You know that thing where you give everyone else great podcast advice… and then ignore it yourself?

Yeah. That.

In this episode, I’m calling myself out.

And fixing my own podcast strategy in public.

I realised my show had drifted, lost focus, and wasn’t clear who it was really for. So I’m stripping it back, rebuilding the positioning, and showing you exactly how to get clarity on your own audience too.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your show’s serving the right people, or just shouting into the void then this one’s for you.

You’ll learn:

🎯 How to define your podcast audience (for real)

🚫 What to cut

⚖️ The balance between craft, creator joy, and cash in the bank

🔁 How to rebuild a show without starting from scratch

👉 Site: https://podmastery.co

👉 Contact: https://podmastery.co/contact

👉 Leave me a voicemail: https://podmastery.co/voicemail

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

If you're fed up with hearing people insist you "need to put your podcast on YouTube", this episode will give you a sense of relief.

I've just come back from judging the Independent Podcast Awards and spent time with some of the best indie creators around.

What struck me wasn't how eager they were to jump on video, but how quickly the myth started to unravel once we looked at what video actually costs independent podcasters, in cash, energy, and lost focus.

This episode is all about unpacking the hard truth behind the "you must do video to grow" narrative and how most audio-first shows are actually better off keeping their attention on what already works.

I share a case study of a winning indie show, Floating Space, and its host’s reaction when I pushed back on video hype and explained why going all-in on YouTube rarely delivers for indies who aren’t looking to become full-time video editors.

There’s plenty here that you won’t find in any of the LinkedIn gurus’ posts, and you’ll walk away understanding why "discovery" isn't just about being searchable—it's about being findable and worth listening to.

Chapters:

00:00 The Video Myth

02:00 Hype vs Reality

05:00 Awards Night penny-drop

08:00 “But you publish video…”

11:00 What to do instead

15:00 7-day focus

Podcast Improvement Audit (Lite): https://podmastery.co/lite

AI makes it easy to ship more… of nothing. Here’s why “slop-casting” is flattening audio and how to outplay it with Voice, Value, and Vulnerability.

Bonus: suggestion for a simple A/B experiment you can do today to audit your soul in the feed.

Prefer an actual audit with me? Book here: podmastery.co/lite.

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

There’s a hard truth most podcast experts will dodge, but I don’t have the energy or patience for avoiding it - there’s a reason your podcast audience isn’t growing, and it’s not because you haven’t been hustling hard enough on LinkedIn or spamming your socials.

Look, I see it over and over; brand new podcasters with all the energy in the world, launching their show and immediately going full throttle with promotion before even figuring out whether the content’s actually any good.

In this episode of Podcasting Insights, I lay out why that’s a sure-fire way to set yourself up for repeated disappointment and burnout.

Instead, I’ll walk you through my entire approach for building podcasts people actually want to talk about, and not just because you begged them to on LinkedIn.

We get into why promotion isn’t the lever you pull first, what actually matters to develop a show that holds attention, and what I make every client face up to before they spend a penny (or another hour) trying to chase down listeners.

00:00 Why Your Promotion is in Reverse!

04:53 Integrity and Strategic Success

07:34 "Building Loyal, Valuable Audiences"

12:57 Silent Launch Strategy Advice

13:59 Proof Before Promotion Strategy

Useful links:

Get your audit - https://podmastery.co/lite

See your Apple Podcasts retention data: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/

Spotify dashboard: https://podcasters.spotify.com/gateway

Find all episodes of Podcasting Insights: https://www.podmastery.co/

Tom Webster's The Audience Is Listening: https://audienceislisteningbook.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/

Show Notes Simplified

Are you sick of having to write out your episode descriptions (show notes) from scratch every time? Want to set up a templated approach that will save you hours every week? This tool is for you! (Note - this is an affiliate offer, but I don't recommend tools I'm not using myself, and I use this one DAILY)

Simplify your show notes

Rapper's Delight might be the anthem we often think of when it comes to hip hop's origins, but let me hit you with a plot twist – it wasn’t the first. That honor actually goes to a gospel group called the Jubilees, who dropped a rap-like hit back in 1946! Wild, right? This kick-off leads us into a deep dive about the real essence of being ‘first’ in the podcasting world. It’s not just about who got there first; it’s about who can break through the noise and grab attention. We’ve all seen the podcasters vying to become the next ‘Diary of a CEO’ but spoiler alert: that’s a one-way ticket to nowhere. Instead, let’s focus on carving out our unique space. How do we find our own ‘Rapper’s Delight’ moment? It’s all about framing our conversations in a way that makes our audience stop, listen, and think, ‘wow, this is fresh!’ We chat about flipping the format, leading with tension, and showing up authentically. The takeaway? Don’t worry about being first or copying others; instead, aim to be the one who resonates. Let’s turn those critiques into stepping stones and make our voices heard in this crowded podcasting arena!

Links referenced in this episode:

• podmastery.co
• rockflight.co
• podmastery.co/contact
• podmastery.co/voicemail

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Sugar Hill Gang
• Jubilaires
• Diary of a CEO
• Stephen Bartlett
• Primark
• Rock Fight
• Podmastery.co
• Apple Podcasts

Every podcaster dreads it: that brutal one-star review, the public comment that rips your hard work to shreds. But what if your harshest critic is actually your greatest growth tool?

In this episode of Podcasting Insights with The Podmaster, I'm sharing the real story of how a vocal hater went from blasting my radio morning show to becoming one of my biggest advocates, even booking me for private gigs.

You’ll learn how I made that happen, and how you can use the same methods for your podcast and any critics you get along the way.

Also, I'll share the four ways critics can sharpen your podcast, and the simple rules that stop you from losing your mind when trolls strike.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by negative feedback, this episode will change how you see it forever.

Don’t fear your haters.

Love them, learn from them, and watch how fast your podcast grows.

Mentioned in this episode:

Book your Podmaster audit

Wanna get unstuck from the sub 100 downloads per month doldrums. Fancy getting closer to top 2% podcaster glory? Sounds like you need one of my Podmaster audits. Go to podmastery.co/lite and within 5 business days you’ll get a full video and written report on my findings. That's podmastery.co/lite

Podmaster audit

Curious?

Let me tell you where most podcasters get it wrong right from the jump.

It’s that tired cliché “If you build it, they will come.”

This episode is my reality check for you, and if you're honest with yourself, it could save you more disappointment and wasted effort than you realise.

I walk through why just recording a bunch of episodes and putting them online is never going to magically build an audience, no matter how unique your idea feels.

What you’re going to hear is the real work that has to go into positioning, marketing, production, and – above all – earning the right for your audience to come back again and again.

It’s not glamorous, but it works, and I’m breaking down exactly why.

The episode gets into the numbers, the psychology, and the relentless myth that your social media follower count will somehow guarantee instant podcast listeners.

It doesn’t.

You’ll learn why podcasts and radio might share a delivery method (audio) but are incomparable when it comes to how people find and commit to content.

I’m calling out the ‘gurus’ peddling fairytales and laying out instead the importance of actionable strategy.

With thanks to Irina Tudorache - https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-tudorache/ and Michelle J Raymond for their valuable contributions towards this episode.

If you'd like to leave me a message, the voicemail is https://podmastery.co/voicemail

Mentioned in this episode:

A Podknows Production

Podknows helps brands and creators to build their podcasts into virtual sales and marketing teams which get them results even when they're sleeping. Find out more at https://podknows.co.uk/