Making Media

How to build a media business by two outsiders learning the craft. We talk to great media operators to share & learn their lessons.

A @joincolossus production.

[Matt Reustle @ReustleMatt]

"Non-Traditional Monetization" is on the chalkboard under Matt's Favorite Business Topics.

The tactics make for the most fun stories. But understanding the limitations to scaling is equally interesting.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

We’re back…

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

In 2021, @MatthewGridiron co-founded a business to build media brands around podcasts. 3 years later PodX acquired the business, @ukplatformmedia, for an eight-figure sum.

They have cracked monetisation, one of the industry's biggest problems. The first show they created is 115th in the charts but in the top 5 in terms of monetisation.

Matthew talked @ReustleMatt and me through their unique model and the company's evolution.

Highly recommend it for anyone in podcasting or thinking about getting into it.

Search Making Media in your podcast player to hear the conversation.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

@domcooke @ReustleMatt @danshipper @every You can listen to the conversation here: https://t.co/1TVAljDCKy

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

New episode of Making Media today.

@ReustleMatt and I sat down with @danshipper to talk @every, its publications, new start-up incubations, his great AI podcast, and more.

Really insightful hour on media business models and delivering high-quality content. Dan is the man.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

Today's episode!

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Today on @MakingMediaPod, we speak with sports media veteran, Mike Stricoff.

Mike was the main line producer on Undisputed. He helped launch the show.

Snap then recruited him to work on their sports content.

Most recently, he set up his own business connecting investors with content producers.

Really interesting discussion on how to maximise talent, both at national TV scale and at the independent creator level.

[Matt Reustle @ReustleMatt]

A top addition to my content diet: Feed Me by @Emily_Sundberg

- Why are blue Saratoga water bottles everywhere?
- What makes a beauty/wellness product take off?
- What is a24 up to?

Read today about things that will be mainstream in 6 months. @MakingMediaPod out now

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Today’s Making Media is with the CEO of @GoalhangerPods - Jack Davenport.

Goalhanger has quickly become the biggest independent podcast network in the world (outside of the US) with ~30 million monthly downloads.

Fun to learn about their model and share stories.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

Today's episode with @pkafka is now live.

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Peter Kafka has spoken to everyone in the media world, both offline and through his podcast.

@reustlematt and I quizzed him on as much as we could fit into 45 minutes.

We talk Reed Hastings and Netflix, local news, why the NYT has won, why YouTube is undercovered (see clip), the impact of AI/VR, the evolution of podcasting, his interview style, and a few other hot topics.

To get all the spice, listen to the whole conversation with @pkafka by searching for Making Media in your podcast player.

[Ben Springwater @benspringwater]

I had a blast talking with @domcooke and @ReustleMatt on Making Media this week. They are building something special at @joincolossus and it was fun going from long-time listener to first-time caller.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

@domcooke @benspringwater @matter Listen to the whole conversation & see Ben's favorite 3 articles here:

https://t.co/KCWb85Yc8M

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

New episode on @matter with co-founder @benspringwater.

Ben will help you read better ideas. We guarantee it.

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Reading and investing aren’t so different.

The alpha is in finding ideas that are great + undiscovered.

Which is easy to say, hard to do, but important to get right. You think what you read.

@benspringwater and his business @matter are my go-to source for interesting, off the run ideas. Between the reading app itself and the various mini sites they’ve launched, I consistently find timeless ideas I haven’t previously come across.

It was a lot of fun to have him on @MakingMediaPod to talk about how he’s building Matter and solving the curation problem at scale.

@reustlematt and I finish the conversation by asking Ben for his favourite pieces of content, and he did not disappoint!

[Jon Ostrower @jonostrower]

To describe these first weeks of 2024 as packed would be an extreme understatement. Beyond the pages of @theaircurrent, our editorial team has been busy across the internet, lending our perspectives and reporting to @flightradar24, @MakingMediaPod & @wendoverpro.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

Today we take to the skies with an excellent discussion on what it takes to build a successful subscription-based media business.

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

There has been a lot of talk about subscription media businesses recently.

TechCrunch, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Time (to name a few) are changing or shutting their subscription strategies.

In today’s Making Media episode, @jonostrower delivers a masterclass on what it takes to build an enduring and successful subscription-based media business.

He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Air Current, an independent publisher focused on the global aerospace and aviation industries – I like to think of it as the Stratechery of the Skies.

Jon started blogging about the airline industry as a 22-year-old while working in Politics but he quickly became consumed by his passion and went on to work for Flight Global, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN before striking off to build his own media business.

@ReustleMatt and I love meeting people who are as thoughtful about the business model around media as they are passionate about creating content itself. Jon is a wonderful example and he thoughtfully walked us through the key decisions he’s made in building The Air Current into the success it is today.

You can listen to the conversation by searching Making Media in your podcast players. I’m very biased but I couldn’t recommend it more.

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Today's @MakingMediaPod is a replay of a conversation I think about weekly.

@ReustleMatt's conversation with audio genius @SpikeEskin.

If you have a podcast or want to start one, you should listen. I am yet to hear anyone talk about the role of a host as clearly as Spike.

[Matt Reustle @ReustleMatt]

An insightful "reflection" episode with @TheAuthletic. We covered a lot of topics - but a few favorites:

- Building for users (not advertisers)
- Finding local moats
- Talent as a funnel
- Arming your team with Data

The Athletic will always hold a special place in my heart.

[Matt Reustle @ReustleMatt]

I knew @KylePorterCBS had a good sense of humor - but his thoughtful introspection surprised me.

It comes across in this conversation but I'd also encourage you to read the writing he's done beyond the golf world.

He's one of the fastest additions to my "good people" list.

[Dalton Mabery @dltnio]

@domcooke @KylePorterCBS @ReustleMatt @MakingMediaPod So excited to listen to this! @KylePorterCBS is not only one of the best golf writers out there but also thinks critically about media, content, and distribution, and how all of that is changing.

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

Going back to the Sports Media world today. Tune in.

[Dom Cooke @domcooke]

Today’s Making Media guest captures the nuance of his domain better than most.

@KylePorterCBS has been writing about golf for CBS since 2012 and, over that time, he’s developed a unique ability to cover the spectacular, absurd, and serious of his sport.

It was so fun to talk to him about what it’s like to cover live sport, how the media industry has developed, and why he decided to self-publish a trilogy of books.

Even if you hate golf, there are so many interesting areas to explore about media with Kyle. He works in a big media business and runs his own independent content operation. He sees it all.

Find the conversation on @MakingMediaPod

[Making Media @MakingMediaPod]

@mfishbein @seangriffey Thanks Mike! Great summary.

[Mike Fishbein @mfishbein]

More B2B companies want to build media companies, but media companies are hard to build.

Marketing and audience building require two different skillsets.

In an interview on @MakingMediaPod, @seangriffey, says this is part of the thesis behind his B2B media company, Industry Dive.

Industry Dive builds niche B2B media properties. They monetize by providing brands with access to targeted audiences, and first-part data about what resonates with them (often via sponsored content).

I believe that building media in-house is advantageous because you own the relationships with your audience and the messaging, and it's more cost effective than advertising over the long-term.

But the reality is, many companies are better suited doing advertising or sponsorship deals with niche media companies or creators.

Many larger companies are run by people who could have been in a Dilbert comic strip. They're good at optimizing and process-izing, but not as good at long-term thinking and innovating to meet buyer needs (and the latter is what it takes to build a successful media company).

Advertisements or sponsorships might be expensive, but they provide immediate access to potential customers, and when you have aggressive goals, you don't have much of an alternative.

Check out the full episode here 👉 https://t.co/W2MgD9E1lA