How “Let’s Get Haunted” Built a Loyal Podcast Fanbase | Interview with Hosts Aly & Nat
True crime and paranormal podcasts continue to dominate the charts, fandom culture, live events, and recommendation algorithms — but what exactly keeps audiences coming back to these formats? As podcasting becomes increasingly driven by community, personality, and record consumption, shows in these genres offer a useful lens into broader listener behavior and discovery trends.
I wanted to explore this idea further, so I spoke with the hosts of Let’s Get Haunted about audience growth, fan engagement, and why mystery-driven storytelling continues to resonate in podcasting right now. Let’s find out how to build a loyal podcast fanbase!
Building a Podcast Fanbase for Let’s Get Haunted
Aly & Nat
Arielle Nissenblatt: True crime and paranormal content is clearly having a moment, especially among women. Why do you think that is? What is it about this genre that resonates?
Aly & Nat: True crime & paranormal content give people a structured way to explore fear and the unknown in a safe environment, so it makes sense why they’re both so popular. There’s also a strong community aspect, especially among women, where sharing stories becomes a way to process both real-world dangers and bigger existential questions. We’re proud to be a part of this community!
Arielle: How did you land on the show’s tone and was it always the plan, or a balance that you discovered over time?
Aly & Nat: The show’s tone is definitely a reflection of our real personalities: a little bit chaotic, but big-hearted. Since we cover subject matter that can be a bit dark at times, we’ve always felt it’s important to find appropriate ways to lighten the mood where we can. Life is already hard enough as it is, so we look for ways to bring whimsy into each topic to break the cycle of doom and gloom that can be easy to fall into as an adult.
Arielle: The show saw a major breakout recently, with streams and downloads jumping significantly. What did that moment feel like from your side? Do you think you were able to adequately capture the hype and gain new long term fans?
Aly & Nat: Honestly, it felt surreal! Being a part of Spotify’s RADAR program helped introduce the show to a whole new audience and put us in front of listeners who may not have found us otherwise, which played a big role in turning that surge into something more sustainable. We’ve tried to just stay focused on consistency so new listeners know exactly what they’re getting from us.
Arielle: How has the show evolved since gaining traction? Whether that’s in format, storytelling, production, or even how you think about episodes?
Aly & Nat: We’ve become much more intentional about structure, pacing, and overall storytelling while still staying true to the chaotic energy people love. We also try to add at least one new thing a year to keep the show from getting stale. For example, in 2023 we started uploading a short interview show called “What’s Haunting You?” to our main feed, in 2024 we did a year of themed content, and in 2025 we started uploading the video version of our show to Spotify.
Arielle: Did you always think of Let’s Get Haunted as a video-forward show? Was there ever a moment where you thought it would be more of an audio-first podcast?
Aly & Nat: It actually started as a very audio-first concept, but we quickly realized how much video added to the experience. Seeing our reactions and visual elements in real time helps bring the stories to life in a completely different way. Now we think of it as a hybrid, where both formats enhance each other.
Arielle: The “Hauntie Hotline” is a smart way to bring listeners into the show. How do you incorporate those call-ins into your production process? Do you have any other tactics for bringing fans into the conversation?
Aly + Nat: We started the “Hauntie Hotline” last year as a way to further connect with our listeners, and so far it’s been so much fun! Our fan segments are some of our favorite pieces of content we produce and we’re constantly looking for new ways to encourage listener participation and to foster that sense of community we’ve come to be known for. We also have fan mail unboxing segments, we read off listener e-mails every 5 episodes, we host livestreams with fan chats, each of our public episodes ends with fans who funded us that month being given a shoutout, and our season finale features fan-filmed bits.
Arielle: What other shows, podcasts, or YouTube channels do you draw inspiration from, either in the paranormal/true crime space or outside of it?
Aly & Nat: Shows like The Twilight Zone, the X-Files, and Black Mirror are definitely sources of inspiration. They may be works of fiction, but the true stories we cover on our show are often even stranger.
Arielle: There’s definitely an appetite for this genre beyond audio. Where do you want to take Let’s Get Haunted next?
Aly & Nat: We recently did our first live show which was such a cool experience. We’d love to do more in-person events like conventions, weekend fan trips, etc. We’ve always built this show around community, so getting to meet people in real life and bring the chaos of the podcast into a shared space is definitely something we want to keep growing.
Thank you to Aly & Nat for joining me for this conversation!