“The show provides an unusual modern twist on an ancient yet unfamiliar nation. It’s entertaining yet informative, with excellent production quality.”

SAHABZZZ
LISTENER
CLIENT:
ASK AN IRANIAN
ROLE:
CO-HOST
COLLABORATING PARTNER:
MOHAMMAD

THE SOLUTION

While podcasts titled “Ask a…” typically feature experts like plumbers or doctors, we playfully flipped the concept: “Ask an Iranian”. Unlike typical expert-driven podcasts, being Iranian isn’t exactly a qualification—especially since I’m only half Iranian. Still, as an English-language podcast, we provided an authentic platform for a truer, modern Iran to be seen and heard, breaking free from mainstream media narratives.

We often remix existing images with a humorous twist as an attractive way to create related artwork and as a metaphor for what we do in the podcast show.

Landing guests can be daunting. Fortunately, leveraging my connections led to high-profile collaborations. A pivotal moment was featuring Farshad from the hugely popular Persian-language Digesttt podcast, whose insights—and fans—immediately 10x’ed our listenership. We also had memorable episodes with famous figures, like comedian Tehran Von Ghasri (also known from the hit show, Shahs of Sunset), whose hilarious roast gave us credibility and boosted engagement.

We were fortunate enough to have special guests, such as the famous comedian Tehran Von Ghasri. He joined us to help answer the question, "Why do Iranians blackface?"

 

Initially hesitant, I found joy in loosening up our style. Seriousness gave way to humour, creating engaging, memorable, and shareable episodes that resonated widely.

 

With content crafted for the curious non-Iranian and the nostalgic Iranian diaspora, our podcast became more than just content—it became a cultural bridge. We enhanced this by providing detailed show notes, Persian word translations, and offering a range of print-on-demand merchandise, giving our international audience instant access without the logistical challenges of shipping from Iran.

We make episode-related and general merchandise for the fans who want a little more.

Through experimentation with social media, WordPress wizardry, and audience engagement tricks, this passion project also became an experimental lab, enhancing my professional toolkit. Hosting content directly on our own platform ensured we retained rights, avoiding the genuine risk of being de-platformed or censored due to sanctions or sensitive content.

We tackled all the tricky topics, evident from our episode "Are all Iranians racists?". We created merchandise in the form of a map of the world, according to Iranians, which surprisingly sold a few.

THE RESULTS

I’m still not locked up—definitely a win considering our taboo topics. I’ve inadvertently become a minor celebrity. We’ve produced 63 episodes, ranging from quick listens to deep dives. Notably, we hosted numerous prominent guests, sold out a merchandise collaboration with Waltz Fashion, and achieved solid subscriber growth.

 

Ask An Iranian sharpened my skills in content creation, audience building, SEO, and UX/UI. Most importantly, we’ve sparked conversations, busted myths, and built cultural bridges—all without nervously checking if the front door was being knocked down.

Unlike your average podcast, we create, manage and manage all our content.

CLIENT:
ASK AN IRANIAN
ROLE:
CO-HOST
COLLABORATING PARTNER:
MOHAMMAD