“Club Carlo”: How Carlo Sommer is taking off as a solo podcaster
Carlo Sommer, who grew up in Fürth but now lives in Munich, talks about personal topics, trends, and more in his video podcast format “Club Carlo” on Spotify and YouTube. And he does it alone. What special features does he focus on?
Carlo, you host your podcast all by yourself – how did that come about?
Carlo Sommer: I wanted to give my listeners the chance to get to know me better. Most of them know me from Instagram or TikTok, where I don’t have much time to build a personal relationship with my community with videos that are around 90 seconds long. That’s why I use the podcast and just wanted to try hosting it on my own. In America, for example, there are more solo podcasts than in Germany. It also gives me the freedom to record whenever I feel like it. The particular challenge is choosing the topics. And you have to perform alone and fill the silence – you can’t rely on anyone else.
How do you come up with topics that resonate with your community?
Carlo: I often focus on trending topics on the internet that I can relate to with a personal story. This connection between my private life and topics that are already on many viewers’ minds makes it easier to establish an emotional connection. I hope that my community can use my podcast as a positive break, perhaps briefly distracting them from the problems they have. When my content triggers emotions in listeners, they let me know in their interactions. That’s what makes me happiest.
Why did you decide to do a video podcast?
Carlo: It gives listeners a new way to consume the medium, and I can show sources or images. Some still prefer the audio version, while others appreciate the visual aspect. This expands the target audience: I reach people on YouTube who didn’t know me before.
Do you see any other differences between the channels?
Carlo: Das Engagement ist bei YouTube höher. Das mag daran liegen, dass User:innen es noch nicht gewohnt sind, dass sie auch auf Spotify die Möglichkeit haben zu kommentieren. Die meisten Hörer:innen habe ich wiederum auf Spotify. Bei der Demografie gibt es keine allzu großen Unterschiede, die meisten Hörer:innen auf beiden Plattformen sind etwa in meinem Alter (29), zum Großteil Frauen.
Bannerbild: Oğuz Yilmaz
