Two years ago, while at a podcasting conference, I decided to create a home for Latinas because I was fed up by how few of us were visible in the podcasting space.
With a budget of zero, a blank roadmap, and some very strong opinions, I got to work asking other Latina podcasters what they wanted out of a potential group. Wanna know the truth? I envisioned a sorority of sorts. I was never in one, but I was craving community.
People I could trust to have my back, who I could connect and collaborate with.
Turns out, I wasn’t the only one.
Now there are over 400 of you! You come to the co-workings, hang out at cafecitos, show up to the summits, introduce yourselves in Slack, pitch your shows at Pitch Fiestas, and then stick around to cheer everyone else on.
It started with a virtual summit, and led to a cry fest the day after the 2024 election. It’s been messy, but it’s been real. Because it’s okay to be a chillona sometimes.
Now, it’s time to refine it. We’ve got a solid foundation. Let’s make it last.
What “sustainability era” actually means
It means we’re growing up, evolving.
On July 1 we’re opening the doors to a new experience. One where the people who want to see this community thrive get to be part of making that happen.
This is an opportunity to shape the future of Latinas In Podcasting. And become the reason it’s still here for the next Latina podcaster who walks through the door.
The community you know isn’t going anywhere. The cafecitos, the coworkings, the newsletter, the connections that turned into collabs and friendships, all of it stays exactly as it is. Free and open to anyone who wants to show up exactly as they are.
We’re adding in support to keep it going.
Community building is incredibly hard work. And not because the people creating and running them stop caring. In fact, we usually care too much! Too much for too long on too little support. Passion is rarely the problem. But the threat of burnout is very real.
Look at what just happened to BIPOC Podcast Creators. That was an incredibly strong community with legit industry ties and two co-founders (Tangia R. Al-awaji Estrada and Maribel Quezada Smith) deeply entrenched in the industry. And just last month, they closed up shop.
Like one of the co-founders, Tangia said:
The reality is that running a community well requires sustained time and energy that we no longer have.
Her co-founder Maribel added:
The industry benefits enormously from communities like ours, but the infrastructure to sustain them long-term requires arduous work and financial investment.
I don’t want that to be our story, and I don’t think you do either. So let’s write a different one.
Enter: L@s Patron@s
This new experience will be called Patron@s.
It’s an optional pay-what-you-can membership, from $3 to $10 per month. Or, if you just want one annual bill, a flat rate of $80. Which is about equal to $7/month with small discount. In full transparency, that’s barely the basic cost per member of running LIP. We’ve been very good at keeping it quite lean.
That’s it: pay what works for you, if you can. There’s no higher tier with better benefits, no hierarchy or gatekeeping—you know we don’t do that patriarchal crap here! (That m-dash was intentional, not AI!)
Other podcasting communities charge around $25/month or more. We’re not doing that right now. Not in this economy. The goal is to continue keeping costs low and invite as many members as possible to become Patron@s.
Sustainability. That’s our goal. That’s our next era.
Imagine what we could build if even half of our 400 members became Patron@s at $3 a month!
Benefits of Patron@ge
A few months ago, we started discussing what the hardest part of podcasting is. Nearly every single person said promo was the worst. So, we’re making that easier for Patron@s.
On August 7th, we’re going to begin our new Friday newsletter, El Playlist. Think of it like a book club, but for podcasts!
All members will receive El Playlist featuring shows from our Patron@s, with links to the spotlighted shows for 4 weeks, giving listeners a month to decide if they want to become their subscribers.
The first 6 members to become Patron@s in July will be featured in El Playlist come August. Then we’ll rotate out a new batch for September and so on.
This is on top of the podcast promo channel we already have in Slack!
Patron@s will also get to weigh in on future products, get 1-week early access to our events, and help decide what comes next.
The natural next step
We’ve been doing this for two years. We’ve grown, we’ve learned, we’ve shown up for each other through a LOT. Through some of life’s biggest challenges!
And now we’re at the part where we decide what kind of community we want to be five years from now.
I know what I want: I want us to still be here. I want the podcaster who hasn’t found us yet to find us next year (or the year after, or the year after that) and feel exactly what you felt when you first walked in.
Patron@s make that possible. Join today!
And if you have questions, come to our live Q&A event on July 9th.
Author: Paulette Erato
Cultural narrative disruptor and Latina visibility advocate, Paulette Erato is the founder of Latinas In Podcasting and creator/host/producer of the childfree Latina podcast, La Vida Más Chévere. Book her to speak at your next event from her website https://pauletteerato.com/
