In this episode, Kane speaks with Kevin Clifton, podcast host of The Kevin Clifton Show and former Strictly Come Dancing professional. They talk about his time in Strictly, the highs and lows of his career and how he has managed to overcome his own personal struggles. They also discuss all things podcasting, including monetisation, why Kevin chose to go into podcasting and the benefits and opportunities he has discovered since launching his own show.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Before Strictly, Kevin did a lot of stage work which he loved but he knew there would be a time limit on it. He started to look at something that would give him a longer-lasting platform and Strictly was perfect. He was rejected the first two times he applied to Strictly but he was third time lucky and was on the show for 7 years.
• The pressure of performing, the press and social media on Kevin Clifton’s mental health is eventually why he decided to leave the show. It was taking his toll and he knew he needed to take a step back, realign and refocus himself.
• Podcasting has helped Kevin become more comfortable with himself and allowed him to feel more connected with others. He has been able to speak to people first hand about the similar difficulties they have faced.
• Podcasting is a platform without constant feedback like social medial channels. People can review you but they don’t comment, share and like as they would on other platforms.
• Interviewing people on podcasts can be so revealing. Kevin has found that many performers seem very extroverted and confident but then when you hear them talking about their struggles it really puts their humanity and authenticity at the forefront.
• Longform content such as podcasting is actually really unique and special. People don’t have to talk in ‘soundbites’ they can provide context, listeners can gain a full understanding behind a situation and a person.
• The connections Kevin has gained through podcasting has been invaluable. It’s provided a platform to getting to know people and make more valuable connections.
• One of Kevin Clifton’s lifelong dreams was to perform in Singing in the Rain. He got to live this dream and puts it down to his podcast, if he didn’t have his podcast he wouldn’t have made the connection that led to this role.
• Starting is the biggest hurdle in creating a podcast. Kevin says once you have started things become more natural and you will find through trial and error what works. Start now, get perfect later.
• Kevin has been able to monetise his podcast in varying ways. Directly he has set up a Patreon, indirectly he is making connections, leveraging his other projects and more.

BEST MOMENTS

“With podcasts you don’t see that, there’s not a comment section, you don’t know how many likes you have”

“I speak to a lot of introverts, and it’s the perfect medium (podcasting) for them”

“Podcasts are great for that, on podcasting people really open up and you can have that real conversation and peek behind the curtain”

“It’s beneficial to them as well as they get to talk about their work, they know it’s going out to people, they get to leverage” 

“If I didn’t have a podcast I probably wouldn’t have done Singing in the Rain which was a bucket list item”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Free Podcast Workshop

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Kane Baron, Ashley Morris & Thom Luter manage over 150 live podcasts Including Rob Moore, Kevin Clifton, Shaa Wasmand MBE & more. 
Helping Entrepreneurs Launch, Scale & Monetise their podcast for over 6 years.

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Email: [email protected]