Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast with Courtney Elmer | Podcasting Strategies for Growing a Podcast That Converts

If your podcast feels valuable to you but listeners are dropping off halfway through your episodes, the issue might not be your content but the way you’re communicating it.  Most experts think valuable podcast content means sharing more of what they know. But your listeners won't care how much you know until they understand what your knowledge can do for them. I'll walk you through the 3...

What if you could monetize your podcast without creating more content, growing your audience, or landing sponsors? Most podcasters are sitting on revenue opportunities they don't even know they have. Jordan Blair, Buzzsprout's Podcast Producer and host of Dreamful Bedtime Stories with 13M+ downloads, is back with three low-effort ways to monetize your podcast using content you've al...

Sponsorships aren't the revenue dream most podcasters think they are. In fact, they can be one of the least reliable forms of income from your podcast, and Jordan Blair, Buzzsprout's Podcast Producer and host of Dreamful Bedtime Stories (13M+ downloads), is here to expose why. After landing major sponsors like BetterHelp and HelloFresh, Jordan found a more reliable way to monetize your p...

The podcast industry has convinced you that podcast growth comes from choosing the right marketing tactic. Yet every day, thousands of podcasters are spending time on strategies they can't tell are helping, hurting, or doing nothing at all. In this rapid-fire Q&A, I'm answering how to move your podcast to #1 in search results, the two factors that matter more than any single growth t...

Whatever problem your podcast solves, it’s competing against every other show that promises to help listeners solve it.  I’m breaking down the 4 signs listeners are overlooking your podcast and the split-second decision that determines whether a new listener clicks play or picks another show to listen to. I’ll also share the five Podcast Content Gatekeepers® listeners judge before they ever hear y...

Most podcast hosts focus on teaching something valuable, but valuable content isn't what keeps listeners listening. And when attention drops halfway through an episode, listeners stop caring about what you say next.  TedX speaker and professional magician Jimi Gibson is breaking down why listeners mentally check out of episodes (even when you’re giving great info), the common mistakes that ma...

If “good content” were enough to grow a podcast, more shows (including yours) would have listeners bingeing every episode the second it dropped. Instead, plenty of podcasts with valuable content struggle to hold attention long enough to grow, build trust, or drive action. TEDx Speaker and professional magician Jimi Gibson conducts a live experiment here on the show to explain why some podcasts fee...

I’m breaking down the three podcasting mistakes to avoid that can make listeners lose interest quick, plus 4 words that reveal you’re overexplaining, the guest interview habit that can turn a great interview into a frustrating listen, and the 2 words that make you sound less credible behind the mic. You’ll learn where these habits show up in podcast conversations, why listeners pick up on them fas...

Most podcast launch advice focuses on hitting publish. Almost none of it teaches you how to launch in a way that helps listeners actually find, follow, and hit play on your show. In this rapid-fire Q & A episode, I’m answering what to do when you’re launching a podcast with zero listeners or social proof, how to design a show that attracts the listeners you actually want, and why forcing yours...

Everyone is talking about video podcasting right now. Almost nobody is talking about what it takes to do it well without turning your audio show into a full-blown production. Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout, shares the one question podcasters should ask before adding video, why most hosts spend too much on gear too fast, and the reason audio-first podcasting still has a major advanta...

Apple Video Podcasts are here, Amazon is following suit, and every podcaster is asking the same question: “Am I missing out if I’m not on video?” But the answer is a lot more nuanced than the internet makes it out to be. Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout, breaks down the massive difference between how Apple, Spotify, and YouTube handle video distribution, the upsides (and downsides) of...

Spotify has rolled out AI-curated playlists that claim to match listeners with shows like yours. Sounds like a win for podcast discovery... but is it? In this podcasting trends episode, I test podcasting tools like this one and give you the unfiltered breakdown of whether they’ll help you grow your show or not. You’ll see whether AI-curated playlists are here to stay and how Spotify decides who ge...

You’ve heard of Podcast SEO. You’ve probably even tried using AI to “optimize” your podcast. But if your show still isn’t showing up for the right keywords when listeners for search your topic, you don’t need more episodes or more downloads to get found. You need to know how to get Apple and Spotify to match you with the right people. That’s why I invited Philip Pape, host of Wits & Weights ,...

We all know downloads aren’t the best metric for growing a podcast. And yet we still log into our hosting platform, check our downloads, and use that number to decide if our show is working (or worth continuing). That’s one of the biggest podcasting mistakes you can make, and the only way to fix it is to start tracking the 4 metrics that show if you’re actually reaching new listeners, keeping them...

If people are listening to your podcast, but not clicking your links, joining your list, or buying your stuff, your listener journey is probably missing a few key steps. Vance Morris spent years behind the scenes at The Walt Disney Company learning how to engineer user behavior, and he’s about to show you how to apply the same audience psychology principles to guide listener action inside your pod...

What makes Walt Disney World the one place most people can’t wait to go back to? It’s not the rides, the characters, or the fireworks. It’s how every moment is engineered to guide exactly what Disney wants you to do next.  Vance Morris spent years behind the scenes as a Disney exec learning exactly how they do it, and he’s going to show you the Disney “magic” that’ll help you keep listeners engage...

85% of podcast hosts are publishing on the most crowded day of the week, which makes it harder for their show to get seen when a new episode drops. I’m breaking down two truths and a lie about when to release your episodes, why consistency isn’t the key to growing a podcast, and why publishing episodes doesn’t mean people will find them. You’ll also learn the simple way to choose a release day tha...

Most podcasters are using CTAs in their episodes and still getting zero clicks, signups, or sales. It’s not because CTAs don’t work. It’s because they’re placed at the wrong time, in the wrong spot, and said in a way listeners ignore.  If you’re wondering where CTAs belong (and where they KILL listener engagement), how to time them so listeners don’t get ad fatigue, and what to say so they feel li...

Most podcasters think AI speeds things up, when in reality they’re spending more time fighting with the AI and fixing what it writes. Podcast systems expert Joe Casabona is here to show you the one warning sign you’ve become too reliant on AI and how it’s making you 9% dumber (according to the WSJ). Plus the 3-question test that reveals when AI is helping your workflow or when task automation is t...

Most creators are using AI podcasting tools in a way that hurts their podcast’s credibility without even realizing it. Podcast systems expert Joe Casabona is breaking down what listeners pick up on when you use AI in your podcast content, why "sounding more polished" doesn’t always lead to better engagement or listener action, and exactly where to draw the line so the AI you're usin...

What makes the difference between a podcast listeners like and one they trust enough to act on? It’s not your episode length, your guest list, or how much “value” you pack into the conversation. It’s how your message makes listeners feel about themselves while they’re hearing it. I'm breaking down the three psychology-backed communication patterns that help listeners see you as the expert the...

Unless they have a word-of-mouth recommendation, most listeners decide whether your podcast is worth their time before they hit play. And if they can’t immediately tell why your show is relevant to them personally, they’ll choose one of the countless other podcasts competing for their attention instead. That’s why I’m breaking down the four signs that help you spot whether listeners are skipping y...

If no one is sharing your episodes, recommending your show, or mentioning it in their communities, the problem usually isn’t the quality of your content. It’s how (and where) you’re asking people to engage with it. Podcasting Hall of Famer Arielle Nissenblatt is breaking down the podcasting mistakes that make a show harder to share, from email newsletters that train subscribers to ignore you to po...

Most podcasters think getting new listeners is about promotion: more clips, more posts, more ads. But if people find your show and don't hit follow, your downloads won’t change and “more promotion” won't fix it. Podcasting Hall of Famer Arielle Nissenblatt is unpacking why not every podcast automatically earns an audience, and what makes a listener decide if a show is worth following in...

Apple Podcasts just rolled out a new video experience, and the industry is split down the middle. Some are calling it transformative. Others are calling it irrelevant. But the real question is: what does this actually mean for your show? I'm breaking down what’s changed inside Apple Podcasts (in plain English), why this update improves user experience but does NOT improve podcast discovery, a...