How and Why to Stop Making a Podcast: Interview with 'The Cultured Podcast'
One of the most commonly-Googled things in creative circles lately is, “how do I start a podcast?” People want to know what equipment they need, what an RSS feed is, how to choose a hosting provider, whether they need transcripts, how to market their podcasts, and so much more.
But you know what question doesn’t get asked enough? “How do I stop a podcast?” Really! What is the process for winding down a podcast — for purposefully sunsetting a show that you’ve been working on for a while? Lots of podcasts will experience podfade, which is a term that usually refers to the unintentional stoppage of a show — sometimes due to lack of funds, could be due to diminishing resources, changes in schedule, or a whole slew of other factors. But what about the podcasts that are planning for an end? How can those shows wind down with intention?
I wanted to hear from that side of things. So I put out a call on social media. And I heard from Veronica Montes, a communications specialist at FRQNCY Media. She emailed me and said:
“There are some pods that like go on hiatus and we’re left like “whatever happened?” So, I thought I share with you about FRQNCY Media’s beloved ‘The Cultured Podcast’ and the importance of clearly communicating to your listeners why the end has come and celebrating the impact of the podcast.”
I loved the emphasis that Veronica placed on communication: making sure that listeners knew what was happening with a show they’d grown accustomed to. So, we spoke about how and why to stop making a podcast, specifically citing FRQNCY Media’s The Cultured Podcast.
Here’s our conversation:
Arielle Nissenblatt: First, tell us about how the show came to be. What’s it about? Why did FRQNCY want to make this show and how does it fit into the rest of the network’s offerings?
Veronica Montes: FRQNCY Media’s CEO and Founder, Michelle Khouri, began The Cultured Podcast as a passion project before launching FRQNCY. The podcast features Michelle hosting relaxed conversations with wildly imaginative creators, performers, and makers from around the world, offering inspiration for curious listeners. The show’s following and support led to FRQNCY's inception and success.
The initial iteration of Cultured was going to include travel and food culture. The podcast evolved with Michelle’s involvement with the art community in Atlanta, featuring diverse perspectives of art from creators around the city. Its impact contributes to a proud origin story cherished by the team at FRQNCY Media. Cultured helped seed the importance of our core values as a company, such as alignment, intention, kindness, diversity, and dedication.
AN: In your email to us about the sunsetting of the show, you mentioned that FRQNCY “honored its listeners” by airing a final episode…” I love the framing of that. Tell us why this method honors the show’s listeners.
VM: As a thank you to its loyal listeners and supporters, the final episode features Michelle and the women on the production team, including OG FRQs Enna Garkusha, Becca Godwin, and Jessica Olivier. Cultured had a relatively small following of very invested listeners. The Cultured team empathized with listeners who would feel a sense of loss and abandonment that the team was also grappling with as they decided to bring the podcast to an end. It was important for the team to offer a sense of closure for the community who poured their love into this project in some way, shape, or form.
The team felt it was natural to offer this closure with a behind-the-scenes episode because of the gratitude the team felt for its listeners and Cultured. It was a way to celebrate the impact of the podcast by sharing how this podcast brought together this group of women and transformed them in unique ways.
AN: So…Why did Michelle decide to end the podcast after three years?
VM: The final episode offers how challenging it was for Michelle to focus on her efforts to scale FRQNCY Media and Cultured at the same time. The podcast was originally a passion project that was becoming too overwhelming for Michelle to give her all (as the Virgo we know and love). She bootstrapped FRQNCY, which required her all-encompassing dedication as she brought on big-name clients like Coca-Cola, Apple, and Spotify within months of launching the company.
Each team member was also growing and felt it was important to shift their focus and energy towards FRQNCY Media, a post-capitalist branded podcast production company that has had the opportunity to work with clients like Dr. Jane Gooddall, Vox Media, Diane Von Furstenburg, Alicia Silverstone, and TurboTax.
AN: What was the process like in getting to that decision?
VM: Our leadership gut-checks every project by aligning our core values. Does the work we will put into this feel right or reasonable? What is the impact on our daily lives and on the world? Does it heal, uplift, or enlighten?
The FRQNCY Media team immensely values collaborating with Michelle as a passionate creator and leader. A sense of balance and harmony for each team member is extremely important for the work we produce. Michelle was able to scale this company to what it is today in part because we made the tough decision to bring Cultured to an end and focus on FRQNCY Media’s growth.
AN: What went into deciding how to acknowledge the end of the show in the last episode?
VM: Enna, our producer, thought there was no better way to say goodbye than to share the incredible human beings who poured their heart and passion into making The Cultured Podcast over the years. The team felt it was long overdue because the unique origin stories of each of the women and the growth resulting from working on the project were worth sharing. This podcast slowly assembled a powerhouse team passionate about innovative audio. Most importantly, this podcast impacted them personally, and they grew very close to one another.
AN: What goes into ending a podcast? If it’s a “successful” end, how does that work with sponsors/production companies?
VM: Cultured did not have sponsors, but FRQNCY Media recommends brands and creators clearly communicate the reason the show is coming to an end via all channels to all listeners, media, partners, and sponsors. As podcast enthusiasts, the Cultured team foresaw the reactions of an abrupt ending with little to no word about whether the show was on hiatus or over for good. It’s also important to let the community know how much their support was appreciated by not leaving them in the dark.
It’s a bittersweet moment to announce an end that also led to a new amazing beginning for the FRQNCY team. The best way to cope with those mixed emotions was to celebrate the impact of the podcast. The beauty of podcasting is that it can exist outside of the confines of space and time. You can relive them over and over. Once a show comes to an end, you can re-binge them like a Friends or Seinfield series.
AN: How did you communicate with your listeners about the end?
VM: We communicated via all digital platforms, including the podcast’s Instagram account, website, newsletter, and of course, in a final goodbye episode. We also recommend reaching out to previous guests, collaborators, sponsors, and the podcast community to encourage them to share their favorite episodes or their own episode of the podcast.
AN: What was the listeners’ response?
VM: We noticed the last episode received five times more listens / downloads than some of our other episodes. We also received a lot of love from previous guests and listeners via social media.
AN: What are your hopes for maintaining the legacy of the show moving forward?
Cultured was the inception of FRQNCY and produced OG FRQs that are still on the team. We all have the same hope Jess has: “that more people stumble upon it, and slip and fall madly in love with it the way that [she has].”
Cultured’s magnetic pull formed a powerhouse team of audio lovers and professionals that use the power of audio and storytelling to uplift, heal, and entertain its listeners one podcast episode at a time.
FRQNCY Media is at a pivotal moment that feels like we’re embarking on a portal that will transform culture through audio. Cultured continues to keep FRQNCY Media grounded whether we were part of its production or not. It reminds us how and why we’re aligned with one another to create and celebrate audio. We’re happy to celebrate it and share our insights on ending a podcast that continues to create ripples in the world.
Thank you to Veronica and the FRQNCY team for their willingness to speak on this topic. While starting a podcast is thrilling — the possibilities can seem endless — stopping a show can be a door opener, too.
