---
title: "Fake pods and hotlines"
description: "Questions you wrote, answered on camera in bulk. The middle of the funnel, a clip a day."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/playbooks/funnel/fake-pods-and-hotlines/
updated: 2026-10-25
---

# Fake pods and hotlines

> Questions you wrote, answered on camera in bulk. The middle of the funnel, a clip a day.

Playbook 3, Funnel. Animation: /playbooks/funnel/fake-pods-and-hotlines.mp4

The best way to do the middle of the funnel is fake pods. You write the questions, someone asks them, you answer on camera. I did an hour in the studio for Creator Hotline and got 59 clips out of it, two months of posting every day. It's a format, so it repeats, and every answer comes back to your eight things.

## How do I use it?

1. Write 50 to 60 questions from the DMs, the comments and what people ask competitors.
2. Record them in one sitting. The host is only there to ask.
3. Answer through the eight things, then land on a story.
4. Cut each answer to one idea and post one a day as middle of funnel.

## In his words

> But the best way to do it is just fake pods.

> Tom Sharman, 2026

## Questions

### What does "Fake pods and hotlines" mean?

A fake pod is a format: real answers to questions written in advance, recorded in one sitting. An hour in the studio is two months of daily clips.

### How do I put "Fake pods and hotlines" into practice?

Write 50 to 60 questions from the DMs, the comments and what people ask competitors. Record them in one sitting. The host is only there to ask. Answer through the eight things, then land on a story.

### Why does "Fake pods and hotlines" matter?

The best way to do the middle of the funnel is fake pods. You write the questions, someone asks them, you answer on camera.