By Caitlyn Knudsen
Digital & Social Media Emphasis
Project Introduction
Welcome to Food for Thought, a podcast where we discuss food, lifestyle, and wellness topics!
Food for Thought is a podcast that I started this semester with my roommate, Karla. Not only do we share a love for discussing health and food-related topics, but we also navigate similar gut-related issues, which adds a unique perspective to our conversations. We also thought it would be a fun experience for us to work on together.
Project Summary & Outcomes
My plan was to create an engaging and informative podcast that sheds light on different aspects of food and encourages our audience to make informed choices for a healthier lifestyle. Much of what we discussed included various controversial topics within the food industry, such as food dyes, food additives, etc. We also wanted to discuss the pros and cons of each of these subjects while incorporating diverse viewpoints and data.
Target Audience:
- Age, Gender, & Location: Female young adults (18-30 years old) located in the United States.
- These individuals are also interested in exploring controversial food-related topics, such as GMOs, food dyes, and additives.
- They may be health-conscious college students who are trying to make more informed choices for a healthier lifestyle.
- They are open-minded and appreciate diverse viewpoints and data-driven discussions.
- They also enjoy informative podcasts, especially about food, lifestyle, and wellness topics.
- Out of all the social media platforms, they spend the most time on Spotify and Instagram.
- These are busy individuals who have school, work, and other priorities to get to, however, they appreciate moderate-length podcasts (30 minutes to an hour per episode).
KPIs: Due to the short amount of time that I had to create and execute this podcast, I decided my primary KPI would be reach. I just wanted to spread awareness about my podcast first in order to grow and maintain followers & listeners. I planned on playing attention to the amount of accounts that I was able to reach, as well as how many listeners I was gaining on Spotify.
My platform of choice to promote our podcast was Instagram. I originally planned on consistently posting twice a week, however, scheduling conflicts with my co-host got in the way of those plans so my posting ended up being whenever I was able to complete each episode.
In total, I published 3 hours and 46 minutes worth of podcast content.
Project Highlights:
One of the most rewarding aspects of my project was the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter I chose! I also loved the process of creating a podcast and all the steps that go into producing each episode. From choosing an episode topic to researching, recording, editing, coordinating with my co-host, and putting out the final product.
My most memorable episodes were Episode 4 – Blue Zones, and Episode 6 – Sugars & Processed Foods with Jennie Botkin. I found it fascinating to learn about Blue Zones and each of the areas that qualify. It was so cool to learn about the secrets of living a long life and the common activities, living conditions, attitudes, and beliefs that influence longevity. I also got to create a quiz for our Instagram based on the Blue Zones episode (shown on the next page). This quiz asked questions that we discussed within the episode, with the aim to intrigue people enough to listen to our episode and retain the information that we go over.
Episode 6 was the final episode that I got to record for this podcast. I had the privilege to speak with Jennie Botkin, an adjunct professor of nutrition for BYU-Idaho. I enjoyed speaking with her as she was extremely knowledgeable about all things nutrition, and was able to clear up common misconceptions around sugar intake, processed foods, and the gut-brain connection.
Room for Improvement:
For future projects, I think it would’ve been nice to have more time to create more content and compare data within the span of 6-12 months. Due to this project’s time constraint, I was only able to complete 9 Instagram posts and 6 podcast episodes. This created an issue with analyzing my performance, as I created this account from the ground up. When trying to analyze my data and create graphs, I realized that much of my data wouldn’t show an accurate representation of my performance, due to the small amount of posting I was able to put out.
There was also an issue with connecting to and retaining my target audience on Instagram and Spotify. I think this could resolve by keeping a consistent posting schedule and building up a loyal following.
I also think if I were to go back in time, I would’ve reconsidered coordinating with someone else or by myself for this podcast. Due to both of our busy schedules, it was tough trying to find times that both myself and my co-host could come together and record our podcasts, as well as complete our research. Although I enjoyed creating this podcast with my roommate, these circumstances made it difficult to stick to a consistent posting schedule, as I had originally planned.
The book embedded below dives even more into my project and analysis. I also had a copy of this on my table at the Senior Showcase.
Hours
| Date: | Time: | Notes: |
| 4/26/23 | 2 hours 30 minutes | Creating project proposal |
| 4/26/23 | 1 hour 39 minutes | Branding/logo research & creation |
| 5/2/23 | 10 minutes | Downloading Audacity & setting up an account through Anchor/Spotify for Podcasters |
| 5/2/23 | 20 minutes | Creating Episode 1’s outline/script & sending it to Karla |
| 5/6/23 | 1 hour 30 minutes | Episode 1 recording & prep + editing |
| 5/9/23 | 30 minutes | Taking photos for social media |
| 5/17/23 | 3 hours 6 minutes | Research for Episode 2, editing photos for social media, coming up with ideas for future content, writing Episode 2’s script, & discussing content & scheduling with co-host |
| 5/19/23 | 5 hours 12 minutes | Episode 2 research, recording Episode 2, editing Episode 1 and uploading it to Spotify, creating and posting first 2 Instagram posts, Episode 2 & 3 script writing, discussing content preferences with co-host |
| 5/22/23 | 6 hours 15 minutes | Editing Episode 2 & researching for Episode 3, writing a script for Episode 3, recording Episode 3, discussing content ideas & preferences with co-host |
| 5/30/23 | 2 hours 5 minutes | Editing Episode 2 |
| 6/2/23 | 2 hours 28 minutes | Editing Episode 2, uploading Episode 2 to Spotify, creating promo posts for Episode 2 |
| 6/3/23 | 29 minutes | Creating a finished branding guide |
| 6/8/23 | 2 hours 7 minutes | Creating a content calendar, reaching out to potential interviewees (Nutrition professors, wellness center), ordering lollipops for showcase, confirming Episode 4 recording for tonight with co-host |
| 6/8/23 | 2 hours 5 minutes | Researching for Episode 4, recording Episode 4 |
| 6/11/23 | 1 hour 59 minutes | Researching for Episode 5, recording take 1 of Episode 5, coordinating with Episode 5 guest |
| 6/12/23 | 3 hours 24 minutes | Editing episode 3 |
| 6/13/23 | 2 hours 46 minutes | Recording Episode 5, researching for Episode 5, editing episode 3 |
| 6/14/23 | 1 hour 32 minutes | Uploading Episode 3 to Spotify, creating social media post for promotion |
| 6/15/23 | 1 hour 58 minutes | Calling BYU-I & AlphaGraphics for book cost estimates, working on final book for Senior Showcase |
| 6/15/23 | 1 hour 41 minutes | Working on final book for Senior Showcase |
| 6/17/23 | 49 minutes | Working on final book for Senior Showcase, creating a Google Sheet doc and entering in analytics and data |
| 6/19/23 | 3 hours 48 minutes | Editing episode 4, uploading episode 4, creating Instagram posts for episode 4 |
| 6/20/23 | 11 hours 41 minutes | Editing Episode 5, uploading Episode 5, editing Episode 6, scheduling Episode 6, creating a quiz based on Episode 4 to post to Instagram Stories, working on final book for Senior Showcase, creating graphs for analytics section, creating Instagram posts for Episodes 5 & 6 |
| 6/21/23 | 6 hours 53 minutes | Working on and finishing final book for Senior Showcase, calling AlphaGraphics, BYU-I and Zippy’s for cost estimates for printing out book and poster, picking up book and poster from Zippy’s, shopping for showcase table décor, planning outfit for showcase, creating a video with clips from different episodes for people to listen to at Senior Showcase |
| 6/22/23 | 1 hour 18 minutes | Practicing and preparing for Senior Showcase presentation |
| 6/24/23 | 2 hours 19 minutes | Writing & finishing Senior Project Blog Post |
In total, I’ve spent 70 hours and 34 minutes on my project.
The above video was played on my laptop during Senior Showcase. Attendees were able to listen to these snippets of my podcast.
Special thanks to my roommate, Karla Morga, for agreeing to work and coordinate with me on this podcast. Also, thanks to Jennie Botkin, who took time out of her busy schedule to be our special guest on Episode 6 and share her expertise with me.