Oct 6, 2026 · 1h 14m
Alex Goldman tests podcasting’s new rules
How to Start a Podcast (Then vs Now) w/Alex Goldman
The episode contrasts the collaborative advantages that helped Reply All break through with the fragmented platforms and tougher economics facing Hyperfixed.
- 1Reply All benefited from early podcast discovery, industry promotion, and a production model built around ambitious investigations.
- 2Hyperfixed adapts listener-submitted mysteries to a crowded market where platform analytics and recommendation systems reveal less about audience behavior.
- 3Audio-first storytelling remains a creative choice even as YouTube increasingly shapes podcast discovery and video expectations.
Don't miss
Alex explains why Hyperfixed stays audio-first even as YouTube becomes a major route for podcast discovery.
The brief
Alex Goldman traces his route from journalism and IT into radio, then explains how Reply All found an audience when podcast discovery was still concentrated and collaborative.
Reply All’s investigations depended on compelling questions, meaningful payoffs, and a large team willing to absorb failed stories and long production timelines.
Hyperfixed turns listener-submitted problems into reported mysteries, but launching it now means navigating heavier competition, weaker analytics, and a less reliable growth playbook.
The conversation widens to YouTube’s influence, remote production, and the tension between chasing recommendation systems and protecting an audio-first creative process.
Alex reacts to bizarre technology products, recalls vintage audio gear, and takes on Waveform’s alphabet-typing challenge in a playful closing stretch.