StandOut Podcast
2025
The "0-2.3 Million Views Through 1 Episode" Podcast
Viral Marketing, Branding
PROGRAM
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Adobe Premiere Pro
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Adobe Photoshop
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Adobe Illustrator
SKILL
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Storytelling
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Scaling
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Video Editing
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Production
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Storyboarding
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Scriptwriting
To scale the audience for Ponder AI before launch, without exposing the actual software-building process, I made a strategic pivot. Rather than documenting product development, I focused on placing the founder inside a broader dialogue about creators, startups, AI, and identity. We leaned into his existing creator network and the growing visibility of Asian startup founders. The podcast was designed to attract the exact audience Ponder is built for, entrepreneurs and content creators, and begin building trust with them long before the product launched.
Inspired by creator-founder formats like The Karat Podcast and The Diary of a CEO, the goal was not just to promote a tool. It was to create narrative equity and build a community that would convert post-launch.
The first episode featured creator Coco Xu, who has over 250K followers, alongside founder Timothy Wang. I navigated the conversation as mediator, leading pre-interviews with both hosts and scripting key thematic beats in advance to ensure the discussion felt natural while still hitting strategic marks. I intentionally structured the episode around slightly uncomfortable but culturally relevant questions. Are founders inherently toxic. Are creators narcissistic. Do more attractive creators get more views. What actually makes a viral video in 2025.
Because the conversation was pre-framed with these tension points, it created strong retention in long form and high-performing pull quotes for short form.
Beyond moderating, I led creative direction, narrative framing, and post-production strategy. I structured the full episode for retention, then sectioned it into thematic mid-length cuts and dozens of short-form clips optimized for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. I tested multiple clippers before onboarding an offshore editor to refine color grading, narrative, audio, and final polish, building a lean workflow that could scale efficiently.
Through this strategy, we grew from zero to 5,000 followers during the first episode cycle alone. More importantly, the podcast established a foundation within Ponder’s target demographic. By the time the product launches, we are not introducing ourselves to entrepreneurs and creators. We are continuing a conversation that is already in motion.
RESULTS
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2,300,000 Views
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120,000 Likes
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500 Comments
Brand Guidelines
Youtube Banner
Logo Guidelines
Video & Photo Graphic Guidelines
Podcast Short Form Trailer
Pre-Launch Hype Trailer
To build anticipation for the podcast launch, I knew a traditional trailer would not be enough. I wrote, shot, and directed a hype trailer that opened as a staged public conflict between Tim and Coco. It looked like a real argument on the street, with both subtly one-upping each other over followers, success, and credibility. The tension mirrored the podcast’s core theme: creator versus founder. The twist revealed that the “conflict” was the concept.
To amplify reach, we leveraged both Tim and Coco’s existing audiences and layered in behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot. I strategically submitted BTS clips into “cringe” and “influencers in the wild” style content ecosystems, where audiences are primed to engage with awkward or embarrassing moments. The goal was to let viewers believe they had discovered something unscripted, which created external conversation and curiosity around the trailer.
RESULTS:
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79,000 Views
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2015 Likes
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50 Comments
StandOutTrailer
StandOutTrailer Script
TITLE: STANDOUT
Characters:
TIM
COCO
[A city street. Afternoon. People passing. TIM walks with purpose, staring at his phone. Projected above his head are text messages.]
ON SCREEN (TEXT ABOVE TIM’S HEAD):
“Build more AI into this product.”
[From the opposite direction, COCO walks while vlogging on her phone, camera flipped toward her.]
COCO (to camera, upbeat):
Come with me—
Welcome back—
[They bump into each other.]
TIM & COCO (simultaneously): Excuse me—
TIM: How much money have you raised?
COCO: How many followers do you have?
TIM: If you’re so famous, how come you’re still shopping from Target?
COCO: If you’re so successful, how come I’ve never heard of you?
[Beat. They circle each other slightly.]
COCO (calling out to camera / audience): Guys, I’m so broke right now. Let’s go line up for this free pop-up.
TIM (into phone, stressed): We need to ship. We don’t have any customers.
COCO: I don’t have time for this—I just raised 2.5 million dollars.
TIM: Well this video is going to get more than 2 million views.
COCO: Do you even know how to grow a business?
TIM: Do you even know how to go viral?
COCO: Well, I don’t care.
TIM: I don’t care.
[They lock eyes. Silence. A shift. Something clicks.]
[Blackout.]
ON SCREEN:
STAND OUT PODCAST
END.