Once I learned how to do this, I put the show on pause. It was originally called “Leading the Bleeding” (which is a horrible name when it was is about the future of podcasting). I thought was going to be one of my “hobby shows,” so I was playing and experimenting with different media hosts. Consequently, I don't have the stats for the first episode after seven days. I can just tell you that it was a show with a goal to make podcasting 2.0 topics easier to digest is a very nice podcast.
So you can see where I went from 60 downloads to 168 (a 280% increase). There are weeks where the current episode only outperformed the previous episode by one episode. Others had leaps of thirty-three.
Daniel did a large push on his The Audacity to Podcast show, and I did more of a “drive-by mention” promotion on my other shows.
So this is why I often wonder how big the School of Podcasting show would be if I only had one show and spent ALL my time promoting ONE show.
You can see the Future of Podcasting stats by clicking here.
If you are looking for ways to promote your show, the most effective ways (currently) revolve around promoting your show to people who are already podcast listeners (so swapping promos, being a guest on other shows, feed drops (playing a full episode on your show that you introduce).
If you are looking for more ideas, see 30 Strategies to Grow Your Podcast.
Your Podcast Consultant
I've always wanted to experiment with a shorter show so I created “Your Podcast Consultant“. As a tech support person for Libsyn.com I would see many of the same questions come through, and I thought I could use these for quick episodes (9 minutes or less). My goal was to see if short shows would be more popular.
Here, again, you can see a lot of ups and downs. The show started in October of 2019 with 51 downloads after 90 days on the first episode. A year later, the show had grown by 235% and was now getting 120 downloads per episode after 90 days. The following year, I switched to twice a month (where before, it was weekly), and it grew by 11%. The following year, the growth was flat.
The “Build It, And They Will Come” Promotion Strategy in Action
The one test I wanted to do with this show towards the end of this chart. I did next to nothing regarding promoting the show. I might have had a quick mention on social. I wasn't asking my audience to share. I would post it, and see what happened. The answer? Nothing.
If you think the hard part of podcasting is creating the content, the truly hard part of podcasting is getting people to listen.
So when you think about starting a podcast, don't just focus on the time it will take to record and publish. You HAVE To leave time to promote it (or have a budget to farm that out).
Join the School of Podcasting Community
Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll create high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting.
Use the coupon code listener schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save 20%
Where I Will Be?
I look forward to seeing you all; please come up and say hi. To see my full itinerary, go to schoolofpodcasting.com/where
This was episode 880 of the School of Podcasting and originated from www.schoolofpodcasting.com/880
