The underdog story
In only four months, TikToker, Bobbi Althoff, went from:
- No podcast.
- No industry connections.
- Mid-level influencer to Moms.
To:
- #1 podcast in the world (now it’s down to #10, but was at #1).
- Signed by the most prominent talent agency on the planet (WME).
- Doing podcasts with A-listers.
- Influencer to everybody, getting recognized everywhere.
Here’s exactly how she does it:
- She wants to start a podcast and get celebrities on it right away. Since she has little distribution for the podcast and is not famous, getting real famous people is not easy.
- She puts up a TikTok saying she will give anybody who successfully connects her with a celebrity $300.
- She gets connected with comedian Rick Glassman. She gives the person who connected her $300.
- Rick Glassman agrees to do the podcast for free.
- She travels to Rick Glassman, hoping he won’t flake.
- The interview goes well and is funny. In the comments section of it, somebody says she should next do comedian Funny Marco.
- She screenshots this comment, puts it on her Instagram story, and tags Funny Marco. She writes, “@funnymarco, if you want to make this person $300, come onto my podcast.”
- Funny Marco agrees to do it for free. She gives the person $300.
- Again, hoping Funny Marco will not flake, she travels to him. He doesn’t flake. The interview is very funny.
- Drake likes the Funny Marco interview and follows Bobbi. Bobbi takes her shot.
- “When are you gonna come on the podcast?” Bobbi DMs Drake. To her surprise, he responds. He says he’s down and sends his tour schedule.
- Bobbi realizes she needs to strike now before the opportunity evaporates. She gets a friend to help her film.
- Two days after sending the DM to Drake, she flies to Memphis, where he is, hoping this will happen and he won’t flake.
- Drake doesn’t flake. They shoot a hilarious podcast from Drake’s bed.
- She releases a trailer for the podcast. It goes viral and gets 30 million views on TikTok. WME reaches out when this happens and signs Bobbi.
- Bobbi puts up the Drake podcast (here’s a mirror of it since Bobbie removed it from her channel). The OG video gets 10 million views and boosts Bobbi’s podcast briefly to the #1 podcast in the world.
- She goes on to get Mark Cuban, Lil Yachty, and Tyga after this. With each of them, she acts with urgency and never knows if they will flake or not. Most people think playing to win is about how hard you’re willing to work. It’s not. Playing to win is actually about the risks you’re willing to take.
If you like this story, here’s two more just like it:
🚀 How Pimentae Tequila pulled off a crazy launch while being broke.
🔥 How Tony Delivers manufactured virality with no marketing budget.
If you don’t believe this
No, Bobbi Althoff was not an, “industry plant.” No, she did not have existing connections.
William Morris Endeavor signed her after the trailer with Drake was released.
Finally, no, this wasn’t because her husband had all this money for this project. Bobbi says in multiple interviews she took on credit card debt.
These things really do happen.
Want more proof?
Below is an interview with the Executive Director of Events at Forbes, Brett Cohen.
Brett shares how he got Jimmy Fallon, Paris Hilton, and even Kim Kardashian on his podcast 15-years-ago with less than 100 listeners per episode. Brett was 17 at the time and also had no industry connections.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or below:
Why Bobbi Althoff took the original video down, and why she and Drake stopped following each other
While the rumors of Bobbi Althoff being an “industry plant” are wrong, the rumors about what happened next likely are not.
Bobbi Althoff recently took down the original podcast with Drake, and she and Drake stopped following each other on social media.
She and Drake are both signed to WME, and all signs point to this being nothing more than a publicity stunt and a way to make Bobbi more infamous going into her acting career.
Bobbi has said her goal is to be an actress. This stunt makes her a relevant and appealing target for film and television studios.
It’s sophisticated and smart.
However, it’s not “beef” between her and Drake. It’s a stunt.
Either way, the rise of Bobbi Althoff is nothing short of inspiring.
She took calculated chances, and she played to win.
