We recently connected with Quincy Lewis and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Quincy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Myself and a couple of friends decided a while back that we’d like to start a podcast. At the time it was internet radio because the term podcast wasn’t even in existence yet. After a few years doing a an internet radio show over an old Dell computer and a Metro PCS phone that would only work on speaker, I decided to look into the business side of things. This is when I decided to develop a podcast network where I would offer production, editing and distribution services for podcasters. The beginning was rough. Plenty of long days and even longer nights learning the technical things that would allow me to actually be of service to interested individuals. In the initial year, I only took on one client. Once client who had to trust me with little to no evidence of me knowing what I was doing, but thankfully the trust was there and we built together. My editing and production skills inclined and I was able to build a reputable podcast from scratch for my first client and they went on to be able to monetize the content we were producing. While it was only one success story, it compelled me to go forward.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I literally started in the attic. One idea and a lot of ambition. Podcasting or internet radio was in its infancy when I started out back in 2010. Everyone at the time was learning by fire. I recreated my brand several times in the beginning, searching for a brand identity. After aspiring to move more into the background, I found the desire to produce and edit content. This is where the business idea of the E-Block Radio Podcast Network was born. I was ready to use everything I learned and help others navigate the podcast industry and miss the hurdles that I encountered because I’d be there to guide them through. Experience is life’s greatest teacher and trust me when I say, I’ve had quite a few learning moments. Now I provide production, editing and distribution services for podcasts locally as well as Philly and DC, with more on the horizon. There are podcast networks around the country, but what sets mine apart is the growing global network of resources, talent and facilities that I have access to and subsequently, my clients have access to as well. In addition to the resources, I have honed my skills, by not only attending several national podcast conferences from around the country, but also leading the discussion in panels on four different occasions.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

While the old school way of marketing with flyers, radio spots and billboards are still necessary to grow your audience and potential reach when it comes to podcasting, social media is a useful tool to gain traction as well. Using selected clips, behind the scenes videos and conceptualized graphics, I was able to grow my social media presence from 100 followers to over 25k followers across all platforms. This helped broaden the spectrum for exposure and with the exposure comes opportunities to generate revenue. I think the important thing for podcasters to understand is that most independent podcasters will never get a lucrative iHeart Radio or Spotify deal, but what we can do as independent podcasters is leverage the content, products and services we do offer to the audience we have generated. This means offering merchandise, doing live events, providing production and editing support just to name a few. So even though your revenue may not be coming from advertising, it is still revenue none the less. I implore you to seek outside the box and realize that the podcast can and should be the engine behind the revenue and not the vehicle that carries it.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

As we evolve into the Artificial intelligence era, I wish I’d gotten into the technology sooner. While I’m learning now, at the beginner stage barely, I aspire to learn and implement AI more integrally as I expand my business. Thus far it helps me with scheduling, some editing and clip production, but I’m looking into learning more automation tools that will allow me to help more clients without stretching myself too thin. So, I haven’t missed the AI era, but I am playing catch-up. For those who are afraid of AI, I suggest you toss the fear to the side and move as technology moves if you want your business to be sustainable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eblockradio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/q.lewis313/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLIPSIDE.INK/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipsideink/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EBlockRadioPodcastNetwork

Image Credits

Q. Lewis