Ben Gilbert and David Rose, hosts of the Acquired podcast, had a breakout year after switching to Transistor for hosting. They interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. This interview covers their origin story, how they built momentum, and their monetization through sponsorships. It's helpful and inspirational for podcasters and indie entrepreneurs.
01:07:50
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Early Goals
Acquired's initial goals were learning, networking, and increasing their influence as VCs.
Monetization was explicitly not a goal at the start.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Initial Traction
Early episodes focused on well-known acquisitions like Pixar, Instagram, and Twitch.
Ben's network and Madrona's platform helped gain initial traction, leading to platform features.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Recognition Shift
David initially viewed Acquired as a hobby and was surprised when it gained recognition.
By 2018, people recognized him more for the podcast than his VC work.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation." I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for podcast hosting!
Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger.
And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now their job.
With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners would be interested in hearing my interview with David about their entire story:
How they got started, how they built momentum over time,
how they were able to double their audience every single year since 2015,
And how that momentum ended up Attracting an incredibly valuable audience that they've now monetized through sponsorships.
This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational.
🔥 Key moments:
(0:00:00) – A breakout year for Acquired
(0:01:45) – What is the Acquired podcast about?
(0:02:40) – How the Acquired podcast got started (origin story)
(0:07:23) – How Ben and David's co-hosting relationship works
(0:09:00) – The 3 big goals that made them want to start Acquired
(0:11:38) – How did listeners respond to the first episodes?
(0:14:55) – The best reason to start a podcast
(0:15:30) – The secret to how Acquired attracts new listeners
(0:18:13) – How they got featured in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Spotify
(0:24:18) – How they got their first podcast sponsors (and why it wasn't about making money)
(0:27:58) – Why they give their sponsors a white glove, 11-star experience
(0:34:13) – How to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your podcast
(0:37:00) – Acquired's unconventional approach to podcast ads
(0:41:54) – How the Acquired podcast's growth machine works
(0:48:05) – Why their NVIDIA podcast episode went viral
(0:50:48) – Why they switched from Libsyn to Transistor for podcast hosting
(0:57:18) – The rise of the "independent, boutique podcaster."
(1:02:27) – "The future of podcasting doesn't belong to Gimlet, NYT, NPR..."
(1:06:22) – David Rosenthal's advice to aspiring podcasters
Build Your SaaS