FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers about wallet credit, usage, subscriptions, and how Tycoon charges for work.
Descript and Riverside both have their own AI. Why do I need another layer?
Descript and Riverside have editing-focused AI: remove filler words, generate rough transcripts, one-click share. They don't do guest outreach, show notes drafting in your voice, multi-platform distribution with format-specific optimization, or guest promo kits. Tycoon orchestrates across your tools — it calls Descript's API to kick off the edit, uses the transcript to draft show notes in your voice, and routes outputs to the right distribution channels. Think of it as: Descript = edit; Tycoon = the production team that uses Descript (plus 8 other tools) to ship the episode.
I have a specific editorial voice and guest-interview style. Can AI handle the craft?
AI doesn't host the podcast — you do. The craft (questions, follow-ups, chemistry with guest) is 100% you. What AI handles: the logistics + post-production that's identical for every episode regardless of host voice. Show notes in your voice get learned from your past episodes. Clip selection gets trained by which clips you historically approved vs rejected. After 5-6 episodes the AI-generated drafts sound indistinguishable from your own, because they're trained on your outputs, not a generic 'podcast host voice'.
What about video podcasts — I record on camera, not just audio?
Video podcasts add 2 steps: (1) video edit in Descript with b-roll insertion where relevant (speaker pull-quotes, screenshot moments), and (2) vertical clip formatting for Shorts/Reels/TikTok with face-tracking. AI Head of Content handles both. YouTube distribution gets full chapter markers, thumbnail generation (3 variants, you pick), and end-screen setup. Video podcasts take 30% more time than audio-only but produce 3-5x more short-form content.
How does guest outreach avoid feeling spammy? I want A-list guests, not Upwork fake experts.
AI CMO pulls targets from your first-degree network and LinkedIn second-degree, not a cold database. Outreach uses real context: 'Saw you wrote about X on Lenny's, would love to unpack it on [podcast name] — my audience is founders at [stage] and I think your take would resonate'. Real personalization, not mail-merge templates. For truly A-list guests, the outreach is multi-step: warm intro request first (to your network), cold email only if no warm path exists. Response rates: 35-60% for warm, 10-15% for cold.
Our budget is bootstrapped — is this affordable for a <100-listener podcast?
The tool costs (Riverside $20, Descript $24, Transistor $19) are the same whether you have 100 or 100K listeners. What Tycoon adds is the 'team' layer on top of those tools — no additional editor ($50-100/hr) or VA ($20-30/hr) needed. Most founders running this workflow save 8-10 hours per episode, which is the difference between 'podcast as side project that dies at episode 10' and 'podcast as durable content engine'. Payoff isn't cost savings; it's sustainable publishing frequency.