I just sold my podcast, 3 Clips, to a tech company. Here's a transparent account.
Today, I’m thrilled to announce my podcast 3 Clips has been acquired by Castos. This is a huge and happy moment for me and the team at Castos, but moreso, for those who already love 3 Clips. I’ve known the team at Castos for awhile, and they exist to champion and support the creative process of podcasters, while giving them tools to own their audience and their show’s experience, protecting them from third party algorithms and choices.
Creativity in Podcasting + Direct Audience Relationship = Audio to my ears. Castos is both a logical and a deeply mission-aligned partner. They and I both believe: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others. Also, if you want to go far while still going reasonably fast, combine a tech startup and scrappy independent podcast.
(I think that’s how the saying goes.)
If you’re new to my show, 3 Clips is kind of like Song Exploder (dissecting great audio by asking the creator to play it back and explain it) meets Inside the Actor’s Studio (deep discussions about their craft and career) — but for podcasters.
On the show to date, we’ve talked to hosts and producers of podcasts from TED’s Audio Collective (Far Flung with Saleem Reshamwala), Discovery (Curiosity Daily // Ashley Hamer and Cody Gough), Morning Brew/Business Insider (Business Casual // Kinsey Grant), Stitcher (By the Book // Kristen Meinzer), Smithsonian (Sidedoor // Lizzie Peabody), Shopify (Resilient Retail // Kristen LaFrance), REI’s podcast team (Chelsea Davis), KCRW (Bodies // Allison Behringer), and Vox Media’s Pivot (lead producer Rebecca Sananes),
We’ve also talked to top indies like In Those Genes (featuring Janina Jeff and Sam Riddell), Richard’s Famous Food Podcast (Richard Parks III), 3 Books with Neil Pasricha, The Secret Adventures of Black People (Nichole Hill), and The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk.
Some of these are listener favorites. Others are launching in the coming weeks. Regardless, each episode, we go inside the guest’s process, techniques, and creative philosophies and hear about the hidden, often emotional moments that led to the creation of something that matters to them and to their listeners.
Since I launched 3 Clips in November 2019, I’ve focused on just one goal: empower and inspire others to create their audience’s (and their own) favorite show. I’m a believer in creating the things we wish existed and on focusing on resonance over reach. This work we do is not about who arrives. It’s about who stays.
I also believe the idea of “creativity” has gotten away from most people. We misconstrue this idea as “big.” But creativity is the sum total of lots of little choices and moments, all rolled together. We can all do that.
It’s about the reps, the reflection, and the reinvention — over time. The show aims to bring those hidden things out into the light for others to hear, which in turn inspires us to pursue more ambitious shows in our work, too.
All this to say, the show has always felt very special to me.
It’s also always felt very hard. I didn’t make money directly on the show. I wasn’t paid to make it. I considered the project a loss-leader, a marketing expense, and of course a labor of love. The indirect benefits were the sales of my course on podcast development, Growable Shows, and attracting and earning the trust of clients who hired me to develop their shows. But at long last, I’m able to earn a portion of my income by simply making this show. Plus, we have the support to make this show better.
The story of how that came together — and the metrics and money involved — are all worth sharing.
For a transparent account of the acquisition, listen to today’s episode.
First, you’ll hear a monologue from me, divided into three parts:
the Move: I always looked at people who sold shows as space aliens. How in the world does this kind of thing happen? Well, I lived out one version of that story, and I want to encourage more to think about it and pursue it, if they wish.
the Money: I talk through how we structured the deal, which was broken up into three pieces.
the Mood: Not gonna lie, I feel vindicated based on a whole lot that I believe about creating meaningful work. As a content entrepreneur, this was NOT a story of massive reach but of passionate fans + rigorous focus on production value and interview skills. This was a victory for craft-driven creators.
Second, you’ll hear a brief chat between me and Castos founder and CEO Craig Hewitt about their thinking during this acquisition and where we go from here.
Links from the episode:
My on-demand course for podcasters helps you develop a more original, more resonant show.
Learn more about Castos here: https://castos.com/
Follow Castos CEO Craig Hewitt on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TheCraigHewitt/
Follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo/
