🎙️How to thrive in your indie podcast game

A chat with Danielle Bezalel of Sex Ed with DB

Hey there!

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed by my drive to do something creative and make it financially valuable for me. Now, I know that all creative projects shouldn’t be pursued with the goal of making money. In fact, if anything we should often make art just for the sake of making art. However, when you want to make that art your career, it’s hard to justify not being able to financially survive off of it.

💛 That’s why I’m so glad I got to chat with Danielle Bezalel. Our conversation left me feeling hopeful and even excited at the prospect of doing something creative, and making money off of it. Why, you ask? Oh because Danielle, an independent podcaster, actually makes six figures doing what she loves!

Let’s hear from her on her key learnings, advice, and how to keep your love for your podcast fresh.

Danielle Bezalel, MPH, aka DB (she/her), is the Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of Sex Ed with DB: your go-to podcast for smart, science-backed sex education—delivering trusted insights from top experts on sex, sexuality, and pleasure.

Talking to her made me realize you can have your cake, and eat it too!

P.S. - if this interview is too long for you to read, let this be your one takeaway:

🎙️Interview with: Danielle Bezalel, Host of Sex Ed with DB

This has been edited for clarity and brevity. Any emphasis is Danielle’s.

🌕 Shreya Sharma (SS): Tell us what inspired you to make Sex Ed with DB.

Danielle Bezalel (DB): I created Sex Ed with DB in 2017 for a few reasons. First, my mom is an OB/GYN and always made it clear to me and my brothers that discussions around bodies and bodily functions should not be taboo. I remember talking about “placentas over pizza,” as I like to call it, at the family dinner table whenever my mom would come home from a delivery that she wanted to vent about. She taught me that conversations about women’s rights were paramount and I quickly learned that social justice was something I was deeply passionate about from a young age.

My upbringing, in conjunction with a sexist encounter I had with an orthodox Jewish rabbi while teaching English in Israel (read more here) + Trump getting elected in 2016, encouraged me to create Sex Ed with DB alongside 10 volunteers for season one of our podcast.

🌗SS: What have your biggest successes been when making this and other shows?

DB: My biggest success (without a doubt) is being able to do a job I absolutely love every day that pays me well. After graduating with an MPH from Columbia in 2020, the main jobs available to me and my classmates were COVID response and government contract jobs. That kind of work never appealed to me and I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve been able to make it work as an independent podcaster and content creator.

I also feel proud of the fact that we’re about to release our 250th episode soon (!) – that’s a lot of content! I feel so proud that I’ve been able to interview and get to know the best experts in the field of sexual health to provide medically accurate, inclusive, pleasure-centered sex education to as many people as possible in an entertaining way. If you haven’t heard an episode of Sex Ed with DB before, I would start here to learn from one of the most well-known sexual health researchers and authors.

🌔 SS: What have your biggest learnings been?

DB: I have a few ideas here! Always, always trust your gut and follow the thing that excites you. Move quickly and pivot if something isn’t working. Really enjoy the great things happening every day and don’t keep raising the bar without being proud of how far you’ve made it so far. And appreciate your people greatly! Sex Ed with DB would not be what it is without the countless team members, guests, and supporters throughout the years.

🌓 SS: You’ve achieved a goal that many independent creators are working towards – not only sustaining but thriving financially on your podcast. What are your 3-4 pieces of advice for the independent creators reading this?

DB: Something to note before you read my listicle below: I was doing my podcast part-time for four years before I took the leap to go for it full-time (three years ago). Building a successful podcasting business takes time and consistent effort. And the journey looks different for everybody.

That being said, here are the four things I would suggest to independent creators who want to make podcasting your full-time gig.

1. Cultivate Your Brand

Your brand is more than just your podcast name or logo—it’s the heart and soul of your show. Be authentic. Share your story. Let your personality shine through.

2. Build Strategic Relationships

The indie podcasting world thrives on connections. I cannot emphasize this enough! Collaborate with other podcasters, pitch brands for sponsorships, and engage with your listeners online.

3. Create Content That Resonates

Your podcast is just one part of the puzzle. To grow your audience, you need to create complementary content that draws people in. Think social media posts, videos, and newsletters.

4. Diversify Your Income Streams

Here’s the big question: how do you make money as an indie podcaster? The answer: don’t put all your eggs in one basket and find partners unique to your niche.

🌖 SS: You seem very open and experimental with your content. What drives you to be that way? Plus, how do you study the results of your experiment to pivot your content?

DB: I always feel the best about my content when I’m having fun and fully being myself. If I want to create content around masturbation and pleasure, I do that. If I found a trending sound that immediately lets me apply a sex ed concept to that sound, I make that video. A few months ago, I watched You’ve Got Mail on a plane and it sparked an idea for an entirely new podcast show called Rom-Com Vom: where in every episode we go under the covers with a beloved rom-com, strip away its hidden toxic messages, and rewrite the script on love and sex. And I just went for it because it sounded intriguing to me and something that was worthwhile.

In terms of studying the results, I try to look at data on the backend as much as possible with my social channels and my podcast in order to help me decipher if my ideas are worth doubling down on or letting go to move onto something more fruitful. Because I have sponsors, I also have to clue them in when I have a new big idea to make sure they’re bought in and excited about it, too.

🌑 SS: What you create requires so much thought and research. How do you keep yourself interested and engaged in your own content?

DB: Sex ed, relationships, film and television, and pop culture will always feel interesting to me (or at least they have in a big way thus far). Continuing to follow topics and people who make me feel like I’m learning something new, being challenged, and making my passion feel ignited will always be my plan.

It’s kind of funny but I’m already 7.5 years into my podcasting journey with Sex Ed with DB and in many ways, I’m just getting started.

💛 Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Danielle!

✨ More Magic

• If you’re learning new things from Podcast Marketing Magic, think about what an ENTIRE two days of just podcast marketing could teach you! That’s what Tink’s Radio Boot Camp is going to be all about. Over the course of this two day intensive you’ll have the opportunity to go deep into everything Tink has learned about growth after more than five years in the business.

• Lauren shared creative and fantastic (I might be biased but I’m not wrong) ideas for podcast marketing as a guest on Podcast Growth Hacks. Listen here.

• The Perfect Sentence is an audio drama that will told in the form of a musical album and not episodes. They’re in the fundraising stage right now! If you have the means, please consider donating here.

• Annalise Nielsen recaps the Lower Street Brand Podcast Summit in a strikingly insightful way.

  • My favorite one from these comes from the fantastic Bridget Todd who says: "If it’s not worth your effort, it’s probably not worth my time."

🎧 From the Desk of Tink

We’re at a pivotal moment for women’s health, and Tink is proud to be working with someone at the forefront of the reproductive rights movement - Jennie Wetter, host of rePROs Fight Back and director of the initiative of the same name.

Jennie’s show covers everything—from updated status on abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights to gender-based violence—while giving listeners actionable steps to fight back and stay informed. She’s spent years fighting for sexual and reproductive, health, rights, and justice and can help listeners practically and emotionally navigate these issues in such a charged political climate.

It’s no wonder rePros Fight Back has won a Signal Award, two Anthem Awards and a Sonic Bloom Award.

Thank you for reading! Wil returns next week with more podcast marketing magic.

Be well,

Shreya