Pod Savvy Guide

What if the voice that got you through your hardest season wasn't real? According to a new Edison Research survey, 66% of weekly podcast listeners say they'd turn a show off right away if they found out the host had been replaced by AI, and many said they'd feel upset or even betrayed. In this raw, unedited episode, Steph shares how podcast hosts felt like friends while she was working...

What happens when you book a guest with a big audience, publish the episode, and then... crickets? In this episode, I’m sharing the podcasting lesson I learned the hard way: your guest doesn’t owe you their audience. Unless sharing the episode was part of an agreement, you can’t expect a guest to promote it, post it, or collaborate with you on social media. I’ll share the experience that completel...

Podcasting is starting to look a lot like a full-on TV show. But does your podcast actually need to become one? Video podcasts are everywhere, and there are real benefits to getting your show on camera. But video also means lighting, backgrounds, editing, clips, and a whole new list of tasks that can make hitting record harder than it needs to be. In this episode, I’m sharing my producer take on w...

What if AI is making your podcast easier but also making it sound less like you? I use AI constantly for podcasting, from researching guests and brainstorming questions to writing show notes and automating the little tasks I don’t want on my plate. But there’s a line between using AI to remove friction and letting it replace your personality. In this episode, I’m sharing my producer take on where...

400 views on one platform and 60 plays on another which episode actually performed better? You might be comparing two completely different things. Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and your podcast host all give you analytics, but those numbers don’t necessarily measure the same behavior. A play, view, download, impression, and listener can each mean something different. In this episode, I’m sharing why I’...

Your first podcast idea doesn’t have to be your forever podcast. Some of the biggest shows have changed their topics, names, and formats as their hosts’ lives and interests evolved. You don’t need to know what you’ll want to talk about five or ten years from now—you just need something you’re excited to talk about today. Start there, let your show grow with you, and remember: done is better than p...

What if one of the biggest mistakes podcasters make is talking too much? As podcast hosts, we're often told to be engaging, energetic, and great conversationalists. But the skills that make someone fun at a dinner party don't always make them a great interviewer. In this article, I explore why learning to pause, embrace silence, and truly listen can completely transform your interviews. Fr...

What if being bored with your podcast doesn’t mean something’s wrong? In this episode, I’m talking about the seasons when hitting record just feels…normal and why that might actually mean you’ve gotten really good at podcasting. We’ll talk about losing the nerves, finding new challenges, and why your podcast doesn’t have to feel exciting every week to still be worth making.

Thinking about starting a second podcast but worried it's too soon? Most podcast advice says you should wait until you've been consistent for years before launching another show. Steph disagrees. In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph shares why she started her second podcast less than a month after her first, what she's learned from producing more than 18 podcast series, and how h...

What if successful podcasters aren't more motivated they just have better habits? After producing more than 1,000 podcast episodes, Steph has learned that consistency isn't built on willpower. It's built on simple systems and tiny habits that make showing up easier, even on the days you don't feel like it. In this episode, Steph shares the practical habits that have saved her hours, helped her avo...

hat if the biggest threat to your podcast isn't bad audio... but simply giving up? In this honest solo episode, Steph shares what's happening behind the scenes as she navigates a season of struggling to book guests, losing momentum, and fighting the temptation to wonder, "Is this even worth it?" If you've ever felt burned out, overwhelmed, or discouraged by slow growth, you&#...

What if the thing keeping you from starting a podcast isn't a lack of talent, but simply a voice in your head asking, "Who would want to listen to me?" In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph sits down with productivity expert and Positively Living® Podcast host Lisa Zawrotny, who has recorded more than 300 episodes and appeared as a guest on over 160 podcasts. Together, they dive...

What does it really take to publish more than 2,200 podcast episodes while working a full-time job, raising a family, and hosting nine different shows ? In this episode, Steph sits down with podcasting educator Dave Campbell , host of How to Podcast and founder of True Media Solutions, to uncover the systems, mindset, and habits that have helped him stay consistent year after year. Dave shares the...

Have you ever wondered if taking a break from your podcast would hurt your momentum or actually help it? After producing more than 1,000 podcast episodes, I stepped away from podcasting for about two and a half months. During that time, I focused on creating courses, took a break from social media, gave my creativity room to breathe, and discovered something surprising: stepping away made me love...

In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph shares why she’s pressing pause on most of her podcasts for the next two months. After running five shows while also working full time, she realized she was starting to feel burnt out and needed time to reset. Instead of trying to keep everything going, she’s using this break to focus on building the next stage of her business creating bite-sized podcasti...

How does a podcaster turn a single show into a media empire? In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph breaks down insights from an interview with Alex Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy and founder of the Unwell Network, on the The Burnouts podcast. Steph explores Cooper’s journey from editing her own show to signing a $60 million deal with Spotify in 2021 and later a $125 million deal with SiriusXM...

What if the only thing standing between you and your podcast is the belief that you’re “not tech-savvy enough”? In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph talks with Markell Horner, host of Our Stressless Home, about what it really looked like to go from feeling intimidated by technology to launching and consistently publishing her own show. Markell shares her early fears, how she learned to creat...

Have you noticed that a lot of podcasts seem to be ending lately? Several shows that many listeners loved including The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher, Podcrushed, Out of the Pods, WTF with Marc Maron, Celebrity Memoir Book Club, and KFC Radio have recently wrapped up, which raises the question: is podcasting dying? In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph looks at why these shows are endi...

Have you noticed a shift in marketing lately? Brands still spend millions on big events like the Super Bowl, but now they’re doing something interesting afterward. Instead of letting the commercial be the end of the story, they’re bringing those moments onto podcasts to keep the conversation going. In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph breaks down a fascinating marketing moment where Pepsi to...

This Saturday’s episode is a cozy, audio-only reminder that done is better than perfect. It was cold outside, I didn’t want to do my hair, and instead of forcing video, I hit record anyway and leaned into the beauty of audio podcasting. I’m Steph, your Pod Savvy Guide, and for work I’m a podcast producer, which gives me a big advantage because I get to see what actually works across the shows I pr...

If podcast promotion feels overwhelming, this episode is for you. In this walkthrough, Pod Savvy Guide Steph breaks down her exact system for taking one podcast video file and turning it into content for Spotify, YouTube Shorts, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and LinkedIn without spending hours on it. You’ll learn how to pull clips in Riverside, resize them for different platforms, use Spotify’s bu...

With the new year here, it’s time for a little podcast housekeeping. In this episode, Pod Savvy Guide Steph walks you through the 10 things she personally reviews every January to make sure her podcasts are updated, organized, and ready for the year ahead. From refreshing your series description and cover art to checking links, guest booking workflows, tech tools, and social media consistency, thi...

This is my 1,000th podcast episode and it still feels surreal to say that out loud. I didn’t start podcasting with a goal, a strategy, or a plan to turn it into a career. I started because, in 2016, listening to podcasts just to get through my days while working on a remote island in Alaska. In this episode, I reflect on the full journey from that season to now the fears, pivots, unfinished episod...

Fear shows up in podcasting in sneaky ways not as “I’m scared,” but as “I don’t have time,” “I don’t know what to say,” or “I’ll start later.” In this episode of Pod Savvy Guide , Steph gets real about the fears that stop people from hitting record, from worrying about how you sound or look, to wondering what family, friends, or strangers might think, to the deeper fear of trying hard and being se...

It’s 10:46 p.m., the phone battery is dead, the video didn’t save, and the pressure to be on camera suddenly feels exhausting which leads to the five predictions Steph shares in this episode of Pod Savvy Guide about podcasting in 2026. She breaks down why audio-only podcasts are still incredibly important, even as video dominates platforms like YouTube and Spotify, why small businesses and solo en...