The key thing about picks, shovels, and subscriber-only podcasts is that the customer pays upfront. So whether or not they work, you get paid.

And if they don't work for a particular customer, well, that's probably user error, right?

You only need one or two great stories to power your marketing. If you sell 10,000 shovels and one person gets rich... put that person in your ads and sell 10,000 more shovels. A lot of businesses depend on this marketing model... lotteries, casinos, app stores, college basketball, college football, etc.

Even if they did, your chances of succeeding are slim.

If success is gold, those podcasts are really hammers and pickaxes. Whereas to get any sure-fire success, you'd need someone to sell you a ground-penetrating radar and some drilling machines.