider tip: People are okay with that length.

Here are some other examples of short podcasts to check out.
​
Consider your audience​

​If I was new to the planet and asked you how humans feel about the car buying experience, what would you tell them? I assume you wouldn't describe it the same way you would a Caribbean cruise. However, there are too many people that don't mind infusing the annoyances of car buying to their LinkedIn marketing strategy.

When you walk onto a car lot, you know you're going to have someone approach you and talk to you about buying a car, but why is that so bad? Marcus Sheridan points out:

"Imagine you walk onto a car dealership lot and a salesman comes striding out. Do you expect that salesman to have your best interests at heart, or are you anticipating the whole 'Have I got the perfect car for you' routine?"

In other words, you feel like the conversation is going to be driven (no pun intended) by what benefits them - not you. 

How are people getting a similar experience on LinkedIn? You can find plenty of promotion-filled sales lots filled with robotic salespeople communicating through canned and repeatable rhetoric.

Many LinkedIn profiles are full of brands talking about themselves and their perfect things for the audience. Their pages are the equivalent of having a bunch of wacky waving inflatable arm men in a used car lot, and both are about equally as effective in inspiring someone to buy.

​
​You'll notice that when LinkedIn announces their best page announcement winners, it's all about the ways brands are providing value and building trust. For example:

1. ​Teleperformance shares "quick-hit content that is short, snackable, and easily digested even without sound. They humanize their brand by featuring company leaders in the video content and establish credible thought leadership through the use of third-party stats."
2. CVENT proves it is "not product-first in their content — they genuinely want their content to be useful and relevant to their audience."

If you're wondering how to evolve your LinkedIn page away from a "car salesy" theme to a value-based and trust-building one, you can find several ideas for unique LinkedIn posts. You just have to decide which ones are right for your brand.

​Poor Bert Healy. He just wanted his script to sound like a natural conversation, but it's more than evident that Mr. Warbucks is reading a prepared set of sentences. It didn't help matters when Warbucks closed with, "Did I just do a commercial?"

However, Bert had a good excuse. It was the 1930s, radio was big, and he had a captive audience. Yet today, people are willing to follow a similar formula using LinkedIn messages, and it's not as funny as this scene. In fact, it's annoying, lazy, unprofessional and sad.

Like a stereotypical used car salesman, they may greet you in a way that seems like it's an attempt to get to know you, but once you respond, it's all about their benefit. 

It starts with a disingenuous connection request
Disingenuous reasons for wanting to connect generally include an interest in "expanding a personal network and wanting to connect with like-minded people." Or the more amusing invitations to connect are the ones where they tell you upfront that they think you're stupid. 

For example, they tell you your recent "great blog or post" that "showed up on their feed," drew them to you. Granted, they aren't going to tell you specifically which post it is because this is a  cut and paste script that goes to several people. It's the car lot greeting before things go into sales mode. Once you connect, you'll get more cut and paste messages that signal no real interest in connection, conversation, value or trust.

Because it's not about you. If it was, things would sound a lot less scripted and the conversation could be very different. As Marcus said in his blog, your content (or communication) could say:

“Why HubSpot is right for you.”
or
“Is HubSpot the right fit for you?”

One shows bias, one does not.

Creating value, starting a conversation or building trust means avoiding what Chris Brogan would call treating people like purses and wallets. One of the simplest pieces of advice I've ever gotten about social media marketing is - You have to give to get.

• You have to give value to get value.
• You have to earn trust to get trust.

People assume a car buying experience is going to be more frustrating than fulfilling. They expect similar frustrations while spending time on LinkedIn.

Prove them wrong.  It will benefit you both.

I'm a creative who likes to come up with an idea and immediately start working on it.  In 2011, I decided to launch my first podcast, and I wasted no time recording, editing and uploading my first episode.  However, as Timothy Failure says - mistakes were made.  These mistakes were worthy of some face-paIms, but I learned from them.  Plus, they helped me develop strategies to share with new podcasters.

Here are some lessons I learned while producing my first podcast:

Give yourself time to tweak your concept before launch
The Critic Show was the name of my first podcast.  The idea was to theme it around guests and listeners discussing all things entertainment.  We're all critics, and we share opinions about the things we hear and watch.

Ideally, I wanted celebrity guests on the show.  However, this was going to be a brand new podcast, and guests weren't going to know who I am.  I figured I would be lucky to book a guest every few months.  Nonetheless, I started recording the episodes.

As the first seven shows were produced:

​So, I did something painful but necessary.  I deleted the first six episodes from my feed.

Later, I heard a podcast expert suggest recording and editing your first shows without uploading them.  That way, you can make the necessary tweaks before sharing your content with the public.

He said episodes 7-10 would likely sound a lot different from episodes 1 -6. 

​I was living proof he was right.

Optimize your frequency
The release dates for The Critic Show was the 15th and the last day of the month.  On the one hand, it was a perfect fit for me.  It generally took two weeks to find, book and record guest interviews.  However, it wasn't an ideal set of dates for potential subscribers.

Later, I attended a podcast session at Social Media Marketing World that emphasized the importance of optimized frequency.  The speaker strongly recommended that podcasts upload weekly episodes, but an every other week system worked as well. 

The key is to upload shows on the same day.  That way, listeners can make your show part of their subscription routines.

The idea of trying to get a show out every week terrified me.   However, I would later develop a successful plan for weekly podcast uploads.

Don't create an intro that sounds like it lasts forever
Calling my first show opening "too long" is an understatement.  It might be easier to say, "Yikes!" and move on.  The original intro for The Critic Show went like this:

These days, I try to keep my intros under 30-60 seconds.  The only reason they would last that long is I'm still using some creativity to explain the concept of the show.  After all, you never know which episode will be someone's first to hear.  However, it's not uncommon for me to make a tighter version of the intro after the show has been out for several weeks.

Still, nothing has been as long as that first Critic Show open. From an audio standpoint, it was giving In A Gadda Da Vida a run for its money.

I tell new podcasters to make sure they develop a concept that produces a consistent amount of episodes each year.  In other words, don't create a podcast that might run out of topics.

Also, if you can create a podcast with a specific target audience, you're more likely to generate strong subscription numbers.  For example, a podcast solely focused on a television series generates a very specific listener base.

Even though The Critic Show established a good format, two problems remained:

1. There was so much variety in my guests that it created a lot of ups and downs in listenership.  People would listen to guests that interested them.  However, interviewing has always been one of my strengths.  If people love the way you conduct interviews, they might listen despite a lack of interest in a guest.​
2. As my podcast unexpectedly evolved into a celebrity interview show, the title no longer made sense.  In fact, I'm surprised the name didn't scare more people.  Imagine being an actor and getting an invitation to be on The CRITIC Show.

When the podcast started its second year, it was renamed Beyond the Screens.  This definitely fit the description, but now my feed had two sets of the same show with different names.

So, get that title right the first time!

I started podcasting in 2011.  Today, podcasts are a lot more mainstream, and that comes with better access to advice.  So, it's easier not to make some of these mistakes. 

However, I would finally recommend that you maintain a willingness to learn new things.  If you can avoid not learning lessons the hard way, that's even better.

Throughout my career, I've always embraced the value of continued learning.  No matter how much experience you have, there's never a reason to think you've learned enough.  I especially love learning opportunities that expand into other areas of work.

For example, I took Robert McKee's Story Seminar over 15 years ago.  Back then, it was about learning screenwriting and storytelling.  I had no idea that storytelling would later become a vital part of my content marketing strategies.  

In 2007, I entered a brand new world - audio and radio production. I spent 3.5 years writing and producing live and pre-recorded content for KERA 90.1's (The North Texas NPR affiliate) on-air fundraising drives.  As a podcast host and producer, I continue to use many of the content values I gained from my Public Radio work experience.

Here are some examples:

Make the listener part of your conversations

During a long pledge break, there would generally be 2-3 people talking and asking for donations.  I made it a priority for talent to approach their break as if they were speaking to ONE person.

Don't speak to the entire listening audience...just one person.  As they talked, they needed to act like the listener was in the room or just always listening.

During a pledge break, talent can establish the listener as part of the conversation by greeting them.  If talent starts the break by only greeting one another, it creates an instant disconnect.

​
Another way to keep the listener engaged was not to suddenly veer off topic and get into a conversational groove about other subjects.  When that happens, the listener feels like their eavesdropping on a conversation instead of being part of it.

Keep this in mind while podcasting.  Conduct your conversations as if the listener is there with you.  When it comes to your discussions, conduct them in a way that respect's a listener's time.

After all, the goal is for them to listen and subscribe, right?  Good!  Then make them feel important.  Let them know that everything you do is with them in mind.

Planning ahead makes a big difference

Before I started my work at the station, many breaks involved a lot of spontaneous talking and conversational improvising.  For the listener, this could make a four-minute break feel like eight minutes.  That means an eight-minute break could be unbearable as talent would be filling the time with some unfocused talk.

Another issue with a loosely-formatted break is that improvisation created unintentional statements that were counter-productive.  For example, the goal was to raise money for the station and its mission. 


​However, it wasn't uncommon for talent to make off-the-cuff pitches using words like, "support us."  Even though they didn't mean for it to sound negative, it came off like the talent (not the station) needed financial support.

​Creating a podcast with a focused format is never going to hurt your show, and your listeners can tell you took the time to care.  You should also take your audience-centered strategy a step further by optimizing your editing process.

Approach interviews with preparation and conversation

I really want to wave this flag because most podcasters fail to maximize the potential of their interviews.  Too many follow an inflexible Q&A list of questions that make interviews sound one-dimensional.  Others improvise and ask the same predictable questions that listeners and guests hear all of the time.

I was fortunate to produce content around Fresh Air with Terry Gross, The Diane Rehm Show and Think with Krys Boyd.  Listen to a improvised podcast interview with typical questions that start with, "What was it like.." and "How did you get started...", then compare them with the conversations heard on those public radio shows.

Listeners value their approach to interviews.  I know this because I witnessed people all over the country giving money to support those shows.

Here are two significant factors in the gap between good and bad/mediocre interviews:

1. Following a question list with no listening-based follow-ups or adjustments vs. asking questions, listening and building a value-filled discussion

2. Making it obvious you didn't prepare (no research, didn't read an author's book, no insights on what your audience would want to know, etc.) vs. showcasing your professional preparation and making sure the listener gets value and/or takeaways while listening.

My first point was about audience, but you could actually make the argument that all of these points are rooted in the listener experience:

1. As you talk, don't forget the listener should be a valuable part of every conversation
2. Structure a format for your show that optimizes your offerings and respects the listener's time
3. Prep for an interview by conducting research, reading a book and/or listening to previous interviews 
4. Use your question list as a flexible guide and not as a strict set of talking points

If you want subscribers, these production values will go a long way.  Don't forget that many shows on Public Radio are also podcasts.

Plus, Public Radio programs have to provide enough value to inspire people to support them with their money.  In the podcast space, you don't have to be raking in big bucks on Patreon to know your value.  However, you need to ask yourself if your episodes provide the listener with value and takeaways that give them a reason to come back. 

​Make your NPR stand for Necessary Podcast Resource.

The last nine years of podcasting are filled with memorable experiences, including conducting interviews, meeting people, building relationships and much more.  However, when I take a step back, there is actually one podcast that counts as its own amazing, fun and memorable experience:

The Peggy Carter Podcast.

It only lasted for two seasons of Agent Carter, but I’m so pleased that we got them both.

The Random Decision
I came up with the idea to produce an Agent Carter show while producing the Assembly of Geeks podcast.  Before this moment, I never thought about spin-off podcasts or doing a show exclusively focused on one television series.  However, it was hard to ignore how excited we were to discuss any news surrounding Agent Carter on our current podcast.  

At one point, I thought we could dedicate a segment to our Agent Carter reactions, but I thought that would take away from the free-flowing variety of Assembly of Geeks.  So, I decided to host and produce a standalone podcast.  Then, I had to figure out how to piece it together.

Picking the Co-hosts
I knew I wanted to be a host on this show, and it only made sense to ask AoG co-hosts Tricia Barr and Jeff McGee if they would be interested in being part of it.  However, time was an issue for them, and that meant I needed to expand my co-host search.

Fortunately, I was already talking to Lauren Galloway and Amy Hypnarowski about getting involved with Assembly of Geeks, and it turned out they were both very interested Agent Carter.  It all fell into place, and we had instant chemistry.​

I knew the theme needed an old school secret agent vibe, and I found the perfect opening theme track on Pond5.  Then, I started to think about the intro and bumpers.  At first, I considered the sound of Peggy going into the office and pulling a file (which would contain the breakdown of the day's episode), but that would be tough to convey with audio sounds.

Then I started to think in old school and 1940s radio terms.  At one point, Amy joked about us dressing up in 1940s clothes and turning it into a radio production of that time. 

That idea jump-started my concept - The opening theme would transition to the sound of a tuning radio.  Then, an old-school radio announcer would set the stage through a dramatic read.

I was lucky to find voiceover artistRon Chavis to be the newsman.  His first words were always, "This is SSR radio."

As I wrote his first script, I knew I wanted his last line to be something over-dramatic.  So, he closed with a dire warning about Peggy's mission by saying, "If she fails, the consequences could be severe...both for her...and the world as we know it."

When I was writing the intro for the second episode, I struggled to come up with a line that had an equally cool and cheese-tastic ring to it.  Then it hit me - the "world as we know it line" should be the close for every episode's introduction. 

​If it wasn't broken, why try to fix it?  That closing line became very synonymous with the show.

Audio: The Peggy Carter Podcast Season Premiere Episode

Along with the fun introduction, each "break" in the podcast featured 1940s music (including tracks heard in the series) and 1940s radio commercials.

The Hayley Atwell Interview
​It wasn't long into the first season that we learned that some writers from Agent Carter were listening to the show.  The download stats were solid as the podcast grew into something unexpectedly great.

Yet, there wasn't a guarantee that Agent Carter would get renewed for a second season.  When the renewal came, I started to think about starting our second season with a special guest.

In May of 2015, I made plans to attend a comic convention in Houston.  Hayley Atwell was a guest, and she was the main reason for my attendance.  Having conducted several convention interviews, I wondered if it was possible to talk to Hayley while I was there.  Thanks to Lauren's social media connections with people at Marvel, she was able to find out who I should contact about this idea.

It was the Executive Director of Television Communications.

When I reached out, I learned Marvel wasn't in control of Hayley's schedule at the convention.  So, any interviews would have to be controlled by their staff.  However, I was told that Marvel did not have any problems with her being on the show. 

​I knew it was too late to organize something like that, and I asked if we could arrange something after the convention.  He asked me to touch base with him when the new season went into production in the fall.​

​At the convention, I paid for an autograph and photo op with Hayley.  While she was signing my picture, I asked if she'd heard of our Peggy Carter show.

She looked up, thought for a second and said, "Yes! In fact, I've listened to it in my trailer." She said she loved the amount of enthusiasm we had for the show. 
​
That was an unforgettable moment.

Before I reached out to Marvel about an interview with her, I wanted to establish some rapport and demonstrate my professional approach to interviews.  So, I booked an interview with Clark Gregg for the Assembly of Geeks Podcast, and we had a fantastic discussion about a variety of topics.

As production of Agent Carter was close to wrapping, I reached out and booked the interview with Hayley.  I learned that she would talk to me from her trailer during a break.  I would have a 15-minute window.

​That day, I couldn't think of anything else.  I wasn't nervous about interviewing her, it just needed to go smoothly.  After all, this interview took six months to book, and the call was coming from a trailer on set.  It was a tight window, and rescheduling may not be possible if something went wrong.

Finally, it was time to record the interview.

Then, we got delayed. 

That wasn't surprising since she was on a production set, and it meant I was going to have to wait a little longer.  A couple more delays came and went, and they told me would call when they're ready.

This extra time allowed me to calm my nerves and wait for everything to fall into place.  The phone rang, and it was time to make this happen. 

I was already a bit worried about this.

Luckily, she was able to put on a headset.  Once plugged in, she came through loud and clear. 

She was a wonderful guest.  She was totally engaged in our conversation, and we had a great 15-minute talk about Season One, the extended story of her character and the themes of Season Two. 

​Everything came together and worked out perfectly.

Even though I wouldn't upload the interview for another month, I decided to promote it on Twitter.  It ended up being the perfect time to share it.

Hayley retweeted it, and later that day, she decided not return to Twitter.  Our interview was the last thing she shared on her account before leaving social media.

It was almost fitting since everything about this podcast experience was about good decisions and timing:
​

• The random decision to create a Peggy Carter Podcast
• Perfect timing to add the perfect co-hosts
• The decision to infuse the show with 1940s creativity
• The decision to try and get Hayley on the show in Season Two (because there wasn't a Season Three)
• The decision to promote it early on Twitter 
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Even though the show is over and the podcast ended, I still have these great memories. 

I also have that unforgettable interview with the star of the show.