Making Media

In this episode of Making Media, Matt and I speak with Bryan Barletta – the founder of Sounds Profitable. Sounds Profitable is a research group focused on the business of podcasting. They produce content, events, and research on all aspects of the podcasting industry. In our conversation, we explore podcasting’s growth problem; why there aren’t enough ad dollars in the industry, whether that will ever change, and how the industry will agree on seemingly simple things like what constitutes a download. We also talk from a podcaster's perspective about the best ways to monetize your show, how to implement subscriptions, and of course – I ask about marketing. Please enjoy this conversation with Bryan and stay tuned for our debrief. 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 (00:03:21) - (First question) - His view of the podcast industry and the problem that Sounds Profitable is trying to solve (00:07:01) - Dealing with the mismatch between ad spend and listenership in podcasting (00:12:09) - How different platforms compare as avenues for growth (00:14:36) - Standardization, analytics, and the power of appealing to small niches (00:18:57) - How moving towards cross-platform analytics protocols could bolster the industry (00:20:04) - The complexities of download statistics and how publishers are gaming the system (00:25:23) - How market share between major podcast platforms can affect creators (00:27:48) - His thoughts on the current push towards video-based podcasting (00:32:50) - Addressing the pessimism around discoverability and barriers for marketing (00:39:31) - Reaching new listeners that don’t consume podcasts habitually (00:42:01) - His thoughts on subscriptions and paywalls for podcasts (00:46:18) - Their tech stack and systems they use for their podcasting endeavors (00:47:18) - The most unmissable events in the podcast industry that creators should attend (00:50:17) - De-brief

We are joined by the Founder and CEO of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry. Nathan might be the most transparent business builder we've ever encountered, and he's conveniently built one hell of a newsletter software business while operating that way. We dive into the various hype cycles of newsletters, the evolution of the creator economy, and Nathan's own approach to content and transparency. Whether you're a media executive at a major company, or an individual creator in the first innings of launching whatever you are launching, we truly believe you can learn a ton from Nathan. 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 (00:03:24) - (First question) - The problems as they existed a decade ago versus the problem ConverKit is trying to solve now (00:06:13) - Whether or not the TAM of email marketing is expanding (00:09:14) - The value of an email subscriber compared to an RSS feed subscriber (00:11:25) - Differences between producing media as an individual and as a brand (00:13:12) - Brands who have produced content well in the podcast space (00:15:32) - Changes to the creator ecosystem and where creators should start today (00:17:56) - Timeless growth strategies to consider as a creator (00:20:31) - What he uses his podcast for and being clear about the audience (00:25:25) - Timely content, timeless content, and the trade off being made for either form (00:26:30) - The motivation for ConvertKit’s annual conference and measuring the ROI on customer acquisition (00:31:36) - The acquisition of FanBridge and the impact it’s had on their business (00:36:42) - Whether or not more acquisitions are on the horizon for him (00:40:07) - Changes in email customizability and the runway for further innovation (00:42:49) - Potential opportunities to innovate and expand on the RSS feed protocol (00:44:29) - The rapid expansion of the creator economy during the pandemic (00:46:12) - Being open and transparent and a possible tipping point for overdoing it (00:55:55) - Reflecting on working so hard for a decade and lessons learned from it (00:56:47) - Launching a local newspaper and how it fits into his grander vision (00:59:43) - Debrief

A special announcement today. The Colossus Merchandise Shop is open for business. If you're listening to this, that means we avoided my biggest fear. We did not break the internet, but please head over to joincolossus.com where you will find a link to our shop. Staying on that theme, Dom and I hosted Michael Williams from A Continuous Lean for a timely conversation on branding, merchandise, and how companies can differentiate themselves. Michael has been writing about heritage brands for over 15 years. In a world where every website looks the same and every gift guide has the same recommendations, Michael consistently presents original things. Enjoy the episode. 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 (00:04:00) - (First question) - The early days of launching A Continuous Lean and how it transitioned into the business he built around it (00:06:19) - What led to ACL being featured in the New York Times (00:08:29) - Deciding to branch out from ACL and creating his consulting agency (00:10:43) - How he’s managed to stay true to his vision of staying small and in control (00:12:34) - The best strategy and advice he could give brands today (00:15:45) - Key characteristics of companies that are bad or good at marketing (00:21:39) - Further case studies for brands that are seemingly timeless (00:22:27) - His favorite aspects of the Master's Golf Tournament (00:24:29) - Rolex: Timeless Excellence; The Walt Disney Company: An Entertainment Empire (00:26:34) - When corporate merch became a thing what the point of it is (00:30:14) - Whether or not the rules of consumer goods and quality apply to corporate merch (00:32:08) - What made the Domino’s Rolex so desirable as a branded watch (00:34:04) - The cult-ish appeal of the New Yorker tote bag (00:34:54) - Ways to collaborate with celebrities to grow merch awareness (00:35:55) - The process of building and launching the ACL merch store (00:41:48) - Developing brand partnerships and his experience with them (00:44:46) - Whether or not it’s worth it for a business like Colossus to launch a merch store (00:46:14) - Having taste instinctually or if it can learned over time (00:47:43) - Possible reasons why Apple doesn’t have a merch shop (00:49:14) - Quality, exclusivity, and scarcity as factors in the success of merch (00:50:47) - Debrief

We’re delighted to be joined by Adi Ignatius, the Editor in Chief of the Harvard Business Review. HBR is over 100 years old and has created some of the best business content ever produced but few people talk about it as a media force. Last year it made $302 million in revenue, had 11 million monthly visitors to its website, and was followed by tens of millions of people on social media. There's no question it deserves paying closer attention to. That's exactly what Matt and I did in November last year when we did a Business Breakdown Episode on how Harvard Business Publishing works. Ever since that conversation, I've wanted to talk to Adi about the unique model HBR employs and how it operates. Please enjoy this conversation with Adi Ignatius. 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 (00:03:50) - (First question) - His most memorable experience as a field journalist in Beijing (00:06:13) - Why it’s so important for media leaders to be adaptable (00:07:10) - His perspective on generative AI as it relates to media and journalism (00:10:46) - The characteristics of the HBR that have enabled it to continue for over 100 years (00:12:54) - The most impactful aspects of their business model and legacy (00:14:39) - The roles of both their freelancers and in-house editors (00:19:48) - How they capitalize on different platforms across the HBP brand ecosystem (00:21:44) - Their signature Case Studies series (00:24:20) - The relevance of print media versus digital formats in their business today (00:25:57) - How their brand image continues to evolve naturally (00:27:42) - The role of diversity in the HBR’s culture and design (00:29:02) - The balance between their subscription-based model and advertising revenue (00:32:20) - Broadness versus specificity in their content (00:33:33) - Keeping their content timely but thorough in the era of digital immediacy (00:35:53) - Their sizeable social media presence (00:39:18) - How working with Harvard sets them apart (00:41:26) - What he has learned throughout his career about branding (00:44:30) - Their book HBR at 100 and the potential for true classics being made in the digital era (00:46:53) - The common threads he can identify in their most influential articles (00:48:40) - The Debrief

For this episode of Making Media, we spoke with Hiten Samtani, SVP of Content at The Real Deal. Now, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but real estate media is everywhere and, to me, The Real Deal sits uniquely at the epicenter of this industry. They are the largest real estate focused publication in the US, they have over 3 million monthly visitors to their website, tens of thousands of paying subscribers, and they still maintain a print distribution of over 150,000 subscribers. But maybe what's most interesting to me is that The Real Deal was ranked as the publication with the wealthiest audience on the web. As Head of Content, Hiten has experience with deep-dive journalism and various forms of media across written word, video, and audio - so he has a full background across media. I think there are a ton of lessons for media professionals across this conversation. Please 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 (00:01:41) - (First question) - How he landed in the real estate journalism segment (00:02:41) - The history of The Real Deal as it stands out from the rest of the industry (00:06:24) - Challenges the publication faced early on that made it stronger in the long run (00:09:14) - An overview of their scale and structure (00:12:21) - Audience analytics he focuses on to track the health of the business (00:14:20) - How he tries to measure their presence in the zeitgeist (00:16:59) - His emphasis on liaising with readers (00:18:44) - The prevalence of direct website traffic versus ancillary routes to their content (00:23:15) - How he thinks about paywall and subscription models versus advertising (00:25:54) - Why they keep their editorial team and ad team separate (00:27:51) - How they develop new IP and mass media based on their popular exclusives (00:32:27) - Preserving relationships with sources while also maintaining journalistic integrity (00:36:29) - How he typically sources his most important stories (00:39:40) - His philosophies for training budding journalists joining the publication (00:41:34) - What they look for in journalists they hire (00:44:01) - Dealing with top journalists that want to leave to strike out on their own (00:49:03) - De-brief

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 [00:21:18] - 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 [00:26:22] - 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 [00:45:07] - 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 [email protected]. 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.