Diego Barrazas, Dementes | Why You Should Build an Audience Before a Company [Ep. 85]

The audio and video are in Spanish. These notes are a translation.

Getting customers through digital channels is increasingly difficult. Not only in terms of costs, but of effectiveness. In this context, a new approach to building companies is emerging: building an audience before a company.

Today we spoke with Diego Barrazas, CEO and founder of Dementes, one of the most listened-to Podcasts in Mexico. Dementes is not just a Podcast, but a platform with several business lines that feed each other: a paid community, an online school, and an audiovisual production company.

Diego gave us a master class on how to Create an Audience-Based Company: from product creation and business model, to team building and growth strategy. He also told us about his experience raising capital.

Youtube Timestamps*

[1:16] - Intro to Podcasting

How did Diego get into the fascinating world of podcasting, and how was the idea of Dementes born?
How has the podcast market evolved since Diego started? And if he had to compare it with a more mature market like the United States, how much room do we still have to grow in Latin America?
Diego has had a significant impact on creating the podcasting ecosystem in Latin America. What does Diego believe is missing for podcasts to be as massive and mainstream a communication channel as in the United States?
Diego does not define Dementes as a podcast, but as an audience-based company. What does this term mean, and how is it reflected in the Dementes business?

[13:24] - How to Create an Audience-Based Company

What does building an audience mean to Diego?
How did Diego go from having followers to having an audience?
In the startup world, the quality or the “Product Market Fit” of a product is measured. What metrics does Diego use to evaluate the “Product Market Fit” of his content? How does he know if he is making a good product (content) and if he is addressing the right audience?
Samuel Gómez told us that when Diego was just starting the podcast, he was already thinking about an ecosystem where all the business units fed back into each other and helped each other grow. What is Diego’s vision for Dementes and the insight behind it. And how did he have it so clear from the start?
How does Diego know when it is the right moment to start offering products to his audience and building other business lines?
What does Diego advise other founders with audience-based companies about what the right first product is to start with?
How has the organization of Diego’s company evolved since the launch of these new products? Did it stay the same, or did they have to make changes in terms of division of areas, incentives, objectives, etc.?
How does Diego explain such sustained and organic growth? What has been his secret?
What channels and strategies have worked best for Diego to grow his audience?

[49:25] - Startups and Content Marketing

What was the hardest part for Diego in raising this first round and “entering” the startup world?
How does Diego balance work and family, and how did his way of working and prioritizing change when he became a dad?

[49:58] - Tweet Round

What is the worst advice Diego was given?
What is the best advice Diego was given?
What advice did Diego used to give that he no longer gives?
What is something people do not know about Diego that would surprise them to learn?