'Be a guest on other podcasts first'
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Podcasts aren't just good for laughs or true crime cases. Serv Wahan, MD, DMD, is among the dentists who have stepped into the podcast space to educate and entertain. He hosts the video podcast Dr. Wahan Experiment.
After amassing 100K social media followers through his video-based content, Dr. Wahan decided to branch out to video podcasting. He spoke with Dental Bite about how he reaches his subscribers and what advice he has for other dentists curious about giving podcasting a try.
What motivated you to get into the podcasting space?
In 2020, the pandemic shut down live lectures and things went virtual. I personally looked at more online dental content and it sparked me to start showing my expertise online too. It started with adding video to my social media account—I had always posted still photos before—and when my following grew there, I took the leap to starting a podcast in 2024.
How do you select topics and find guests for your podcast?
I get a lot of direct messages on my social media accounts. Between Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, there are a lot. Sometimes they trigger a topic idea and sometimes I use the Stories feature on Instagram to create a poll to solicit topic ideas from my followers. I have also used trending topics in journals and social media as content.
What has been the most popular episode of the podcast so far?
Episode 4, Management of Anticoagulants, has been the most viewed and commented on so far. I am going to do a followup episode on that and add some other management issues with hypertension meds and GLP-1 meds like Ozempic.
How many podcast subscribers do you currently have?
It is hard to tell how many for the podcast as it plays on so many outlets. It is a video podcast, but the audio-only form is available on 20 places that index and play it. The video form is on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and my website, drwahan.com.
On the social media side, I have over 100k followers between the various social media accounts. I don’t do dances or skits so my growth is in little spurts, as it is niche content.
What advice do you have for fellow dentists considering dipping their toe into the podcast space?
Be a guest on other podcasts first. This helps you get the cadence and workflow down.
Above: Dr. Serv Wahan records an episode of his dental podcast, Dr. Wahan Experiment. (Courtesy of drwahan.experiment/ Instagram)
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