Aug. 24, 2026

How Many Podcast Downloads Do You Actually Need to Keep Going?

What is Your Rock Bottom Podcast Downloads Number?

Every podcaster wants more downloads. But I wanted to ask my audience the opposite question this month: what's the smallest number of podcast downloads that would still make it worth showing up to record?

I put that question to the School of Podcasting audience — and the answers reveal something more useful than any download benchmark could: what actually keeps a podcaster going once the growth curve flattens out.

What's a Good Number of Podcast Downloads? Real Answers From My Audience

There's no industry-standard "good" download number — plenty of profitable, sustainable shows run on far fewer downloads than most new podcasters assume they need. Here's what my listeners said when I asked them to name their personal floor.

Steve Stewart: "Fewer Than 25 Downloads, and I'd Think About Quitting"

Steve Stewart, co-founder of the Podcast Editor Academy and co-host of the Podcast Editors Mastermind Show, edits podcasts for personal finance content creators. He admits he thinks about quitting his own mastermind show every time he looks at the numbers — his Facebook group has almost 10,000 members, and less than 1% of them listen.

But downloads aren't really what the show is for. It's marketing for the Podcast Editor Academy, and it's already brought in new members who found the show. His real answer: under 25 downloads per episode, and he'd seriously consider stopping — but he'd probably just start a different show instead. As he puts it, "Podcasting is life."

Frank Bravo: Already Running on "10s" of Downloads — And That's Fine

Frank Bravo hosts Your Tech Makeover, a podcast that helps everyday people get more out of their technology. His answer to the download question was easy, because he's already there: not hundreds, not thousands — "10s" of downloads per episode.

Frank isn't building a business around the podcast. It's a value-add tied to the tech support work he already does — if one listener avoids a scam or finally sets up a password manager, that's a win, regardless of the download count. He's not chasing growth, but he wouldn't turn it away either.

Ralph Estep Jr.: From 20 Downloads to Over 1,000 — But the Real Metric Changed Along the Way

Ralph Estep Jr. has watched his download numbers climb steadily — from 20, to 30, to 100, to over 1,000 per episode today. When I asked him for his floor, he landed on 300, a number tied to an early goal of "really feeling like I've arrived."

But the more interesting part of his answer wasn't the number — it was what changed how he thinks about success. Regular emails from listeners describing what the show has meant to them convinced him that impact matters more than download count. Ralph is launching a new show, Becoming Financially Confident, on August 31.

Why I Don't Think Downloads Are the Right Way to Measure My Own Success

My own answer breaks from the pattern: I don't really have a download floor. Across more than 30 podcasts I've launched over the years, some — like Building a Better Dave and How to Pitch a Podcast — still get fewer than 100 downloads per episode, and that's not what determines whether I keep making them.

What actually made me walk away from a show was a change in my own life or interest, not a download number. I ended my long-running podcast for musicians when I was no longer in a band. I ended Weekly Web Tools after eight to ten years because I'd said everything I had to say. I ended New to Cooking after 18 episodes once I realized the real problem: I just don't like cooking.

The common thread for me: when a show stops being fun, that's my reason to stop — regardless of what the download numbers say.

When Should You Quit a Podcast? A Simple Test I Recommend Before You Walk Away

Before assuming your download numbers mean it's time to quit, here's a specific test I recommend: send a listener survey and mention it in every episode for six straight weeks. Offer an incentive if you want — even something small, like a $25 gift card.

If you run that experiment for six episodes and get zero responses, it stings — but it also tells you something real: your audience isn't as engaged as you hoped, which frees you to build the show you want to make instead of chasing feedback that isn't coming.

And if you do decide to end a show, that's not a failure — it's an opportunity. Podcast audiences follow hosts, not just content. If you're ending one show to start another, tell your audience exactly where you're going.

How to Grow Your Podcast Without Just Hoping It Happens

A recurring theme I keep coming back to: most podcasters know what they should be doing to grow — guesting on other shows, posting on social media, starting a newsletter — but don't actually do it. My advice is blunt: stop thinking about the tactic and go execute it.

I'll use myself as the example — I host a local podcast about Akron, Ohio, and there's a free promotional opportunity I still haven't taken: handing out business cards at a weekly downtown concert. It's been sitting untouched because it means stepping outside my comfort zone to talk to strangers.

How to Pitch Yourself as a Podcast Guest (and How Not To)

I also included a quick-hit lesson on guest pitching this episode, featuring a clip from Scott Johnson of What Was That Like — a show about people who've survived extraordinary events, from alligator attacks to mass shootings. Scott shares a pitch he received offering an interview with a local U-Haul dealer, sandwiched between conversations with a plane crash survivor and a bombing survivor. It's a useful reminder to research a show before pitching yourself (or a guest) to it.

I also want to flag a growing problem I'm seeing on guest-matching platforms like PodMatch: some people are booking interviews purely to collect a per-interview payout, not because they're a good fit for the show. If you're vetting potential guests — or guest spots for yourself — listen to the show first and make sure the audience actually matches the expertise being offered. For a more structured approach to guest pitching, check out Pitch a Podcast, and for another guest-booking option, see PodcastGuest.com.

Resources I Mentioned in This Episode

This content may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services I trust and believe will provide value to you. Thank you for your support!

Mentioned in this episode:

Where Will I Be?

I love meeting you when I'm out at events. Here are some of my next events: Podcast Movement September 17-18 Podindy November 7th (use the coupon pacer at podindy.com)

Where Will I Be?

Question of the Month: Constructive and Deconstructive Feedback

This month we are talking feefdback. What is the most constructive or deconstructive (or both) piece of feedback you've received. If you haven't asked for feedback, why not? I need your answer by September 25th (late entries won't be accepted) go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question and be sure to mention your show and your website address so I can link to it in the show notes.

Question of the Month

Podpage Email Alerts

Podpage just launched a feature called Episode Alerts. It automatically emails your subscribers the moment a new episode goes live — no third-party email tool needed. When you publish, Podpage sends the email, links listeners straight to the episode, routes replies to your own inbox, and handles unsubscribes automatically. They also run every email address through validation and monitor bounces/spam complaints to protect your sender reputation. It's not meant to replace a full newsletter platform — no drip campaigns or segmentation — just a simple "hey, new episode's up" notification. It's available for Pro and Elite users, with monthly sending caps of 500 emails on Pro and 5,000 on Elite. For more information see https://www.podpage.com/updates/introducing-episode-alerts/

Podpage

Join the #1 Podcast Education Site - The School of Podcasting

Adam Curry is the co-founder of Podcasting (and the co-host of the No Agenda Show). When asked about learning how to podcast Adam said, "The place to go with the guy who has taught more people how to podcast than anybody I know - Dave Jackson, School of Podcasting.com"

School of Podcasting

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum number of downloads a podcast needs?

No official minimum exists. As I found when I asked my own audience, sustainable podcasters run shows with download counts ranging from the low tens to well over a thousand — what matters is whether the show still serves its purpose for the host, whether that's business marketing, community, or personal fulfillment.

Should I quit my podcast if downloads are dropping?

Not automatically. I recommend trying a structured feedback push first — a listener survey mentioned consistently for six episodes — before deciding the show itself is the problem. A drop in downloads is sometimes a sign the format needs tweaking, not that the show should end.

What's a good reason to end a podcast?

For me, the strongest signal isn't a download number — it's whether the show is still fun and whether my life circumstances still support it. Several of my own shows ended because they were tied to interests or life stages that had passed, not because they'd "failed."

00:00 - Untitled

00:00 - What's the Floor?

00:58 - E,powered Podcasting Conference

01:25 - Behind the Scenes

03:20 - What's the Smallest number?

03:29 - Steve Stewart

04:55 - Frank Bravo

07:50 - Behind the Scenes

08:33 - Ralph Estep JR

10:58 - YORK from Welcome To Earth Stories

16:38 - Dave Jackson

23:59 - Keep an Eye Open For This

30:07 - Join the School of Podcasting

David Jackson:

Everybody talks about growing their audience,

 

David Jackson:

but nobody talks about the number where they'd well quietly

 

David Jackson:

give up. So I ask my audience exactly that, and the answers

 

David Jackson:

are surprisingly somewhat similar. We're also gonna give

 

David Jackson:

you a quick tip just to keep your eye open if you're booking

 

David Jackson:

yourself on other shows, hit it, ladies. The School of Podcasting

 

David Jackson:

with Dave Jackson. Podcasting Sense 2005. I am your

 

David Jackson:

award-winning Hall of Fame podcast coach, Dave Jackson.

 

David Jackson:

Thanking you so much for tuning in. If you're new to the show,

 

David Jackson:

welcome aboard. This is where we help you plan, launch, and grow

 

David Jackson:

your podcast. Our website, brought to you by PodPage.com,

 

David Jackson:

is SchoolOfPodcasting.com. Use the coupon code Listener when

 

David Jackson:

you sign up for either a monthly, quarterly, or yearly

 

David Jackson:

subscription. I am literally just got back like I don't know

 

David Jackson:

10 minutes ago from Empowered Podcasting Conference Number

 

David Jackson:

Three. It was a great time. I got to hang out with old

 

David Jackson:

friends. I got to make new friends. I saw some great

 

David Jackson:

speakers that I definitely want to be reaching out to. And I got

 

David Jackson:

home and I was like, oh, it's question of the month time, and

 

David Jackson:

I want to thank everyone who sent in their answers. And just

 

David Jackson:

to give you a little behind the scenes here, when I did a

 

David Jackson:

question of the month a while ago, and I asked, "How do you

 

David Jackson:

measure the success of your podcast? But one of the answers

 

David Jackson:

can't be downloads, and I was really trying to get you to hone

 

David Jackson:

in on why you're doing your podcast. Because if you don't

 

David Jackson:

get your why, you quit. And so I wanted to also get you to look

 

David Jackson:

at there are other ways to measure success than downloads.

 

David Jackson:

And so with this month's question, which is, look, we all

 

David Jackson:

want more downloads. We know that, but what's the smallest

 

David Jackson:

amount of downloads you would do the show for? And if you went

 

David Jackson:

below that number, would you quit or would you try to find a

 

David Jackson:

way to tweak things and keep on going? Now, again, if we go,

 

David Jackson:

well, let's just play the jingle, shall we? And so this

 

David Jackson:

question is again maybe trying to pull you away from downloads.

 

David Jackson:

That there are again other ways to do that, but also maybe look

 

David Jackson:

at it as, huh? Especially, would I quit or would I keep going?

 

David Jackson:

Because a lot of times we are doing things that, for whatever

 

David Jackson:

reason, are not resonating with our audience, and we turn around

 

David Jackson:

and do the exact same thing, and wonder why our show isn't

 

David Jackson:

growing. But maybe that was a fluke twice in a row. So we'll

 

David Jackson:

do the exact same thing again. And well, that didn't work

 

David Jackson:

either. Hmm. Well, surely the odds are with me. I'll just do

 

David Jackson:

the same thing again. And nope, that didn't work either. Yeah,

 

David Jackson:

that's kind of not not a great strategy. And so that's kind of

 

David Jackson:

where this question comes from. And I thought about this as I

 

David Jackson:

was driving home from the Cleveland airport, and I have my

 

David Jackson:

answer. But we're going to start off with the one, the only.

 

David Jackson:

Don't be fooled by cheap imitations. Steve Stewart from

 

David Jackson:

SteveStewart Me and the Podcast Editors Academy. Take it away,

 

David Jackson:

Steve.

 

Unknown:

Hey, Dave. Hey, SLB family. It's Steve from

 

Unknown:

SteveStewartme where I edit podcasts for personal finance

 

Unknown:

content creators. This is really sad, but I think about quitting

 

Unknown:

the podcast editor mastermind show that I co-host. I think

 

Unknown:

about quitting it every time I look at the download numbers. I

 

Unknown:

mean, I've got this Facebook group of almost 10,000 people

 

Unknown:

and can't get more than like 1% to listen. It seems really,

 

Unknown:

really sad, but but the podcast isn't just for community and

 

Unknown:

just for fun, which I do have. I do have community and fun with

 

Unknown:

the podcast, but it's also marketing for the Podcast Editor

 

Unknown:

Academy, and I did get two people to sign up because they

 

Unknown:

found the show recently. And as a lot of people mentioned in a

 

Unknown:

previous question of the month, it's not about the downloads.

 

Unknown:

It's about the feedback. It's about the participation. It's

 

Unknown:

about the audience, and of course, we're looking at growing

 

Unknown:

our academy membership. So that's the payback. But if I had

 

Unknown:

to give you a number, I'd say less than 25 per episode. I'd

 

Unknown:

really think about stopping the podcast. But then I try and

 

Unknown:

figure out how to start a different one. Podcasting is

 

Unknown:

life. All right, this has been Steve Stewart, co-founder of the

 

Unknown:

Podcast Editor Academy and co-host of the Podcast Editors

 

Unknown:

Mastermind Show, which you can find in your favorite podcast

 

Unknown:

app or@podcastededitorsmastermind.com.

 

Unknown:

Thanks, Dave.

 

David Jackson:

Thank you, Steve. I believe that is a new T-shirt.

 

David Jackson:

Podcasting is. Life. We're going to pass it over to the who. If

 

David Jackson:

this is this guy's real name, he was born to be behind the

 

David Jackson:

microphone. The one and only Frank Bravo.

 

Unknown:

Hey, Dave. It's Frank Bravo, host of Your Tech

 

Unknown:

Makeover, the podcast that helps everyday people simplify and get

 

Unknown:

more out of technology in their lives. This month's question was

 

Unknown:

actually pretty easy for me since I'm already only getting

 

Unknown:

10s of downloads per episodes, not hundreds, not 1000s. You

 

Unknown:

heard me right, only 10s. So, what's the smallest number I'd

 

Unknown:

continue? Well, I think I'm already there. Here's why.

 

Unknown:

Someone recently asked me why I do my podcast, and actually, I'm

 

Unknown:

going to do a bonus episode about this because I thought

 

Unknown:

this was kind of a good question. I'm really not trying

 

Unknown:

to build a business around this. It's more of a fun project and a

 

Unknown:

value add. The kind of things that I take what I hear every

 

Unknown:

day from clients and turn them into something that everyone can

 

Unknown:

use. For instance, just last week I scolded door-to-door AT&T

 

Unknown:

salesman on the difference between buying internet and

 

Unknown:

buying Wi-Fi. Seems like a simple question, but he couldn't

 

Unknown:

answer the difference. In his case, he walked away sort of

 

Unknown:

mad. But I know my listeners don't have that same reaction,

 

Unknown:

and that's why I do this. If one person avoids a scam, or finally

 

Unknown:

sets up a password manager, or stops paying for a subscription

 

Unknown:

they don't need, I feel like that's a win. While the numbers

 

Unknown:

matter, it's almost like they don't. So, am I just accepting

 

Unknown:

of these numbers? Of course not. I'm trying to figure out how to

 

Unknown:

increase them, but it's not my primary focus. If they grow,

 

Unknown:

then great. I'd be super happy about that. And if a sponsor or

 

Unknown:

a speaking opportunity comes along with it, I'm not going to

 

Unknown:

say no. But I'm really not chasing it either. So the short

 

Unknown:

version is, I'd continue to make the show even at 10s of

 

Unknown:

downloads because it's the impact, not the count, that is

 

Unknown:

the point. But I'm not pretending. I would absolutely

 

Unknown:

take the growth if it showed up, and so that's what I think for

 

Unknown:

my podcast. Again, I'm Frank Bravo, and your tech makeover is

 

Unknown:

the podcast for people who use technology all the time but

 

Unknown:

don't consider themselves tech people. Each episode, I turn

 

Unknown:

everyday tech frustrations into tips and tricks that anyone can

 

Unknown:

actually use. You can find the show and more about me at

 

Unknown:

yourtechmakeover.com. Thanks a lot, Dave.

 

David Jackson:

Thank you, mr. Bravo. And I got to hang out

 

David Jackson:

this weekend with again a lot of friends, and one of them is the

 

David Jackson:

one and only you know him as the content creators accountant

 

David Jackson:

Ralph Eastep Jr. Super nice guy super generous guy holy cow

 

David Jackson:

thank you for the free Uber rides and much much more and I

 

David Jackson:

don't think I'm going to do it in this episode but I'm going to

 

David Jackson:

do an episode probably next week on some of the takeaways and in

 

David Jackson:

true fashion, not that the speakers were bad. Some of them

 

David Jackson:

were very, very good, but the biggest takeaways, yep, came

 

David Jackson:

from the hallway. And so I was talking to Ralph about how this

 

David Jackson:

week was question of the month. I had no idea how many answers I

 

David Jackson:

got, and he's like, "Well, can I send one in? And so just to give

 

David Jackson:

you again behind the scenes, what's going on? Ralph did this

 

David Jackson:

on his phone, and then uploaded or shared it or however he got

 

David Jackson:

it to me. And what I'm doing this week is there's a cool, I

 

David Jackson:

guess, service. It's called Voice Regen from Waves, and I

 

David Jackson:

ran everybody through that tool, and then I'm also running it

 

David Jackson:

through D Revive Pro, which I probably don't need, but that's

 

David Jackson:

a tool that kind of makes everybody sound the same. And

 

David Jackson:

then my favorite plugin of all time is the Shep's Omni Channel,

 

David Jackson:

and I'm going to play Ralph straight from his phone, and

 

David Jackson:

then we will hear Ralph's full message after it's gone through

 

David Jackson:

the processing. Hey

 

David Jackson:

Ralph Estep Jr.: Dave, it's Ralph Eastep Jr. I'm responding

 

David Jackson:

to your question of the month.

 

David Jackson:

Okay, and again, Ralph is just using his phone,

 

David Jackson:

and here's the full one now with all the processing.

 

David Jackson:

Ralph Estep Jr.: Hey Dave, it's Ralph Eastep Jr. I'm responding

 

David Jackson:

to your question of the month for the School of Podcasting,

 

David Jackson:

and that is how many downloads would I have to receive in order

 

David Jackson:

to keep on doing my podcast, and I've thought a lot about it. And

 

David Jackson:

I remember when I first started, I was so excited to have about

 

David Jackson:

20 downloads, and then it went up to 30 downloads, and and then

 

David Jackson:

it went to 100 downloads, and now it's over 1000 downloads an

 

David Jackson:

episode. And so, to answer your question, I remember working a

 

David Jackson:

few years ago with you, and we talked about man. If I could get

 

David Jackson:

this thing to 300 episode or 300 downloads an episode, I would

 

David Jackson:

feel like I've really arrived. So I guess my answer right now

 

David Jackson:

is 300 downloads per episode. But at the same time, in the

 

David Jackson:

last couple weeks, just about every week, I've gotten a

 

David Jackson:

letter, and it's been excuse me a letter, an email from a a

 

David Jackson:

listener, and they said, you know, here's what your podcast

 

David Jackson:

has meant to me, Ralph. So the truth is, Dave, when I think

 

David Jackson:

about it, it's not really a question of downloads; it's more

 

David Jackson:

a question of impact. And the truth is, if I can get a email

 

David Jackson:

occasionally from a listener like that, man, that's worth

 

David Jackson:

more than 1000s of downloads. So. I hope that answers your

 

David Jackson:

question. If you want to find out more information about me,

 

David Jackson:

the easiest thing to do is to go to ralphestepjr.com. That's r a

 

David Jackson:

l p h e s t e p j r.com, and we're going to be launching our

 

David Jackson:

new show, becoming financially confident. It's going to be live

 

David Jackson:

on august 31 at 1130 a.m. Eastern Time. That's

 

David Jackson:

becomingfinanciallyconfident.com. Thank you, Dave, and I'll be

 

David Jackson:

talking to you soon.

 

David Jackson:

Thank you, Ralph. And when I was talking to him

 

David Jackson:

about this, I said, "You know what's the hardest part about

 

David Jackson:

the question of the month is I'm. It's late. I've got

 

David Jackson:

everybody edited. I've got to do the show notes and put all the

 

David Jackson:

links, and I go. Then it'll dawn on me that I will need a new

 

David Jackson:

question for the question of the month, so I'm going to say this

 

David Jackson:

here. If you ever have a question that you think would be

 

David Jackson:

a good question of the month, I am always open to that. And

 

David Jackson:

Ralph spit out one, which you will hear somewhere in this

 

David Jackson:

episode. So, Ralph, again, thanks for helping me out on

 

David Jackson:

that as well. In just a second, you're going to hear my answer.

 

David Jackson:

So I've started over 30 shows, and some of the shows I do now

 

David Jackson:

still barely get less than 100 downloads. For example, I do a

 

David Jackson:

show called Building a Better Dave. It's basically me

 

David Jackson:

documenting things in my life. Some of it's very weird, where

 

David Jackson:

I'm trying to be funny. That gets less than 100 downloads.

 

David Jackson:

How to pitch a podcast is a show I just launched that's currently

 

David Jackson:

getting less than 100 downloads. Now, the question you have to

 

David Jackson:

ask yourself, right? We're talking about how many downloads

 

David Jackson:

do you need? What happens if you go under them? That's the thing.

 

David Jackson:

Where okay, what if your life depended on this? Because you're

 

David Jackson:

like, well, I should probably try to be a guest on other

 

David Jackson:

shows. Okay, well, quit trying and go do it. I probably should

 

David Jackson:

post on social. Well, quit trying and go do it. I should

 

David Jackson:

probably start a newsletter. We'll quit trying and go do it

 

David Jackson:

because you've already figured out what's not working. Go try

 

David Jackson:

some new stuff, and if you want to quit, it's perfectly fine.

 

David Jackson:

The reason when I looked through my list, there were some shows

 

David Jackson:

where life had changed. The very first show I did was for

 

David Jackson:

musicians. When I quit that show, I was no longer in a band.

 

David Jackson:

I'd done it for over 10 years. I had said all I had to say, and

 

David Jackson:

it wasn't fun anymore. I did a show called Weekly Web Tools. I

 

David Jackson:

did it for over 10 years, I believe, maybe eight, and I had

 

David Jackson:

said all I had to say, and it wasn't fun anymore. So for me, I

 

David Jackson:

don't think it's really about the downloads. I think it's more

 

David Jackson:

about the fun, and life's too short to do things that aren't

 

David Jackson:

fun. And in those cases, because I'd done them so long-810,

 

David Jackson:

years-that I just decided I'm not going to try to fix this. I

 

David Jackson:

did a show called New to Cooking, where I was-you guessed

 

David Jackson:

it-New to cooking, and I did, I think, 18 episodes of that. And

 

David Jackson:

then it dawned on me: Oh, that's right. I don't like cooking, so

 

David Jackson:

that's not a one where it's like, well, let's figure out

 

David Jackson:

what's wrong. No, I figured out what's wrong. I don't like to

 

David Jackson:

cook, so there wasn't anything wrong with the podcast. It was

 

David Jackson:

just I don't know why I thought somehow doing a podcast would

 

David Jackson:

keep my passion up for that, and that's where you need natural

 

David Jackson:

passion of like I will talk about this even if I have no

 

David Jackson:

download. So there are things you can do. One of the things

 

David Jackson:

that we talked about this this weekend at Empowered Podcasting

 

David Jackson:

Conference of getting actual feedback from your show, and

 

David Jackson:

we're kind of confused as to why you haven't done that yet. In

 

David Jackson:

fact, you'll hear the question of the month is around that, but

 

David Jackson:

that's me. I don't really have a number for me. I think it's more

 

David Jackson:

about the fun or the passion because sometimes your life has

 

David Jackson:

just changed. So realize, sometimes we talk about pod

 

David Jackson:

fade, and that is there's nothing wrong with just quitting

 

David Jackson:

a show. But if you're going to do another show, that's a huge

 

David Jackson:

opportunity to say, "Hey, I'm not doing this show anymore, but

 

David Jackson:

I'm going to be over here, and that's where you say your domain

 

David Jackson:

because you do have a domain right for the new show, so they

 

David Jackson:

can follow you over there. We have seen this time after time

 

David Jackson:

that if you're stopping one show and starting another one, that

 

David Jackson:

people will follow the host.

 

David Jackson:

They come for the content, but they stay for the host. So if

 

David Jackson:

you've decided, hey, my life has changed, I don't want to talk

 

David Jackson:

about this anymore, or whatever it is, then let people know

 

David Jackson:

where you're going to go. And if you've decided, hey, I'm going

 

David Jackson:

to try to make this show better, I would start with a survey, get

 

David Jackson:

some feedback from people, and then here's the thing, and this

 

David Jackson:

is hard, it is tough, it is a. Punch! If you do a survey and

 

David Jackson:

you mention it in every show for six months, six months, six six

 

David Jackson:

weeks, six episodes. Let's go that route. Six episodes you

 

David Jackson:

mention and you explain how this is going to make the show

 

David Jackson:

better, and you need your feedback, and you maybe even

 

David Jackson:

offer a I don't know $25 gift certificate to Amazon and you

 

David Jackson:

get zero responses. I'm not here to pretend that doesn't hurt. It

 

David Jackson:

does, but it also then gives you free rein to do whatever you

 

David Jackson:

want because your audience just isn't engaged, and so it's up to

 

David Jackson:

you then to follow your intuition to make the show that

 

David Jackson:

you hope people like, and one of the things in that case is do

 

David Jackson:

the show that you want to do, so that you're not popping a hole

 

David Jackson:

in your passion that's going to sift out and leave you back in

 

David Jackson:

the same idea. Hope that helps. If you have any questions, it's

 

David Jackson:

an interesting thought process just to go through that. What

 

David Jackson:

would be if I only had 10 downloads? If I only had five,

 

David Jackson:

would I keep going and what would I do? And that's where

 

David Jackson:

sometimes again, quit thinking about how would how do I grow

 

David Jackson:

this and actually do those steps. Sometimes we get a little

 

David Jackson:

picky, like no, go try this, and like I'll give you an example,

 

David Jackson:

and then we'll wrap this up. I do a show about Akron, Ohio.

 

David Jackson:

I've been actually doing it fairly steady, and every Friday,

 

David Jackson:

every Friday there is a concert in downtown Akron, and I have

 

David Jackson:

yet to go and hand out business cards. So if I'm sitting there

 

David Jackson:

going, I don't know why my show is growing, shame on you! That

 

David Jackson:

is free promotion. I've already bought the business cards. It

 

David Jackson:

just requires me to step out of my comfort zone and go talk to

 

David Jackson:

strangers, which is not my favorite thing. But as I as I'm

 

David Jackson:

recording this now, there's that voice in my head that says,

 

David Jackson:

"This is the week you're going to do it. And so, quit thinking

 

David Jackson:

about trying things to grow your audience and actually do them.

 

David Jackson:

One of the great things about getting together with other

 

David Jackson:

podcasters is you can compare notes. So I'm going to talk a

 

David Jackson:

little bit about pitching yourself as a guest to other

 

David Jackson:

shows, which leads me to how to pitch a podcast, and I'm just

 

David Jackson:

going to play a clip from it. This was from Scott Johnson from

 

David Jackson:

the show "What Was That Like, and if you want to learn how to

 

David Jackson:

pitch yourself to a podcast, just listen to this. I'm gonna.

 

David Jackson:

This is an abbreviated version of this episode, but Scott's

 

David Jackson:

show is called "What Was That Like, and in regards to his

 

David Jackson:

episodes, well, here's Scott.

 

Unknown:

Each episode is a conversation with someone who's

 

Unknown:

been through something extremely unusual, like an alligator

 

Unknown:

attack, or they were crushed by a falling tree, or they survived

 

Unknown:

a mass shooting, things like that. And even if you didn't

 

Unknown:

listen to the show, if you just read Scott's titles, you would

 

Unknown:

see things like Sue's parachute didn't open, Chris survived a

 

Unknown:

home invasion, Jeff's arm was torn off. But for some

 

Unknown:

publicists, even that is too much work. So I recently got

 

Unknown:

this pitch. The email was titled "Clearwater Welcomes U-Haul

 

Unknown:

Rentals to the Home Improvement Discount Center, and the email

 

Unknown:

said, "Hi Scott, U-Haul Company of Florida is pleased to

 

Unknown:

announce that Home Improvement Discount Center signed on as a

 

Unknown:

U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Clearwater community,

 

Unknown:

please consider sharing this news with your audience. If you

 

Unknown:

wish to interview the local U-Haul dealer, I'm happy to

 

Unknown:

assist.

 

David Jackson:

And as you might imagine, Scott was overjoyed.

 

Unknown:

In between my conversations with the man who

 

Unknown:

survived a plane crash and the woman whose Oklahoma office was

 

Unknown:

blown up by a terrorist, I have the opportunity to talk about

 

Unknown:

U-Haul trailers with the local dealer. Honestly, if I actually

 

Unknown:

put out an episode like that, my audience would think it's an

 

Unknown:

April Fool's joke in July.

 

David Jackson:

Now, one of the resources I often recommend when

 

David Jackson:

it comes to being booked as a guest on your show, or vice

 

David Jackson:

versa, if you're looking to have people come on your show, is

 

David Jackson:

Podmatch, and I still do. Another one is PodcastGuest.com,

 

David Jackson:

but Podmatch is probably one of my favorites. And one of the

 

David Jackson:

things, because Alex Sanfilippo is such a great guy, he has an

 

David Jackson:

affiliate program. So if you use my link to join Podmatch, I'll

 

David Jackson:

get a small commission from that, and he also pays people to

 

David Jackson:

use it to you know be the host. So he's always giving back, and

 

David Jackson:

as always with the internet, when somebody comes up with

 

David Jackson:

something with a great idea, someone will take it and

 

David Jackson:

potentially abuse it. So this has. Nothing to do with Alex, or

 

David Jackson:

I shouldn't say nothing, but it's one of those things where

 

David Jackson:

I'm not throwing shade at Alex. It's the weenies that are taking

 

David Jackson:

his generosity and maybe kind of tainting it a bit, and we're all

 

David Jackson:

just noticing. So this is something to maybe do now. Any

 

David Jackson:

time you want to be on somebody's show, you should

 

David Jackson:

always go over and listen to it to make sure that your expertise

 

David Jackson:

as a guest will match the audience. And so you really want

 

David Jackson:

to do your due diligence because we're finding people often in

 

David Jackson:

what appears to be Africa, and nothing against African

 

David Jackson:

podcasters, or you know, et cetera. But here's the thing:

 

David Jackson:

these are people that are doing interviews simply for getting

 

David Jackson:

paid from Alex, which is they're kind of abusing his generosity

 

David Jackson:

here. And I'm not saying all of them. We're just it's one of

 

David Jackson:

those things when we all compare notes and and we all kind of

 

David Jackson:

went. Anybody else notice? And this is I mentioned this I

 

David Jackson:

believe on this show I did an experiment one week where I had

 

David Jackson:

four interviews booked back to back to back to back, and they

 

David Jackson:

all asked me almost the same identical questions, and it

 

David Jackson:

makes you go. Hmm. Did they go? I'm interviewing Dave Jackson.

 

David Jackson:

Give me six questions because I remember question number three

 

David Jackson:

was, "What's the difference between a podcast that quits at

 

David Jackson:

episode seven and one that keeps on going? And and I when I'm

 

David Jackson:

literally I'm doing these interviews back to back to back,

 

David Jackson:

and when you hear the same questions, you're like, "Hmm,

 

David Jackson:

that seems weird. And somebody told me that they were doing the

 

David Jackson:

interview, and they said, "I don't really care about the

 

David Jackson:

interview. I just know if I can do two of these a day, I'll make

 

David Jackson:

like 50 bucks a month. And apparently, where they were,

 

David Jackson:

that was a lot of money. So again, this isn't everyone, and

 

David Jackson:

this isn't really a problem that Podmatch, you know, doesn't care

 

David Jackson:

about. They, in fact, if you don't use the service, they will

 

David Jackson:

ask you, "Hey, what's the deal? People are, you know, sending

 

David Jackson:

you messages and you're not replying, and they will

 

David Jackson:

actually, in some cases, kick you off the platform if you're

 

David Jackson:

not going to use it. Which again goes back to Alex wanting to

 

David Jackson:

make a great program and a great service. So this isn't an Alex

 

David Jackson:

problem. It's people that are being weenies and taking

 

David Jackson:

advantage of his generosity. But I'm just saying that when you go

 

David Jackson:

to be a guest on someone's podcast, you might dig a little

 

David Jackson:

deeper because it may just be someone trying to interview

 

David Jackson:

anybody with a pulse to take advantage of Alex and his

 

David Jackson:

generosity and get paid. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks again to all

 

David Jackson:

the new friends I made at Empowered Podcasting Conference

 

David Jackson:

Three. Thanks to Mark and Rich and Jason for putting on a fun

 

David Jackson:

event. I look forward to EPC four. I'll definitely be going

 

David Jackson:

back. And I got to tell you, I got conference brain. The the

 

David Jackson:

blooper section of the show is going to be longer than the

 

David Jackson:

actual show today. And if you need help with your podcast,

 

David Jackson:

schoolofpodcasting.com. You can sign up for a monthly,

 

David Jackson:

quarterly, or yearly subscription. And the big thing

 

David Jackson:

that everybody goes, wait, what? Yeah, you can have five hours of

 

David Jackson:

one-on-one consulting with me. You get the step-by-step

 

David Jackson:

courses, you get group coaching, and you can sign up for what we

 

David Jackson:

call listener parties, which is just honest, constructive

 

David Jackson:

feedback on is you know if you go is my show any good?

 

David Jackson:

There's an easy way to to do this. Sign up for the School of

 

David Jackson:

Podcasting and get some honest feedback. And so many times when

 

David Jackson:

people hear honest feedback, they think it means put your

 

David Jackson:

show out there and let people rip it to shreds. I'm going to

 

David Jackson:

assume your show is not absolutely horrible, but we all

 

David Jackson:

have things that we don't see, and that's where it's helpful to

 

David Jackson:

have a friend that goes, "Hey, did you know? I'll give you an

 

David Jackson:

example. We heard Steve Stewart. We're at I think Podcast

 

David Jackson:

Movement might have been Podfest. Don't really care

 

David Jackson:

doesn't really matter and Steve and I went to lunch and he said

 

David Jackson:

hey are you open for notes and I'm like look man I'm Mister

 

David Jackson:

Constant Improvement you know I am and he said I gotta let you

 

David Jackson:

know the curmudgeon is coming out a little quicker than usual

 

David Jackson:

meaning I might be losing my patience being a little more

 

David Jackson:

cranky than usual and I was like, and I told him, I said,

 

David Jackson:

you know, if we hadn't even gone to the conference yet, we were

 

David Jackson:

literally, you know, walking in the parking lot when we went to

 

David Jackson:

lunch, and I was like, if I leave right now and never go to

 

David Jackson:

the conference, the you know the money I spent on the hotel and

 

David Jackson:

the travel was worth it. I love constructive feedback because

 

David Jackson:

it. Gives you an option to fix, and in many cases, it's really

 

David Jackson:

easy to fix. So why wouldn't you do that? So that is something

 

David Jackson:

that's also available at the School of Podcasting. So until

 

David Jackson:

next week, if you got value out of this show, do me a favor,

 

David Jackson:

share it with a friend. I understand that when you do

 

David Jackson:

that, karma comes along and kisses you on the lips. How cool

 

David Jackson:

is that? I'm Dave Jackson. I've been helping people for over 20

 

David Jackson:

years, and I can't wait to see what we're going to do together.

 

David Jackson:

Until next week, take care. God bless. Class is dismissed.

 

David Jackson:

Because, as the old saying goes, what does not get measured does

 

David Jackson:

not manage. Something like that. I have conference brain, so a

 

David Jackson:

lot of this is going to be, what did Dave just say? I don't know.

 

David Jackson:

And man, this is bad. Thank you, Frey. Frey, what was that?

 

David Jackson:

That's when it's half Bravo and half Frank. You get Frey, and

 

David Jackson:

your brain just freaks out. Wow, conference brain. My services,

 

David Jackson:

like fix a podcast or fix my podcast, it would be good if you

 

David Jackson:

knew your own brand, Dave. Just saying for the record, what's

 

David Jackson:

the smallest number? I don't know that there is a small

 

David Jackson:

number. I know every episode, not every. Oh boy, gee,

 

David Jackson:

seriously, come on, brain, you can do it. You can do it. Hang

 

David Jackson:

in there, my friend. Thanks so much for listening. If you know

 

David Jackson:

somebody who we're not going to do that this week,

 

Unknown:

yeah.