Aug 24, 2022 · 18m · 20vc
20VC: 10 Lessons on Scaling 20VC to 100M+ Downloads | How To Build an Audience and a Next-Generation Media Company
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this special solo episode of 20VC, host Harry Stebbings celebrates reaching 100 million downloads by sharing 13 specific lessons on content creation, creator mindset, and multi-channel audience distribution strategies for building a next-generation media company.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Harry holds 99.4% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Harry as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.0 Harry pushing back 0.0
speaking balance: gold is Harry, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 4:03 Monologue format - no guest combativeness
This episode is a solo monologue presented entirely by host Harry Stebbings, so there is no guest combativeness present.
Hardest push from Harry ▶ 7:01 Monologue format - no host pushbackBecause this is a solo instructional episode without an interlocutor, no host pushback occurs.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:32 Monologue format - no guest schoolingThere is no guest present in this solo show to educate or correct the host.
Harry holds his own ▶ 11:48 Monologue format - no host hit backThe format consists solely of a solo presentation by Harry Stebbings, offering no occasion for pushback or hitting back at a guest.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Harry as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Harry pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1: Persistence in Content Creation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | In this solo monologue segment, Harry Stebbings reflects on early advice from Jason Calacanis about surviving in content creation. As specified in the guidelines, host-side metrics (expertise and pushback) as well as guest metrics are scored 0 for monologue content. | |
| Lesson 4: Content Cadence and Consistency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Harry outlines strategies for choosing content release cadences and maintaining consistency. Because this segment is a solo presentation without guest interaction, all scores are zeroed. | |
| Lesson 7: Building Content Champions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Harry details how reaching out to individual fans helps turn audience members into dedicated champions. Following monologue instructions, host and guest interaction scores remain 0. | |
| Lesson 10: Tailoring Channel Distribution Requests | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Harry shares insights on tailoring promotional requests to specific platforms where guest champions have the strongest following. As a host solo monologue, all metrics are set to 0. | |
| Lesson 13: Channel-Specific Timing Optimization | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Harry briefly advises optimizing post timing according to specific channel audience patterns. As a monologue segment, all host and guest scores are 0. |
Statements from this episode (19)
20VC Acquires Good Future Media After Reaching 100,000 TikTok Followers
“The other day, TwentyVC acquired Good Future Media, who've done an incredible job building our TikTok to over a 100,000 followers”
20VC Surpasses 100 Million Total Podcast Downloads
“Hitting a hundred million downloads now for 20 VC”
Stebbings: Content Creation Takes Six Months to Show Traction
“Content takes six months at a minimum before you really start to see much ramp at all.”
20VC Produced 300 Unmonetized Episodes Before Reaching 5,000 Plays
“We went 300 episodes with 20 VC before we got to 5000 plays per show. 18 months, 300 episodes. I also did not make a single dollar in that time”
20VC Abandoned 100,000 Snapchat Followers Due to Declining Engagement
“I invested heavily in Snapchat stories when they were big for business. We gained a 100,000 plus fans there, but with the reducing popularity of the platform for business, The audience declined, and it was no longer worth the investment for me over other platf…”
Stebbings: Overambitious Publishing Schedules Cause Creator Burnout
“A massive reason people stop with content is they commit to a release cadence, they cannot uphold, and then stop quickly.”
Stebbings: New Creators Fail by Choosing Broad Topics Like Tech News
“The biggest mistake I see so many make is they are too broad in the content topic they target. Entrepreneurship is far too wide. Tech news. That is not going to do it. You have to be specific.”
Stebbings Details 20VC's Six-Year Timeline to Launching Sub-Brands
“For us at TwentyVC, we focused on early stage venture capital. We focused on this for 24 months before we started interviewing founders. It then took another Four years before we started 20 product, 20 sales, and 20 growth.”
Stebbings Personally DM'd 50,000 Twitter Followers to Diversify 20VC's Audience
“Fun fact, I believed in the importance of channel diversification so much with TwentyVC. Until I had 50,000 followers on Twitter, I used to DM each new follower and ask them to follow a different channel.”
20VC Conducts Ten Reference Calls for Every Podcast Episode
“For example, for every TwentyVC show, we do 10 references.”
Stebbings: Involving Stakeholders in Content Creation Drives Distribution
“You will always underestimate how much people appreciate feeling like a part of the content creation process, and how much they will share it when it goes live if you make them feel part of it.”
Stebbings: Distribute Founder Interviews to Their Cap Tables and Boards
“When you release a podcast with a founder, you should also send it to every investor on their cap table. They are incentivized to share it. They have shares in the company. You should also send it to their board. They have a deep relationship with the founder.…”
Stebbings: Content Partners Only Share on Their Top Two Platforms
“Remember, people will not likely share on all of the requested. They will only do the top one or two.”
Stebbings Advocates a 1:1 Creation to Distribution Time Ratio
“For every hour you spend creating, you should spend the same amount of time distributing.”
Stebbings: Making Guests Feel Safe Is the Top Interviewing Priority
“When working with other people to create content, when you interview them, when you feature them, the single most important thing is to make them feel safe.”
Stebbings Reveals a Personal Vulnerability in First Three Minutes of Calls
“In the First three minutes of any call with a guest for 20 VC, I reveal a vulnerability of myself.”
Stebbings: 99% of Guests Given Pre-Release Review Make Zero Edits
“We also tell them that we will send them the episode before it's released. They'll be able to make edits. 99% of people Never make an edit”