The MSNBC weekend anchor and co-host of the Latina-To-Latina podcast participated via Zoom in an engaging Hispanic Radio Conference interview conducted by SBS EVP/Programming Jesus Salas.
The focus: the power of podcasting targeting Hispanics, and just how personal it can be for those listening to what Alicia Menendez has to say.
Menendez told attendees from New York that she’s been on TV for years, on streaming platforms and even had a radio show on SiriusXM. But, she’s never had the intimacy with the audience than she has with her podcast.
“They give me feedback about their lives, they give me feedback about the show,” she noted. “That’s the reason we do this show. It’s a labor of love. We’re building a community.”
Menendez added that there wasn’t much celebrating when the show was went over 1 million downloads. She said her sights were set on two million downloads, and added, “because that’s how you build an empire.”
Menendez believes she, along with co-host Juleyka Lantigua, who was present in Miami on September 22, have planted the flag as the premiere Latina podcast but also admitted there’s still so much room to grow. Mendendez noed, “Forty four percent of the United States Latina population has never listened to a podcast. There’s a huge opportunity there.”
When Menendez was asked about monetization, she said unfortunately she still has to explain that Latinos are mainstream to some advertisers. “Advertisers do not need a separate marketing budget for our audience.”
The Latina To Latina podcast launched in 2018. Menendez said she learned quickly about the importance of delivering the show consistently and building up a volume of episodes that her audience can go back and listen to.
— With reports from Podcast Business Journal
