There’s a hard truth most podcast experts will dodge, but I don’t have the energy or patience for avoiding it - there’s a reason your podcast audience isn’t growing, and it’s not because you haven’t been hustling hard enough on LinkedIn or spamming your socials.

Look, I see it over and over; brand new podcasters with all the energy in the world, launching their show and immediately going full throttle with promotion before even figuring out whether the content’s actually any good.

In this episode of Podcasting Insights, I lay out why that’s a sure-fire way to set yourself up for repeated disappointment and burnout.

Instead, I’ll walk you through my entire approach for building podcasts people actually want to talk about, and not just because you begged them to on LinkedIn.

We get into why promotion isn’t the lever you pull first, what actually matters to develop a show that holds attention, and what I make every client face up to before they spend a penny (or another hour) trying to chase down listeners.

00:00 Why Your Promotion is in Reverse!

04:53 Integrity and Strategic Success

07:34 "Building Loyal, Valuable Audiences"

12:57 Silent Launch Strategy Advice

13:59 Proof Before Promotion Strategy

Useful links:

Get your audit - https://podmastery.co/lite

See your Apple Podcasts retention data: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/

Spotify dashboard: https://podcasters.spotify.com/gateway

Find all episodes of Podcasting Insights: https://www.podmastery.co/

Tom Webster's The Audience Is Listening: https://audienceislisteningbook.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

Show Notes Simplified

Are you sick of having to write out your episode descriptions (show notes) from scratch every time? Want to set up a templated approach that will save you hours every week? This tool is for you! (Note - this is an affiliate offer, but I don't recommend tools I'm not using myself, and I use this one DAILY)

Simplify your show notes

Rapper's Delight might be the anthem we often think of when it comes to hip hop's origins, but let me hit you with a plot twist – it wasn’t the first. That honor actually goes to a gospel group called the Jubilees, who dropped a rap-like hit back in 1946! Wild, right? This kick-off leads us into a deep dive about the real essence of being ‘first’ in the podcasting world. It’s not just about who got there first; it’s about who can break through the noise and grab attention. We’ve all seen the podcasters vying to become the next ‘Diary of a CEO’ but spoiler alert: that’s a one-way ticket to nowhere. Instead, let’s focus on carving out our unique space. How do we find our own ‘Rapper’s Delight’ moment? It’s all about framing our conversations in a way that makes our audience stop, listen, and think, ‘wow, this is fresh!’ We chat about flipping the format, leading with tension, and showing up authentically. The takeaway? Don’t worry about being first or copying others; instead, aim to be the one who resonates. Let’s turn those critiques into stepping stones and make our voices heard in this crowded podcasting arena!

Links referenced in this episode:

• podmastery.co
• rockflight.co
• podmastery.co/contact
• podmastery.co/voicemail

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Sugar Hill Gang
• Jubilaires
• Diary of a CEO
• Stephen Bartlett
• Primark
• Rock Fight
• Podmastery.co
• Apple Podcasts

Every podcaster dreads it: that brutal one-star review, the public comment that rips your hard work to shreds. But what if your harshest critic is actually your greatest growth tool?

In this episode of Podcasting Insights with The Podmaster, I'm sharing the real story of how a vocal hater went from blasting my radio morning show to becoming one of my biggest advocates, even booking me for private gigs.

You’ll learn how I made that happen, and how you can use the same methods for your podcast and any critics you get along the way.

Also, I'll share the four ways critics can sharpen your podcast, and the simple rules that stop you from losing your mind when trolls strike.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by negative feedback, this episode will change how you see it forever.

Don’t fear your haters.

Love them, learn from them, and watch how fast your podcast grows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Book your Podmaster audit

Wanna get unstuck from the sub 100 downloads per month doldrums. Fancy getting closer to top 2% podcaster glory? Sounds like you need one of my Podmaster audits. Go to podmastery.co/lite and within 5 business days you’ll get a full video and written report on my findings. That's podmastery.co/lite

Podmaster audit

Curious?

Let me tell you where most podcasters get it wrong right from the jump.

It’s that tired cliché “If you build it, they will come.”

This episode is my reality check for you, and if you're honest with yourself, it could save you more disappointment and wasted effort than you realise.

I walk through why just recording a bunch of episodes and putting them online is never going to magically build an audience, no matter how unique your idea feels.

What you’re going to hear is the real work that has to go into positioning, marketing, production, and – above all – earning the right for your audience to come back again and again.

It’s not glamorous, but it works, and I’m breaking down exactly why.

The episode gets into the numbers, the psychology, and the relentless myth that your social media follower count will somehow guarantee instant podcast listeners.

It doesn’t.

You’ll learn why podcasts and radio might share a delivery method (audio) but are incomparable when it comes to how people find and commit to content.

I’m calling out the ‘gurus’ peddling fairytales and laying out instead the importance of actionable strategy.

With thanks to Irina Tudorache - https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-tudorache/ and Michelle J Raymond for their valuable contributions towards this episode.

If you'd like to leave me a message, the voicemail is https://podmastery.co/voicemail

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

Every new podcaster does it. You launch your show, then spend the whole week refreshing your hosting dashboard analytics like it’s going to magically change.

And when those first week podcast download numbers trickle in, they feel… embarrassingly small.

Here’s the truth: those numbers don’t matter. Like, at all.

In this episode, I’ll explain why your launch week stats are useless, the psychology behind why we obsess over them (hello, spotlight effect), and the success metrics that actually fuel real podcast growth.

From listener retention to 30-day rolling averages, I’ll show you what’s worth tracking — and what’s just noise.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by your first week’s downloads, this one’s going to reset how you think about podcast success.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free PLOT workbook

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

A painful truth for business podcasters who still think follower counts equal listeners...

Let’s get uncomfortable for a moment.

LinkedIn tells you that bigger is better. Hit that 10,000, 50,000, or even 100,000 follower milestone, and suddenly you’re tempted to believe you’re sitting on a goldmine of eager podcast listeners.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I’ve consulted with more than enough LinkedIn 'influencers' to know this: if you’re counting on that social proof to deliver actual podcast results, you’re going to be disappointed.

In fact, if you’re expecting more than a handful of listeners per episode simply because you have a five-figure following, you’re already losing the game.

Here’s the reality.

LinkedIn is a platform designed to serve its own interests, not yours. The algorithm is geared towards creating a false sense of reach and relevance. You post about your new episode, rack up a few dozen likes, maybe a polite comment from that one guy who always chimes in, and screenshot the analytics because they look impressive.

But when it comes to actual podcast listeners—real people pressing play, not bots or random scrollers—the numbers barely register.

And don’t just take my word for it.

I’ve literally done the math for clients.

The entire illusion falls apart once you work through the numbers on how posts convert followers into listeners. You’d be amazed (or horrified) at how small that number is.

Imagine this: 100,000 LinkedIn followers. That’s enough to fill a stadium, right?

So, if you’re chasing followers and bragging about your vanity metrics, you’re fooling yourself.

Want to break this cycle?

Listen to this episode to get the background on the problem.

Then, get the Swipe Files so you can fix it.

Ready to do the math? Get your free files at podmastery.co/math, or reach out for a straightforward audit of your podcast’s real growth potential.

Because your real audience deserves better than a vanity strategy.

00:00 "LinkedIn Followers Don't Equal Success"

03:57 Deceptive Podcast Popularity Tactics

08:59 Boost LinkedIn Engagement Tactics

10:46 "Podcast Growth and Mastery Tips"

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

Every August, you'll hear the same noise about everyone disappearing.

Holidays, beaches, the world moving a little slower.

I used to kinda buy into this myth myself, until I watched a client hit pause, just to realise that their audience hadn't gone anywhere.

They'd simply found something else to jam into their earbuds. This latest episode of Podcasting Insights is all about flipping the so-called 'summer slump' on its head.

I’m walking you through three moves you can make right now, literally before the weekend’s over, to keep your download numbers in healthy shape and your listeners coming back for more.

No grand production, no drama, just practical steps you can act on right away.

Mentioned in this episode:

Book your Podmaster audit

Wanna get unstuck from the sub 100 downloads per month doldrums. Fancy getting closer to top 2% podcaster glory? Sounds like you need one of my Podmaster audits. Go to podmastery.co/lite and within 5 business days you’ll get a full video and written report on my findings. That's podmastery.co/lite

Podmaster audit

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/