Show notes
Starting this podcast wasn’t an easy decision. It takes up nearly half my time. And for months, it wasn’t making any money.But fast forward to today, and the podcast is now profitable and central to my creator business.So I did something different this week.I recorded a solo episode breaking down everything I’ve learned:- How I built and monetized a niche podcast- The exact growth engine that powers the show today- Some killer AI workflows I’ve learned for your job search and PM job----Brought to you by:Miro: The innovation workspace is your team’s new canvasThe AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers: You get $800 with this linkLinear: Plan and build products like the bestProduct Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25----Timestamps:Part 1: How I Built and Monetized a Niche Podcast0:00 - Exponential Growth Finally Happening1:21 - How I Grew This Podcast4:31 - Learning From 80 Episodes8:46 - How Podcasts Make Money10:50 - My Dream Job: OpenAIPart 2: Breaking Into Product Management & Career Growth13:36 - Roadmap to Becoming a Product Manager14:05 - Why 2025 is Great For PMs21:22 - AI PM Skills Roadmap23:02 - Finding Your First Paying Customer26:12 - Zero to 250K Followers Strategy32:21 - LinkedIn $525K Salary Jump34:24 - High-Effort Content Strategy38:05 - Newsletter Success Stack RankPart 3: Getting PM Jobs & Career Advice40:51 - Presenting Soft Skills on Resume42:46 - Breaking Into US PM Jobs (International Students)46:08 - Is Product Management Right For Me?49:54 - Time Management & Prioritization Mistakes52:15 - MBA to PM Roadmap55:41 - Finding the Right Mentors57:56 - Sprint Prioritization Framework59:39 - Detecting Product Passion vs Money Focus1:01:41 - Platform & AI Product PRDs1:04:09 - Product Management Beliefs That Changed1:05:41 - Newsletter Revenue & Churn Management1:07:02 - Time Management & Focus Strategies1:09:07 - Common Misconceptions About Content Creators----Key Takeaways:01 — Podcast TurnaroundThis podcast is now passing 50K listeners per episode, 11K subscribers on YouTube, and has become central to my creator business. The exponential growth kicked in around episode 80 after consistent investment and improvement.02 — Quality Over EquipmentObsessing over microphones, cameras, and lighting hits diminishing returns fast. The real growth came from improving trailers, clip selection, and backing off endless equipment upgrades to focus on profit generation.03 — Creator Time InvestmentThe podcast now consumes 50% of my time but generates significant monthly profit. Success required treating it as a long-term experiment, reinvesting everything for 50+ episodes before expecting returns.04 — Content Platform StrategyStart with LinkedIn until 10K followers, then add YouTube, then Twitter at 100K, then Medium at 1M. Master one platform completely before spreading to the next for maximum growth efficiency.05 — AI Prototyping RevolutionProduct managers can now build functional prototypes in minutes. Using Gemini 2.5 Pro for PRDs and Bolt.new for development, I built Apple Podcasts video features from strategy to clickable prototype in under 10 minutes.06 — Resume AI MasteryGemini 2.5 Pro dominates resume customization, beating all other models. What used to take 15 minutes of manual customization now takes 80 seconds with better results using proper context and prompting techniques.07 — PM Job Security2025 is an excellent time to enter product management. 75% of PM work involves people coordination and stakeholder alignment that AI cannot replace, making it as secure as doctor/lawyer/engineer careers.08 — Career Switching StrategyUse your domain expertise as an edge — become a product analyst first, then transfer internally, or target companies building tools for your previous industry. Take the level down initially but leverage your customer knowledge.09 — PM Strategy FocusStop being the design-engineering glue person. Your core identity should be product strategy, business metrics, and stakeholder management. Empower teams to answer their own questions while you influence at higher levels.10 — Platform Product PRDsBuilding for developers requires two-step user stories — what developers need from your platform, and what end users need from their products. Include API calls, uptime metrics, and governance considerations in your requirements.----Check it out on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.----Related Podcasts:Growing to 125K+ on LinkedIn and Cracking B2B Content with Pierre HerubelHow to Win on TikTok and Medium with Professor Aaron Dinin, 100K+ on eachHow I Wrote 3 of My Biggest LinkedIn Posts----P.S. More than 85% of you aren't subscribed yet. If you can subscribe on YouTube, follow on Apple & Spotify, my commitment to you is that we'll continue making this content better.----If you want to advertise, email productgrowthppp at gmail. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe