I Asked Steven Bartlett’s Team How To Build A $400M Podcast

<p>Get a FREE breakdown of the 11 DOAC growth rules in my newsletter: <a href="https://bit.ly/4z4uoNw">https://bit.ly/4z4uoNw</a></p><p><br></p><p>Start or grow your own Podcast with me: <a href="https://bit.ly/4zbvKq5">https://bit.ly/4zbvKq5</a></p><p><br></p><p>The Diary Of A CEO just hit 20 million YouTube subscribers and is a top 10 podcast globally. I’ve followed its journey and got to know the team behind it since the show had just 10,000 subscribers.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, I break down the 11 rules Steven Bartlett’s team shared with me, with insights from Grace Andrews (former Marketing Director), Anthony Smith (the editor behind the trailers) and Tom Lewis (Steven’s paid media partner).</p><p><br></p><p>This is a podcast growth masterclass.</p><p><br></p><p>We get into:</p><p><br></p><p>• The 10-second change that had a 300% impact on subscribers</p><p>• Why DOAC tests up to 100 thumbnails before every episode</p><p>• The clips experiment that backfired when they doubled output</p><p>• Why their short form isn’t built to push people to the full episode</p><p>• The four-part formula behind every DOAC trailer</p><p><br></p><p>Produced by 7xContent: make your own podcast with us: <a href="https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply">https://www.7xcontent.com/home#apply</a></p><p><br></p><p>Follow Callum:</p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc">https://www.instagram.com/thecallummc</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell">https://www.linkedin.com/in/callummcdonnell</a></p><p><br></p><p>Timestamps:</p><p>00:00 Introduction</p><p>01:13 Rule 1: Have a really clear mission</p><p>03:38 Rule 2: Don’t copy other podcasts</p><p>06:10 Rule 3: The 10-second change behind 3x more subscribers</p><p>09:47 Rule 4: Make learning someone’s job</p><p>10:02 The clips experiment that backfired</p><p>12:21 Rule 5: Testing 100 thumbnails before every episode</p><p>14:32 Testing packaging on Meta ads before release</p><p>16:46 The golden rule of running experiments</p><p>17:32 Rule 6: The short form strategy</p><p>19:58 The biggest mistake short form editors make</p><p>22:47 Rule 7: The guest strategy</p><p>24:19 Rule 8: Win the first hour after publishing</p><p>27:47 Rule 9: Stop judging episodes on views</p><p>29:59 Rule 10: The secrets behind DOAC trailers</p><p>32:29 Rule 11: The podcast is not the product</p>