Weekly dose of honest fun: what it's like to record a podcast

They’ve been hosting Saturday Night Side Eye for just over two years and have attracted a loyal following of listeners.

Every episode is recorded in their living room and they create all of the content as well as carrying out the editing and promotion themselves.

“It’s a weekly dose of fun and comedy, often poking fun at the weeks news, pop culture topics and weird news stories.

“We have no filter and will always say what’s on our mind – much to the delight of our audience!,” explains Bally.

The pair, who were both born and brought up in Wolverhampton, were encouraged to start a podcast after sharing stories of their nights out together on social media.

“As we are best friends, we used to meet on a Saturday night either at our houses or for a night out and used to document our nights out, like many others, over social media such as Snapchat. People said they enjoyed our banter and that we should start a YouTube or podcast – so we did! People have said its like they’ve been invited into our weekly nights in!,” says Mike, 32.

The pals, who both attended Highfields High School, say they enjoy the creative process of making a podcast.

“It gives us a chance to create content our own way with no outside interference. We produce, edit and create ourselves from our living room. Our audience seem to enjoy our set-up – and seeing the interaction makes it so worthwhile,” explains Bally, who works in communications.

They aim to provide a refreshing and comedic outlook on everyday life and topics up for discussion in recent months have included everything from the Oscars to why we have leap years.

Advances in technology in recent years have made it easier for people to host their own podcast from their home.

“We use two microphones bought from your average technology store and a laptop, all very basic equipment, and we record in our living room.

“We are lucky as our equipment is mobile, so a few times we have recorded in hotel rooms before nights out, or more recently, remotely over video calling due to being on lockdown,” says Mike.

So what makes a good podcast?

“We think a good structure and consistency so your audience know what to expect. Knowing what your aim is and what you are talking about is so important. We have a set structure of three segments, which our listeners expect,” they tell Weekend.

When they are not entertaining their own listeners, they enjoy listening to conversational podcasts.

“We both at the moment really enjoy Table Manners, This City by Clara Amfo and Happy by Fearne Cotton,” says Bally.

Since launching their first episode, they have seen their podcast grow in popularity and have even been offered slots on panels and discussions by the BBC as well as a one-off show as part of a series.

But it’s also been a steep learning curve as they’ve had to discover how to best reach their audience.

“One of our earlier challenges was finding out how to get ourselves out there and to find a solid audience. Over time, we have let the power of word of mouth help and each week we find our audience growing – something we’re proud of as promotion can be tricky with just the use of social media,” says Mike, who works in finance.

They’ve been delighted with the positive response to their podcast which has attracted fans around the globe.

“I mean, we don’t have a million listeners – yet! – but we’re so fortunate to have charted in the UK podcast charts, as well as places like France, India and even parts of America. It’s so crazy to think something created in our living room can reach so many people and make them laugh.

“We even had a review on our Apple page from a listener expressing just how much listening to us helped her get through a period of grief after losing a family member, which really touched us,” says Bally.

They hope to continue building on the podcast’s success in the future as well as attracting new listeners.

“We have recently had a one-off special with the BBC, and would love to continue more in partnership with them as we would like to go to another level now.

“Other than that, we want to focus more on doing more interviews and collaborations with others also. Other than this, to keep growing our audience,” says Mike.

They believe their podcast offers light relief from the stresses of daily life and a chance to forget about our current worries.

“We are a conversational podcast and during these uncertain times, we all need a little humour and some new voices. Let it be us!,” says Bally.

To listen to the podcast go to: linktr.ee/saturdaynightsideeye