102. What I Learned from 100 Podcasting Episodes (So You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way)

Just last week, I celebrated publishing my 100th episode of this podcast. Some things have gone really well over the past hundred episodes, and I also had to learn some lessons along the way. In today's episode, I'm breaking it all down for you so that you can save time, streamline, and don't have to learn the hard way!

Get on the waitlist for the Podcast Growth Collective: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com/collective 

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 78 - Podcasting and Business Lessons Learned in 2024 and Changes for 2025!

This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

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Transcript

Hey. Hey. And welcome back. Just last week, I celebrated publishing my one hundredth episode of podcasting for solopreneurs. I still can't believe it. Unfortunately, most podcasters do not reach that milestone. They burn out or they give up before then. And I'm on a mission to change that because I know what a powerful asset a podcast is for your business, and I hate to see such an amazing opportunity get abandoned.

So today, I'm sharing some lessons from my first one hundred episodes, some things that have worked well and that I am continuing to do as I enter my next 100 episodes, as well as identifying some mistakes that I've made and things that I'll be doing a bit differently moving forward. I'm sharing all of this so that you don't have to learn the hard way. Alright, kicking things off with what has gone well. The first thing is that I kept going. I have published consistently for over a year and of course for over 100 episodes. Getting started can be so scary. And once you finally get over that hurdle, it is sometimes easy to think that the quote unquote hard part is over. But continuing to publish content week after week can also be really challenging.

It kind of feels like Groundhog Day. You know, by the time you get one episode finished and published, it's time to start the process all over again and work on the next one. Perseverance is key in podcasting and you'll get better as you continue. You'll get more comfortable and more confident and your podcast will get better and better. So if I have one piece of advice for you, it is to keep going. Tweak, experiment, try different things, but just keep going. I still have things to learn. My podcast is definitely not perfect, but I am continuing to move forward.

That leads us into the second thing that's working, which is continuing to refine my ideal listener over time. I have learned that having a really clear understanding of who I am talking to is super important. The hobbyist podcaster has different goals and pain points than the business podcaster. The aspiring podcaster has different goals and pain points than the current podcaster. When you are trying to talk to everyone, it can muddy your messaging. And identifying your ideal listener does not mean that other people can't benefit from your podcast. So just because I'm here talking to solopreneurs does not mean that hobbyists are not going to get valuable information. It just means that when my ideal listener is crystal clear, everything else becomes easier.

So my episode topics, my messaging, my calls to action, etcetera, everything that drives to one ideal listener speaking to one person's specific struggles and goals is going to make my content feel personal and relevant. At least I hope it does. So doing this on your podcast can also help you naturally lead them toward your offers because you're designing content that bridges the gap between where they are now and where your program or service helps them to go. Without that clarity, your podcast can become too general, and general content rarely converts. When you don't have clarity on who your podcast is truly for, your content cannot do its job. Inside the Podcast Growth Collective, we dive deep into this. You'll get support in defining and refining your ideal listener so that your episodes actually lead people toward working with you. If you want help building that bridge between your content and your offers, make sure you're on the wait list at the podcastteacher.com/collective.

And finally, something else that has worked well for me is being honest and sometimes vulnerable in my episodes. I have a good portion of this podcasting thing figured out, but I am always expanding my knowledge, course correcting, and trying new approaches. I'm not afraid to admit when I've gotten something wrong or have discovered a better way. I struggle with perfectionism, overthinking, and decision making. And I talk about these struggles here on the show. And every time that I do, I get positive feedback from listeners who appreciate that I'm sharing those struggles and that I'm being real and relatable. So even though it can sometimes be tough, I'm going to continue being transparent as I progress through my next episodes. Alright.

So those are the things that have worked well and that I'm going to carry with me into my next hundred episodes. But what about the things that have not gone so well? Let's talk about some of the mistakes that I have made so that you don't have to learn the hard way. I have made some intentional shifts over the past twenty ish episodes. So this segment is kind of a reflection on mistakes that I had been making and how I have shifted since then. And of course, what I will continue to do moving forward. The first mistake is over focusing on download numbers instead of listener engagement and conversions. Downloads are the easiest thing to measure and track in podcasting and it is so exciting to watch those numbers climb. And don't get me wrong, you can and should still track your download numbers, as well as celebrate those milestones.

But you also need to be focused on getting listeners engaged and converting them into clients. These metrics should be tracked in addition to download numbers. I'll be honest, I had a general sense of how many listeners were engaging with my podcast and where they were coming from for quite a while, but I did not have a reliable system for tracking those numbers. So recently, I've gotten more intentional about it. This shift wasn't just about collecting data. It was about understanding if my podcast was actually moving the needle forward in my business. Because the truth is, if your podcast is not bringing in clients, it is not a marketing tool. It's just content.

And content without strategy can become a time consuming hobby. So that was a bit of a wake up call for me, and now I am focused on connecting the dots between what I publish and what happens next. I am thinking strategically about how each episode supports the listener's journey from discovery to engagement to conversion. If I could rewind and do it again, I would have started building these systems and asking these questions earlier, not just how people were finding me, but why certain episodes resonated more than others, and what that revealed about my audience's struggles, needs, and readiness to work with me. That's the kind of insight that turns a podcast from a simple content platform into a business asset. And if you're listening to this thinking, okay, I know my podcast has potential, but I have no idea how to track what's working or how to turn those listeners into clients. You are not alone, and that's exactly why I am creating the Podcast Growth Collective. Inside the collective, I walk you through how to optimize your content, measure what matters, and build a podcast that actually grows your business.

You'll get guidance, tools, and community support to make smarter decisions and help you see real results. Doors are opening soon, so head to the podcastteacher.com/collective and hop on the wait list so that you don't miss out. Okay. Similar to my lack of focus on engagement and conversion metrics, another mistake that I've made is avoiding giving calls to action because I didn't want to sound quote unquote salesy. It is so easy to fall into a pattern of simply providing value on the podcast, especially if you are a teacher at heart like me. I just want to help people learn. I don't want to get into the weeds of sales psychology and convincing people to buy something, but the truth is that I am running an online business. I have to invite people to continue on their journey with me in addition to providing value.

Providing value is still extremely important, but there needs to be another layer. So you need to intentionally incorporate information about your programs, your services, your products, whatever it is, into your podcast content. You need to give a call to action and invite people to opt in to a free resource, take a quiz, schedule a discovery call with you, etcetera. I have definitely made more of a conscious effort in recent episodes to talk about my upcoming community, the Podcast Growth Collective. And I have been using dynamic content at the beginning of each episode to promote a relevant event or free resource. It still does not come naturally to me, but I am seeing better results by making a conscious effort. So I'll be continuing to do this and I will refine my technique as I move forward. If I could have a do over on my first one hundred episodes, I would definitely start focusing on this sooner.

And finally, a third mistake that I have made is not being strategic enough when it comes to my content planning. For a large number of my first one hundred episodes, I was working last minute and I just cared about getting content out. I did not put a lot of thought into how that piece of content fit into the bigger picture. If you have been a listener for a few months, you may recall my changes for twenty twenty five episode at the beginning of the year, and that one of my big goals was to be really intentional about my recording schedule, Specifically getting episodes recorded in advance so that I am not sitting down to work on an episode an hour before it is supposed to publish. I am happy to report that I have been doing really well in this area so I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back. I have not quite reached my goal of being a full episode or more ahead of schedule at all times, but some weeks I am. And the other weeks I am still working a few days ahead of the release time instead of only a few hours. I do wish that I had gotten a better handle on this sooner because recording at the last minute is so super stressful.

And by being further ahead, I have the time and space to think more strategically about my content. And planning content strategically helps your audience have the foundational information and skills for the next step, which of course is working with you in some way. So there you have it, a few things that have worked really well and that I will keep doing and a few things that I am doing differently for the next 100 episodes. I hope that whether you have not yet started or you are publishing episode 500, that you have learned something from my experience. Until next time, happy podcasting.