First ten customers: AfterAir 0.1.0 beta
How an operator finds the first ten podcast hosts for a done-for-you show-notes service. Acquisition cost is $0 cash but real time: plan about 5 hours to research and personalise 20 messages before the first pilot, at about 15 minutes per message (see ECONOMICS.md). Demand is unproven.
Ideal first ten
Independent US interview-podcast hosts posting weekly, 20–60 minute episodes, who have guests and skip or delay show notes. Also podcast editors who want a show-notes upsell.
What a qualified prospect looks like
A show that publishes weekly or every two weeks, has a guest in most episodes, and has a thin or missing notes page (a one-line description, no chapters, no links). A show that already has a full notes page with timestamps is not a prospect; say thanks and move on.
Where to find them (free, within each community's rules)
- Podcast Facebook/LinkedIn groups: answer one real show-notes question, then offer a free pilot pack where the group allows it.
- Reddit r/podcasting and Indie Hackers: helpful replies; no spam blasts.
Read each community's self-promotion rules before you post. Many Facebook groups and subreddits ban or restrict offering your own service, even a free pilot; some allow it only in a weekly thread or after you have contributed for a while. If the rules do not clearly allow it, answer the question and do not mention your offer. Never send unsolicited direct messages to people who have not asked.
- A host's public contact page or show website when the host is the buyer (never scrape private emails).
- Local creator meetups and library podcast studios.
- Other freelancers you already know who edit audio but do not write notes.
Before you message anyone
- Know the alternatives and say so. Hosts can use free tools, a $5/month host add-on, or a human writer from about $36 (a marketplace seller for audio up to 30 minutes); your pitch is a person who checks the quotes and timestamps against the audio and hands over files they can paste as-is.
- Say only what you did. A 15-minute draft budget covers reading the show's episode page and notes, not listening to a 20 to 60 minute episode. If you do listen, add the episode length to your time and say so; otherwise write "I read the notes for your episode on...".
- Email: use your own business email and name or studio name, include your real postal address if you email marketing messages from a business (CAN-SPAM), a plain way to opt out, and honest subject lines. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
- Do not claim results, testimonials or turnaround times you have not measured.
Outreach draft (edit; send it yourself)
Subject: Free show-notes pack for [Show Name] ep. [number]?
Hi [first name],
I read the notes for your episode on [specific topic] (I have not listened to the whole thing). I'm testing a done-for-you show-notes service for podcasters: show notes, chapter markers, three social posts and a guest thank-you from the episode, with each quote and chapter time spot-checked against the audio once you send it.
I'd do one episode free. In return I'd ask for 15 minutes of honest feedback and whether you'd pay for it weekly. There are free tools that do some of this; I'd rather you compare mine against them than take my word.
If that's not useful, no problem and no follow-up.
[Your name / studio], [your business email], [postal address if sending as a business]. Reply "no thanks" and I won't write again.
Direct-message variant (only where messaging is allowed)
Hi [first name], I read the notes for [episode topic] (I have not listened to the whole episode). I'm testing a done-for-you show-notes service and would do one episode free in return for 15 minutes of honest feedback. Free tools exist for part of this; I'd rather you compare. No problem if it's not useful, and I won't message again.
One follow-up, then stop
Send at most one follow-up, about 5 to 7 days after the first message, and only once.
Hi [first name], a quick follow-up on the free show-notes pack for [Show Name]. If it's not a fit, no problem and I won't write again. If you'd like to try it, reply with the episode you'd like done.
If there is no reply after that, mark the row "no reply" and stop. A non-reply is not a yes, and do not re-add the person to a later campaign.
If they ask "how much?"
Be direct, and give the alternatives first.
Fair question. You can get show notes from a human writer on a marketplace from about $36 for a 30-minute episode, and from AI tools for $15 to $19 a month or free. What I'd add is that a person spot-checks each quote and chapter time against your audio. For that I'm testing $[price] per episode (or $[monthly] a month for four). Would you like the free pilot episode first so you can compare? Then tell me honestly whether it's worth that to you.
Pick $[price] from your own break-even, not from the whole price ladder:
- Case B1 (you do the listening, from a transcript with real time codes): quote at least $84 per episode, preferably $99+, or $349 to $399 a month for four. The break-even is $83.33 per episode, so a monthly price for four must be at least $334 (4 x $83.33). $249 a month is only $62.25 per episode and loses money, and so do $49 and $79 per episode; do not offer them as an acceptable price.
- No time codes: the break-even is $133.33 per episode (at least $534 a month for four, 4 x $133.33), so quote at least $134 per episode, preferably $149+, or $549 to $599 a month for four, or say chapter times will cost extra. Trade-off to say out loud: below those prices you are paying to do this work.
- Case A (the client supplies the bullets, timestamps and quotes and you only format and check): the break-even is $50 per episode ($200 a month for four), so $79 per episode or $249 a month can work here. $49 still loses a dollar. This is the only case where $79 or $249 a month fits.
Do not quote a price you have not checked against ECONOMICS.md. Never present a price as agreed before the host has said it.
Tracking table (copy into a sheet)
| Date sent | Show | Channel | Personalised line | Reply | Pilot? | Minutes spent (outreach) | Next step |
|---|
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
Kill test for acquisition
The 5-hours-per-20-messages budget assumes about 1 paying client per 20 messages (roughly 5%), which is an assumption, not a measurement (see ECONOMICS.md for the cost if it is 2%). If 20 personalised messages produce zero pilot accepts, rewrite the offer (price framing, deliverables, who you target) before assuming demand exists.