# 5 lessons from a top 100 podcast

> Stuff They Don't Want You To Know hosts reveal what it takes to build a podcast that lasts.
- Title: 5 lessons from a top 100 podcast · Adweek | Shortify
- Summary: Stuff They Don't Want You To Know hosts reveal what it takes to build a podcast that lasts. Success in podcasting comes from staying curious about topics…
- Keywords: stuff they don't want you to know, iheart media, podcasting, content creation, audience engagement, ben bowlin, noel brown, matt frederick, conal byrne, brandweek, podcast strategy, lessons
- Source: Adweek — https://adweek.com/media/iheart-podcasters-share-5-crucial-lessons-for-building-an-enduring-franchise
- Author: Robert Klara
- Published: 2026-09-18T18:30:40+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: stuff they don't want you to know, iheart media, podcasting, content creation, audience engagement, ben bowlin, noel brown, matt frederick, conal byrne, brandweek, podcast strategy
## From website to top 100 podcast
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know started as a website in 1998, evolved into a podcast, and now ranks in the country's top 100 despite competing with 4.7 million other shows.
## Consider every idea seriously
Host Ben Bowlin credits the show's popularity to a willingness to explore almost any topic, from the Illuminati to fermented cabbage. Early on, there were no formulas, so the team tried everything.

> When we first started off in this new frontier, there were no bad ideas.
## Your listeners are your reporters
The hosts treat listener mail as more than feedback. On a recent episode about nuclear weapons, they heard from someone who actually launches them, adding real expertise that shaped the conversation.

> from a guy who is literally the guy that launches nuclear weapons, and he told us what that world is like
## Trust data and your gut equally
CEO Conal Byrne tracks downloads and margins, but hosts also rely on gut feelings. Frederick asks if the conversation moved in interesting directions. Bowlin's metric is simple: are we excited to do this again tomorrow?

> Did I feel good listening? Did the conversation move, and did it go in interesting directions?
## Adapt or become irrelevant
The show started as a video podcast before the term existed, became an audio podcast, had success on YouTube, and now appears on Netflix. This willingness to evolve across platforms has kept it relevant for 13 years.

> That willingness to evolve is a really important metric for digital creators.
## Audiences still want humans, not AI
Despite 60% of people using AI tools, over 90% of podcast listeners don't want AI-generated content. Audiences crave messy, organic human conversation over machine-made alternatives.

> definitely still need human beings having a messy, organic, human conversation
## Key takeaway

Success in podcasting comes from staying curious about topics, involving your audience, trusting your instincts alongside data, adapting to new platforms, and remembering that listeners want authentic human conversation, not AI.