Making Media: Recent Episodes
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Our guest today is David Law. David is a broadcaster and co-founder of the biggest podcast in tennis, aptly named - The Tennis Podcast. This is an exceptional conversation on what it takes to be successful as a podcaster. David and his co-presenters have recorded over 1000 episodes. They went 5 years without earning a penny from the podcast. It took over 10 years to become a full-time gig. But David and his team stuck with it. And now they have the biggest podcast in their field, a large and growing subscriber base, and count a host of famous names as listeners, including Billie Jean King and Lin-Manual Miranda. Growth, monetization, persistence, broadcasting – this episode has it all. Please enjoy our conversation with David Law.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:07) - (First question) - David reflects on 11 years of podcasting (00:06:00) - Starting The Tennis Podcast in 2012, David and his co-founder combined their love for tennis and podcasts (00:08:45) - Focusing on audience growth and personal enjoyment (00:11:26) - How David began as a tennis commentator (00:14:10) - Conveying the feel of the match on the radio (00:19:09) - The evolution of the podcast team (00:25:33) - Deriving content from what's happening in the tennis world (00:27:02) - Podcasting success relies on innate ability, unique voices, chemistry, and honing skills (00:28:50) - How to maintain journalistic integrity (00:32:05) - How The Tennis Podcast began monetizing through Kickstarter in 2017 (00:38:13) - Sponsors hesitation due to unfamiliarity with podcast medium (00:42:04) - Podcasting creates a personal connection with listeners, unlike traditional broadcasting (00:50:28) - David's most vivid memories surrounding tennis (00:53:30) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is Greg Rose, who has worked closely with Richard Branson at Virgin for nearly 15 years. As Virgin’s Content and Communications Director, Greg is responsible for what you see from Richard or Virgin’s companies across social media, Richard’s autobiographies, and more traditional public outlets. He is the man who convinced Virgin’s famous founder to take social media seriously in the early days and has built Virgin’s digital image in sync with Richard’s philosophy and outlook. Matt and Dom discuss all aspects of that process with him and unearth what he’s learned about managing a huge personal and corporate brand. Please enjoy this conversation with Greg Rose.
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For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:06) - (First question) - Greg's backstory and how he started with The Virgin Group (00:05:37) - Pitching his social media idea to Richard Branson and getting him involved (00:07:24) - Sharing the Virgin brand and content ideas across all companies (00:08:31) - How Greg convinced Virgin to lean into social media (00:11:53) - Measuring success on social media (00:12:41) - The mechanics behind the early days of Richard on social media (00:14:39) - Finding the balance between organized posts and authenticity (00:16:25) - Insight into what Greg has learned about brand accounts (00:18:44) - Talking in the brand's voice while trying to stay relevant and grow on social media (00:20:21) - Brands that Greg admires (00:22:08) - Matching a new business's brand to the masterbrand while maintaining some individuality (00:25:06) - The importance of brand collaborations and activations (00:26:28) - How the companies respond to negativity and public backlash online (00:27:51) - How Richard's path to success could influence others and be emulated (00:30:17) - Integrating Holly Branson into the brand and amplifying her voice (00:31:58) - How much of Greg's job is reactive versus proactive (00:34:24) - Combining PR with the rest of the social media vision (00:36:09) - The value behind advertisements that don’t highlight the service provided (00:37:37) - Greg's love for ghost writing and how it ties into his role at Virgin (00:38:23) - Keys to becoming a good ghost writer (00:41:33) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today, we’re answering a question we get a lot. How do you start a podcast? We’ll tell you everything you need to know, from hardware to software to thoughts on content and format. Scroll down to our shownotes for a full list of the products and services discussed. Enjoy.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes Hardware (00:03:57) - (First question) - The hardware needed to start a podcast (00:05:16) - Considering different microphone options Shure MV7 | Shure SM7B | ATR2100x Software (00:06:20) - Software required to record a podcast (00:09:48) - Specific devices made for podcasting when not using an iPhone or laptop - Podtrak, RODECaster (00:10:23) - A breakdown of Descript, a transcript and audio editing program (00:14:14) - Getting the audio file to the masses, creating an RSS feed Libsyn | Megaphone | Transistor (00:16:33) - Uploading to the digital distributor (00:19:57) - The costs involved with distributing your podcast to the world (00:20:58) - The statistics and a breakdown of downloads and streams Music (00:24:33) - Creating the theme music Pond5 | Epidemic Sound (00:27:22) - Sourcing narrators for the introduction voice over Content (00:29:07) - Deciding on what content to create a podcast about (00:33:54) - Focussing content to make the podcast unique (00:35:17) - Choosing a title for the podcast (00:38:46) - The key thing to get started - just do it! Launch (00:40:59) - The launch strategy (00:44:03) - Networking with existing podcasters in your area to create a buzz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is someone we've mentioned frequently on this podcast, Liberty RPF. It's difficult to define exactly what Liberty writes about - but that might explain why we find his work so fascinating. He is a curator of great content and acts a sherpa for his audience, pushing them to find new things that resonate with them. It's a role that feels increasingly needed as we live in a world of infinite content. During this conversation, we discuss that role, how Liberty has approached his craft, and how this led him to new opportunities like Infinite Media at O'Shaughnessy Ventures. Please enjoy this conversation with Liberty.
Read Liberty's Newsletter Here.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:22) - (First question) - He expands on the idea that not every experiment has to last forever (00:05:25) - Knowing when to keep going or move on from something (00:06:58) - How he finds his tribe by covering a wide range of interests (00:11:16) - His view on curation and how it could be taught to others (00:12:47) - The potential to dominate the market (00:15:51) - Where he places himself on the niche spectrum (00:17:28) - How he grows his audience (00:19:44) - His transition to a paid subscription newsletter (00:23:58) - Unique characteristics and demographics about his audience (00:25:36) - The impact your reach can have on the world (00:27:07) - His pursuit to help people find their favorite thing (00:30:08) - Brand lead interests versus trusted individual lead interests (00:33:06) - Would he change his branding to be more broad? (00:34:06) - Literature consumption and its importance (00:37:22) - How reading books at certain times in your life can impact you (00:40:43) - Books he found difficult but rewarding to read (00:43:16) - His preferred form of literature consumption (00:44:16) - A high-level look at Infinite Media (00:48:32) - What he looks for in a potentially successful content creator (00:52:26) - Where he looks to find people who aren’t creating yet but have great potential (00:54:11) - How he feels about steering people to focus on their content creation (00:57:33) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s episode is a little different. Rather than bring a guest on, we’re going to break down how Forbes works. As former investors now operating in the media space, a few brands particularly intrigue us. Forbes is near the top of that list, not least because its current owners are trying to sell it for $800 million. It has been around for over 100 years, is often referenced in pop culture, and is quickly building out a suite of consumer products. It might also be the antithesis of our own business, Colossus, in its strategy and approach, making it all the more interesting to explore and draw out lessons. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into Forbes.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:18) - (First question) - Forbes’ European reach, a household name in UK (00:04:46) - Fun facts that stood out for Matt and Dom when researching Forbes (00:10:46) - How Forbes is creating so much content (00:15:36) - Various interesting factors involved in the consumer business (00:19:02) - The level of independence when it comes to analysis of affiliate links and recommendations by Forbes (00:21:21) - An example of scaling a business too quickly; the immediate takeaway from the business (00:23:18) - Dilution of the brand and its quality (00:29:58) - Forbes' failed acquisition deals since put up for sale (00:32:30) - The lessons learned from researching the business (00:33:50) - The business’ brand power amongst its target audience (00:35:41) - "Forbes list" influence on popular culture (00:37:27) - Reality versus propaganda (00:38:38) - Closing thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is Kevin Espiritu. Kevin is the founder and CEO of the world’s most followed gardening brand and online garden store – Epic Gardening. Matt and I had been following Epic and Kevin’s journey for a while but when we met him in person at Capital Camp in May, we knew we had to get him on the show. Since going full time on Epic Gardening in 2013, Kevin has cracked all forms of media. The business has 3.6 million followers across social and YouTube, over 20 million podcast downloads, and some 50 million blog visits. He is the trusted voice for gardeners all across the US and while we could happily talk to Kevin all day about each of those properties, we wanted to go deep with him on something else. His acquisition of Botanical Interests, a 28-year old business that sells seed and garden products. As you’ll hear, Epic’s transition from content to commerce has been incredibly successful and today, it makes far more money from selling product than it generates from making content. We ask Kevin about raising money from The Chernin Group to make the acquisition, the process itself, and what second-order effects it’s had on Epic as a business. I hope you enjoy learning from Kevin as much as we do. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:15) - (First question) - His obsession with gardening and turning it into a success (00:05:02) - How he maximized opportunity with his time playing poker (00:07:31) - Events leading up to the acquisition on his many companies (00:12:08) - Key people he worked with while growing his opportunities (00:13:01) - Raising capital to use directly as a use of proceeds for acquisitions (00:13:50) - The difference between acquiring acquisitions with and without investors (00:16:05) - The length of time it took to complete the Botanical Interest deal (00:17:47) - Potential competitors trying to acquire the business (00:19:55) - Possible disadvantages of going into a business deal as a video content creator (00:21:13) - The synergy behind bringing more business into stores (00:23:09) - Knowing when you should expanding into commerce as a content creator (00:25:42) - Choosing the right investors to help build your company (00:29:33) - How his mentality has changed over the years (00:32:04) - Rules of thumb for using media correctly (00:35:49) - Advice he has for bring new creators onto the team (00:37:51) - His hands free approach to founding a business and creating a business multiverse (00:41:49) - A look into how he schedules his week (00:43:11) - The future growth potential of his business (00:45:15) - People he thinks are great to learn from (00:49:20) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is Jay Clouse. Past guest Chris Hutchins told us that Jay had given him some of the best, contrarian advice on memberships. Naturally, that was enough of a hook for us so we got on the phone and asked him how to build a community around your product. Please enjoy this conversation with Jay Clouse.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:02:35) - (First question) – He tells us about is lead social experience (00:04:14) – The difference between online versus in-person communities (00:06:18) – What he thinks makes a good online community (00:07:54) – How he incorporates his principles into The Lab (00:10:31) – The driving force behind using videos on the platform (00:11:50) – Transitioning out of a guiding role when introducing new members to the platform (00:14:12) – The potential for replication of his platform membership idea (00:16:42) – The meaning of sticky community and its measure of success (00:18:21) – How scaling membership size can affect overall monetary growth (00:20:20) – His opinions on turning his business into solely a membership platform (00:22:01) – He explains how the renewal process for members works (00:24:10) – The percentage of creators treating their content as a business (00:26:00) – Moving from a multimedia business to just a singular outlet for content (00:28:13) – The dangers of consistent content advice (00:29:36) – Other advice to be cautious of when wanting to grow your platform (00:30:36) – The balance between giving up creative freedom for growth and staying true yourself (00:34:31) – His advice for those who are struggling to find success (00:35:56) – Timeless strategies for content growth (00:37:24) – His feelings on taking advice from experts in the field while being one himself (00:41:28) – Who he thinks people should study in the creator space (00:43:34) – Potentially acquiring jay.com (00:46:21) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is Om Malik. Back in 2015, Om published an interview, or what might better be described as a conversation, with Brunello Cucinelli. It's a truly special conversation, and I know many people that find it's a life changing conversation. Brunello seems to be the rare, maybe the only, billionaire that has somehow found balance in life. He's deeply philosophical. He approaches business with empathy. He has a strong family life. And he cares deeply about the people that work under his namesake brand. Om captured all of this in a spontaneous afternoon in Italy. For those who haven't read the piece, I recommend you pause the podcast and click the link in the show notes. We wanted to speak to Om about that experience meeting Brunello. And truthfully, this conversation with Om turned into something much deeper. Please enjoy our conversation with Om Malik.
Read Om's interview with Brunello Cucinelli.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:02:42) - (First question) - Events leading up to his conversation with Brunello Cucinelli (00:07:50) - What he learned about the person behind the brand (00:10:52) - Moving from casual conversation to interview (00:11:32) - His preferred interview style (00:13:34) - How much philosophy he knew before entering the conversation with Cucinelli (00:15:15) - Types of books he noticed in Cucinelli’s office (00:16:01) - Other moments during the interview that created a casual talking environment (00:17:47) - Practicing the concept of finding balance within a company (00:21:11) - Whether Cucinelli’s philosophy could work for other entrepreneurs (00:22:34) - Business sense behind the brand (00:23:16) - The speed at which the meeting was put together (00:23:42) - What he took away from the interview and applied to his own life (00:25:29) - Post interview visits with Cucinelli in America (00:26:16) - Cucinelli’s Italian national pride versus other countries (00:27:35) - The tech industry being America's biggest export (00:30:16) - The reaction to this interview compared to others he’s written (00:31:19) - The cultural significance of this piece (00:36:02) - People who are similar to Cucinelli’s personality (00:37:38) - The biggest lesson learned from his conversation with Cucinelli (00:39:10) - Potential impacts on the piece due to current life events (00:40:17) - Advice he has for others in the media industry (00:42:20) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today is Adam Ryan, the founder of Workweek. At Colossus, we're big fans of Workweek. We've hosted the Wolf of Franchises for an excellent Business Breakdown on Orangetheory and I'm an avid reader of Adam's Perpetual newsletter. For this conversation, we discuss the ongoing shift towards individuals over institutions, how media companies might solve the business model challenge that currently plagues the industry, and where we are in the niche media cycle. Everyone seems to love B2B media, but is that really everyone? Please enjoy my conversation with Adam and then stay tuned for my debrief with Dom.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:01:08) - (First question) - Institution building allows scale and market expansion while preserving individual influence (00:04:45) - Workweek focuses on individual brands to enhance recognition and attract talent (00:06:18) - Prioritizing fair pay, early creator partnerships, and career stability (00:11:03) - Identifying talent requires gauging industry fit, expertise, and ambition (00:15:22) - Guiding creators in audience growth and amplifying their strengths (00:19:24) - Influence and market valuation gap is due to business model issues in media (00:22:28) - Disrupting the media industry by sharing net margins with talent (00:25:14) - Expanding with talent search and franchise financial planning platforms (00:27:35) - Creating shared entities with tailored cap structures for long-term alignment (00:28:54) - Substack has simplified content creation, but their business model has flaws (00:31:12) - Incentivized growth can lead to misleading metrics and detrimental ecosystem effects (00:34:55) - Niche media is still in its early innings with high barriers to entry (00:39:34) - Rising tide lifts all boats in the content industry, not winner take all (00:42:40) - Newsletters drive intention, podcasts engage (00:43:25) - Companies that stand out to him moving forward (00:45:42) - The optionality of building complementary businesses exists for those with audience retention (00:48:10) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today, we speak with the founder of the UK’s fastest growing radio station, Louis Timpany. Louis started Fix Radio in 2017 after realising that the power users of radio weren’t being served at all. He was working on a construction site when he noticed that the biggest source of arguments, day-in-day-out, was about the radio. No-one listens to radio as much as builders. But at the time, there was no station built specifically for them. They had to suffer through repetitive music, endless ads, and segments designed for casual listeners. 6 years on, Fix has grown into a national station with some 300,000 listeners. Last year, it was the fastest growing radio in the country. This conversation is a wonderful illustration of how focused you have to be to build a media business and our conversation with Louis is littered with gems about marketing, commercial partnerships, and connecting with your target market. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as Matt and I did. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:13) - (First question) - The keys to a great radio station in 2023 (00:04:33) - Choosing radio over podcasts due to tradespeople's high daily radio consumption (00:07:04) - Managing a radio station through digital scheduling and remote operations (00:08:44) - Tapping social media for talent, and transforming influencers into radio presenters (00:10:55) - Keeping music repetition low, limiting advertisement airtime (00:12:43) - Managing the cost of music royalties in radio broadcasting (00:13:55) - Navigating the challenges of building an audience (00:15:50) - Implementing unique engagement strategies and stunts to grow brand awareness (00:18:52) -The challenges associated with national expansion (00:21:35) - Generating revenue in radio broadcasting (00:25:11) - How they built national brand recognition through community engagement tactics (00:27:31) - Why live events are becoming key to bolstering Fix Radio's brand visibility (00:29:03) - How Fix Radio iterates on its brand based on audience feedback (00:30:41) - The unique appeal of tradespeople for targeted radio content (00:32:31) - Diversifying revenue streams with affiliates, promotions, and e-commerce (00:33:50) - Advice for prospective radio startups (00:35:01) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part of our mission with Making Media is to highlight great content across the internet. Earlier this year, we talked about influential business essays with one of our favorite writers, Packy McCormick. Today, Web Barr joins us to review the best of what we’ve seen, read, and heard so far in 2023. Web is a formidable media operator. He is a multiple-time Webby Award and Communication Arts winning producer at National Geographic magazine, was the Head of Content at Meet Cute, and is currently building something new in the media industry. He is one of the best curators of content we know. Enjoy!
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:06) - (First question) - How Web curates his media for recommendations (00:04:21) - Web’s previous recommendation to read the screenplay for Get Out (00:05:58) - Web explains why he enjoys reading screenplays eg. Interstellar and Everything Everywhere All At Once Podcasts (00:07:19) - Web: Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin. Guest: Jimmy Iovine (00:13:19) - Dom: One Perfect Story: Wright Thompson on Writing about Michael Jordan (00:17:16) - Matt: The Rewatchables: Whiplash with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessy Books (00:22:00) - Web: The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew (00:27:48) - Dom: Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed (00:30:18) - Matt: Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D’ Movies (00:34:24) - Web: BlackBerry (00:38:25) - Dom: Ed Sheeran: The Sum of it All Articles (00:44:26) - Web: How Much More Netflix Can the World Absorb (00:50:07) - Dom: I Saw the Face of God in a TSMC Factory (00:52:37) - Matt: The Return of James Cameron, Box Office King Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today, we speak with one of our esteemed hosts, Eric Golden, in our first in-person Making Media episode. After a career in the bond markets at Fidelity, Eric now hosts Colossus show, Web3 Breakdowns. As is customary with our Inside Colossus episodes, we go behind the mic with Eric and discuss what hosting a podcast is really like. What’s changed, who does he look up to, and what would he advise others do. We hope you enjoy this peak behind the curtain.
Capital Camp
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:48) - (First question) - Who has inspired him as an interviewer (00:05:13) - How he approaches interviews now compared to when he started (00:06:48) - Changes in the early days that were game changers for him (00:09:06) - Comparing his preparation process now to what it was early on (00:11:44) - Reframing common questions in a thought provoking way (00:14:10) - Probing a guest before hitting record to get a sense of where the conversation could go (00:16:55) - Podcast episodes he’s found inspirational and what makes an episode great (00:27:20) - The art and difficulty of interrupting a guest without breaking the flow (00:30:20) - Pushing in when a guest says they want to come back to something later (00:32:36) - Managing the types of guests the Web3 and crypto space attracts (00:36:08) - What makes an episode successful (00:41:40) - The greatest looking things are often very well prepared (00:44:10) - Comparing Joe Rogan to Howard Stern (00:45:10) - Where his inspiration comes from (00:46:55) - Pitching download data to guests as relatively scaled sports stadiums (00:48:18) - Advice for people who want to get into podcasting (00:50:42) - Wanting to change the name of Web3 Breakdowns (00:52:34) - Other changes he’d like to make and his process for sourcing guests (00:54:06) - The migration from the fixed income community into crypto (00:56:52) - A lot of hard work for a labor of love (00:59:46) - Judging the quality of an episode after conducting the interview (01:02:35) - Lessons learned and surprising things about exploring the media space Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest today, Chris Hutchins, is a bit of a podcast whisperer and has some of the most unique ideas in podcasting and in media. Before Chris went full-time with his All the Hacks podcast, he co-founded two businesses. One he sold to Google, the other he sold to Wealthfront. He also spent time as a partner at Google Ventures before going full-time with his podcast business. For this conversation, we talked to Chris about what it's like running a podcast business versus running those previous businesses and how much differs in the podcast industry versus the tech industry. We also talked to Chris about his vision for a bigger media business, and we walk through some of the different business models that we see out there. This is an excellent conversation with somebody who's doing really creative things in media. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes (00:03:38) - (First question) - The unique nature of growing a business based off podcasting (00:07:29) - Overall podcast business mission, growth, and execution (00:11:24) - Hacks for finding unclaimed money (00:12:18) - Content optimization versus better business practices to grow your podcast (00:14:03) - The Points Guy (00:14:57) - Adapting to an audio-based career (00:15:51) - 1000 True Fans (00:16:50) - Content to commerce inspiration (00:20:00) - What he’s learned through quality content and audio creation (00:22:49) - Content quality and audio quality (00:24:55) - Inflections that have resulted in a sustainable jump in growth (00:28:40) - Tim Ferriss Podcast Episode (00:29:42) - Insight into content creation following massive growth trends (00:31:20) - Various ways he promotes his podcast (00:31:34) - Chartable (00:34:32) - Which analytics represent success and sustainability (00:36:39) - Weekly distribution of tasks for a full-time podcaster (00:38:58) - His decision to switch from primarily interview-based content to more solo content (00:40:38) - Building relationships and trust with existing sponsorships (00:42:37) - Finding sponsorships that work for him (00:44:06) - What it’s like building a business alone (00:45:42) - Debrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For this week's Making Media, we sit down with longtime journalist and media observer, Simon Owens. Simon started in newspapers, he’s worked with large brands like US News and World Report, PBS, the Atlantic, New York Magazine, ESPN, and now he writes independently on Substack. All of his perspectives are rooted from actual experience. He's a true practitioner in the industry he covers, which we love. This conversation covers a range of media topics, so please enjoy and stay tuned for our debrief to conclude this show.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
(00:02:20) - (First question) - Simons’ history in media and what he thinks is happening right now with new companies compared to previously successful ones (00:05:20) - A case study for the archetypical 2023 media company
(00:07:28) - A swing back towards advertising in media companies
(00:08:59) - Thoughts on Substack and Puck and which model will emerge as the standard
(00:10:49) - What pulled him in the most to make the switch over to Substack
(00:13:52) - Whether or not he’d stay on Substack if they changed their take rate
(00:15:22) - Best practices for implementing subscription models
(00:20:34) - Lessons to take away from The Athletic experiment
(00:22:58) - Whether or not there’s truth to the claim that investigative deep dive journalism is dying out
(00:24:51) - The narrative that every company wants to become a media company
(00:26:59) - Ways where becoming a media company has worked well like Hubspot
(00:28:23) - The push and pull between a company and their media arm
(00:30:04) - Whether or not there will be dedicated mediums for multimedia brands
(00:32:21) - Thoughts on YouTube shorts winning the short form video wars
(00:33:56) - How important events are for media companies and why they do them
(00:35:24) - Overall audience size and the shift in monetizing with advertising
(00:39:09) - Different data points that can be collected from various platforms and the role they play in informing delivery writ large
(00:40:39) - Whether or not the shift back towards email lists is here to stay or cyclical
(00:43:14) - Cultivating community and where he stands on community building in media
(00:45:19) - What creators and companies can do to build up their defensibility
(00:46:23) - Axios’ ten thousand dollar subscription product
(00:49:17) - The one media business that’s likely to have a stronghold on the industry in ten years from now
(00:51:35) - De-brief
We answer frequent questions sent to us over the past few weeks. Dom goes on the offensive over podcast show notes, Matt gets excited about episode artwork, and we debate the perfect length for an episode. Sprinkled between those topics, we discuss sponsorship and the end-to-end process for a show like Business Breakdowns.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
(00:02:15) - [First question] - Thoughts on podcast episode length, the potential correlation between length and popularity, and our personal preferences
(00:10:34) - The problem with podcasts that don’t have show notes and fixing existing ones
(00:11:34) - Monetization, sponsorships, and the podcasting business model
(00:14:56) - Ways to identify and source potential podcast sponsors
(00:19:43) - The importance of having access to detailed data about your show
(00:19:48) - Sean Griffey - Big Bucks in Narrow Niches
(00:20:12) - Securing payment, setting up contracts, deposits, and accounts receivable
(00:22:20) - Whether or not show artwork helps with growth and thoughts on branding
(00:27:23) - Episode preparation, sourcing guests, and production turnaround time
(00:32:24) - Rerecording episodes and inserting secondary recordings
(00:35:14) - Potential platform changes and ways to tell guests their episodes won’t be used
Today, we speak with one of YouTube's biggest stars, Doug DeMuro. Doug has one of, if not the biggest, YouTube channels dedicated to cars. He's been on the platform for a decade and has amassed 4.6 million subscribers to date. But he's not wedded to the video aggregator and is keenly aware of its downfalls, which is why he launched a car auction business, Cars & Bids, in 2020. Earlier this year, The Chernin Group, announced it had bought a majority stake in Cars & Bids for $37 million. We seized the opportunity to speak with Doug about his shift from content to commerce and his advice for fellow creators out there. Enjoy!
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @MakingMediaPod | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:10:58] [First question] - How he earned credibility among niche car communities and leveraged it
[00:13:34] - His car review philosophies and why he pays his own way to automaker events
[00:15:56] - How he got into videography and YouTube in the first place
[00:18:31] - Data, algorithms, major platform changes, and his performance on YouTube
[00:19:56] - A major turning point for his business stemming from diversification of content
[00:21:18] - The analytics parameters he pays the most attention to and why
[00:22:15] - How he balances new content ideas and passions with tried-and-true formats
[00:24:13] - His takes on the widespread YouTube criticism by content creators
[00:25:30] - To what extent he communicates with YouTube through his assigned rep
[00:26:22] - A look behind the scenes at his production process (or lack thereof)
[00:28:59] - How he capitalizes on public perception of his authenticity
[00:30:33] - How the YouTube landscape continues to evolve and become more competitive
[00:33:02] - Why he doesn’t focus on branching out onto other social media platforms
[00:34:33] - His view on paid growth and on Chernin Group in regard to growth
[00:36:54] - How his business sense developed after his channel became a success
[00:40:18] - Going blindly into his new business venture with Cars and Bids
[00:41:42] - The simple marketing strategy for Cars and Bids
[00:42:51] - Challenges in data attribution and analytics on their marketplace
[00:44:01] - Why he still reviews every car that goes up for sale on the site
[00:45:07] - Why he chose to partner with the Chernin Group
[00:49:36] - What his day-to-day operations look like then and now
[00:51:43] - Why underwriting his business appealed to the Chernin Group
[00:53:42] - Advice he might give other creators for diversifying income streams
[00:54:54] - How he managed the transition into running multiple business arms
[00:56:53] - Where he thinks creator-led new media businesses will go in the next ten years
[00:58:43] - His second channel, “More Doug DeMuro,” as a creative outlet
[01:00:47] - His views on monolithic algorithms
[01:02:42] - De-Brief
We’re very excited for this one. Part of our mission with Making Media is to highlight great content across the internet. Today, we’re starting with business essays and to bring some wisdom to the conversation, we enlisted one of our favorite writers, Packy McCormick. Hear us break down our most influential business essays, read them through the links in the shownotes, and let us know what you think on Twitter or hello@joincolossus.com. Enjoy!
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
(00:02:59) - [First question] - The Not Boring back story and what he learned from his time at Breather
(00:05:06) - Aggregation Theory by Ben Thompson
(00:09:42) - The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius by Paul Graham
(00:13:45) - Letter to a friend who may start a new investment platform by Graham Duncan
(00:17:05) - Positional Scarcity by Alex Danco
(00:22:23] - The Three Sides of Risk by Morgan Housel
(00:26:56) - Salary Negotiation by Patrick McKenzie
(00:31:47) - Sam Hinkie’s resignation letter
(00:37:10) - Increasing Returns and the New World of Business by W. Brian Arthur
(00:41:54) - 10 Tips on Writing by David Ogilvy
(00:44:46) - The next big thing will start out looking like a toy by Chris Dixon
(00:49:08) - The Tail End by Tim Urban
(00:53:41) - 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly
(00:59:07) - Honorable mention: The Great Online Game by Packy McCormick
(01:03:26) - Honorable mention: Excel Never Dies by Packy McCormick
(01:05:58) - Packy’s closing thoughts and why he thinks people should read more Sci-Fi
(01:08:37) - Honorable mention: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
We hear you, you’re enjoying our debriefs and want more inside Colossus content. Here it is, we spend the first portion of this episode going over important events at Colossus HQ before diving into our conversation with podcast legend, Eric Nuzum. Eric has been podcasting for as long as podcasts have been a thing. He started NPR’s podcasting efforts in 2005 and was their chief creative director for a decade. He then went to Audible to lead their podcast team and has since co-founded his own audio business. Eric has seen it all and has written a wonderful book called, Make Noise, which was our gateway into his ideas. If you’re looking for podcasting literature, start with that book.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:01:35] - Inside Colossus: Round-up of important events at Colossus HQ
[00:17:57] - [First question] - Why he has a picture of Richard Branson in his office
[00:20:58] - The power of differentiation for podcast hosts and their interview styles
[00:24:00] - His focus on podcasters being authentic and its teachability
[00:26:55] - To what extent a podcast host can play a character authentically
[00:28:49] - Breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to podcast listeners
[00:31:54] - Cardinal sins and best practices in communicating with listeners
[00:34:00] - Navigating the pitfalls of marketing for a podcast
[00:38:45] - His feedback on the Making Media description pitch and how every good podcast solves a problem
[00:43:42] - How important it is to nail your format before launching
[00:47:00] - Diversity versus specificity in podcast branding and demographics
[00:54:17] - Determining when and how to discontinue a podcast or any project
[00:55:48] - His thoughts on podcast charts and why the top 50 haven’t changed much
[00:57:52] - Why he chooses to write books instead of making them into podcasts
[00:59:54] - Debrief
If you make a podcast or like sports, you're gonna enjoy this episode. We've brought on someone I consider to be an audio genius. Spike Eskin runs all of programming at New York's WFAN, the original and biggest sports talk radio station, and he's only the second person to ever have that job. Now you're probably thinking, doesn't everyone just listen to podcasts now? Well, the answer to that is no, but don't worry, he's also got a podcast. A big one. And his podcast, The Rights to Ricky Sanchez is frequently ranked atop the basketball podcast charts. It's only focused on a single team, the 76ers, but it's been big enough to get a full chapter in a book, and several audience gatherings have been featured on Sports Center highlights.
So he is the coach and he is the talent. During our convo, we go through traits that Spike looks for in audio hosts, the benefits and challenges of having practitioners like athletes sitting in the hosting chair, strategies for getting audience feedback beyond maniacs on Twitter, while still keeping love for the maniacs on Twitter, and differences in sponsorship dynamics between radio and podcasting framework for good content. Lots of interesting lessons here, and once I wrap up with Spike, Dom and I will do our normal debrief on lessons from both the interview and the conversation more broadly about how we can apply this to the Colossus business. Enjoy this episode and conversation with Spike.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provide up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with the accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:09] - [First question] - Which traits he’d use to create the ideal audio host
[00:06:55] - Comparing podcasts to local radio and separating them into three categories
[00:08:43] - Tricks to help hosts generate and create chemistry
[00:14:48] - Something that new hosts and newcomers to audio in general struggle with
[00:17:00] - Effective ways to measure how the fans view your shows
[00:20:52] - Whether you should place any weight on your most engaged listeners
[00:25:01] - Differences in terms of a podcast covering a topic versus a local radio
[00:30:09] - The models and structure of the powerhouse that is radio advertising
[00:33:39] - Repeat advertising and his own sponsorship strategy
[00:39:19] - How much practitioner value comes into play about your show topic
[00:44:37] - The importance of non-consensus and controversial views
[00:49:57] - Whether or not official statements being made via social media is a passing trend or only the beginning
[00:53:51] - Coaching hosts when it comes to asking critical questions
[00:55:51] - Debrief
What goes into a podcast launch, how does this launch compare to previous ones, and why is Jimmy Chin a bucket list guest? We go behind the scenes of launch week to share the chaos and reflect on the numbers after the first two episodes. Enjoy, subscribe, and get in touch.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:01:35] - [First question] - The chaos surrounding the recent launch experience
[00:07:02] - The inception of the Making Media concept
[00:10:14] - Touching on the launch experiences for previous Colossus shows
[00:11:01] - How Colossus sometimes decides to not run an episode based on content quality
[00:13:30] - The impact of a pre-launch beta audience including colleagues
[00:15:06] - How interview guests power the potential of Making Media
[00:16:08] - How organizing a podcast can influence one’s career trajectory
[00:17:46] - Transitioning from an investor mindset to that of a media operator
[00:19:46] - The dynamic nature of a new podcast that needs fine-tuning
[00:21:24] - Reflecting on what went well with the launch and comparing it to other launches
[00:26:40] - How future launches could be made bigger and better
[00:28:08] - When to implement paid promotion for a new podcast
[00:29:14] - Launch details and feelings about the first few episode releases
[00:30:32] - Using honest clickbait, snappy titles, and controversial ideas to build hype
[00:33:13] - Dealing with listener feedback and sourcing guests effectively
[00:34:12] - Comparing Making Media’s early listenership to stats from other Colossus shows
[00:37:48] - Growth strategy ideas for Making Media going forward
[00:39:20] - A score from one to ten for the launch and an explanation of the score
[00:40:20] - Securing sponsors for Making Media
[00:43:02] - Ideal guests and topics for the show in the coming three months
[00:45:23] - Closing thoughts on launch week and looking to the future of the show
For this episode of Making Media, Dom and I sit down with Sean Griffey, CEO and Co-Founder of Industry Dive. When I first heard Sean talk about B2B media and his strategy for building Industry Dive, I needed to hear more. I devoured a ton of his podcast appearances and various interviews that he did because I often feel like conversations on media strategy purely focus on audience growth. They don't ever mention the nuances of who those people are in your audiences, how much you spent to acquire those audiences, and the realities of running a company that can actually just stay in business. Sean is the exact opposite of that and he has built a fascinating business with Industry Dive, which recently sold at an enterprise value north of $500 million. Sean is a great example of the success you can have with a focused strategy. I think there's something to learn regardless of whether you're a content creator or just on the business side of things. Enjoy this interview and our debrief after the conversation.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
This episode is brought to you by Scribe. Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provider up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge. And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:45] - [First question] - Overview of Industry Dive and the B2B media industry
[00:04:41] - The state of advertisement media versus subscription-based models
[00:06:20] - How they maintain consumer trust within their advertising model
[00:08:12] - Their strategy for launching into new markets
[00:11:42] - How Industry Dive has been able to accelerate their new launches
[00:13:44] - The amount of investment runway they give to new publications
[00:15:35] - Industry Dive’s standardization across both talent and systems
[00:17:40] - Their perspective on advertisement sales
[00:19:49] - How they maintain their content production volume at scale
[00:21:36] - Their audience growth strategies
[00:23:16] - Why consumer platforms like TikTok don’t always work for B2B advertising
[00:24:45] - How they gather audience feedback
[00:26:35] - The importance of their tech stack in audience growth and maintenance
[00:28:30] - How they collaborate with brands in their content studio
[00:31:33] - The proportions of their different sources of content
[00:32:27] - How margins differ between their content studio and advertising sales
[00:33:16] - How they might look to expand their business model in the future
[00:34:41] - Why he thinks of marketers as their primary customer
[00:35:55] - Their model for reinvestment to further grow their audience
[00:37:43] - How the team took advantage of increased digital ad budgets during COVID
[00:40:30] - What he worries about most regarding the future of Industry Dive
[00:42:12] - Debrief
For episode number 1 - we sat down with the father of Colossus, Patrick O'Shaughnessy.
You likely listen to Patrick's Invest Like the Best podcast but in the small chance you don't - I'd highlight it's the magnet that brought everyone at Colossus to Colossus.
We had this conversation between Christmas and New Years of 2022. It was originally intended to be an annual recap episode but Dom and I decided to cover a variety of topics: Patrick's path to media, how he views Colossus the business, and what he thinks about behind the scenes.
After the interview, you will hear Dom and I debrief on the conversation. It's something that we plan to do after each interview. It's something we hear every once in a while on other podcasts and personally I love it. It's the ideal breaking of the 4th wall where you get some extra juice. Enjoy.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.
Scribe is the presenting sponsor of this episode of Making Media and the magic behind the Colossus transcripts. One of the best decisions we made at Colossus was transcribing all of our audio into a searchable transcript library. We had been using another provide up until the summer of 2022 but we were constantly having issues with the accuracy if our audio was just the slightest bit impaired. Whether it's training sessions, internal Q&As, or for media purposes, the value of transcripts is huge.
And we are not alone. Scribe is the transcription service that powers all of S&P Global - like CapIQ - and the client list includes our friends at Tegus. Go to joincolossus.com/scribe to unlock 150 minutes of free transcription and test their capabilities.
Making Media is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Making Media, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @ReustleMatt | @domcooke | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:01:30] - INTRO
[00:02:34] - The catalyst for launching Colossus Media
[00:07:00] - Expectations for the business vs. where it is today
[00:09:49] - Goals vs. output
[00:12:32] - Why it's easier to start a media business and what makes a great one
[00:15:05] - Media brands Patrick admires
[00:17:17] - Traits that make a great interviewer
[00:18:43] - Content before dollars
[00:20:53] - How the Invest Like the Best curse has made them rethink things
[00:24:44] - How the audience plays into picking guests/topics
[00:26:22] - Any future evolution of Invest Like the Best
[00:29:09] - Video’s role in the future of the business
[00:31:00] - Success for Invest Like the Best moving forward
[00:33:54] - Knowing when a conversation will be successful
[00:35:41] - Advice to folks looking to host a podcast
[00:39:12] - What plays into the success of Business Breakdown
[00:41:59] - Lessons about building a brand
[00:47:11] - Maintaining standards for a brand
[00:49:27] - Finding magicians to interview and work with - Aliens, Jedi & Cults
[00:59:30] - Behind-the-scenes experiences that stand out
[01:04:50] - Debrief
Welcome to Making Media, where Colossus colleagues Matt Reustle and Dom Cooke will talk to the best media operators, document their own media-building efforts, and dissect their favorite business content in preposterous detail. In this primer, Matt and Dom describe the show’s origin story, what you can expect on a weekly basis, and why it matters.
The first two episodes will launch on Monday, January 30.
Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.