In this episode of the Media Makers Club podcast, I sit down with Annie Sargent, creator of the Join Us in France Travel Podcast. Annie shares her 10-year journey of podcasting about French culture, cuisine, and travel destinations.

Annie's podcast began as a way to rediscover her homeland after living abroad for years. She discusses her approach to content creation, focusing on lesser-known French destinations and providing authentic insights into French life. The podcast - now at more than 500 episodes - has grown to include trip reports from listeners, book discussions, and cultural explorations.

We touch on Annie's podcasting process, including her equipment setup and production techniques. She emphasizes the importance of consistency and patience in growing a podcast audience, likening it to planting trees that take years to harvest.

Annie has expanded her brand beyond the podcast, offering Voicemap tours, itinerary consultations, and guided day trips. She shares her strategies for monetization, including Patreon tiers, affiliate marketing, and creating travel-related products.

Annie and her friend Elyse make it look easy running a travel podcast. Her advice is to focus on content quality and consistency rather than aggressive marketing, to develop your unique voice and be authentic, and not obsess over download numbers.

Annie discusses the challenges of balancing content creation with travel and research, and the importance of connecting with listeners through events like her annual France bootcamp in Toulouse.

The conversation touches on the evolving landscape of travel podcasts, the value of word-of-mouth promotion, and the benefits of collaborating with other content creators in your niche.

Annie and Elyse launched the show in Feb 2014. For most of the first year, the shows were conversations between the two of them, places where Elyse had guided groups or places Annie had visited recently. Then Elyse, who had been very generous with her time, became less available and the show had to change format, but Elyse still comes on the show about once a month, as her time permits.

Annie invites various guests on the show, most of them are listeners who enjoy the show and have tips they want to share. There are also solo episodes by Annie on topics having to do with French culture, food, wine, places and attractions.

If you wish to get in touch with Annie, check out her podcast on all podcast platforms (Join Us in France Travel Podcast), and visit her website and boutique at: https://joinusinfrance.com

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On the Media Makers Club podcast, I aim to bring you conversations with creators who have stuck with it through thick and thin. Maybe they have gone ‘viral’, maybe not. In spite of that, consistency and sustained effort has proven that you can build successful YouTube channels, courses, podcasts and other types of creative businesses. Join me on a journey of learning from these creators.

Media Makers Club Podcast:

https://mediamakers.club/podcast

Media Makers Club:

https://mediamakers.club

Cristi Cotovan:

https://cotovan.com

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:34 Annie's Journey Back to France

02:56 Starting the Join Us in France Podcast

04:38 Podcast Content and Structure

12:39 Challenges and Evolution of the Podcast

16:56 Tools and Techniques for Podcasting

27:27 Balancing Work and Travel

29:11 Exploring France with Elyse

30:12 Challenges and Perseverance

31:59 Marketing and Monetization Strategies

37:48 Connecting with the Audience: The Bootcamp

45:05 Advice for Aspiring Podcasters

47:24 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

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