How this podcast grew to 292M views & 4.8M subscribers [lessons to learn]
Lisa Dziuba
9 replies
Hey to all the awesome people here π± I was shocked to see that one of my favorite podcasts actually managed to build a growth machine in less than 3 years!
I'm talking about Steven Bartlett's "The Diary Of A CEO", a business + leadership podcast that makes π°π°π° millions in revenue every year!
Let's break down the enormous success of "The Diary Of A CEO" from the marketing perspective (originally posted on my Linkedin):
1οΈβ£ "The Diary Of A CEO" (DOAC) cracked user behavior:
β³ π Publishing at 7 am every Monday helped build habits among DOAC listeners by fitting into their routine and doubling down on "Morning optimism".
β³ π DOAC formed a habit loop with trigger (morning commute/run/routine) β action (listen to episode) β reward (new insights) β investment (time) β habit β
2οΈβ£ A value prop that resonated with a large market:
β³ DOAC brings the world's most influential people and makes them speak... as if they were your friends, telling their life stories. Founders, writers, and actors became "real" and vulnerable.
β³ π Valuable content + emotional connections β β€οΈ
3οΈβ£ In a crowded podcast space, DOAC is well-differentiated:
Unlike mass-market "inspiring" podcasts, DOAC focuses on personalization, deep conversations, and uncompromised quality.
β³ π Personalization:
Guests share emotional stories that are so personal and spark empathy. This becomes 10x more powerful when this guest is someone you truly admire, like Brian Chesky or Mark Manson.
β³ π Deep conversations:
those come from strong preparation for each episode. Meaningful questions hit the mark, and honest answers keep listeners engaged.
β³ π Quality:
useful content, high speakers' level, and technical setup (like $45k recording equipment). This level of quality over time formed trust and brand loyalty β made "The Diary Of A CEO" top of mind.
4οΈβ£ DOAC mastered GTM and distribution
β³ π Influencers' network:
Steven Bartlett's podcast built a flywheel of growing via the influencers' network. Guest invites their audience β % of them subscribe β more subscribers attract better speakers β growth loops go on.
β³ π 100x SMM:
DOAC created a content reuse machine, adapting podcast clips to different social platforms. Short form content + excellent video production + experiments β π
β³ π Branding:
Steven Bartlett is investing in the personal brand. Black laconic style, calm voice, grey warm lights in the studio, black notebook β it all plays out so nicely together.
β³ π Platform optimization:
A lot of YouTube optimization: hooks in video intros (clips), "hit this subscribe button" mechanics, catchy video titles, "question from the previous guest" right at the end of the podcast. DOAC is driving it to the max.
Replies
Alexander Diatlov@adiatlov
Ecoisme 2.0
Wow, super insightful π
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I hope, it was useful and inspiring for you π§
Ecoisme 2.0
@lisadziuba thanks!
These are valid points indeed, but a quick glance at the team behind DOAC on Linkedin shows no fewer than 7 folks in marketing roles (aside from Steven himself). Also curious what their ad spend looks like. Well, good strategies, a strong team and $$$ go a long way πͺ
Donβt Panic by Lemon.io
@john_mctavish1 I saw that, they definitely have marketing resources and video editing team. I wouldn't be surprised if they budgets are pretty huge.
Wow, that was a nice breakdown π€©
Donβt Panic by Lemon.io
@the_sssneg Thanks!
Lancepilot
Lisa, your breakdown of "The Diary Of A CEO" is marketing gold. From cracking user behavior to a resonating value proposition, it's a masterclass. Personalization, deep conversations, and quality make it stand out. Steven's influencer network and savvy branding strategies are the secret sauce. Kudos to the DOAC team for this podcast powerhouse. π
Donβt Panic by Lemon.io
@istiakahmad thanks for reading!