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The Business of Content with Simon Owens

Simon Owens
Youtube
Substack
Local News
Creator Economy
Local Journalism
Buzzfeed
Berkeleyside
Covid-19
Tiktok
Finance
Zyn
Journalism
B2B Media
Book Publishing
The Tilt
Trail Running
Artificial Intelligence
Digital Media
Alts.co
Alternative Investments

The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes294Founded8 years ago
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NewsNews Commentary

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Artwork for The Business of Content

Latest Episodes

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

For more than a decade, Erin Millar has been trying to answer a question that has plagued the journalism industry: What should replace the local newspaper model after it collapses? Her first attempt c... more

YouTube

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

When Mike Rogge purchased Mountain Gazette in early 2020, he wasn't acquiring a thriving media business. For $5,000 and the cost of a couple beers, he bought a dormant outdoor magazine brand whose mai... more

YouTube

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

For years, HubSpot was known as a pioneer of content marketing, building a huge library of articles that helped attract potential customers to its software products. But more recently, the company has... more

YouTube

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

When Aaron Wilbur launched The Coaches Site in 2010, he simply wanted to solve a problem he kept seeing in hockey: the best coaches were constantly sharing ideas with each other, but that knowledge ra... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Jonathan Hunt
HubSpot's VP of Media
HubSpot
Episode: The software company that's quietly building a media empire
Aaron Wilbur
Founder of The Coaches Site, hockey coaching entrepreneur
The Coaches Site
Episode: How a coaching conference turned into a seven-figure media business
Will Richards
Founder of Overnight Success; founder and operator of Deals OS and related ventures
Overnight Success / Deals OS
Episode: How a niche newsletter about startups evolved into a data business
Sipho Kings
Editor and co-founder of The Continent
The Continent
Episode: How a weekly PDF became one of Africa's most innovative news products
Aaron Paul
Actor and producer collaborating on audio drama projects, including The Coldest Case
Audio drama producer and performer
Episode: This former TV writer now produces prestige audio dramas for Audible, iHeart, and Spotify
Krista Faist
Founder of Twenty Two Media Group, Toronto
Twenty Two Media Group
Episode: This independent magazine publisher doubled down on print
James Capo
CEO of Omeda
Omeda
Episode: Publishers are sitting on valuable audience data — many just aren't using it well
Derek Mead
Chief Content Officer at Straight Arrow News
Straight Arrow News
Episode: This media startup is trying to reach readers exhausted by political noise
Grahame Lynch
Founder of Communications Day, a niche B2B telecom publication in Australia
Communications Day (Comms Day)
Episode: The 30-year-old PDF newsletter with a 98% market penetration rate

Host

Simon Owens
Host of The Business of Content, focusing on how publishers create, distribute, and monetize digital content.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 57 ratings
  • Awesome Guests

    Awesome guests — a few episodes in and I’ve already had some super valuable takeaways. Really happy I found this. Subscribed and will be adding this to my future rotation.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    T&M1985
    South Africa3 years ago
  • Excellent Podcast

    Simon is brilliant and thorough. This podcast is full of value. Very important resource for people who want to get better at what they do.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nancy0707
    United States4 years ago
  • Insightful

    A must for anyone trying to figure out the creators economy.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    caminodelsol
    France5 years ago
  • The host is excellent

    So are his guests. I really appreciate where Simon steers the conversations, the topics he chooses and how raw and genuine these talks are. I’d suggest every J school in the country to listen to this one (actually recommended some of my former professors..) while they all are pondering on where the journalism is headed, this podcast actually shows where it currently is with all the changing landscape of content production.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Regina Revazova
    United States6 years ago
  • Questions are awesome.... the whole vibe is awesome

    Great questions.... I like every episode so far....never heard of some these businesses until now....

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    123marketing
    United States7 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host steers conversations with thoughtful questions and raw, genuine perspectives.
Guests consistently deliver valuable, practical insights for media and advertising professionals.
Listeners appreciate the depth on monetization and data-driven strategies for publishers.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How a niche newsletter about startups evolved into a data business
Q: Walk me through the genesis of the data product and how it relates to the newsletter.
The data product, Deals OS, is like a Crunchbase-style database where users can click through companies, investors, and deals to see who invested together and track relationships. It started after realizing the newsletter could provide a foundation for a more formal, searchable data tool, with early MVPs going live about 18 months ago and evolving with AI-enabled tooling to enhance storytelling and analysis.
How a weekly PDF became one of Africa's most innovative news products
Q: What has been the key to your growth strategy—organic sharing, surveys, or nudges?
Organic sharing was central; the single PDF was designed to be easily forwarded. A pivotal moment was a nudging campaign that added 5,000 subscribers in three months, demonstrating the power of asking readers to help grow the network.
How a weekly PDF became one of Africa's most innovative news products
Q: How did you transition from a side project to a full-time operation funded by institutional grants?
Initial funding came from institutional funders like the National Endowment for Democracy and OSF, enabling two full-time staff, then growth to a larger team as the publication proved its model.
How a weekly PDF became one of Africa's most innovative news products
Q: What inspired you to start a publication distributed mainly as a PDF and delivered via WhatsApp and other apps?
The idea grew out of observing that traditional digital journalism was failing to engage readers in Africa; printing a finite, curated weekly PDF allowed for a readable, offline-friendly product that fits smartphones and popular messaging platforms.
How a coaching conference turned into a seven-figure media business
Q: What's the long-term vision for the platform across sports?
To build communities across five major North American sports, expanding from hockey into soccer, football, basketball, and baseball, while maintaining a core media business that supports creators and provides value to coaches and organizations.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Business of Content

What is The Business of Content about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Listeners are likely industry professionals who work with publishers, advertisers, and creators to understand monetization, audience data, and distribution across digital channels. Conversations frequently center on first-party data strategies, ad tech, AI in media, and scalable newsroom or content ecosystems, with guest expertise ranging from founder journeys to platform-specific monetization models. A notable strength is its practical, practitioner-focused angle—often featuring operators who have built or transformed media businesses, along with clear takeaways for improving revenue, audience engagement, and operational efficiency. The show tends to attract listeners who value data-driven decision making, transparency in advertising, and ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to The Business of Content?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Business of Content:

1. My First Million
2. Mixed Signals from Semafor Media
3. TBPN
4. The a16z Show
5. Channels with Peter Kafka

How many episodes of The Business of Content are there?

The Business of Content launched 8 years ago and published 294 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Business of Content?

Recent guests on The Business of Content include:

1. Jonathan Hunt
2. Aaron Wilbur
3. Will Richards
4. Sipho Kings
5. Aaron Paul
6. Krista Faist
7. James Capo
8. Derek Mead

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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