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Jan 21, 2017 · 23m · top-founders

EP 546: The Pitch Made $80k in Year 1 Sponsor Revenue, 700,000 Downloads with Producer Josh Muccio

Josh Muccio · 10m spoken Nathan Latka · 9m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of "The Top," host Nathan Latka interviews Josh Muccio, creator of "The Pitch," to dissect his journey from selling his first startup, iHeart Repair, to generating $80,000 in first-year sponsorship revenue and accumulating 750,000 downloads in the podcast industry.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 46.6% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.5 Guest teaching 2.0 Guest disagreement 1.7 Nathan pushing back 1.8
05100:0010:0020:002:23–7:57 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 The Pitch Podcast Concept and Live Deals Nathan presses Josh on the financial details of his first exit, asking specific questions regarding trailing twelve months revenue, EBITDA multiples, and the nature of the acquisition. Josh is open and cooperative, explaining how the business was valued and acquired.7:58–11:18 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Post-Exit Exploration and Creation of The Pitch Josh recounts his transition from his exit to launching the Daily Hunt podcast and meeting his co-host Sheil on Product Hunt. Nathan listens collaboratively and shares his own perspective on batching podcast recordings.11:20–14:10 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Podcast Monetization Models and Advertising Revenue Josh teases Nathan about hawking his own products on the podcast, leading to a candid exchange where Nathan defends his roll-up business model. Nathan then interrogates Josh about his season one and two sponsorship revenue and CPMs.14:11–17:00 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Audience Growth Tactics and Season Three Ideas Josh breaks down download numbers and failed growth channels like Facebook ads, emphasizing press and word of mouth. Nathan pitches a bold idea to buy a company live on season three of The Pitch.17:00–21:35 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Mid-Roll Promotion: The Top Inbox for Gmail After an extended mid-roll ad read, Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions and shares insider data on Gimlet Media's massive per-episode production costs. Josh is shocked by the high figures.21:35–22:00 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Episode Recap and Conclusion with Josh Muccio Nathan delivers a brief monologue recapping Josh Muccio's background, key download metrics, and sponsor revenue, followed by a promo offer for HostGator.2:23–7:57 · Guest teaching 2/10 The Pitch Podcast Concept and Live Deals Nathan presses Josh on the financial details of his first exit, asking specific questions regarding trailing twelve months revenue, EBITDA multiples, and the nature of the acquisition. Josh is open and cooperative, explaining how the business was valued and acquired.7:58–11:18 · Guest teaching 2/10 Post-Exit Exploration and Creation of The Pitch Josh recounts his transition from his exit to launching the Daily Hunt podcast and meeting his co-host Sheil on Product Hunt. Nathan listens collaboratively and shares his own perspective on batching podcast recordings.11:20–14:10 · Guest teaching 4/10 Podcast Monetization Models and Advertising Revenue Josh teases Nathan about hawking his own products on the podcast, leading to a candid exchange where Nathan defends his roll-up business model. Nathan then interrogates Josh about his season one and two sponsorship revenue and CPMs.14:11–17:00 · Guest teaching 2/10 Audience Growth Tactics and Season Three Ideas Josh breaks down download numbers and failed growth channels like Facebook ads, emphasizing press and word of mouth. Nathan pitches a bold idea to buy a company live on season three of The Pitch.17:00–21:35 · Guest teaching 2/10 Mid-Roll Promotion: The Top Inbox for Gmail After an extended mid-roll ad read, Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions and shares insider data on Gimlet Media's massive per-episode production costs. Josh is shocked by the high figures.21:35–22:00 · Guest teaching 0/10 Episode Recap and Conclusion with Josh Muccio Nathan delivers a brief monologue recapping Josh Muccio's background, key download metrics, and sponsor revenue, followed by a promo offer for HostGator.2:23–7:57 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Pitch Podcast Concept and Live Deals Nathan presses Josh on the financial details of his first exit, asking specific questions regarding trailing twelve months revenue, EBITDA multiples, and the nature of the acquisition. Josh is open and cooperative, explaining how the business was valued and acquired.7:58–11:18 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Post-Exit Exploration and Creation of The Pitch Josh recounts his transition from his exit to launching the Daily Hunt podcast and meeting his co-host Sheil on Product Hunt. Nathan listens collaboratively and shares his own perspective on batching podcast recordings.11:20–14:10 · Guest disagreement 5/10 Podcast Monetization Models and Advertising Revenue Josh teases Nathan about hawking his own products on the podcast, leading to a candid exchange where Nathan defends his roll-up business model. Nathan then interrogates Josh about his season one and two sponsorship revenue and CPMs.14:11–17:00 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Audience Growth Tactics and Season Three Ideas Josh breaks down download numbers and failed growth channels like Facebook ads, emphasizing press and word of mouth. Nathan pitches a bold idea to buy a company live on season three of The Pitch.17:00–21:35 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Mid-Roll Promotion: The Top Inbox for Gmail After an extended mid-roll ad read, Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions and shares insider data on Gimlet Media's massive per-episode production costs. Josh is shocked by the high figures.21:35–22:00 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Recap and Conclusion with Josh Muccio Nathan delivers a brief monologue recapping Josh Muccio's background, key download metrics, and sponsor revenue, followed by a promo offer for HostGator.2:23–7:57 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 The Pitch Podcast Concept and Live Deals Nathan presses Josh on the financial details of his first exit, asking specific questions regarding trailing twelve months revenue, EBITDA multiples, and the nature of the acquisition. Josh is open and cooperative, explaining how the business was valued and acquired.7:58–11:18 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Post-Exit Exploration and Creation of The Pitch Josh recounts his transition from his exit to launching the Daily Hunt podcast and meeting his co-host Sheil on Product Hunt. Nathan listens collaboratively and shares his own perspective on batching podcast recordings.11:20–14:10 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Podcast Monetization Models and Advertising Revenue Josh teases Nathan about hawking his own products on the podcast, leading to a candid exchange where Nathan defends his roll-up business model. Nathan then interrogates Josh about his season one and two sponsorship revenue and CPMs.14:11–17:00 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Audience Growth Tactics and Season Three Ideas Josh breaks down download numbers and failed growth channels like Facebook ads, emphasizing press and word of mouth. Nathan pitches a bold idea to buy a company live on season three of The Pitch.17:00–21:35 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Mid-Roll Promotion: The Top Inbox for Gmail After an extended mid-roll ad read, Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions and shares insider data on Gimlet Media's massive per-episode production costs. Josh is shocked by the high figures.21:35–22:00 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Episode Recap and Conclusion with Josh Muccio Nathan delivers a brief monologue recapping Josh Muccio's background, key download metrics, and sponsor revenue, followed by a promo offer for HostGator.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 84.3% · guest 15.7%0:00 · Nathan 84.3% · guest 15.7%3:00 · Nathan 20.1% · guest 79.9%3:00 · Nathan 20.1% · guest 79.9%6:00 · Nathan 18.7% · guest 81.3%6:00 · Nathan 18.7% · guest 81.3%9:00 · Nathan 24.5% · guest 75.5%9:00 · Nathan 24.5% · guest 75.5%12:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%12:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%15:00 · Nathan 64.6% · guest 35.4%15:00 · Nathan 64.6% · guest 35.4%18:00 · Nathan 68.8% · guest 31.2%18:00 · Nathan 68.8% · guest 31.2%21:00 · Nathan 76.2% · guest 23.8%21:00 · Nathan 76.2% · guest 23.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:32 Josh calls out Nathan's product plugs

Josh directly challenges Nathan's monetization model by noting he avoids hawking his own products unlike Nathan, specifically citing Nathan's email tool.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 11:38 Nathan defends promoting his MarTech rollup

Nathan pushes back against the hawking label, asking for specifics and explaining his strategic business rationale of using the podcast to support his acquisitions.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 11:32 Josh contrasts standalone podcasting with self-promotion

Josh educates Nathan on why The Pitch operates as a standalone media property with external sponsors rather than an in-house marketing engine.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 20:07 Nathan details Gimlet's production costs

Nathan demonstrates deep industry knowledge by citing exact team structures and six-figure monthly costs spent at Gimlet Media before launching shows.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
The Pitch Podcast Concept and Live Deals 5213 Nathan presses Josh on the financial details of his first exit, asking specific questions regarding trailing twelve months revenue, EBITDA multiples, and the nature of the acquisition. Josh is open and cooperative, explaining how the business was valued and acquired.
Post-Exit Exploration and Creation of The Pitch 3211 Josh recounts his transition from his exit to launching the Daily Hunt podcast and meeting his co-host Sheil on Product Hunt. Nathan listens collaboratively and shares his own perspective on batching podcast recordings.
Podcast Monetization Models and Advertising Revenue 5454 Josh teases Nathan about hawking his own products on the podcast, leading to a candid exchange where Nathan defends his roll-up business model. Nathan then interrogates Josh about his season one and two sponsorship revenue and CPMs.
Audience Growth Tactics and Season Three Ideas 4222 Josh breaks down download numbers and failed growth channels like Facebook ads, emphasizing press and word of mouth. Nathan pitches a bold idea to buy a company live on season three of The Pitch.
Mid-Roll Promotion: The Top Inbox for Gmail 4211 After an extended mid-roll ad read, Nathan runs through the Famous Five questions and shares insider data on Gimlet Media's massive per-episode production costs. Josh is shocked by the high figures.
Episode Recap and Conclusion with Josh Muccio 0000 Nathan delivers a brief monologue recapping Josh Muccio's background, key download metrics, and sponsor revenue, followed by a promo offer for HostGator.

Statements from this episode (9)

Insight
Muccio: VCs make investments by committee, not on the spot
“Nobody, nobody invests like that. The shark tank one hour, I'm going to make a decision on the spot. It doesn't happen. So people make investment by committee.”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 3:04
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Muccio: iHeart Repair reached $750K in annual revenue before 2014 acquisition
“I think by the end of it, we were at like 750 K per year.”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 5:35
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Muccio: Product Hunt homepage placement drove significantly more podcast traffic
“When you get podcasts on the homepage, I mean, that was a huge traffic driver, not like they have their own sub page now for podcasts. And so there's not as much traffic as there was one where there was once, but”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 10:33
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Latka: Acquired four MarTech and sales tech companies in two months
“I'm going to do a roll up in the MarTech and sales tech space, and I've acquired four companies so far over the past two months.”
Nathan Latka Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 12:04
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Muccio: The Pitch made $80,000 in first-year advertising revenue
“So in the past year, okay, ads alone. So I was going to say the whole business because we do also do some coaching. So we do a tiny little bit of hawking our own stuff. Nathan Latka: Ignore the coaching stuff. Josh Muccio: Yes. Okay. Ignore the coaching stuff.…”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 12:54
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Muccio: The Pitch sold Season 2 sponsorships at over $200 CPM
“It's over 200 dollars CPM per episode.”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 13:59
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Muccio: The Pitch reached 750,000 total downloads across its first episodes
“Total downloads, 750,000.”
Josh Muccio Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 14:17
Disclosure
Latka: Tracking 600 MarTech and sales tech companies for potential acquisition
“Like I have a due diligence Excel sheet of about 600 companies I'm talking to in the marketing, marketing tech and sales tech space. And there's like little cohorts where I'm definitely going to buy one of them.”
Nathan Latka Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 16:18
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Latka: Gimlet Media spends six figures per show before releasing samples
“No, like, each show, he'll put, he broke down the team structure for me. He'll put, like, I think six or eight people Per show. And before there's even anything out live, they're investing over six figures before they even put a sample out.”
Nathan Latka Jan 21, 2017 ▶ 20:29
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