Knob Feel: the Story of the Greatest Podcast Ad Campaign of All Time

Knob Feel: the Story of the Greatest Podcast Ad Campaign of All Time

From Phonograph by Robert McGinley Myers

April 2, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

This episode explores the rise and fall of podcast advertising through the lens of a notable ad campaign by Cards Against Humanity.

On this episode, Rob and Britta tell the story of the golden age of podcast advertising — how it started, why it worked, and why it seems to be over. Along the way we tell the story of what happened when Cards Against Humanity partnerned with a very opinionated tech podcaster to create the most entertaining ad campaign in the history of the medium. Guests include Lex Friedman, one of the first people to sell podcast ads, and John Siracusa and Casey Liss, co-hosts of Accidental Tech Podcast. Discussed in this episode: The Wolf Den: Lex Friedman, Midroll's EVP of Sales and Development (Episode 71) Hypercritical: Episode 1 Hypercritical: The Wrong Guy (Episode 42) Hypercritical: Pinching the Harmonica (Episode 49) Hypercritical: Worse and More Diverse (Episode 18) Casey Liss: Siracusa on Toasters Lex Friedman: lexfriedman.com John Siracusa: hypercritical.co Music from Blue Dot Sessions

People in this episode

Hosts: Rob, Britta

Guests: Lex Friedman, John Siracusa, Casey Liss

Topics covered

  • podcast advertising
  • marketing campaigns
  • media history
  • entertainment
  • technology

Keywords

  • podcast ads
  • advertising history
  • Cards Against Humanity
  • Lex Friedman
  • Accidental Tech Podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cards Against Humanity, Accidental Tech Podcast, Midroll

Books & works: The Wolf Den, Hypercritical

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