Episode 804 - Make Your Show Discoverable (Podcast SEO) - How to Launch a Podcast with No Following Mini Series

Make Your Podcast Discoverable With Podcast SEO

Podcast SEO starts with a clear content strategy. When you launch a podcast with zero followers, you need to give potential listeners a reason to find and choose your show. Dave recommends selecting one main keyword or central idea for each episode, then building supporting terms around that focus. Use those terms naturally in the episode title and show notes to reinforce what the episode covers.

Build Useful Show Notes

Show notes should help listeners quickly understand the episode and find resources mentioned during the conversation. Keep them focused. Include relevant links, calls to action, guest information, and connections to related episodes.

Transcripts provide another useful resource. They support accessibility and can also give podcasters source material for creating additional content.

Own Your Podcast Website

A podcast needs a home that you control. Dave compares a personal website domain to owning internet real estate. Hosting platforms and third-party profile pages can change, while your domain can remain your consistent destination.

A dedicated page for each episode can provide room for an embedded player, transcripts, and expanded information. Dave chooses a simpler approach for his own podcast because maintaining hundreds of individual episode pages would require more time than he wants to spend.

Your domain can also point wherever you choose. The key lies in owning the address and directing your audience through it.

Build Your Discovery Strategy

Podcast SEO starts before listeners discover the show. Plan your content around clear subjects, make your show notes useful, and establish a website domain that gives your podcast a permanent online home.

Give your podcast a clear path to discovery from the beginning. A focused keyword strategy, useful show notes, accessible transcripts, and a website domain you control can strengthen your podcast SEO foundation.

_____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠⁠⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠⁠⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 803 - Select Your Podcast Concept Before You Record - How to Launch a Podcast with No Following Mini Series

Select Your Podcast Concept Before You Record

A strong podcast starts with a clear concept. Before you turn on the microphone, define who the show serves, what it covers, and why someone would choose it. A specific niche gives potential listeners a clear reason to pay attention and helps them recognize that your podcast belongs in their world.

Validate the Demand

A podcast can cover almost anything, but an idea needs an audience if you want to grow. Look at other podcasts covering your topic. Competition can show that people already care about the subject. Your perspective, experience, and personality create the distinction that makes your show yours.

Ask whether people search for the subject and whether they want more content around it. Research the audience before you invest time recording episodes.

Build a Strong Launch

You only need one episode to technically launch a podcast. Releasing several episodes gives new listeners more opportunities to connect with the show and gives you breathing room to create what comes next. Record ahead when you can, then release episodes according to a schedule that works for you.

Your concept also needs a format. Decide whether you will host solo, work with a co-host, interview guests, or use another structure. Understand your audience alongside those decisions.

Create for Yourself and Your Audience

Your interests should have a place in your podcast. Your audience also deserves consideration. Balance the subjects that excite you with topics people actively search for around your niche. That approach can keep you engaged while giving listeners useful reasons to return.

Nail your podcast concept before you hit record. Choose a specific niche, validate that people want the content, define your format, and prepare several episodes for launch. Your unique perspective gives the show its identity.

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 802 - Bleep Happens - Should You Swear on Your Podcast, What Could Happen if You Let It Rip on Your Next EpisodeYou make a choice every time you hit publish. That choice shapes who listens, where they listen, and whether your show reaches the audience you want to serve. Language sits at the heart of that decision.Your Audience Sets the Tone

Think about the people who press play on your episodes. They might listen while driving kids to school. They might listen at work with colleagues nearby. They might listen in countries with strict cultural norms around language. Your words create an experience for them.

Some listeners expect a clean, professional, educational show. Others want something edgy, humorous, and unfiltered. Both audiences exist. Both deserve podcasts made for them.

A listener once shared she played this show while driving her kids to school every day. She loved that she could listen without worrying about awkward moments. One episode carried a content warning at the start about mature themes. She paused immediately and switched to something else. She appreciated the warning. Without it, she might have stopped listening altogether.

Platform Rules Matter

Apple Podcasts requires you to mark episodes or entire shows as explicit when they contain profanity or material unsuitable for children. Listeners can use content restrictions that block explicit episodes from playing.

YouTube evaluates language across the full package, including video, title, thumbnail, description, and opening. Profanity at the beginning or throughout most of the content may make a video unsuitable for advertising. Occasional profanity does not necessarily prevent monetization.

Advertisers use brand safety tools to avoid content that does not fit their values. Spotify provides advertisers with filters to avoid topics and language they do not want associated with their brand.

Your podcast might disappear from certain countries entirely if it violates local language laws. Some nations forbid certain words completely. One infraction can remove your entire catalog from their libraries. This podcast reaches listeners in countries with very strict language standards. That reach depends on maintaining clean content across every episode.

Make Your Choice With Integrity

Integrity means being the same all the way through. A solid wood table stays solid from top to bottom. A table made of sawdust and glue with a fake veneer looks good on the surface but collapses under pressure. Your podcast needs that solid wood quality.

Some hosts talk about their faith or values while using language that contradicts those beliefs. Listeners notice that disconnect. They sense the lack of integrity. Say what you believe. Live it in your content. Match your outside to your inside.

Handle Guests and Difficult Topics Carefully

Guests may not share your language standards. Tell them during pre-interviews how your show handles profanity. Clarify whether you edit, bleep, or leave words in. Do not let a guest ask on air whether they can swear. That signals you did not prepare them.

Practical Strategies for Your Show

You have options. Keep episodes completely clean by editing or recording carefully from the start. Leave language in deliberately when it serves the conversation and fits your show identity. Bleep or mute selected words to preserve energy while increasing accessibility. Create separate clean and explicit versions if your audience demands both, understanding this doubles your workload and may create duplicate feed issues.

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

https://howtopodcast.ca/

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 801 - PodMatch's Report on The Health of Podcasting for September -Time to Fall in Love With Podcasting Again

Fall in Love With Podcasting Again

Podcasting remains full of opportunity, even as the industry changes. PodMatch's September 2026 report focuses on independent, interview-based podcasters and removes the celebrity and network shows that can distort the numbers for smaller creators. The report offers a useful reality check for anyone wondering where their show fits within the larger podcasting landscape.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

The report identifies more than 37,000 actively podcasting creators within its specific dataset. Podcast listenership shows strong growth while the number of active podcasts remains relatively stable. That creates room for new and existing podcasters.

Consistency matters. The report shows that most podcasters quit before reaching 100 episodes. Reaching 50 episodes already places a show among a much smaller group, while the percentage drops sharply as creators reach 100, 200, and 300 episodes.

Those numbers can encourage creators who feel insignificant because their audience seems small. Twenty-seven downloads within seven days puts a podcast in the top 50 percent according to the report's Buzzsprout data. Four hundred and seven reaches the top 10 percent. The numbers provide useful perspective when compared with inflated claims about podcast rankings.

Think Beyond Advertising

Traditional podcast advertising can generate surprisingly little income for smaller shows. The report puts average monthly advertising income at around $5.51 for podcasters at the relevant level. That raises a practical question about whether advertising makes sense when the revenue remains tiny and the audience experience suffers.

Podcast creators can build value around their expertise, relationships, services, and communities instead.

Make Your Podcast Easy to Find

PodMatch also examined how podcasters share their shows. A significant portion provided no link or supplied a broken link. A podcast website gives listeners a reliable home base and makes sharing easier across different platforms and devices.

The same principle applies when pitching yourself as a guest. One unanswered email rarely tells you anything about the host's opinion of you. Hosts have jobs, families, responsibilities, and unexpected challenges. Follow up with a genuine message that demonstrates you actually know the show. Reference specific episodes. Show real interest. Avoid pitches that sound like AI generated templates.

Build the relationship.

Podcasting rewards persistence. The data shows how few creators continue long enough to reach significant episode milestones. Keep creating, make your show easy to discover and share, build genuine relationships, and use meaningful industry data to measure your progress.https://podmatch.com/report

Join PodMatch with our link!

https://www.joinpodmatch.com/truemedia

_____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 800 - Behind 800 Episodes - The Systems, Habits, and Mindset That Kept The How To Podcast Series Going

Behind 800 Episodes

Eight hundred episodes takes commitment. Since the first episode of The How To Podcast Series launched on April 1, 2022, Dave has built a podcast library that continues to attract listeners across its back catalog. Episode 800 arrives after more than four years, with 365 consecutive daily episodes also adding to the workload. The milestone offers a chance to look at what keeps a podcast going when the initial excitement wears off.

Longevity Creates a Library

Podcasting rewards creators who keep showing up. Dave points out that many podcasts stop after only a handful of episodes, while reaching 100 episodes already puts a show well ahead of the typical podcast lifespan. His growing catalog continues to bring listeners to older episodes, showing how podcast content can keep working long after its original release.

The number 800 matters to Dave because it represents persistence. He encourages podcasters to choose milestones that fit their own goals rather than chase someone else's numbers.

Community Keeps Podcasting Interesting

The biggest surprise from 800 episodes has involved the people Dave has met along the way. Guests, co-hosts, meetup participants, listeners, and fellow podcasters have expanded his understanding of podcasting and introduced perspectives he could never have covered alone.

He also values disagreement. Different approaches create better conversations and challenge assumptions.

What Comes After 800?

Dave does not see episode 800 as a finish line. He plans to complete his daily publishing commitment through the end of 2026 while considering what the show should look like in 2027. He expects co-hosted episodes to remain part of the podcast and welcomes suggestions from listeners about its future.

The bigger message reaches beyond any particular episode count. Keep creating. Keep connecting. Give yourself a milestone that matters to you, then keep moving once you reach it.

Podcast longevity comes from continuing to create, learning from others, and building relationships along the way. Your milestone can become a marker of what you have accomplished and a starting point for whatever comes next.

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episdoe 799 - The One Step Most Podcasters Skip, But This Step Might Be The One Step Could Make Your Podcast Better

Listen to Your Own Podcast

Publishing an episode does not end the work. Listening to your own podcast after it goes live gives you a chance to experience the show from the listener's seat. That shift in perspective can reveal problems you missed while recording and editing.

Podcasters often avoid hearing themselves. Dave challenges that habit by comparing podcasting with music, where musicians constantly listen to their recordings, evaluate their performances, and respond to what audiences hear.

Find What You Missed

Listening from beginning to end can uncover technical mistakes, awkward edits, unwanted silence, repeated music, sound effects that overlap your voice, or interview sections that fall out of sync. You can then replace the audio file on your hosting platform and correct the episode without creating a second version.

Your voice can also reveal habits you never notice while speaking. Repeated filler words, interruptions, awkward phrasing, and rushed responses become much easier to recognize when you hear yourself as a listener.

That awareness can improve more than your podcast. It can change how you communicate with people away from the microphone.

Put Yourself in the Listener's Seat

Recording requires a different kind of attention. You think about the next question, the guest, the technology, and keeping the conversation moving. Listening removes those responsibilities.

Now you can judge the experience your audience receives.

Listen for opportunities to tighten the content. Check the audio quality. Pay attention to the flow. Make sure the episode sounds the way you intended when it reaches another podcast app or device.

Listen Before You Publish

Dave also recommends scheduling episodes ahead of their release date. A future-dated episode creates a valuable window for quality control.

Listen before the episode reaches the public. If you catch a mistake, replace the audio while you still have time. Once someone downloads the original file, you cannot remove that version from their device.

Publishing should never become the final interaction you have with an episode. Listen to your podcast from start to finish, preferably before it goes live. That simple habit can help you catch mistakes, improve your communication, understand the listener experience, and make each episode stronger.

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 798 - Spotify Subscriptions - Make Money From Your Content As A Spotify Creator

Spotify Subscriptions and Podcast Monetization

Spotify subscriptions give podcast creators another way to earn money from their content. Dave explores Spotify subscriptions, paid podcast content, and the challenge of deciding what listeners should receive when they support a show financially.

Dave has experimented with subscriber content before. One listener paid $3 per month for extra episodes, which created an unexpected problem. Dave felt responsible for producing additional content for one person, even when that content took more time than the subscription justified. That experience changed how he thinks about paid content.

Turn Old Episodes Into Value

Dave currently has hundreds of published episodes, including older material that rarely receives new listens. He considers placing those older episodes behind a paywall while keeping recent episodes freely available.

That approach could give existing content a second life without forcing him to produce another episode every day. It could also create a revenue stream from work he has already completed.

Early access offers another possibility. Creators who record episodes ahead of schedule could give subscribers access before the general audience receives them.

What Should Subscribers Receive?

Dave questions the value of bonus material that requires significant extra production. He sees more potential in simple, personal content that creates a closer connection with supporters.

A short walk-and-talk recording could work. No elaborate production. No complicated editing. Just a few minutes of direct conversation about whatever happens to be on Dave's mind.

The subscriber gets access to something personal and different. The creator keeps the workload manageable.

Spotify's Requirements

Spotify requires creators to publish at least two episodes and have at least 100 Spotify users interact with the show during the previous 30 days before they can set up subscriptions. Dave has more than enough published episodes and hundreds of Spotify followers, yet he needs more recent activity to qualify.

Spotify also provides options such as subscriber-only episodes, extended episodes, early access, and fewer ads.

Dave points out one significant tradeoff. Paid content sits behind a paywall, which limits its public visibility and its ability to attract search traffic.

A subscription only works when the audience sees enough value to pay for it. Before creating a paid podcast tier, decide what you can deliver consistently and what your listeners will genuinely value. Old content, early access, or simple personal recordings could create that value without turning your podcast into a second full-time job.

The episode also includes Dave's approach to choosing podcast guesting opportunities and evaluating shows before accepting an invitation.

Spotify Subscription Information in more detail:

https://support.spotify.com/ca-en/creators/article/setting-up-subscriptions/

My PodMatch Affiliate Link:

https://www.joinpodmatch.com/truemedia

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6

Episode 797 - Spotify's New Skip Feature - Not Such A Big Deal For Podcasters Without Ads and Boring, Predictable and Skippable Content

Spotify's Skip Feature Changes the Listening Experience

Spotify has introduced a skip option that can help listeners move past ads, promotional segments, intros, and other parts of podcasts that listeners frequently skip. Dave sees the feature from a listener's perspective and argues that podcasters should pay attention to what listener behaviour can reveal about their content.

The feature may have limited impact on podcasts without advertising. Dave sees a bigger question for every podcaster, though. Why does a listener want to skip part of your show?

Predictability Makes Podcasts Skippable

Listeners learn patterns quickly. If every episode follows exactly the same structure, they can predict when the intro ends, when an ad appears, and when the actual content starts.

Spotify can also recognize those patterns through listener behaviour. When many listeners skip the same section, the platform can use that behaviour to offer other listeners a shortcut.

Dave suggests a simple response. Change things.

Move your ad placement. Vary your introductions. Try different approaches to your episode structure. Give listeners something unexpected. When you keep every episode identical, you make your content easier to predict and easier to skip.

Make Your Podcast Worth Staying For

Dave sees the listener gaining more control through the skip feature. He also challenges podcasters who dislike the feature to examine their own content before blaming the technology.

If your show contains long predictable sections, listeners have a reason to move past them. Give them something that keeps their attention instead.

Creative podcasting requires movement. Experiment with your format. Break your routines. Keep your audience curious about what comes next.

If you hate the skip button, stop giving listeners predictable reasons to use it. Create episodes that surprise your audience and make the content worth staying for. Dave's advice comes down to a simple challenge: be unskippable.

The episode also includes advice for podcast guests. Keep answers concise, answer the question the host actually asked, complete your thought, and give the host room to continue the conversation.

____

Helping Podcasters Everyday!

⁠⁠⁠https://howtopodcast.ca/⁠⁠⁠

We would love to hear from you - here is our listener survey!

⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/GbrFv9DGszV8N4PW6