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Vocal
Jaron Myers & Tim Stone - How to Start and Grow a Comedy Podcast into a Top 10% Show with Your Best Friend [#2]
Ep. 2
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How can you turn your banter with your best friend into a top performing comedy podcast? Find out with Jaron and Tim!
This episode delivers the real learnings and insights from Jaron Myers and Tim Stone, the two co-hosts of “Things I Learned Last Night” (aka TILLN). The comedy duo has been able to grow their podcast into a top 10% show in just a few years, and build a thriving creative business around their podcast and Jaron’s stand-up career.
In “Things I Learned Last Night” (TILLN), Tim shares his bizarre discoveries from surfing the internet with his BFF, Jaron Myers, who outside of the show is a rising star comedian with nearly 1M followers on TikTok. The two then use Tim’s topics as a jumping off point for improvised comedy exploring all things human.
This interview covers Tim and Jaron’s full podcasting journey, from the inception of TILLN to how it became the comedic engine it is today with a community of superfans.
A few interesting highlights::
- The podcasting “hierarchy of needs” to prioritize key actions and prevent burnout
- The key moments in Jaron’s career that enabled him to pursue comedy full time
- How TILLN and Jaron’s stand-up feed into one another for continuous growth
- When the duo knew it was time to invest more in the show’s marketing, and the strategy they employed
If you’re interested in growing a successful show with a co-host, building a career in comedy, or finding pro podcasting insights wrapped in a bit of humor–there’s a lot we unpack that’ll enjoy.
Timestamps:
(2:05) What inspired Tim and Jaron create a comedy podcast together
(4:50) How does Tim decide the best topics for an episode’s performance
(7:55) What are Jaron’s principles for improvised comedy that works
(12:25) How do Jaron and Tim keep their comedy game sharp?
(16:10) How do they find confidence to take comedic risks?
(19:59) The shift in Jaron’s career that let him go full time as a stand-up comedian
(22:00) Going viral and the next step that creators often forget
(24:00) Connecting TILLN to Jaron’s stand up comedy career for increased exposure, and the social media strategy that helped them successfully grow the podcast
(26:00) When Tim and Jaron realized it was time to invest in the podcast more and level up
(29:00) The role of TikTok in growing the audience for Jaron’s standup and TILLN
(35:20) On the benefits and joys of building a superfan community on Patreon
(37:15) Preventing burnout with TILLN’s podcasting “hierarchy of needs”
(45:00) Tim and Jaron’s friendship origin story
(48:40) Giving yourself the grace to start, try until your figure it things out
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