20 Years at the Edge of Tech and Audio with Leo Laporte

Matt Levine chats with Leo Laporte, a podcasting legend and founder of TWiT.tv, an Internet podcast network focusing on technology. They discuss the early days of podcasting, how tech media has shifted, and what it takes to stay relevant when trends change overnight. Learn how to grow a podcast that lasts, why niche matters more than ever, and what most creators get wrong about discovery and audience loyalty.

• Leo starts by explaining how he became tech radio’s go-to guy. He loved being on-air, but didn’t love the topics people expected from talk radio. So he carved out a space that let him dive into something he genuinely cared about—technology.
• Why Leo started a podcast network in 2005—before most people even knew what a podcast was. 
• Leo explains what it was like being one of the first 10 podcasters in the world. 
• Leo on the most important aspect of podcasting: “You need to know your audience. The more general a show is, the more difficult it is to promote it.”
• Leo explains just how easy it is to start a podcast today. All you need is a laptop and a mic. Unfortunately, this simplicity is both a blessing and a curse. 
• Leo says the barrier to entry has never been lower. But that also means the space is noisy, crowded, and competitive. Starting is easy; being found is the real challenge.
• Leo highlights why discoverability—not content—is what kills most podcasts today. Even the best ideas can get buried if no one knows you exist.
• Matt asks if discoverability can be fixed—and Leo says yes. However, it’s not about better SEO or thumbnails. It’s about being on platforms that are built to make things go viral like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube. 
• Leo shares how they post twice daily on all platforms and why short clips are key to long-term growth. You can’t always track what’s working, but you can see when momentum starts to build.
• Why the top 20 podcasts dominate half the ad revenue, and what that imbalance means for everyone else. If you’re not already at the top, you’re fighting over scraps. That’s why niche, loyalty, and consistency matter for the smaller podcasters. 
• Leo shares what COVID taught him about brand courage. The companies that kept showing up grew. Meanwhile, brands that pulled back lost their visibility and trust.
• Understand how podcast advertising has shifted away from consumer brands to niche B2B partners.
• Matt and Leo unpack why going niche is the smartest move a creator can make right now. Broad topics make it harder to build connection and loyalty. When you know exactly who you're talking to, they know exactly why they should listen. Specificity is your superpower.
• Leo explains why remote work weakens small teams in ways people often underestimate. 
• Matt shares how remote teams can work—but it takes unnatural amounts of structure and intention. You can’t just hope the culture will carry itself. You have to manufacture connections on purpose. Otherwise, people drift—even when they’re online every day.
• Leo shares why AI isn’t a threat to content creators, it’s a tool to be used with intention. He’s not worried about being replaced. He’s more focused on how to integrate AI in ways that save time and amplify creativity. 
• Leo’s take on AI in podcasting, especially when it comes to editing and marketing. There are tools now that can help you clip, caption, and distribute without a huge team. The trick is knowing what job you're trying to solve. Not every tool fits every creator.
• Leo breaks down how the YouTube algorithm is shifting—and why short-form content is the next big opportunity. With TikTok facing pressure, YouTube is positioning Shorts as its successor. That means if you're a podcaster, creating short clips is a must. 
• Why Leo believes chasing trends is a waste of energy—and what to do instead. If you stay true to what excites you, the trends eventually circle back. People can feel when something’s authentic, and when that happens, attention follows.
• Leo on the future of podcasting—it won’t be just audio anymore. Video, community, and personality are what people crave. For example, YouTube is where people are going right now. If you’re not on it, you’re missing where the next generation already is.

Mentioned in This Episode:

This Week in Tech (TWiT) Podcast

Salt Hank: A Five Napkin Situation (A Cookbook) by Henry Laporte

theanycast.com/s2e14