Building a show that people are willing to pay for means putting in the effort up front to plan, write, and design something listeners can't easily get for free elsewhere. This level of effort isn't for the lazy, but is well rewarded by loyal fans. Writer Shruti Ravindran reveals how Paul MM Cooper built Fall of Civilizations learning along the way, and never shying away from hard work and craft.

Originally published at https://timber.fm/stories/fall-of-civilizations-podcast-feature/

This is the story of how Jack Rhysider built Darknet Diaries from the ground up. The reason to listen is that Jack Rhysider is an open book about his journey finding an audience as a solo indie podcaster. The venn diagram of his audience probably doesn't have a huge amount of overlap with the shows that get breathless reviews in Vulture, so his story is really instructive for people that are outside the newly monied realm of podcasting.

Written by Pam Moore. Originally published at https://timber.fm/stories/when-i-started-podcasting-i-was-stealing-everything-i-could/.

True crime chat casts are the most popular flavor of the true crime genre. Among them, True Crime Obsessed is a hit. Sean Williams wrote a profile of the show that highlights how the two hosts played to their strengths to find their audience.

Listen to learn about a well made pillar of the true crime genre, or to get inspiration if you've ever felt like you're swimming against the current with your show.

Originally published at https://timber.fm/stories/true-crime-obsessed-podcast-feature/

This is the origin story of the hit D&D actual-play podcast The Adventure Zone. It was written in summer 2020 by Shruti Ravindran, and much has happened with the McElroys and their juggernaut pod since then. But, if you haven't ever listened, this is a great intro, and if you already love it, you'll love reading Travis's thoughts on how the show went from a funny idea to a hit.

Originally published at https://timber.fm/stories/in-the-adventure-zone/.

Written by podcast consultant and journalist Amanda Cupido, this is the story of how Drew Ackerman turned Sleep With Me into his full time job creating a whole new genre of podcast in the process.

Drew lays his struggles and anxieties bare in this story, so it's really useful for newer podcasters wanting to learn about making the leap.

Originally appeared at https://timber.fm/stories/sleep-with-me-podcast-feature/

A story by journalist and podcaster Sean Williams about a podcast that has helped overturn many wrongful convictions and has a fiercely loyal fanbase.

Listen to find out how leaving behind the rules of edge-of-your-seat storytelling was the right choice for this type of show.

Originally appeared at https://timber.fm/stories/undisclosed-podcast-feature/

Rachel Feltman and her cohost have given Popular Science a personality with this podcast, and it is decidedly not "but-actually-guy." Angela Chen profiles Feltman's journey to building a loyal audience for her show highlighting the decisions that made it more authentic.

This was one of the original batch of stories for Timber that focused on podcaster profiles and audience building.

See photos and read more of Angela's work at Timber.fm.

A story by Angela Chen (formerly of the Verge and MIT Technology Review) about Jennifer Doleac's podcast Probable Causation.

Learn how someone with an academic background has made a successful podcast that influences public policy.

Originally appeared at https://timber.fm/stories/the-academic-whose-podcast-is-trying-to-change-the-law/