Creator Science

#69: Jack Rhysider – 300,000 downloads per episode as an indie podcaster

Aug 17, 2021

Jack Rhysider, the mastermind behind Darknet Diaries, dives into the world of hacking and cybersecurity storytelling. He shares his journey from a security operations expert to a successful indie podcaster, achieving over 300,000 downloads per episode. Jack discusses his innovative production process, pivotal marketing strategies, and his decision to remain independent rather than joining a big network. He emphasizes the importance of crafting engaging narratives and building a loyal audience through authenticity and community support.

01:03:25

Creator website

Episode guests

Jack Rhysider

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Crafting Cyber Tales: A Podcast Journey

5min

From Engineering to Content Creation: The Journey of Knowledge Sharing

2min

Crafting Captivating Hacker Stories

20min

Transitioning to Full-Time Podcasting: Strategies and Experiences

5min

Navigating Podcast Growth Strategies

18min

Monetizing Your Podcast: Patreon and Beyond

3min

Achieving Indie Podcast Success

2min

Jack Rhysider is the creator and host of Darknet Diaries, audio stories specifically intended to capture, preserve, and explain the culture around hacking and cybersecurity.

Darknet Diaries was started in 2017 and receives more than 300,000 downloads per episode. Jack has a Patreon with nearly 6,000 patrons for a total of nearly $20,000 per month.

Darknet Diaries adheres to journalistic standards by fact-checking and ethical sourcing of information. They adopt principles of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, and public accountability.

Jack is a veteran of the security world. He gained his professional knowledge of security by working in a Security Operations Center for a Fortune 500 company, a place where threats are detected and stopped. During that time he was exposed to hundreds of client networks ranging from schools to government, to banks, and to commercial organizations.

In this episode, we talk about Jack’s full production process, how he built an audience in the early days, why he turned down the opportunity to join a big network, and how his tenacity helps him market the show and secure great guests for Darknet Diaries.

Learn more about Darknet Diaries

Darknet Diaries on Patreon

Darknet Diaries on Twitter

Jack Rhysider on Twitter

Full transcript and show notes

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