July 8, 2026

INTERVIEW | Make Money by Building a Career in Podcasting Without Following the Crowd with Laura Mayer

INTERVIEW | Make Money by Building a Career in Podcasting Without Following the Crowd with Laura Mayer
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Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Youtube Music podcast player icon

Laura Mayer has spent nearly two decades helping shape the podcast industry from the inside. As Head of Podcasts at Talkhouse, former Executive Producer of Podcast Programming at ABC News, co-creator of The Dream, and author of Try Hard: A Cautionary Tale of Clocking In and Spinning Out, she's launched more than 100 podcasts while witnessing the industry's biggest booms, acquisitions, and growing pains. In this episode, Laura joins Travis to share how she accidentally built a career in podcasting, what aspiring creators should know about networks, and why niche audiences may be the future of the industry.

On this episode we talk about:

  • How Laura Mayer built a career in podcasting before most people knew what podcasts were

  • The differences between independent podcasts and podcast networks

  • The realities of podcast monetization, advertising, and network deals

  • Why niche podcasts often outperform massive shows from a business perspective

  • Laura's journey from creating Shameless Acquisition Target to writing Try Hard

Top 3 Takeaways

  1. Success in podcasting comes from consistency and genuine curiosity—not chasing trends or celebrity status.

  2. Highly engaged niche audiences can be far more valuable than massive audiences because they attract premium advertisers and loyal listeners.

  3. The people who learn the fastest are the ones willing to ask questions and embrace looking inexperienced instead of pretending they already know everything.

Notable Quotes

  • "The smartest people in the room are the ones who are willing to look dumb the most."

  • "Podcasting is a hits business."

  • "Anyone can make a podcast—that's always been the beauty of it."

Connect with Laura Mayer:

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