About the Episode:
Quick note from Ryan—I’ve been talking a lot more lately about my experience starting a podcast and growing it to more than 500,000 downloads within the first 2 years, so if you’re interested in launching a podcast of your own, then check out my guide to the best podcast hosting platforms on the market today and my ultimate guide on how to start a podcast.
In today’s episode, we’re talking to Michael Sacca, the director of business development and marketing at Dribbble by day and the co-host of Rocketship.fm by night.
Michael and his co-hosts have been working on their first podcast, Rocketship.fm since 2014 where they’ve been interviewing people and talking about all things business & startups.
Some of the guests they’ve interviewed include ProductHunt’s Ryan Hoover, Mikael Cho the founder of Crew and Unsplash, Seth Godin, Sean Ellis, the list goes on and on. Now more than 300 episodes in, Michael and his co-host are generating about $10,000/mo from their podcasting side project.
And just last year, they launched a brand new show called This New Economy that dives into incredibly interesting stories like the untold story of Books.com, the first company to actually sell something online. What I love most about Michael’s podcasts and his approach, is that they’re so high quality it blows my mind.
If you’ve ever listened to an NPR show like Planet Money, or Gimlet’s show Startup, then Rocketship will sound very familiar to you. They weave in storytelling, interviews, jokes, and create this feeling that you’re sitting right there in the room with them.
In Today’s Episode, We Talk About:
[03:16] What book he’s reading at the moment.
[04:07] Where he’s from and his background.
[05:41] The history of Rocketship.fm.
[09:01] Some of his favorite people he’s interviewed and why.
[11:08] The production process of his podcasts.
[13:07] How he conducts his interviews.
[14:37] How much time they spend on scripting episodes.
[17:21] How they produce the show remotely.
[19:05] His recommendations for equipment and tools.
[23:05] What inspired the creation of his new podcast.
[24:33] The amount of revenue generated from show sponsorships.
[27:27] His recommendation for podcasters with smaller downloads that want sponsorship.
[30:10] What’s next for him.
[31:20] His number one piece of advice for anyone looking to build a podcast today.
[33:58] Sacrifices he’s had to make to grow the podcast.
[34:51] Ideas he’s tried that have failed.
[36:37] The best investment he’s ever made in growing his podcast.
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Resources mentioned:
Cumulus by Eliot Peper
Auphonic: Automatic Audio Post Production
Focusrite Scarlett Solo USB Audio Interface
Heil Sound PR40 Dynamic Microphone
Triton Digital Ad Server for Podcasters
Connect with My Guest:
Micheal on LinkedIn and Twitter
Subscribe, Review, & Share:
If you enjoyed this episode of The Side Hustle Project, I would love your support. Head over to the show on iTunes or in the Apple podcast app and give us a rating please! And as always you can catch every episode on the Apple podcast app, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for tuning in.
In my personal opinion, I believe blogging, podcasting, affiliate marketing, and the unique combination of online side hustling will help increase revenue potential for anyone who dedicate themselves to making it work. Most people think this internet marketing stuff is a one-click get rich quick overnight operation. Podcasting is a unique way to deeply connect with the target audience because people are hearing a live Human. Podcasts humanizes everything online. Especially when the podcaster goes into interactive mode answering people’s questions online live. so I’m really happy to hear that this fella is getting over $10,000 monthly because podcasting is surely the real deal when you Incorporated in your internet marketing ventures. 🙂
Good Afternoon Ryan
My name is Kim and I just started my podcast. At this time I’M building content for my archives before I put it on youtube . Im working with my graphic designer and were designing my page. I want to have at least 20 episodes ready before I put the material on the internet. At your earliest convenience can you please provide me with some additional information on building a profitable podcast.
ThankYou Kim
Whew, that’s too big of a question for me to answer with less than an epic guide-style post. And to be honest, I’m probably not the best person to teach the “profitable” part right now as my podcast doesn’t often generate a ton of revenue—more like just enough to break even while other aspects of my blog/brand earn significantly more.
I’d listen carefully to the advice Michael gives on this interview, and then do a quick Google search of other free guides already out there that cover the “making money” side of podcasting.