#56 - Shorts, Algorithms & the Reality of Growing a Science Podcast

<p>🎙 Hosts: Sura Hadi &amp; Mike Ouren</p><p>After 55 episodes of Helical Brew, we’re cracking open an Unfiltered Brew - a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about what’s actually working, what’s changed, and what growing a technical podcast really looks like.</p><p>From YouTube algorithms and Shorts strategy to why professionals rarely leave LinkedIn, this episode is an honest check-in on content, platforms, and the reality of building an audience in science and lab automation — plus SLAS prep, tech culture, and conference chaos along the way.</p><p>This isn’t a how-to guide. </p><p>It’s context between episodes.</p><p>🎯 What We Cover</p><ul><li>Why Shorts changed everything for Helical Brew</li><li>How YouTube behaves once you hit consistency</li><li>Why LinkedIn engagement ≠ listens</li><li>Algorithms, visibility, and feedback loops</li><li>CES, humanoid robots, and hype vs reality</li><li>SLAS Boston prep and logistics</li></ul><p>🎬 Chapters</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">00:00</a> – Cold Open</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=35s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">00:35</a> – YouTube After 55 Episodes</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=320s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">05:20</a> – Why Shorts Matter</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=475s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">07:55</a> – Tech Culture &amp; Humanoid Robots</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=720s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">12:00</a> – Travel &amp; Conference Reality</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=1065s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">17:45</a> – SLAS Prep &amp; Recording in the Wild</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKLwGlv_wQ&amp;t=1690s" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">28:10</a> – Wrap-Up</p><p>🔔 SubscribeWe explore automation, AI, and the future of science — from real labs to real conversations.</p><p>👉 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfXIZEjEPi9sUPOtidc2COg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">   / @helicalbrew  </a></p><p>👉 All platforms: www.helicalbrew.com</p><p>📩 Want to collaborate or be a guest? helicalbrew@gmail.com</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/helicalbrew" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#HelicalBrew</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/unfilteredbrew" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#UnfilteredBrew</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sciencepodcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#SciencePodcast</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/labautomation" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#LabAutomation</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcastbehindthescenes" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#PodcastBehindTheScenes</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/youtubeshorts" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#YouTubeShorts</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/contentstrategy" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#ContentStrategy</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/slas2026" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#SLAS2026</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/shorts" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#shorts</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/viralvideo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#viralvideo</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ai" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#ai</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/science" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">#science</a></p>