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All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins
Best-selling author Tim Ferriss chats with Chris abo...
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Oct 27 2021 2h 54m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Who is Chris Hutchins, and how many episodes of his new podcast, All the Hacks, does he have under his belt thus far?Chapter 2 2 mins
A few choice pieces of advice anyone should consider when aspiring to start a podcast: you don’t have to commit forever, only do this if you’d do it for free, and don’t worry about how big (or small) your audience isChapter 3 4 mins
Don’t commit to forever, but start with a reasonable number of episodes to aim for (Tim chose six). If you don’t love the direction it’s going, change direction until you do. Choose a game you can winChapter 4 1 min
Expect technical SNAFUs. Always have a backup plan. Better: have several. “Two is one, and one is none.”Chapter 5 4 mins
Is it still early in the days of podcasting and ripe with opportunity, or is it too crowded and people should consider new mediums for content?Chapter 6 3 mins
Why did Chris want to start a podcast, and what has made it worthwhile to continue?Chapter 7 2 mins
Gear Tim uses and why most of his podcast conversations are done remotelyChapter 8 4 mins
How many technical difficulties would Tim endure before just rescheduling an interview? What precautions does Tim take to make this less likely?Chapter 9 17 sec
Tim once advised podcasters against recording on video, but he’s changed my tune. What are the pros and cons?Chapter 10 4 mins
An easy way to test if your remote guest’s external mic is selectedChapter 11 4 mins
How different did his operation look when Tim was just getting started, and how has it evolved over time with the addition of metrics for monetization and staff to assist with production?Chapter 12 11 mins
What Chris has considered when weighing the rewards of monetization versus its costs, and Tim’s two cents’ worth on sponsorship best practices and options available. (Bonus: why Tim’s books aren’t available in paperback.)Chapter 13 3 mins
Can’t get big-name guests? Prioritize getting good guests even if they’re not household names. People like good content more than they like bad content with a fancy name (and you’ll probably like not having to get through a phalanx of publicists and lawyers and managers for a year to get that “famous” but potentially less interesting guest)Chapter 14 1 min
How Tim has found guests from the very beginningChapter 15 1 min
Tim’s thoughts on Chris’ interview with Leigh Rowan (note: not a household name, but an incredible guest who brought his A game)Chapter 16 1 min
You may not be able to “fix” a bad guest no matter how well-practiced you are as an interviewer. But you can always record long and edit liberallyChapter 17 4 mins
Questions Tim asks and conversations he’ll have with guests to put them at ease and get them to a place where they can trust the processChapter 18 6 mins
Why Tim finds Twitter to be an excellent, low-risk way to source guests. But there are right ways and wrong ways to go about itChapter 19 2 mins
Illustrating the importance of technical redundancy, Chris confesses that he had to re-record the interview with Leigh Rowan from scratch. At least it was a lesson learned on day oneChapter 20 7 mins
The value of reading transcripts (and, perhaps more painfully, audience feedback on social media) of your interviews early on in order to improve, as well as other methods of soliciting torture from select friends for personal developmentChapter 21 4 mins
Why becoming a better interviewer is really becoming your best self as an interviewer. Remember: what’s worked for Joe Rogan or James Lipton or Larry King may not work for youChapter 22 5 mins
How long does Tim spend on prep prior to an interview? What are some helpful shortcuts and processes to squeeze the most juice out of this time?Chapter 23 2 mins
Has Tim ever done too much research before an interview to the point that the ensuing conversation was devoid of any meaningful surprises?Chapter 24 1 min
What might cause Tim to push pause on publishing an interview, and how would he break the news diplomatically to the guest? What efforts can be made to salvage something useful from the experience for both parties?Chapter 25 2 mins
Does Tim always read a guest’s new book before he interviews them?Chapter 26 4 mins
Has Tim ever had to pause during an interview to regroup and replan its direction? What steps do I take to make sure the guest and I sound as good as possible?Chapter 27 5 mins
How did Tim build an understanding of his guests, and what did he learn about relating to an audience from Wait But Why‘s Tim Urban?Chapter 28 1 min
Tip: How to avoid getting your AirPods case mixed up with a significant other/family member/roommate who lives with youChapter 29 4 mins
Does Tim pay attention to number of podcast downloads and other listener-quantifying metrics? What would motivate extra scrutiny of those numbers?Chapter 30 5 mins
Why you probably want to funnel your listeners to your own website instead of something like a Facebook page that uses algorithims you can’t controlChapter 31 5 mins
Is growth as important as creating good content? What are the most effective ways to grow an audience that will find that good content?Chapter 32 3 mins
Is there a point to putting audio-only content on a video platform like YouTube? While growth has no magic bullet and the tools are forever changing, here are some evergreen references that might help you find the anchor that will work for your needsChapter 33 3 mins
Want to be of the best service to yourself and your audience? Stop trying to please all of the people all of the time. Find the cadence, content, and frequency that fulfills you firstChapter 34 2 mins
Someone might tune in to your podcast for a certain guest, but if they come back, it’s because of you. This being said, is it necessary to go out of your way to remind listeners that you exist in every episode?Chapter 35 2 mins
How can you make your good question a great question while making your guest sound even smarter and get your listeners personally invested in the conversation?Chapter 36 1 min
What is one of Chris’ best investments?Chapter 37 10 mins
How (and why) did Tim make the transition from being “The 4-Hour Guy” to the host of The Tim Ferriss Show (rather than starting something like The 4-Hour Podcast)?Chapter 38 2 mins
You have a personal brand (even if you’ve never tried to build one). But how do you know what it entails?Chapter 39 9 mins
To eliminate the bother of selling ads and securing sponsors, is it worth it to join a podcast network that promises to take care of monetization for you (for a hefty cut)?Chapter 40 1 min
How does Tim handle a follow-up question if he’s thought of it well past the point it would make sense to fit it into the conversation?Chapter 41 1 min
Does Tim have any tactics for getting introductions to potential guests from other people in my existing network?Chapter 42 2 mins
A question you can ask to improve your interviewing prowess (courtesy of Adam Grant)Chapter 43 2 mins
What kind of processes does Tim go through when he reassess the direction of the podcast after reaching a preestablished milestone?Chapter 44 6 mins
The time-saving power of batching recording sessionsChapter 45 3 mins
Parting thoughts