380: Experiment Report: Trying New Things

What It Covers

Arvid Kahl shares experiments from PodScan over recent months, including making podcast data public, implementing metered API billing through sales calls, adding podcast claiming features, and balancing entrepreneurship with personal hobbies to prevent burnout.

Key Questions Answered

• •Public Data Strategy: Creating 20,000 public podcast pages with partial data visibility increased domain rating, improved email deliverability, and drove significant growth in signups and conversions without cannibalizing paid subscriptions since full access still requires payment.
• •Metered API Billing: Implementing per-1,000-request pricing through direct customer negotiation enabled serving high-volume API users willing to pay thousands monthly, creating a new revenue stream beyond the three-tier subscription model while maintaining flexibility for different usage patterns.
• •Podcast Claiming Feature: Allowing podcast hosts to verify ownership and manage their show data improved data quality through crowdsourced updates while converting producers and agencies into paying customers who discovered mention-tracking capabilities they didn't know they needed.
• •Constraint Removal Framework: Most successful experiments involved removing self-imposed limitations rather than adding features—opening protected data, eliminating rigid interview schedules, letting customers manage their information, and prioritizing mental health activities all produced better business outcomes than building new capabilities.