How I make $18K/mo with a niche podcast (STEAL THIS)

Starting this podcast wasn’t an easy decision. It takes up nearly half my time. And for months, it wasn’t making any money. But fast forward to today, and the podcast is now profitable and central to my creator business. So I did something different this week. I recorded a solo episode breaking down everything I’ve learned: - How I built and monetized a niche podcast - The exact growth engine that powers the show today - Some killer AI workflows I’ve learned for your job search and PM job 🎥 Timestamps: Part 1: How I Built and Monetized a Niche Podcast 0:00 - Exponential Growth Finally Happening 1:21 - How I Grew This Podcast 4:25 - Learning From 80 Episodes 8:47 - How Podcasts Make Money 10:03 - Ad 11:55 - My Dream Job: OpenAI Part 2: 2 Killer AI Workflows for Your PM Career 15:48 - AI Resume Transformation Demo 21:21 - AI Prototyping Revolution 31:17 - Ad 33:04 - Live Prototype Building Demo Part 3: Top 28 Questions About PM, Life, and Being a Creator 40:42 - Why 2025 Great For PMs 48:33 - AI PM Skills Roadmap 53:17 - Zero to 250K Followers 59:24 - LinkedIn $525K Salary Jump 1:05:07 - Newsletter Success Stack Rank 1:09:47 - Breaking Into US PM Jobs 1:19:14 - MBA to PM Roadmap 1:24:58 - Sprint Prioritization Framework Podcast transcript: https://www.news.aakashg.com/p/aakash-80-episodes-podcast 💼 Check out our sponsors: Miro: The innovation workspace is your team’s new canvas - http://miro.pxf.io/PO4WZX The AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers: https://maven.com/parlance-labs/evals?promoCode=ag-product-growth - You get $800 with this link. Linear: Plan and build products like the best - https://linear.app/partners/aakash Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25 - https://maven.com/product-faculty/ai-product-management-certification 👨‍💻 Where to find Aakash: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aakashg0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakashg0/ 🔑 Key Takeaways: 1. Don’t Copy Formats, Build Your Own. At first, I followed the standard “long-form conversation” style because that’s what everyone did. My breakthrough came when I started mixing screen shares, revenue breakdowns, and sharp, tactical interviews. 2. Profitability Comes with Patience and Prioritization: Early on, I put every dollar back into production. At episode 50, we were breaking even. By episode 80, every ad slot was sold out, even at higher prices. 3. Distribution Isn’t About Volume, It’s About Resonance. I used to think daily clips were the way to grow. They weren’t. What actually moved the needle was creating high-quality trailers and episodes people wanted to share. My most viral episodes didn’t go viral because of tactics. They went viral because they were useful. 4. The Real Truth About Monetization. Everyone overestimates how much YouTube pays in AdSense. The real money comes from sponsors - 95% for me, early on. I chose advertisers early because it allowed me to build profitability into the podcast from day one. 5. Retention Is Hard So Obsess Over Feedback. Paid newsletters churn. It’s just how it works. The only way I’ve managed to keep mine growing is by being fanatical about analytics, reading every unsubscribe reason, and interviewing canceled subscribers to figure out what’s missing. 6. Productivity =/= More Hours of Work. My most important work happens in distraction-free blocks. I use calendar time blocking, disable apps, and keep most notifications off. I even check screen time reports to stay honest. 7. The Game Is Long. None of this happened overnight. But it did happen because I stuck with it. If you build the right systems, refine them, and protect your time… growth stops being a question of if. It becomes a question of when. 🧠 About Product Growth: The world's largest podcast focused solely on product + growth, with over 175K listeners. Hosted by Aakash Gupta, who spent 16 years in PM, rising to VP of product, this 2x/ week show covers product and growth topics in depth. 🔔 Subscribe and like the video to support our content! And turn on the bell for notifications.

Aakash Guptahost

Jun 29, 20251h 37mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: June 29, 2025
Duration: 1h 37m
Channel: Aakash Gupta
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Starting this podcast wasn’t an easy decision. It takes up nearly half my time. And for months, it wasn’t making any money. But fast forward to today, and the podcast is now profitable and central to my creator business. So I did something different this week. I recorded a solo episode breaking down everything I’ve learned:
How I built and monetized a niche podcast
The exact growth engine that powers the show today
Some killer AI workflows I’ve learned for your job search and PM job
🎥 Timestamps: Part 1: How I Built and Monetized a Niche Podcast 0:00 - Exponential Growth Finally Happening 1:21 - How I Grew This Podcast 4:25 - Learning From 80 Episodes 8:47 - How Podcasts Make Money 10:03 - Ad 11:55 - My Dream Job: OpenAI Part 2: 2 Killer AI Workflows for Your PM Career 15:48 - AI Resume Transformation Demo 21:21 - AI Prototyping Revolution 31:17 - Ad 33:04 - Live Prototype Building Demo Part 3: Top 28 Questions About PM, Life, and Being a Creator 40:42 - Why 2025 Great For PMs 48:33 - AI PM Skills Roadmap 53:17 - Zero to 250K Followers 59:24 - LinkedIn $525K Salary Jump 1:05:07 - Newsletter Success Stack Rank 1:09:47 - Breaking Into US PM Jobs 1:19:14 - MBA to PM Roadmap 1:24:58 - Sprint Prioritization Framework Podcast transcript: https://www.news.aakashg.com/p/aakash-80-episodes-podcast 💼 Check out our sponsors: Miro: The innovation workspace is your team’s new canvas - http://miro.pxf.io/PO4WZX The AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers: https://maven.com/parlance-labs/evals?promoCode=ag-product-growth - You get $800 with this link. Linear: Plan and build products like the best - https://linear.app/partners/aakash Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25 - https://maven.com/product-faculty/ai-product-management-certification 👨‍💻 Where to find Aakash: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aakashg0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakashg0/ 🔑 Key Takeaways:
1. Don’t Copy Formats, Build Your Own. At first, I followed the standard “long-form conversation” style because that’s what everyone did. My breakthrough came when I started mixing screen shares, revenue breakdowns, and sharp, tactical interviews.
1. Profitability Comes with Patience and Prioritization: Early on, I put every dollar back into production. At episode 50, we were breaking even. By episode 80, every ad slot was sold out, even at higher prices.
1. Distribution Isn’t About Volume, It’s About Resonance. I used to think daily clips were the way to grow. They weren’t. What actually moved the needle was creating high-quality trailers and episodes people wanted to share. My most viral episodes didn’t go viral because of tactics. They went viral because they were useful.
1. The Real Truth About Monetization. Everyone overestimates how much YouTube pays in AdSense. The real money comes from sponsors - 95% for me, early on. I chose advertisers early because it allowed me to build profitability into the podcast from day one.
1. Retention Is Hard So Obsess Over Feedback. Paid newsletters churn. It’s just how it works. The only way I’ve managed to keep mine growing is by being fanatical about analytics, reading every unsubscribe reason, and interviewing canceled subscribers to figure out what’s missing.
1. Productivity =/= More Hours of Work. My most important work happens in distraction-free blocks. I use calendar time blocking, disable apps, and keep most notifications off. I even check screen time reports to stay honest.
1. The Game Is Long. None of this happened overnight. But it did happen because I stuck with it. If you build the right systems, refine them, and protect your time… growth stops being a question of if. It becomes a question of when. 🧠 About Product Growth: The world's largest podcast focused solely on product + growth, with over 175K listeners. Hosted by Aakash Gupta, who spent 16 years in PM, rising to VP of product, this 2x/ week show covers product and growth topics in depth. 🔔 Subscribe and like the video to support our content! And turn on the bell for notifications.

SPEAKERS

Aakash Gupta
host
Podcast host and product-focused creator who interviews product leaders and shares tactics for growing a niche podcast.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Aakash Gupta, featuring Aakash Gupta, How I make $18K/mo with a niche podcast (STEAL THIS) explores niche podcast growth lessons, monetization, and AI PM career playbook He describes the podcast’s shift from slow early traction to early-stage exponential growth, driven by consistent publishing, better trailers, and smarter tradeoffs on production quality spend.

RELATED EPISODES