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

It doesn’t matter how good your episodes are if listeners can't find them. You can add video, guest on other podcasts, or post on social media, but if your podcast isn’t showing up in search, you're missing out on 70% of listeners who find new shows that way every day. I’m breaking down the 3 podcast SEO moves that took this show from ranking #97 in search to consistently landing in the...

There are the podcasters who publish an episode, close their laptop, and hope the right listeners somehow find it. Then there are ones who understand that if their show doesn’t appear in search, it might as well not exist. Fellow podcaster Eve Hall knows what it feels like to be invisible to the very listeners you’re trying to serve. But instead of recording more episodes or chasing the next podca...

You don’t need a massive podcast audience to get media attention, because in the PR world, downloads aren’t what open doors. Media experts Bridget Sicsko and Lydia Bagarozza are back to break down the exact PR system podcasts your size can use in just 1–2 hours a week to get quoted and featured in top media publications, plus how to turn that visibility into bigger guests and stronger partnerships...

If you’ve been telling yourself that bigger downloads are the reason other podcasts land better guests, sponsors, and opportunities, think again.  PR and media experts Bridget Sicsko and Lydia Bagarozza are breaking down what actually gets small podcasts taken seriously, and how you can get quoted and featured in top media and PR publications to build social proof for your show with fewer than 100...

Your podcast might not be invisible. It's also possible that new listeners are seeing it every day but scrolling right past it. In this Fix My Pod coaching session, I’m sitting down with estate planning attorney Sara Ecklein to pinpoint what her podcast was accidentally communicating to new listeners, where her cover art and show title were losing clicks, and what to change so the right liste...

If you’ve ever opened your content calendar, stared at a blank doc, and wondered whether skipping a week of publishing would really be that bad, this one’s for you.  Instead of forcing an idea or recycling old content, I’m sharing 5 stealthy ways to come up with episode ideas fast, plus exactly how I decide what to record when my brain is empty and an episode needs to go live in less than 24 hours...

Most podcasters think their podcast messaging is clear enough until they realize the listeners they want are scrolling straight past it. PodLaunch Accelerator grad Anthony Craiker learned this the hard way after launching a podcast that only a handful of people ever listened to. So he rebuilt his show from the inside out, earned an Apple Top 100 spot during his relaunch, and is showing you how to...

Most podcasts lose listeners in the first 15 seconds. Not after the first ad. Not halfway into the episode. Right at the start. I'm breaking down what’s happening in your listener’s brain the moment they hit play, why top podcasts obsess over their opening lines like the rest of the episode depends on it (because it does), and a simple structure to follow to grab and keep your listener's...

Some podcast networks promise you reach and revenue, but limit how you monetize, distribute, and control your content. This episode will help you spot those red flags before signing on the dotted line. Stephen Perlstein from Libsyn is back to break down how podcast networks make money, what they’re looking for in a show like yours, and how to tell the difference between a partnership that supports...

If you think getting picked up by a podcast network is the fast track to podcast growth, this episode will save you from disappointment (and probably a bad contract). Stephen Perlstein (Senior VP at Libsyn ) is breaking down how podcast networks actually work and when the right one can be a smart move for your show. We’re also unpacking what networks do well, what they don’t do, and the biggest re...

Podcast platforms are changing what gets seen and shared, and if your show is built for how podcasting worked a few years ago, it's going to skipped, buried, or replaced. I'm bringing in five industry experts to break down the biggest shifts happening inside podcasting right now, from search-driven discovery and AI-generated content to changing listener behavior and new monetization mode...

Even the smartest, most consistent podcast hosts still struggle to grow when listeners don’t immediately understand why their show is worth choosing, sharing, or coming back to. PodLaunch Accelerator grad Lauren Penna learned this the hard way, sharing what went wrong with her first podcast, the positioning shift that helped her relaunch into the Top 100 in four countries (including #4 in the U.S....

If listeners tell you they love your podcast but you’re 50+ episodes in and still don’t know where people are finding your show, which episodes are driving signups, or how to connect podcast growth to revenue, there’s a reason this feels hard to measure. In this Fix My Pod coaching session, Jill discovers why her podcast wasn’t driving signups or sales, the overlooked metrics that reveal what’s ac...

If your podcast isn’t growing, the problem usually isn’t that you need to publish more often or make better content. It’s that listeners are getting stuck at one of three key points in your podcast funnel, and most hosts never realize which one is slowing down their podcast growth. I’m breaking down the three listener decisions that determine whether someone clicks on your show, keeps listening, o...

Most podcasters miss the early signs their show is losing listeners because they only watch downloads. That's why I’m showing you the three places in your podcast funnel that reveal how well your show attracts new listeners, keeps them listening, and drives revenue, plus how to use your Spotify and Apple data to spot the leaks fast.  When you finish this episode, you'll know what healthy...

If you’ve already updated your podcast cover art, rewritten your show description, or even completely rebranded your podcast and still aren't seeing the download growth you want, you're not alone. That's exactly where PodLaunch Accelerator grad Amy Castro was before one simple podcast messaging shift that landed her a Top 10 spot on the charts in her category with hundreds of new li...

One of the most overlooked podcast marketing strategies takes less than 15 minutes a week and uses content you’re already creating to reach entirely new listeners: newsletter swaps. Lauren Passell of Tink Media is back to break down this little-known organic strategy independent podcasters are using to grow without spending hours chasing guest spots, creating endless short-form videos, or pouring...

Podcast growth comes from turning strangers into listeners. But with no budget for ads and no desire to spend your life on social media, how do you actually make that happen? Lauren Passell of Tink Media is breaking down the audience-borrowing strategy smart hosts use to get their shows discovered, recommended, and shared by entirely new audiences so your podcast doesn’t stay invisible while other...

Should you put episode numbers in your podcast titles? Some podcasters swear it makes episodes easier to find. Others argue it kills discoverability. And this one podcasting decision can impact discoverability, bingeability, and whether listeners explore more of your episodes or leave after one. I’m breaking down the pros and cons of episode numbers and showing you an easier way to help listeners...

After a year of following the industry’s favorite “just stay consistent” podcasting advice, Anne Rajoo was still trapped in 100-download jail no matter how many episodes or posts she put out. With limited time and zero desire to be on social media, she needed a smarter path to growing a podcast.  In this Fix My Pod coaching session, you’ll learn how to test whether your podcast can attract strange...

If there were one “fastest way” to grow a podcast, everyone would already be doing it. But the podcasts that grow the most have a repeatable podcast marketing system that makes growing a podcast predictable instead of random. I’m giving you podcasting advice straight from the trenches as I tackle three listener questions built around the same challenge: how to grow faster without burning out or wa...

A podcast can ran on the charts and still fail the real test: getting listeners to come back and recommend it to other people. After launching a podcast, Dr. Annie Campanile realized her show wasn’t nearly as shareable as she thought. So she made one bold podcast messaging change and within 7 days, listeners started responding completely differently to her show. You’ll hear how Annie uncovered the...

There are five invisible mechanisms every top 100 podcast has in common. How much your show grows depends on how well these mechanics are working under the hood. Alex Sanfilippo (Founder of PodMatch ) has spent years studying what today's top podcasters do differently, and he's back to break down the five non-negotiable habits that separate top shows from the rest, and how you can adopt...

No podcast marketing strategy can save a show people don’t want to binge. So before you spend time (or money) promoting your show, you need to assess whether your content is doing it's job. From using “infotainment” to hold attention to structuring interviews that increase listener engagement, Alex Sanfilippo (Founder of PodMatch ) is breaking down how to create episodes people want to listen...

Most podcasters have no idea whether their Podcast SEO strategy is working. And if you don’t want smaller, inactive shows outranking you for the exact keywords your ideal listeners are searching, you need to know what to look for. I'm breaking down exactly how to tell if your Podcast SEO efforts are paying off, the three metrics to track, and the tools that make it dead simple to know whether...