DeepSummary
Harry Stebbings, the host of the 20 Minute VC podcast, shares his 10 biggest lessons on scaling the podcast to over 100 million downloads. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, choosing the right platform that aligns with one's skills and passion, and not being afraid to start even if the initial version is imperfect. He also stresses the need for consistency in creating content and setting achievable publishing cadences.
Stebbings advises being very targeted and specific with the content topic, starting niche and expanding from there. He suggests repurposing content across multiple channels and spending as much time distributing as creating. He encourages creating champions by engaging with the audience and making them feel part of the creation process.
Stebbings emphasizes understanding incentive mechanisms for sharing content and tailoring distribution strategies for different channels and timings. He also highlights the significance of making guests feel safe and comfortable during interviews.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Persistence is key in building a successful content platform, as it takes time to gain traction.
- Choose a platform that aligns with your skills and passion, not just the latest trend.
- Start creating content without fear, as the initial version will improve over time.
- Consistency in content creation and setting achievable publishing cadences is crucial for building an audience.
- Be targeted and specific with your content topic, starting niche and expanding gradually.
- Repurpose content across multiple channels to maximize reach and engagement.
- Spend as much time distributing content as creating it, and tailor distribution strategies for different channels.
- Engage with your audience, create champions, and make them feel part of the creation process.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “You have to be as specific as possible when you start find your 100 true fans for us at 20 vc, we focused on early stage venture capital.“ by Harry Stebbings
- “You have to give them a personalized experience. You have to reach out to them proactively. Use it for two things. One, to build a loyal fan. Once they have contact with the creator, they are much more likely to retain and also tell their friends and so help subsequent fan acquisition.“ by Harry Stebbings
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Episode Information
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Harry Stebbings
8/24/22
Over the last 7 years, I have scaled 20VC to 100M+ downloads, and listeners in 117 countries, and all of this with a spend of less than $1,000. Here are 10 of my biggest lessons:
Lesson 1: Persistence: This is a game of who can last the longest.
Lesson 2: Platform Selection: Choose the platform that best aligns to your skills and passion, not the one that is "hottest" at the time.
Lesson 3: Just Start: The biggest reason people fail is because they do not take the first step. The V1 will never be perfect but it will improve. Press publish.
Lesson 4: Consistency: You have to create a habit within your audience. You have to let them know when they should expect your content. This will also creating a forcing function for you to stick to.
Lesson 5: Be Targeted on your Content Topic: Do not be vague. You have to be very specific in the topic you choose. Start very niche. Find your 100 true fans. Expand from there.
Lesson 6: Every Piece of Content is Born Multi-Channel: You do a talk. This is not a single talk. This can be turned into a podcast. Several TikToks. A medium piece. No content is in isolation.
Lesson 7: The Right Ratio Between Creation and Distribution: Do not create content and then press publish and think the work ends there. You have to spend the same amount of time distributing the content as you do creating it.
Lesson 8: Create Champions: In the early days it is all about finding your 100 true fans. DM people that follow you. Make them feel special. They will retain and tell their friends. Create champions.
Lesson 9: Bring People Into the Creation Process: When people feel a part of the creation of content, they will share it actively. Make more people feel part of the creation process.
Lesson 10: Each Channel is Different, Optimise for Them: Different channels require different content types, formats, audio, optimise on a per channel basis.