Did you know that WriterSanctuary has a podcast? Not a lot of people do, mostly because I don’t promote After Hours nearly as often as I should. A lot of that has to do with lackluster topics and not a lot of effort. However, that changed in 2026 with a renewed push to improve the show.
Now, I highly doubt that I’ll become as popular as Joe Rogan. Yet, everyone starts as a beginner and works their way up to success. I only hope to reach like-minded writers who have a love of the written word.
That includes bloggers, freelance writers, and authors. If it has to do with writing in some form, I’ll do my best to cover the topic.
What Is the WriterSanctuary Podcast?
A few years ago, I started a live podcast on YouTube called After Hours with my good friend Chris Desatoff. Initially, we talked about freelance ghostwriting and content mills like Textbroker. Since then, it has changed quite a bit, including interviews with authors.
Chris has long left the show, but I kept it going because I loved interacting with other writers.
I wanted to keep the show live while engaging with viewers and answering questions they may have. Instead of just a recording that is edited, I wanted the experience to remain raw. Real life doesn’t have an edit button, and we’re all flawed to some degree.
In the past, the shows were quite haphazard, not really having a topic on most nights and just hanging out with the regular viewers. I didn’t really have much of a goal, outside of having the occasional author on for a live interview.
In 2026, I changed that mindset and decided to do more with the podcast.
Plans for the After Hours with WriterSanctuary Podcast in 2026
I’ve talked about these plans before, but I’ve taken steps to see them through this time. Unfortunately, my time is scattered all over the place, especially now that the Spring Semester started. However, I should be able to commit to these relatively well.
Seriously, what usually takes the most time is coming up with topics and marketing. Everything else is quite quick and easy.
Regular Topics About Writing
I finally got to work on the spreadsheet for coming up with topic ideas. Instead of just sitting here and chatting with a handful of viewers, I want to put more effort into sharing what I know during the live format.
At the moment, I’m going to base the topics on search criteria. What information are people searching for most on YouTube? Can I use keywords to reach a wider audience with a live stream? Are popular videos a good basis for a longer breakdown with interactive questions?
I’m debating on sharing the topic schedule on the sidebar of either MichaelBrockbank.com or this blog. That way, visitors can stop by the show if they see a certain topic coming up in the near future.
Getting Back to Regular Interviews
I want to get back to scheduling regular interviews with authors. I miss meeting new writers and talking about their books and what they have planned. Things have just been a bit more chaotic than I would have liked in 2025.
Currently, I have a ton of emails to go through, and I can only hope some of them are still interested. If not, I understand. It’s not very professional to keep people on hold for weeks and months.
Depression and stress are a dangerous combination. I’m not using them as an excuse, but they can do a number on ambition and productivity.
Regular Uploads to Spotify
By uploading the shows regularly to Spotify, they are distributed to iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and Pandora. I spent a lot of time setting all of those up, and I’d like to get back to uploading the shows on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, I have to wait a long time for YouTube to render the live stream so I can edit the opening and ending of the shows. Then, I download and send them to Spotify. It’s not a difficult process, but it can be time-consuming depending on when YouTube lets me edit the clips.
Because of the lag, I’ll schedule the podcast episodes for Friday evenings. That gives me four days to get them all squared away and uploaded. Even with school, I should be able to keep the podcast going for WriterSanctuary.
Or, I could hire some help or look for a free intern. Regardless, the WriterSanctuary podcast shouldn’t be too difficult to manage.
Clips to Share on Shorts and TikTok
In 2025, I experimented with using vidIQ to find “viral” moments to clip from the live stream. Then, I scheduled the clips to go live as YouTube Shorts. The results were actually quite surprising. I received more views than I had anticipated. Only two subscribers, but thousands of views.
This time, I’ll download the Shorts and upload them to my TikTok account with a link to the podcast. I don’t know if it’ll make much of a difference, primarily because I dread even using TikTok in the first place. But, at least it’s content.
Regardless of whether I keep using TikTok, I’ll definitely share clips as Shorts on YouTube. In fact, I’ve been going back to the previous interviews and getting clips of the podcast ready to share.
Marketing the Podcast
One of the primary reasons why I’m not more successful as a podcaster, YouTuber, or author is because of a lack of marketing. I truly suck at it. Then again, I also don’t have a lot of time to put into it. But if I want things to improve, I’d better learn.
Marketing is why I want to do more Shorts and TikTok videos. And based on the suggestions of “experts,” it’s a good start. But I’ll also need to share it on other platforms on a regular basis. Despite social media hiding links to external sites, some people might see the posts.
According to Buffer, there are all kinds of ways to market a podcast that I haven’t been doing. For instance, I haven’t submitted the show to a single aggregator or “podcatcher.”
It all comes down to what I’ve been saying for years: “No one is going to read your book if they don’t know it exists.” The same can be said about YouTube videos and podcasts.
Why the Push to Include the Podcast?
I love helping people. It’s why I built the site and YouTube channel. Whether I’m helping someone understand something new about WordPress or helping new authors get their name in more public spaces, I am helpful by nature.
However, I’ve come to realize that it’s not sustainable to keep doing what I’m doing while trying to build on my own successes, both personally and professionally.
Recently, I’ve had quite a few things come up that would have benefited from more income. Between needed medical treatments and trying to go to school full-time, it comes down to needing a bit more cash than what I currently make.
Now, my primary concern is always to help people find their paths or to help promote a new author’s book release. But I need to bring in some money to keep doing what I love.
Do I believe that sponsors will come flocking to the show and toss money my way? Not really. The primary focus here is YouTube. My channel is monetized, and the more eyes I get on it, the better. All links lead back to the channel and its podcast playlist.
The idea is to pull more people to the YouTube channel with minimal work. Since the shows are automatically distributed, it takes but a few minutes to upload and schedule the show. It’s a form of marketing the channel on those other platforms in the hopes of generating more watch time.
Then, there’s the added bonus of actually building an audience on those platforms. If the show gets popular on something like iHeart Radio, then so be it. I’m always interested in expanding to where my audience resides.
The bottom line is that there is a lot I want to do with WriterSanctuary, and the podcast might help get some of those things checked off on the roadmap. In reality, I currently make around $0.38 per hour of my time as a creator. I’d love to increase that to a livable wage.
Not to mention having the funds for life-changing medical treatments here at the house, or greatly reducing the stress of my current lifestyle.
It’s not greedy to want a better life for yourself and your family.
What to Expect from Future Podcast Episodes from WriterSanctuary
As I pointed out, I’m going to work on a list of topic ideas that people are searching for most on YouTube and Google. However, I also listen to feedback and viewer suggestions. After all, the channel is more for them than it is for me.
If you have show suggestions, feel free to comment below, leave a comment on a past video, or even use the regular contact form on this website. I love input from my audience and try to work as much as I can into the show, videos, and even blog posts.
So, for the moment, I’m working on a list of topic ideas that are relevant to self-publishing, writing a book, blogging, and freelancing. It’s heavy on the self-publishing at the moment because that is what I’m most interested in developing. However, I also include a lot of blogging in my content.
I’m sure there will be “AMA” (Ask Me Anything) days or times when we just hang out. But I’m going to try to curtail those types of videos to be few and far between. I’d much rather talk about books and blogging, to be honest.
I’d also love to get the show on a regular schedule for Friday evenings. Well, at least on the podcast platforms. They will still be live on YouTube, Monday nights at 7pm MTN.
Supporting Writers of All Kinds
I am a writer. I share everything I learn, whether it’s about blogging or creative writing. I’m also a proponent of supporting each other as writers. As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all ships.” I try to provide the water.
The WriterSanctuary After Hours podcast is just another addition to what I’m trying to build for the community. I’m not always perfect, but I’ll continue to work towards those means.
I have my work cut out for me. All that’s left is to sit down and actually do it.
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