Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast with Courtney Elmer | Podcasting Strategy for Business Growth

Downloads are the most unreliable metric for measuring a podcast’s true success. The problem? Most podcasters still rely solely on them to decide if their show is “working.” 

In this episode, find out why the podcasting metrics that matter most aren’t the ones at the top of your dashboard, and learn to decode what these five key data points say about your show's growth. If you’re ready to make sense of your numbers and finally ...

Spotify just rolled out a new feature called “Plays” that shows your episode play counts publicly inside their app. But this move isn’t about helping creators. It’s about algorithmically manipulating what used to be a level playing field—and it benefits Spotify, not you.

Worse? It distracts you from the metrics that actually show if your podcast is working. And for independent, niche hosts, this one visible number will breed unhealt...

Quick—nothing’s batched and an episode’s due tomorrow. What do you do? Panic? Procrastinate? Skip it and hope no one notices? Sure, you could ghost your audience—but what does that really cost you? Authority. Credibility. The listener trust you’ve worked so hard to build. 

That’s why in this episode, I’m giving you 8 plug-and-play ideas you can use anytime your production schedule falls apart and you’re about to spiral into “I’m fai...

It’s the day before your episode goes live—and you still have to outline it, record it, edit it, and get it all done before 6:00 am tomorrow morning when your listeners will be looking for it. You tell yourself you work better under pressure, but this pace is unsustainable. It drains your energy, kills your creativity, and honestly? It makes you hate your podcast.

In this episode, I’m answering a listener’s question about finding ti...

You’ve probably Googled it. You’ve definitely heard five different answers from five different podcast “experts.” But how long should your episodes be? That depends entirely on your listener—and in this episode, I’m showing you how to figure out your perfect episode length using real data from your show.

You’ll learn the two metrics that matter most (and exactly where to find them), how to run a simple 10-episode audit to calculate ...

Most podcasters want more revenue from their podcast—but few have a plan for getting there. 

In this episode, Danielle Hayden (reformed corporate CFO and founder of Kickstart Accounting) is back to break down the numbers side of podcast growth. If you’ve ever wondered how to track conversions from your podcast, how to budget for your show, or how to confidently decide where to invest, this episode gives you the strategy most podcast...

Your podcast isn’t making money yet, so you think twice before investing in it. But without investing in the help you need to grow your show, it keeps struggling to bring in revenue. Ready to break out of the cycle?

Meet Danielle Hayden—reformed corporate CFO, founder of Kickstart Accounting and host of Business by the Books. She joins me to break down why most podcasters never reach profitability, what your podcast spending habits ...

Most podcasters think the problem is low downloads. But do you know what actually causes low downloads? When people can’t tell—within seconds—why your show is for them.

Fellow podcaster Desiree Petrich shares the messy, emotional (and ultimately empowering) process of rebranding her show—from trying to be everything for everyone to creating a bingeworthy podcast that speaks directly to first-time managers. You’ll hear what happened ...

You’re second-guessing your content. Overthinking your numbers. Wondering if podcasting is even worth it. And it’s not because you’re doing it wrong—it’s because you’re doing it alone.

In this episode, I’m joined by longtime podcaster and founder of the New England Podcasters Group, Andy Lyons, to expose the hidden costs of podcasting in isolation—and why plugging into a room of serious podcasters could be the thing that f...

If you’re still airing interviews you wouldn’t listen to yourself—just because you feel obligated toward your guests—you’re not building trust with your listeners. You’re breaking it. And once your audience feels like their time isn’t valued? They won’t complain. They’ll just stop listening.

If you want a podcast that builds authority and drives loyalty, you need to lead interviews that earn attention. In this episode, you’ll learn ...

If your guest could’ve given the same answers on five other podcasts, you didn’t lead the interview—you hosted a rerun. And when every guest episode sounds the same? Listeners don’t blame the guest. They stop trusting you. 

In this episode, you’ll learn the three host mistakes that quietly erode your authority, why “just letting the convo flow” leads to copy-paste content your audience has already heard, and how to stay in control o...

Most podcasters know they need a website. But the wrong kind of site can bury your show in search and cost you the listeners, leads, and visibility you're working so hard to earn.

In this episode, I’m breaking down everything you need to know about podcasting websites—from what to include (and what to avoid), to where it should live, to the one mistake that could be sending all your search traffic (and Google authority) to some...

Krissy Bold launched a parenting podcast with a confusing name, hour-long episodes no one finished, and a message no one was clicking on.

Then she made a few key changes and hit #3 in Parenting—outranking Big Bird, Blippi, and Frozen in under a week—and she’s been ranking on the top podcasting charts ever since.

What changed?

In this episode, we’re unpacking the key differences between a podcast people scroll past and one they binge, ...

Still waiting to feel “ready” before you start pitching the guests or sponsors you really want?

In this episode, HuffPost contributor and media expert Alice Draper is back to show you the exact process she uses to turn rejection into a measurable growth strategy for your podcast. You’ll learn how to build your “rejection muscle,” set rejection goals that lead to more yeses, and use data from ignored or declined pitches to refine you...

You know that pitch you *almost* sent? Or that big guest or sponsor you’re telling yourself you’ll reach out to “once you’re ready”? That idea you keep researching but haven’t acted on yet? This episode is about that moment—when you're stuck between wanting more for your podcast and actually going after it.

HuffPost contributor and media expert Alice Draper has helped clients land guest spots on 500+ podcasts, including WorkLif...

You’ve heard “niche down” is the key to podcast growth. But what if your niche is actually too narrow to scale? In this live coaching session, I walk Dennis through why his podcast wasn’t attracting the audience he really wanted—and the simple repositioning moves we made to fix it.

We're breaking down how his show's branding was confusing listeners instead of converting them, and how these core podcast content gatekeepers ...

You’ve got the mic. You’ve got the mission. So why isn’t anyone listening?

That’s the question Dennis—high school athletics coach turned podcaster—was asking when he came to me for help. He knew who he wanted to serve, but a few months in, he was still struggling to get people to notice his show.

In this first-ever Fix My Pod on-air coaching session, we’re breaking down the gap between knowing your audience and actually getting them ...

You’ve been told video podcasting the only way to grow your show—but the ones shouting the loudest about it? They’re the ones profiting from your overwhelm.

In this episode, Buzzsprout’s Head of Marketing Alban Brooke is back to expose what no one is talking about: the hidden costs, the inflated promises, and the hard data that shows how video might actually be hurting your show more than helping it. He also shares what *really* hap...

You could record another episode. You could double down on promotion. You could even guest on a hundred other podcasts. But if your show isn’t built to attract the right listeners? None of it will work.

In this episode, Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout, rips apart the most common (and costly) podcast growth myths—like why simply “putting out great content” isn’t enough and why most marketing tactics are a waste of time.

...