Building a Network by Removing the Roadblocks | RAGE Works Podcast Network

What does it look like to build a network around removing every obstacle that kills podcasts before they ever find an audience?Rich Butler started RAGE Works Podcast Network in 2014 after his own long-running podcast wound down and the people around him caught the bug. Rather than pointing them elsewhere, he handed them a blueprint and stayed in the room. What followed wasn't a revenue-first strategy. It was a production-and-distribution model built around making it easier for motivated people to create. His reasoning is simple and consistent: content is what grows a network, and the best way to get more content is to get out of the way.What makes Rich's approach distinct is what he refuses to optimize for. He won't take a cut of ad deals he didn't facilitate. He won't chase podcasters for their episodes. He won't guarantee listeners or money in the first conversation. The network exists to water plants and watch the garden grow…and he'll tell you that's exactly why it works.Listen For:03:08 Network as a Discovery Platform04:37 How My Take Radio Became a Network07:41 Why the Dual-Feed Model Still Works10:01 Revenue Without the Revenue-First Model13:04 On Downloads, Die-Hards, and Real Numbers16:25 What to Ask Before You Join a Network18:47 Removing the Roadblocks That Kill Podcasts23:53 Audio First, Video Second27:48 What the Onboarding Process Actually Looks Like31:04 The Jockey Runs the Horse36:54 Gary Vee Called His Bluff39:51 The Case for 10 Downloads44:02 Be of Service, Not a GatekeeperCONNECT WITH GUEST: RICHARD BUTLERFOUNDER OF THE RAGE WORKS PODCAST NETWORKLinkedIn | Website | Website 2 | InstagramRich's Podcast Rec: The Jay Ferruggia ShowRich's Book Rec: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk CONNECT WITH GREG WASSERMAN, HEAD OF RELATIONSHIPS FOR RSS.COMWebsite | LinkedIn Greg’s book rec: Return on Courage by Ryan BermanSystems, Sponsors, and Partners:Hosted with RSS.com Podcast HostingProduced by Stories & StrategiesContent Repurposed with CastmagicPodcast Project Management with Northflow