⭐️Why your podcast growth is SLOW...and what to do about it!⭐️
This newsletter was lovingly curated (without the use of any AI) in real time on Thursday morning at 8:21am CST.
We've got some beautiful weather going on right now in St Louis so I just knocked out a brisk morning walk to clear my head and now I'm at my desk...cold brew coffee in hand...and ready to type!
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This week we are going to talk about why your podcast growth is a LOT slower than you want it to be.
A big problem that most podcasters face is that...well.....when we start we really have NO idea what the hell we are doing!...LOL.
We just see other podcasters that we assume to be "successful" doing certain things so we follow suit and do the same sorts of things.
This leads to us trying to do ALL the things as a team of ONE and this is a recipe for disaster.
The real issue is that most podcasters think that their show isn't growing faster because they aren't doing ENOUGH to promote it....
It's actually the OPPOSITE...
Podcasters are trying to do WAY too many things.
So instead of taking this scattershot approach to podcast growth lets get more strategic with your growth game plan today!
I want you to start thinking about your podcast growth journey in three specific phases:
➡️ Phase One: The first 90 days
➡️ Phase Two: Getting to 100 episodes
➡️ Phase Three: Beyond 100 episodes
I'm going to give you some specific focus points and things you DON'T need to focus on during each phase.
Phase One: The first 90 days
This first phase is all about figuring out HOW to be a podcaster.
You need to be open minded and ready to make a TON of micro pivots with your content, branding, and overall strategy.
Focus On:
✅ Your content creation and workflow.
✅ Putting out consistent weekly episodes.
✅ Analyzing and building relationships with your podcast audience.
✅ Testing keywords and content topics.
Don't worry about:
❌ Paid ads.
❌ Guesting on other podcasts.
❌ Being everywhere on social media.
Phase Two: Getting To 100 Episodes.
In this phase podcasters need to slowly expand their growth strategy as they maintain consistency with their content creation cadence.
You will know you've added too many things if your weekly podcast episode release cadence is disrupted!
Focus On:
✅ Consistent weekly episodes.
✅ Guesting on 1-2 podcasts per month.
✅ Experimenting on social media with a goal of finding 1-2 focus platforms.
✅ Developing an episode promotion strategy for the first 72 hours after a new episode goes live.
✅ Generating a sense of community with your podcast listeners.
***This MIGHT be a good time to start slowly investing in some paid ads.
Don't worry about:
❌ Being on social media platforms where you get very little engagement.
❌ Feeling like you MUST stick to your original content style, branding, etc. Continue to make lots of micro pivots!
Phase Three: Beyond 100 Episodes
👉 Here's a fun stat for you: Only 5.36% of all podcasts make it past 100 episodes.
In this phase you have to figure out how to continuously fine tune your content to find the sweet spot between what YOU are interested in and what your AUDIENCE wants to hear from you.
Focus on:
✅ Consistent weekly episodes.
✅ Leaning hard into one social media focus platform.
✅ Guesting on 1-4 podcasts per month.
✅ Looking for opportunities to collaborate with other content creators on a regular basis.
✅ Increasing budget for paid ads each month.
✅ Continuing to be open minded and ready to make quick pivots with your content and growth strategy.
Don't worry about:
❌ Chasing every shiny object...with your content ideas, content creation tools, and your marketing.
👉 It's ok to do experiments and try out new social media platforms or content creation tools for 30 days or so....
but always remember that the ultimate goal is to use the minimum effective dose of marketing for our podcast growth.
I recommend that you always evaluate your podcast growth game plan with the thought of:
⭐️ What should I STOP/PAUSE doing?
or
⭐️ What ISN'T working anymore?
Focus on doing less but BETTER instead of continuously adding pressure and stress....by adding more and more to your marketing plate.
If you liked this deep dive on podcast GROWTH you will love episode 566 where I apply these same concepts to your podcast BRAND level and what that means for monetization.
🎤 Podcasting Business School Episode 566: Why your podcast monetization strategy should be determined by your podcast brand level.
Topics discussed:
*Why duplicating the monetization strategies of your favorite podcasters is most likely a really BAD idea.
*What are the THREE podcasting brand levels?
*The business and growth focus point strategies for each brand level.
📈 Download Growth Club question of the week:
"What is the best way to get big name guests to come on my show?"
I get this question a LOT and I always start off by saying that getting big name guests to come onto your show is NOT a great podcast growth strategy.
We have to remember that our guests (big name or not) are coming onto our show to add value to our audience and hopefully scoop some of them up to join their own audience.
They are NOT coming on our show to be a part of our podcast growth/promotion team!
That being said.....I've used the following strategy to get a few of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin and Michael Hyatt, to come on my show.
✔️ Step One: Wait until they are ready to promote something new like a book, movie, offer, etc.
✔️ Step Two: Send them a VOICE message DM on Instagram to invite them to come onto your show.
The voice DM is a key part of the strategy because so few people use them. This message will stand out in their inbox.
🚀 Podcast Launch Tip of the week:
Many podcasters launch their show thinking that they HAVE TO do video content.
Many of these same podcasters quit podcasting because of:
✔️ 1. The TIME it takes to create good video based content.
✔️ 2. The EXPENSE of creating good video based content.
✔️ 3. The lack of ROI seen from their video based content.
I think more podcasters should start with an audio only show and expand into video later on if they choose to.
⭐️ In episode 088 of Podcast Launch Tips I do a deep dive on how to succeed in podcasting without relying on video based content.
🤩 Client testimonial of the week: My client Krissy Bold has a show called the Mom's Guide to Finding Herself.
Check out what he has to say about working with me inside of my Online Business Academy for Podcasters:
"I joined the academy because I needed help with putting together a business that would be manageable for me to run while juggling my life as a stay at home mom.
My favorite part of being in the program is how Adam helps me with all of my big ideas to bring them into bite-sized chunks that will help me grow a business that I can keep up with while avoiding burnout."
➡️ If you are ready to get some help with leveraging your podcast to build the foundation for a six figure online business..... Hop on my Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call Calendar and we can talk about working together.
✍🏻What's happening on the Threads app this week: Here is a long form SuperThread post that you might like:
"In Nov 2023 thousands of podcasters saw their monthly download numbers take a HUGE dip and this is still impacting many podcasters today. Here is what happened...." Full post HERE
I hope that you are enjoying this weekly newsletter!
My big task for today is to create the sales page for my new program I'm launching on May 5th.....stay tuned!
Talk to you next week!
Your Pod Pal,
Adam
⭐️ P.S. Ready for some help with your podcast launch, growth, or with getting more clients from your podcast?⭐️
Sign up for a FREE Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call.