If you’ve hosted a show on Amp or just listened in the background, chances are pretty good that you’ve encountered Marisa Mendelson.
A resident of the app, you’re just as likely to find Marisa offering encouragement in the chat of someone’s show as you are to tune into one of her popular ‘80s Rock shows. After joining Amp in March of ’22, she’s quickly become a community and audience favorite.
“I’m not a morning person,” says Marisa. “But that’s what inspired me to create a morning show. It would motivate me to wake up, because I enjoy Amp so much.”
Hosting weekday mornings at 7am PST, Marisa plays upbeat tracks and deep cuts from music’s most popular decades. You’re likely to hear background info on the songs, too, as Marisa is a trove of music information and trivia.
Building her Community
The most impressive part of her shows, though, is her ability to cultivate a thriving and engaging community of listeners that tune in day after day. She credits her authenticity, offering listeners a glimpse into her daily grapples with mental health and her stories from her days as an investigative journalist.
“I’ve talked openly [about mental health] and I try to reduce the stigma around it. And so I specifically host shows with upbeat music to help cope with that, and it’s helped tremendously.”
As the interview with Amp Crew progressed, the chat panel could hardly keep up. Listeners and creators from across the Amp community came to support Marisa, drop in some of her signature emojis (like a corn cob, or a duck) and offer words of support.
Be a Listener First
While she has certainly obtained fans through her music selection and on-air personality, she has become the “first friend” to dozens of new users on Amp, just by dropping into their shows and offering words of encouragement.
“The best way to build an audience is by being a listener first, and being an active listener,” she says. “Call-in, introduce yourself, chat — that’s a great way to stand out. I always tell [new creators] to be a listener first before being a broadcaster.”
She’s chock-full of creator advice like this. Use hashtags to promote your shows on social media, schedule your shows in advance, and call out new listeners by name as they drop into chat.
Find her Live
You can catch Marisa’s next show by following her (@marisamendelson) and enabling notifications to make sure you know when she’s going live. Tune in, say hello, and you just might find a community while you’re at it.