Summaries Entrepreneurship and Startups Mastering Podcasting: Tips from Craig Cannon and Adora Cheung

This is a summary of a YouTube video "Craig Cannon on Podcasting with Adora Cheung" by Y Combinator!

4.2 (60 votes)

The key idea of the video is that starting a podcast is easy, but improving sound quality and engaging guests are key to success, and successful startups focus on solving big problems while using tools to improve their podcasts.

• 🎧
  00:00

  A Y Combinator podcast aims to educate founders and drive applications, with a mix of topics and guests recommended by the speaker.
• 🎙️
  13:01

  Starting a podcast is easy with just your phone, but engaging guests and improving sound quality are key to success.
• 🎧
  21:43

  Startups can improve their success by developing confidence and aiming for a bigger goal, while using tools like Zoom H4n and Blue Yeti with Audacity to improve the sound quality of their podcasts.
• 💡
  29:00

  Successful startups focus on solving big problems, not riding trends, and the best ideas are those that can be explained without technical jargon.
• 💰
  40:40

  People are saving high percentages of their income to retire early, while the future of podcast monetization may involve contracts with big companies like Spotify and a potential market in educational podcast content.
• 💡
  51:16

  Podcast apps may adopt a YouTube-like clipping feature, and the speaker prefers tech podcasts; internet jobs are bad for innovation and should have term limits; forced sabbaticals can increase creativity; being at YC is great for motivation but can lead to unfinished side projects; and the speaker believes they could climb the height of Everest on their bike.
• 📈
  59:04

  The speaker's spreadsheet of hills in the East Bay led to a quarter-life crisis, while they are interested in funding startups related to improving life in cities and remote collaboration.
• 💡
  1:06:39

  Remote work is becoming more popular due to the pandemic, offering benefits such as flexibility and increased productivity.

Detailed summary

• 🎧
  00:00

  A Y Combinator podcast aims to educate founders and drive applications, with a mix of topics and guests recommended by the speaker.

  • The interview is about podcasting trends and Y Combinator's podcast, with Craig Kenan, the head of marketing at Y Combinator, being interviewed by Adora Chun.
  • A comedy magazine editor with limited skills got a job at The Onion, started programming on the side, created a hackathon series called Comedy Hack Day, and went on a five-month bike tour after achieving a world record in cycling.
  • The speaker started with a blog contract and eventually transitioned to creating a podcast and YouTube channel to create and spread content effectively.
  • The ultimate goal of the podcast is to educate founders and bring in other founders by driving applications, and while the number of views and downloads varies, the main metric they use is the number of applications received.
  • The speaker suggests creating a podcast with a mix of topics and guests, and recommends recording multiple episodes before releasing them.
  • Preparing for interviews involves categorizing the episode types, researching the guest's previous interviews, and becoming informed enough to know more than the average listener without using jargon.
• 🎙️
  13:01

  Starting a podcast is easy with just your phone, but engaging guests and improving sound quality are key to success.

  • The most challenging podcast guest was John Prescott, but the key to keeping a podcast engaging is to make guests comfortable and provide them with guidelines, with minimal editing needed.
  • Starting with a non-controversial question is a great way to engage guests without offending them, as opposed to asking softball questions that lead to unproductive conversations.
  • Podcast hosts can only track basic download information, and only certain podcast players can provide more detailed data on listener retention and engagement.
  • The MVP gear for starting a podcast is just your phone, and don't let your gear disqualify you from doing it.
  • The speaker discusses the equipment and techniques he uses to improve the sound quality of his podcast recordings, including sound blocking materials and avoiding street-facing windows.
  • The speaker participated in a talk show-like podcast where they discussed news, politics, and school-related topics.
• 🎧
  21:43

  Startups can improve their success by developing confidence and aiming for a bigger goal, while using tools like Zoom H4n and Blue Yeti with Audacity to improve the sound quality of their podcasts.

  • To improve the sound quality of recordings, use a recorder like Zoom H4n with Shure SM7B mics and XLR cables for in-person interviews, or a USB mic like Blue Yeti for remote interviews over Skype.
  • Use free software called Audacity to edit audio files and export them as a podcast.
  • People often don't like the sound of their own voice when they hear it played back, and some have found ways to manipulate it in post-production to sound closer to what they hear in their head.
  • The speaker's favorite interviews include Leonard Susskind, Michelle Qu Oh, Ryan Peterson, Rosalyn Watts, and some with friends.
  • Confidence plays a crucial role in the success of startups, and it is a learned skill that can be developed.
  • Startups should always remember why they started and aim for a bigger goal, as it can make them stand out and be less risky than they think.
• 💡
  29:00

  Successful startups focus on solving big problems, not riding trends, and the best ideas are those that can be explained without technical jargon.

  • The speaker learned from their guests to take action and start their own thing, as they realized they are just a passing moment in someone else's life.
  • Successful startups are not riding trends, but rather focused on finding big problems and not being attached to a solution.
  • Successful entrepreneurs are normal people who often don't make drastic pivots and the best ideas are those that can be explained without using technical jargon.
  • The speaker would make their non-YC related podcast more diverse and feature weirder guests.
  • Clipping podcast episodes for YouTube and having big names as guests can increase listenership, but it's important to have a separate channel for clips to avoid overwhelming subscribers, and getting popular within specific communities can also lead to increased listenership.
  • Aronson suggests finding tightly networked communities outside of startup tech for successful guest selection.
• 💰
  40:40

  People are saving high percentages of their income to retire early, while the future of podcast monetization may involve contracts with big companies like Spotify and a potential market in educational podcast content.

  • People are saving high percentages of their income to retire early, as exemplified by Mr. Money Mustache, who saved up $600K and retired at 30, becoming a cult figurehead.
  • The future of podcast monetization may involve podcasters getting on contracts with big companies like Spotify, as many podcasters struggle to make money through ads and are not concerned with maximum distribution.
  • The trend of a patreon model and tipping may emerge in the podcast industry, as there is a gap between the expensive audiobook market and the free podcast market.
  • The speaker discusses the potential for a market in educational podcast content, highlighting the value of expert teachers and the emergence of platforms like Himalaya, and refutes the idea that the podcast industry will become saturated.
  • Spotify could potentially offer a basic income salary to podcasters to motivate them to create valuable content and commit to producing a certain number of episodes, similar to the Netflix model.
  • The speaker discusses various podcasts, including Econ Talk, Joe Rogan, 7th Avenue Projects, Barbell Medicine, Dead Authors Podcast, Berkshire Hathaway, Nine Club, Prepared, and Startup School Podcast, and how he discovered them through his interest in specific topics and using Listen Notes to index everything.
• 💡
  51:16

  Podcast apps may adopt a YouTube-like clipping feature, and the speaker prefers tech podcasts; internet jobs are bad for innovation and should have term limits; forced sabbaticals can increase creativity; being at YC is great for motivation but can lead to unfinished side projects; and the speaker believes they could climb the height of Everest on their bike.

  • The speaker predicts that podcast apps will adopt a YouTube-like clipping feature, and mentions some of the podcasts they listen to and why they prefer tech podcasts.
  • Internet jobs are bad for innovation and jobs should have term limits unless you're the founder.
  • Forced sabbaticals should be implemented for employees to take time off and increase creativity, with a longer duration than the company's leave policy, and potentially incentivized with decreased salary or seed funding.
  • The speaker suggests that focusing on other things for 36 months can help with one's job and mentions the possibility of starting a company in the future.
  • Being at YC is great for motivation and ideas, but it's hard to stay focused with so many options and can lead to unfinished side projects.
  • The speaker discusses a trend in cycling where people climb the height of Everest on their bike, and despite being heavier than the typical cyclist, the speaker believes they could do it.
• 📈
  59:04

  The speaker's spreadsheet of hills in the East Bay led to a quarter-life crisis, while they are interested in funding startups related to improving life in cities and remote collaboration.

  • The speaker created a spreadsheet of hills in the East Bay to maximize elevation while being close to a bathroom and not having too much traffic, which helped them achieve their goal and led to a quarter-life crisis.
  • Feeling pressure to start a company and managing YC involves cat wrangling with solo founder personalities.
  • People want simpler lives with more freedom, which could be addressed through a product focused on expensive housing.
  • The speaker is interested in funding startups related to improving life in cities, such as mobility and housing.
  • The speaker is interested in remote collaboration and finding tools that can replicate the serendipitous nature of living in a city, while also exploring brain-computer interfaces and emerging markets.
  • The speaker prefers to work on software and emerging markets, focusing on finding the right team and a compelling problem to solve.
• 💡
  1:06:39

  The speaker cares about the topic but won't encourage people to quit their jobs like Luke Iseman.