Meet: Kate Barrett of NEA's Founder Forward / Popular podcasts have trailers / 'Stolen Hearts' debuts

Plus, Patreon launches a podcast, Freakonomics partners with YouTube, and say goodbye to Google Podcasts

Inside.com Part of   Network February 07, 2023

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MEET: KATE BARRETT OF NEA, HOST OF FOUNDER FORWARD (Part 1)  On Feb. 15, the global venture capital firm NEA is set to release Founder Forward, a podcast that combines the stories of new and experienced entrepreneurs to help guide budding founders. Follow NEA on Twitter to stay posted on the trailer and podcast launch.  I had a chance to catch Kate Barrett, host of the podcast and Marketing Partner at NEA, ahead of the launch to hear about what listeners can look forward to and her journey creating the podcast.  Shreya Sharma (SS): There are many podcasts geared toward aspiring entrepreneurs. How do you hope Founder Forward will stand apart from the norm?  Kate Barrett (KB): That’s a really good question! It’s one we wrestled with ourselves as founder-facing podcasts proliferated. It seemed like there was a new podcast from an investor or VC firm every week, and we didn’t want to create more noise in an already-crowded space. With our partner FRQNCY Media, we developed a unique approach that puts relationships, candid commentary, and valuable insights at the heart of each episode while still shining a light on people and companies NEA proudly supports.  Each episode of Founder Forward weaves together two separate interviews in a single narrative that illuminates key aspects of company building. One interview features an NEA investor and a founder they support, while the other features a new-to-NEA founder whose company is at an earlier stage of growth. We explore where their paths are similar, where they diverge, and the defining moments that have shaped each of their journeys.  SS: Why did you specifically choose to create a podcast to deliver your message?  KB: I’d always rather share a story than speak in soundbites. There’s not a lot of appetite for long-form written content today, but the audio format has reignited people’s capacity for sustained engagement in unexpected and exciting ways.  More importantly, we know that founders are listening. They are enthusiastic consumers of audio content. The idea that we could reach our target audience where they are, when they want to engage, and without making them browse, scroll, or click was really compelling. So was the relatively light lift of producing a podcast compared to video!  SS: What do you hope the listeners take away from the podcast?  KB: Whatever they need! Truly, our goal at the outset was to create something that would be accessible and valuable to any founder, no matter where they were on the journey. One of our guests captured that sentiment perfectly as we wrapped up our interview, saying that he hopes our podcast inspires others to take that leap — to believe that they can go on that journey and that others will join and support them. I hope he’s right.

MEET: KATE BARRETT OF NEA, HOST OF FOUNDER FORWARD (Part 2) Shreya Sharma (SS): What are you, as the host, personally most excited about when it comes to "Founder Forward"?  Kate Barrett (KB): Hands down, it's the founders and companies we are featuring throughout the pilot season. The inspiring and often surprising reasons people decide to start a company. The grit and passion that carries entrepreneurs through the highs, lows, and loneliest moments of building something from the ground up. The behind-the-scenes stories and career-shaping moments we hear about from founders like Ali Ghodsi of Databricks, David Rogier of MasterClass, or Jack Conte of Patreon. The humility, curiosity, and humor that are defining traits of some of the most sought-after entrepreneurs and investors in Silicon Valley and beyond. SS: Over the course of this podcast as well as your career, you must have spoken to so many inspiring entrepreneurs. Could you share some takeaways that have stayed with you?  KB: I am going to limit myself to takeaways from the pilot season of "Founder Forward" because there are so many that have stuck with me long after the interviews ended! When starting a company, do something you'll be proud of, even if it fails. Everybody loves your product when it's free. Start charging for it, and you'll learn how they really feel. When checking references on potential investors, don't just talk to the entrepreneurs who had good outcomes. Talk to the ones where things didn't go well — would they still take money from that investor?  Most companies die by suicide, not homicide — when something doesn't work, it's usually because of what's happening inside the company, not outside. Founders out there need to know that people are rooting for you. People want you to succeed. You just need to ask for help. SS: What would you have told a young Kate Barrett if you could speak with her today? KB: Take risks! No matter how terrified I may feel while contemplating the chasm, I've never regretted taking a (calculated) leap of faith.  Shreya: Thank you, Kate! As a disclaimer, yours truly works with FRQNCY Media as a writer but was not involved in the production of this podcast. It's a talent I don't yet possess.

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PODS ON THE BLOCK  "The Soul of Music" is a new series that was released as a part of National Geographic's "Overheard." The series aims to celebrate Black History National Month through music.  "Women of Color Podcasters" is a new independent podcast from Danielle Desir Corbett. The podcast highlights the "untold stories" and achievements of Women of Color audio creators and professionals.   "Stolen Hearts" is a new scripted romance podcast from Wondery. It follows the story of Welsh cop Sergeant Jill Evans, who falls for Dean, an entrepreneur. The twist in the love story: Dean disappears on Halloween night.  "Backstage with Patreon" is a new podcast from Patreon. The show features conversations and insights from creators currently on the platform.  Keep your ears open for  "Fear of Going Outside" is returning for a second season on Feb. 13. The Spotify exclusive features Ivy Le, an Asian mom who is set to brave the outdoors or "die trying." Here's the trailer.

PODCAST EVENT UPDATES On Feb. 16, Podbean is hosting a free webinar on celebrating Black voices in podcasting.  Reminder: Feb. 23-25, the On Air Fest is happening in Brooklyn. Buy tickets here.  On March 8, Spotify will stream its Stream On event on its YouTube channel. The event will feature updates on creator tools, features, and programming.

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QUICK HITS Friction is NOT one-size-fits-all. Learn how implementing friction that adapts to your users could boost conversion rates & reduce fraud.* Bumper's Dan Misener shared data showing that podcasts on Apple and Spotify charts are "more likely to include trailers."  Freakonomics Radio Network partnered with YouTube to put their podcasts, including "Freakonomics Radio," "No Stupid Questions," and "People I (Mostly) Admire," on a YouTube channel.  Resource: Thought Leaders shared the difference between CPM and RPM for creators new to YouTube. Shreya: sharing this because as more podcasters take to YouTube, it might be helpful to get your basics covered. ICYMI: YouTube has launched content monetization tools for the Shorts feature.   On Sounds Profitable, Bryan Barletta asked if Spotify will be able to make "streaming ad insertion stick."  Podnews reported that starting Feb.13, Google Search will no longer include podcast carousels in the search results.  Check out this demo-on-demand and find out how 4,000+ fast-growing companies got compliant quickly.* *This is sponsored content.

Upcoming events at Inside: February 06 - Inside Marketing Coffee Break (Register Here) February 07 - Inside Startups Coffee Break (Register Here) February 16 - Inside Marketing w/ Kate Chernis (Lately) (Register Here) March 01 - Webinar on the changing privacy landscape in the US by Vanta and Osano (Register Here) * March 02 - AI Quality Workshop: Driving ML Performance and Trustworthiness (Register Here) * April 18 - Human Resources Summit'23 (Register Here) *This is a sponsored listing.

This newsletter was curated by podcast geek and marketer, Shreya. She loves storytelling in all forms but podcasts are her favourite. Her favorite podcast genres are sci-fi, comedy, TTRPG, and a combination thereof. Previously a resident of Vancouver, she now lives in Dubai.  Follow her adventures on Twitter. Do you or anyone you know host an indie podcast? Hit reply to tell me about it. I might feature it on Pods On The Block!       Editor Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 and 1972 Fords.

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