Podcast Producer | Video Editor @ Disney & NFL. I help turn underperforming podcasts into industry leading shows on YouTube https://xitter.cf/t.co/YG79L2rTPC
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Joined January 2024
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A client getting under 100 views an episode landed their 1st brand sponsor.
Making enough money for season 1 to become profitable AND pay for 1/2 of season 2.
Hyper-niche podcast. They run a service based business (nutrition) and a software company saw it as a worthy investment.
Always another lesson
Pod Roast @iamgrantowen w/ a primary editor for Diary of a CEO.
Opening: 10/10
Very meta here, the master of trailers opens without a trailer and it's incredible. The first question being an objection caught me off guard and pulled me in just as well as a trailer should.
Production Quality: 10/10
No further comment.
Post Production: 9/10
Minimal editing. The conversation is first and foremost, something I wish we had more of. Nothing flashy. It's running away from the trend and doing so, so well.
🔸One tiny critique: I wish the graphics of a hero quote didn't feel so much like a caption. I caught myself waiting for the next line to come up because my brain is so trained to look for captions there.
Conversation Talent: 9/10
Grant came prepared. This is not a ramble.
Side note: As an editor of 15+ years, it's rare to find editors who do so well speaking in public 😅...
Set: 9/10
Sure does remind me of Open Residency with the set and I really wish the opportunity was there for this to be the set each and every single time episode. Very own-able to Grant. Love when a podcast make the set their own identity - but logistics are a b*^$#.
Thumbnail: 10/10
Yes. This is a podcast, but the thumbnail doesn't feel like a podcast thumbnail...yet...it's very obviously a podcast thumbnail.... banger.
OVERALL: 9.5/10
What do we takeaway?
Take notes my friends - this is it. The marriage of production, post-production, host preparation meets at an epicenter of greatness. I'm envious of everyone who is a part of this. The sky's the limit.
Link to originally reviewed episode:
xitter.cf/iamgrantowen/status/20…
He just quit.
He was a primary editor for Diary of a CEO.
So I asked him to tell all of his secrets for how he helps the Diary of a CEO be the number 1 podcast on YouTube.
00:00:00 Why Trailers Are Essential for Podcast Growth
00:03:30 Why Most People Are Doing Trailers Wrong
00:06:36 From Film and TV to Diary of a CEO
00:11:48 Retention Rates and What They Actually Mean
00:14:52 What Actually Makes a Podcast Good
00:17:00 Why the Guest Is 50% of Everything
00:22:59 What Makes a Great Podcast Host
00:26:31 Red Flags in Podcast Trailers
00:30:33 The Jefferson Fisher Hook Breakdown
00:34:16 The Louis Tomlinson Hook Breakdown
00:42:35 The 15 Point Checklist for the Perfect Trailer
00:45:28 The Oz Pearlman Hook (41 Second Rule)
00:48:06 The Laughter Track Hack
00:54:11 Sound Design and Visual Details
00:57:04 How to Choose Music Like a Film Director
01:00:02 Disney Imagineering Lesson
01:02:46 The Vanessa Van Edwards Hook Breakdown
01:07:02 The Kevin Hart Narrative Arc Breakdown
01:16:40 The A-B-C Storytelling Framework
01:20:13 The Easiest Win You Can Implement Right Now
01:22:36 How Diary of a CEO Uses AI
Exciting news, my session for Podcast Movement 2026 is live for voting 👀
This year the community shapes the program directly; public voting is 50% of what gets selected.
If you want to see me on stage in NYC, I'd really appreciate your vote. Here's what to do:
1. Visit podcastmovement.fider.io/
2. Search for "How to Make a Podcast Trailer (by a Disney Video Editor)"
3. Click into the session
4. Hit "Vote for this Idea"
Voting closes July 21. Thank you, it means a lot!
To all the aspiring/grinding video editors: the details are where you lose the client.
You miss one. It's small. But small mistakes give off a smell, therefore the client starts paying closer attention. And once they're paying attention, they stop seeing your misses as innocent. They start seeing them as negligent.
Your job isn't to be perfect. Your job is to be so good that the little things you inevitably miss get read as human, not careless.
Because the moment a client has a reason to be annoyed, they start hunting for mistakes. And when they start hunting, your days are numbered.
This week our thumbnail sustained 11.7% CTR, on a podcast thumbnail.
Corporate client; zoom interview; everyday stuff. Nothing particularly exciting.
Design wise? Pretty average thumbnail... it's just simple.
And the answer of how that we all chase is lying somewhere between random, zeitgeist, and skill...
It's a funny game to play.
You're launching a podcast for your business.
Top of funnel traffic is the goal.
Here's exactly how we're building it.
(Literally launching a new client podcast today w/ this strategy)
Now we need them to stay.
How? The Intro..
We need to unlock 70% retention within opening :30
We'll test variations of openings.
One goal: get people to click. Get people to stay.
That unlocks the ultimate metric... Impressions.
OK..a year fully immersed in podcast production, I have a question:
How is it possible these 'podcast studios' filming the same setup every single day... still manage to get the guest out of focus?
I can't tell you how many times I get footage from these studios and one of the guest or host is out of focus.
everyones got a podcast meanwhile there were 19× more books published than new podcasts launched last year in the US alone
I run a podcast production company.
I do something called a Pod Roast...I look at your show and tell you exactly where it's leaving growth on the table. Thumbnail, title, hook, brand, YouTube setup. All of it.
Going out of town for 5 days.
Drop your podcast below. When I'm back, I'll tell you what I see...free
🧑🍳Pod Roast: How I Write: @david_perell
• Audio: 1.9/2
– Great quality, good music that feels on-brand. Music just feels a touch loud.
• Video Quality: 2/2
• Editing: 1.5/2
– There is an unnecessary jump cut at :15, hurts to see b/c the way this intro works around jump cuts is so lovely. But, b/c they are all so lovely it really allows that one jump cut to stand out. Solution would be to cut to zoomed-in shot or a reaction/listening shot of co-host.
– It is lovely editing. The (-.5) is too much. But, when you have such a strong piece of work, the little things tend to stand out even more.
• Graphics: 2/2
– Great, sophisticated branded graphics. This is a great example to follow. Strongly branded and reinforced through all decisions.
• Flow: 2/2
– Conversation is strong! Truly engaging. Powerful stuff.
Overall Social-Bite: 9.4/10
An elite video podcast. Great example of how brand weaves into a podcast. This is the bar.
Texas just nominated its Democratic candidate for governor.
I got to post-produce the podcast episode where she sat down with Andrew White.
Here's one of the shorts we cut:
Texans are ready for a governor who fights for quality health care, combats rising costs, and strengthens public education.
Congratulations, @GinaHinojosaTX, on becoming the Democratic nominee for governor!
ALT Graphic of Gina Hinojosa. It features a picture of Gina in a blue shirt with the text, "Midterm news: Gina Hinojosa wins Democratic primary for Texas governor."