The Art and Science of Podcasting
It’s both easier and harder than ever to build a successful podcast. In this episode, we chat with Sriram and Aarthi from the Good Time Show, who ventured into the world of audio peak pandemic and have since interviewed the likes of Elon Musk, Calvin Harris, and Naomi Osaka.
We get their perspective on how to succeed in this competitive landscape, differentiation and the sliding scale of entertainment and information, the difference between an audience and a community, podcast analytics and how they’re changing, and even what Sriram has learned from his frontrow experience at Twitter recently.
Topics Covered:
00:00 - Intro
02:20 - Podcast trivia
06:07 - Starting a podcast
08:45 - Differentiating
13:10 - Information vs entertainment
18:08 - Getting off the talk track
20:40 - Growth and metrics
22:31 - Authenticity
27:10 - Secret sauce of podcasting
28:10 - Advice for new podcasters
29:58 - In-person events
32:06 - Tech as a force for good
34:50 - The next wave of social
37:23 - Creator middle class
41:16 - Podcast infrastructure
42:55 - ChatGPT
45:10 - Swapping lives with a celebrity
52:26 - Your personal monopoly
Resources:
Find Sriram on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sriramk
Find Aarthi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aarthir
Find Aarthi and Sriram on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AarthiAndSriram
Check out the Good Time Show: https://www.aarthiandsriram.com/
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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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Hot takes and techno-optimism from tech’s top power couple | Sriram and Aarthi
Brought to you by Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security | Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision | LMNT—Zero-sugar hydration
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Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan are founders, angel investors, and product leaders who host the podcast Aarthi and Sriram’s Good Time Show. They have both held leadership roles at major technology companies including Meta, Twitter, Snap, Microsoft, and Netflix. In today’s episode, we dive into how and why to build your personal brand, how to deal with impostor syndrome, and stories from Aarthi’s time at Clubhouse and Sriram’s time working with Zuck. Aarthi and Sriram share their lessons from past failures, their experience building communities, and their techno-optimism, and Sriram offers his hot take on the Jobs to Be Done framework.
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/hot-takes-and-optimism-from-techs
Where to find Sriram Krishnan and Aarthi Ramamurthy:
• Aarthi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aarthir
• Sriram’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sriramk
• Good Time Show Twitter: https://twitter.com/aarthisrirampod
• Good Time Show website: https://www.aarthiandsriram.com/
Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
Referenced:
• Naval Ravikant on Twitter: https://twitter.com/naval
• Marc Andreessen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmarca
• Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/
• Eugene Wei’s Status as a Service: https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2019/2/19/status-as-a-service
• Kylie Jenner on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/kyliejenner
• The Rock on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therock/
• Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristiano
• Charli D’Amelio on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charlidamelio
• Addison Rae on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@addisonre
• The founder of TikTok’s speech: https://ludlow.notion.site/Alex-Zhu-TikTok-4631f80fdcc4423a845e145e807d8e2b
• Naval’s network tweet: https://twitter.com/naval/status/847134295600746496?lang=en
• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
• How Duolingo reignited user growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-duolingo-reignited-user-growth
• Hunter Walk on impostor syndrome: https://hunterwalk.com/2023/03/01/imposter-syndrome-is-definitely-misnamed-might-be-a-condition-of-privilege-has-a-fascinating-history/
• On Reviews: https://boz.com/articles/reviews
• Jobs to Be Done framework: https://jobs-to-be-done.com/jobs-to-be-done-a-framework-for-customer-needs-c883cbf61c90
• First-principles thinking: https://fs.blog/first-principles/
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Sriram and Aarthi’s backgrounds
(04:16) How Sriram and Aarthi got Elon Musk on their podcast
(08:47) Reflections on Clubhouse and other social networks
(14:14) Why Aarthi and Sriram are optimistic about tech
(25:53) Why you should put yourself out there and build your personal brand
(27:09) Why you should build a network with authentic relationships, and how to do it
(28:56) Sriram’s curated communities
(31:20) What you need to get right when starting a community
(38:35) Why everyone who wants to should create content
(44:22) Why you shouldn’t try to project expertise when you’re still learning
(47:54) Dealing with impostor syndrome, and why you should lean into your strengths
(54:01) Transitioning to a role of authority
(57:30) What Sriram learned about effective management from Mark Zuckerberg
(1:01:20) The biggest failure Aarthi had, and why you shouldn’t fall for fads
(1:02:08) Sriram’s lesson from building mobile
(1:09:21) Why Sriram hates the Jobs to Be Done framework
(1:18:06) Advice for immigrants
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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