Steven Bartlett’s Podcast Is on Track for $60 Million
Steven Bartlett started The Diary of a CEO in 2017 with no college degree, no guests and a $100 microphone. Today, Steven Bartlett podcast revenue is projected to reach $60 million this year, he recently told Fortune. The show has more than 20 million YouTube subscribers and 936 recorded videos.
From Late-Night Diary Entries to Global Guests
Early episodes were solo recordings made at 2 a.m., where Bartlett turned his own diary entries on entrepreneurship into content. At the time he was CEO of marketing agency Social Chain, which grew into a global company now valued at $600 million. He left in 2020 to focus on the podcast and other ventures. The show later shifted to guest interviews spanning technology and psychology, featuring figures such as Scott Galloway and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
Choosing Control Over Quick Payouts
Bartlett’s income comes from brand partnerships, products, subscriptions, memberships and events. He has also turned down lucrative offers that would have reduced his control. One deal would have removed the show from YouTube and required 12 ads per episode, four times his current load. He calls companies chasing exclusive podcast rights “fragmentation vultures” and says protecting his bond with listeners matters more than a big payday.
His holding company, Steven.com, houses the podcast and his other creator businesses, helping creators turn audiences into media brands and products. Bartlett projects about $90 million in revenue for the broader media business this year, rising to roughly $160 million next year.
Bartlett says he is not a journalist but someone who follows his curiosity, whatever the guest.