Throwing a "Hundred-Day Banquet" for a Podcast — AI-Era Activist Salon

Hi, I'm Koji, and "Crossing" is my personal newsletter. The name comes from something Steve Jobs once said — about standing at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

I'm the co-founder of sleep environment brand Tangdao and content company The Fair. I previously founded the Jiepang app and was part of the early teams at Fanfou and Jumei International Holding Limited.

As a quintessential cross-disciplinary entrepreneur, I've let curiosity carry me across all kinds of "crossings" — from mobile internet to e-commerce, from content to consumer products.

The Crossing podcast launched its first episode on January 25 this year, and hit 5,000 subscribers on Xiaoyuzhou right around the 100-day mark. Multiply that by roughly three for our numbers across all platforms.

Honestly, I didn't see this coming... We started it on a whim. The first episode was absurd — drinking "AI Coca-Cola" while chatting about AI news and gossip — and somehow it became the fastest-growing Chinese-language AI tech podcast of 2024, going from zero to one.

If you haven't subscribed yet, give it a listen:

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AI-Era Active-Agent Salon

To celebrate 5,000 subscribers, we're hosting a salon in Shanghai.

The in-person atmosphere matters — not just for deeper connections and community belonging, but because "being there" accelerates knowledge-sharing and sparks action. Come hang out with us, and let's be active agents in the AI era together.

P.S. This is an introvert-friendly event. No forced icebreakers or mandatory self-introductions. We'll actually encourage extroverts not to approach introverts unsolicited. You can slip in quietly, listen quietly, slip out quietly — and still leave with plenty to think about.

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Seven Numbers from 100 Days of Podcasting

1. 46,000 total plays, 5,000 total subscribers, 10.8% play-to-subscribe conversion — well above industry benchmarks, from what I understand.

2. 11 episodes released so far, zero hot takes chased. Not that we don't want to — we just haven't found the right angle yet. We'll definitely chase news; "new" matters to everyone. But not for the sake of it. We need to add differentiated value.

3. Highest-traffic episode at 11,000 plays: "Will the Next Comedy King Be AI? A Conversation with Stand-up Comic Mao Dong and Vincent Zoo, Former Brand Director at Xiaoguo." Accessible AI content that anyone could enjoy — lots of laughs, easy listening.

4. Highest completion rate at 50.2%: "Standing at the Crossing of AI — The Future Comes Roaring In | 16 Observations and Reflections from Q1." My solo quarterly recap, extremely information-dense. Honestly surprised the completion rate was that high.

5. No viral hits, but consistent performance. Average 4,233 plays per episode with only 5,000 subscribers. User stickiness is excellent. Those who know me know I basically fought my way up through viral content. For Crossing to be slower and steadier — that's nice.

6. 57% male, 43% female; 64% from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or overseas.

7. Made Xiaoyuzhou's New Star list 6 times (12 days total); Rising Talent list twice (3 days).

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Five Takeaways

1. Building human connections: More friends have reached out to chat — I'll leave that aside for now. The Crossing member groups are now up to Group ⑦, with volunteer Yuki sharing a daily "AI News Brief." Successfully connecting a diverse crowd.

2. Output forcing input: When Ronghui and I decided to launch this podcast in January, we wanted output to force input — feeding curiosity, embracing new knowledge. Mission more than accomplished.

3. Emotional value: Gradually we've felt how much emotional value this podcast brings us. In a broadly downbeat 2024, AI has attracted the most positive people. The air here smells optimistic. Soaking in the positive energy field these optimistic people create has been genuinely energizing.

4. "Active agents": We've gradually clarified Crossing's positioning: finding, interviewing, and gathering "active agents" in the AI era.

5. And yes, revenue: Our first and currently only income — 800 RMB in speaker fees from a media event, no publish requirement, haha. But I believe Crossing and tech podcasts like ours will grow significantly in commercial value. Have you noticed? This year, just like in Silicon Valley, almost all major PR in China's AI space is happening on podcasts.

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"The Mountain Is You"

Podcasts are the bridge between cutting-edge tech and curiosity. From a casual experiment to 5,000 subscribers — watching this show gain attention and love is intoxicating. We'll keep pouring our energy into it, and aim to make more fun episodes.

To close, three lines from Brianna Wiest's self-growth book The Mountain Is You:

• Stop obsessing over doing it perfectly — just do it; stop overthinking whether you "want to," and start first;
• The motives hidden in your subconscious are basically what you want most;
• You don't need to wait until you "feel ready" to start changing. You just need to change a little at a time, and let the energy build.

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Add our assistant on WeChat at Rwkfbcianvd to join the Crossing reader and listener group.

This group has one and only one goal: helping you meet new people, and find fellow travelers for the future.