E14: Ben Gilbert of Acquired on Improving the Craft of Podcasting

Erik sits down with Ben Gilbert, co-host and co-founder of Acquired, a podcast with 300,000+ subscribers that has been ranked the #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans. In this episode we talk about experimentation in media, quantity vs quality in media, combining feeds, and much more. Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. - SPONSOR: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months. - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs - TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (02:01) Evolution of Acquired Podcast (04:12) Experimentation in media (06:26) LP channel versus Acquired channel (09:33) Should everyone have an experimental feed? (10:28) Should everyone have a subscription feed? (12:28) Private versus public content (13:34) Lower quantity with higher quality (16:12) Advice for podcasters (19:24) Why is a media company a good idea? (22:09) White space for different shows (27:21) What if you have lots of niche interests? (31:02) Combining feeds (35:08) Are we early or late to podcasts? LINKS: Acquired Podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/ SOCIALS: Ben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gilbert Erik's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg