Podcasting from the spare room of my family home was a welcome distraction from my Year 12 studies.
I was very lucky to have had friends buy me a microphone for my birthday and an editor that was comfortable with an overly enthusiastic 18-year-old assuming hosting duties of its 'New and Noteworthy' podcast.
On I would go to host and produce over 200 episodes of The Start Cast, Press Start Australia's weekly video game discussion podcast.
Whilst we were in a rhythm, we felt there was more we could achieve with the podcast. We were of course attached to Press Start, but only a small percentage of our readership engaged with the podcast.
We decided to start 2020 by rebranding the podcast, calling it simply The Press Start Podcast. Additionally, we diversified our distribution, ensuring we existed wherever you could download a podcast.
Furthermore, we removed episode numbers and simplified the format. No longer would each guest bring a topic, but we'd discuss relevant subjects and news from the week.
We began putting up specific podcast related posts on the site, added a page to our website's menu and began sharing clips on socials more often.
Immediately our listenership grew and went from strength to strength throughout the year. It was nicely timed with the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which saw a spike in video game interested, emphasised by COVID-19 induced lockdowns.
By the end of the year, we were consistently charting and had become one of the most listened to video game podcasts in Australia.