A look inside how we actually run My First Million
Executive Summary
My First Million episode 824, in which hosts Sam Parr and Shaan Puri record a live strategy meeting for the podcast with a new team member. Shaan explains a pre-work method he says he learned at Amazon, then they discuss a 90-day plan to build an army of young video clippers paid to post clips of the show, a possible bigger content event, growing the newsletter with plain-speak summaries, a dinner club, and picking everyday brands such as Stanley for backstory episodes. They finish by agreeing to focus on a few things for 90 days before adding more. Sponsors named in the description: HubSpot, Hampton, Somewhere, Mercury and Beehiiv. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the pre-work method, the clip army section, the newsletter section, the content ideas section and the closing, and may not cover every point in the roughly 47 minute video. Business views and figures are the speakers' own and not independently checked. Nothing here is financial or legal advice.
Key Takeaways
Public strategy meeting
The hosts say the meeting was meant to be private but they recorded it live to show how the show is run.
Pre-work method
Shaan says he learned from Amazon to send questions in advance because only about 1 percent of people think well on the spot.
Clip army
Sam says he wants a clipper army built in 90 days, with money used to motivate young editors to post clips on social.
Pay by views
He says one option is paying clippers a CPM, for example about a dollar per thousand views, which he guesses is cheap.
Newsletter idea
They discuss a plain-speak newsletter with the best stories and no gatekeeping, written in the host's style by a team member.
Backstory episodes
They discuss episodes on everyday brands like Stanley, riffing on how they took off.
Focus for 90 days
They agree to do a few things well for 90 days before adding more, such as meetups.
The Conversation Breakdown
Public strategy meeting
⏱ Untimed topicThe hosts say the meeting was meant to be private but they recorded it live to show how the show is run.
Pre-work method
⏱ Untimed topicShaan says he learned from Amazon to send questions in advance because only about 1 percent of people think well on the spot.
Clip army
⏱ Untimed topicSam says he wants a clipper army built in 90 days, with money used to motivate young editors to post clips on social.
Pay by views
⏱ Untimed topicHe says one option is paying clippers a CPM, for example about a dollar per thousand views, which he guesses is cheap.
Newsletter idea
⏱ Untimed topicThey discuss a plain-speak newsletter with the best stories and no gatekeeping, written in the host's style by a team member.
Backstory episodes
⏱ Untimed topicThey discuss episodes on everyday brands like Stanley, riffing on how they took off.
Focus for 90 days
⏱ Untimed topicThey agree to do a few things well for 90 days before adding more, such as meetups.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Pre-work before meetings - Shaan's method
Send questions in advance and have one person collate the answers.
Clip army - Sam's growth plan
Use money to incentivise young editors to post clips about the show.
Earn the right to try more - the hosts' rule
Do a few things well first, then expand.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Check the hosts' CPM and growth numbers with creator-marketing sources before using them.
- ✓Try sending a short pre-work questionnaire before your next planning meeting.
- ✓Pick two or three priorities for the next 90 days and defer the rest.
- ✓Treat the playbook as the hosts' opinion, not guaranteed advice.
Notable Quotes
“send um a little bit of pre-work in advance and it makes the meeting so much more interesting and so much more valuable”
“I need you to raise a Clipper army”
“No gatekeeping like just here's the best stuff.”
The One Thing to Remember
The hosts argue that sending pre-work before meetings, running a paid clipper army and focusing on a few moves for 90 days are the best ways to grow their podcast.