How Ben and David bootstrapped the Acquired podcast

Fast Company called Acquired "the #1 tech podcast sensation."
I've been a huge fan of the show for years. So, I was surprised
when they contacted me and wanted to switch to Transistor for
podcast hosting!


Since switching, they've had a breakout year. Their clips started
showing up everywhere on my social media feed; they had
chart-topping episodes on Nintendo, Nike, and Costco, and they
interviewed the CEOs of NVIDIA, Uber, and Charlie Munger. 


And this was the year that Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (the
co-hosts) both went full-time on the podcast. Podcasting is now
their job.


With all of that activity, I thought Build your SaaS listeners
would be interested in hearing my interview with David about
their entire story:


How they got started, how they built momentum over time,

how they were able to double their audience every single year
since 2015, 

And how that momentum ended up Attracting an incredibly
valuable audience that they've now monetized through
sponsorships. 



This interview has so much that podcasters, creators, and indie
entrepreneurs will find super helpful and inspirational.


Key moments:


(0:00:00) – A breakout year for Acquired

(0:01:45) – What is the Acquired podcast about?

(0:02:40) – How the Acquired podcast got started (origin
story)

(0:07:23) – How Ben and David's co-hosting relationship works

(0:09:00) – The 3 big goals that made them want to start
Acquired

(0:11:38) – How did listeners respond to the first episodes?

(0:14:55) – The best reason to start a podcast

(0:15:30) – The secret to how Acquired attracts new listeners

(0:18:13) – How they got featured in Apple Podcasts,
Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Spotify

(0:24:18) – How they got their first podcast sponsors (and
why it wasn't about making money)

(0:27:58) – Why they give their sponsors a white glove,
11-star experience

(0:34:13) – How to get more word-of-mouth referrals for your
podcast

(0:37:00) – Acquired's unconventional approach to podcast ads

(0:41:54) – How the Acquired podcast's growth machine works

(0:48:05) – Why their NVIDIA podcast episode went viral

(0:50:48) – Why they switched from Libsyn to Transistor for
podcast hosting

(0:57:18) – The rise of the "independent, boutique
podcaster."

(1:02:27) – "The future of podcasting doesn't belong to
Gimlet, NYT, NPR..."

(1:06:22) – David Rosenthal's advice to aspiring podcasters



Thanks to our monthly supporters


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Greg Park

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Bill Condo (@mavrck)

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Austin Loveless

Michael Sitver

Colin Gray

Dave Giunta



️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.
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