Episode summary
Episode 31: Two Years In: Counting Down Our Top 10 Episodes with Julia Giordano
Alternative Allocations
· · Hosts: Tony Davidow · Guests: Julia Giordano
Summary
The host and Julia Giordano look back at two years of the Alternative Allocations podcast and rank their top 10 episodes using a blend of total downloads and first-week performance. They say the show has surpassed 18,000 downloads, averages about 1,000 a month, and consistently ranks in the top 25% of podcasts by first-seven-day IEB downloads. They also note that social promotion reaches about 100,000 people a month and that older episodes keep getting new listeners.
The countdown shows what resonated most with the audience: real estate, secondaries, retirement access, evergreen structures, manager selection, and how alternatives are moving from institutions into wealth channels. Julia Giordano repeatedly emphasizes that the strongest episodes were the ones that made a complex market easier to understand for advisers and investors. The host agrees that the most durable conversations were practical, timely, and grounded in portfolio construction.
At the top of the list were episodes on commercial real estate debt and evaluating alternatives for client portfolios. The discussion ends with both speakers pointing to a growing global audience, more inbound guest interest, and a belief that alternatives will keep expanding within retirement and advisor-led channels.
Key takeaways
- Julia Giordano says the show has had over 18,000 downloads and ranks in the top 25% of podcasts by first-seven-day IEB downloads.
- The host and Julia say real estate debt, secondaries, and retirement access were among the most resonant topics for listeners.
- Julia Giordano says the best episodes simplified alternatives for advisers and end investors, especially around drawdown versus evergreen structures.
- The host says manager selection and operational due diligence remain central themes across alternative investment discussions.
- Both speakers expect alternatives to keep growing in wealth channels and retirement plans as adoption broadens.
Notable quotes
“To date, as we record, we've had over 18,000 downloads of the episodes, which averages to about a thousand a month”
“We consistently rank in the top 25% of all podcasts”
“What role do they play in client portfolios? How do we describe it to clients”
“Disruption in the real estate ecosystem provides an opportunity to be a lender of choice”
How the episode opens
This is Alternative Allocations by Franklin Templeton, a monthly podcast where we share practical, relatable advice and discuss new investment ideas with leaders in the field. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast to make sure you don't miss an episode. Here is your host, Tony Davidau.
Welcome to a special episode of the Alternative Allocations podcast series. I'm thrilled to be joined today by my producer Julia Jordano as we commemorate two years of the Alternative Allocation podcast. Pretty amazing, Julia.
It's pretty exciting. Can't believe it's been two years
And it's been a lot of fun and I feel like we've covered a lot of ground. I know one of the things you and I wanted to do is maybe talk a little bit. What do we learn from the first couple years?
What are kind of the highlevel observations? And then I think what we'll do to make it a little bit more exciting is we'll share the top 10 episodes in reverse order. But let's just start with what were the observations.
So it's exciting. As you said, we launched a little over two years ago and we really started from the ground up. To date, as we record, we've had over 18,000 downloads of the episodes, which averages to about a thousand a month, which is pretty incredible.
We consistently rank in the top 25% of all podcasts and that's based on the number of IEB downloads in the first seven days of an episode release which is the typical way you kind of look at ratings and how we perform.
Those are our Neielson ratings and so far we're doing good. — We are we are and our reach you know most of what we do our promotion is through social media as you're well aware.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- top podcast episodes
- private markets
- manager selection
- advisor education
- product development
Companies and tickers mentioned
- BEN
- Franklin Templeton
Watch the episode
Watch “Episode 31: Two Years In: Counting Down Our Top 10 Episodes with Julia Giordano” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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Alternative Allocations, this episode and its artwork belong to Franklin Templeton. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
