Former Diary of a CEO Head of Trailers Ant Smith - one of the first 10 key hires who helped build the world's fastest growing podcast - reveals his short form content strategy for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and podcast trailers.
Ant goes full tactical on how to go viral short form. Ant made 450+ trailers for Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, turning 90-second podcast trailer cuts into miniature movies.
In this episode of Building The Brand with James Burtt, he breaks down exactly how to grow a podcast with short-form: why disconnection kills retention, how to sell the guest in 10 seconds, the psychological effect behind cliff-hangers, eye-lines for retention, perfect imperfection cuts, and his ai video editing workflow that turned 4 hours into 20 minutes.
If you want podcast growth , a proven youtube shorts strategy and real storytelling psychology from inside DOAC, this is the playbook.
This is Ant Smith x Building The Brand Part 2 - more stories, all tactics. Perfect for podcasters, video editors, and founders using short-form to grow.👇
CHAPTERS - Diary of a CEO Short-Form Tactics:
0:00 — Hook: Why 90 seconds decides if they watch 2 hours
02:50 — Who is Ant Smith? Early DOAC hire to Head of Trailers
11:20 — He'd never heard of Steven Bartlett: joining Diary of a CEO
13:00 — Not a podcast, a show: the trailer philosophy that changed podcasting
29:40 — How Ant used AI in DOAC trailers (guest intros in 20 mins)
32:30 — Disconnection kills retention: the #1 retention rule
34:00 — Perfect imperfection: the authenticity cut that builds trust
38:00 — Quantity vs quality: AI for marketing teams
41:00 — Best AI tools for video creators (Artlist, Envato)
44:00 — Human-led ideas, AI for brutal feedback (Claude workflow)
46:00 — Psychology of cliff-hangers & the Zeigarnik effect
50:00 — Eye-lines for retention in YouTube Shorts
53:40 — Why story is king for brands and creator
Connect with Ant via https://www.linkedin.com/in/antedits/
Building The Brand hosted by James Burtt - new episodes weekly on business, podcasting & brand building. Subscribe for tactical breakdowns.
