It’s no secret that podcasting has become our favorite marketing channel. Not only do we get to yap with each other every week, but we’re also building a community.
So many people reach out to us to comment on something we said during an episode or to say how much they’ve learned. And that makes us so happy!
If you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast or are wondering how to grow a podcast, our guest Kylee has all the juicy details for you!
What we talked about in this episode:
- Podcasting is a unique opportunity to connect with your audience.
- Re-airing episodes can refresh content and improve SEO.
- Dynamic ads can enhance podcast monetization strategies.
- Engaging newsletters can drive audience interaction and growth.
- Creating podcast-centric quizzes can attract new listeners.
- Choosing the right hosting platform is crucial for podcast growth.
Should You Start a Podcast?
We hear from our audience all the time that they want to start a podcast, and it’s becoming a bit of a trend. It seems like everyone is doing it, so you start to feel like you should, too.
But if you know us, you probably know what we’re going to say to that: Not every marketing strategy works for every business.
You do not have to start a podcast just because everyone else is.
If you have a genuine interest, love speaking and presenting, and want to use podcasting as a tool to grow and engage with your audience, it might be a great idea.
“Whys” Behind Podcasting
Kylee gave some amazing advice on the best “whys” behind starting a podcast.
This is a unique opportunity for you as a podcaster to spend time with your ideal customer and build a relationship with them. They start to get to know you better than they might by reading your content. They’re actually hearing your voice and your humor, rather than reading it.
You become part of their day.
There’s also a lot less competition in the podcasting space than on YouTube or blogging. There are significantly fewer active podcasts worldwide than YouTube channels or blogs. And all those podcasts aren’t even in the same category as you, competing for listeners!
When you use a podcast in conjunction with a blog or YouTube channel, you can make your content go further and reach new audiences.
We agree with Kylee that it can be an amazing marketing channel for small businesses to leverage to grow their business and community.
The Importance of Batching and Outsourcing Your Podcast Workflow
Batching and outsourcing podcast production is the foundation of our podcast workflow.
Because there are two of us and we have little ones, we need to plan our recording dates wayyy in advance. We put the date in our calendar and block off the entire day so we can focus on knocking out as many episodes as we can. We try to record 5-6 each time!
And on the outsourcing side, editing will burn you out so quickly. For most podcasters, editing isn’t where the joy comes in. They love talking and sharing their expertise, but editing the mess-ups and adding music clips or ads is NOT the fun part.
Outsourcing parts of your podcast is so important to sustainability.
We outsource these areas of our podcast:
- Editing the episodes
- Writing and posting show notes
- Creating a YouTube video
- Sharing the episode on socials
You don’t have to do it all on your own! Bringing in experts to help us has been a huge weight off our shoulders and allows us to stay in our areas of genius.
How to Grow a Podcast Without Social Media
Many creators focus on recording but overlook the marketing side of how to grow a podcast. They think social media is the only way, but don’t love spending time creating posts for Instagram. We are some of those people!
Kylee recommends creating a quiz to help your audience find episodes that are most relevant to them. If you have 200 episodes and someone new finds your podcast, they might be scrolling, not knowing which episode to listen to first. It’s overwhelming! Maybe they picked one that wasn’t your best, or they might not listen at all.
A quiz designed for your ideal audience can give them a playlist of episodes to start with based on their final result. We get to decide which episodes we’re driving them to right from the get-go. Then, because we used a quiz, they’re now on our email list, and we can nurture them from there.
We looooove this idea, and you might just see it from us in 2026!
Is a Podcast a 2026 Goal For You?
Can we give you a little encouragement? We had no clue what we were doing when we started Duo on Air. We bought high-quality microphones, planned a few episodes, and committed to them. That’s it!
You don’t have to be an expert podcaster—you have to start somewhere and be open to learning along the way.
FAQs About How to Grow a Podcast
Most podcasters struggle to keep up with the extra tasks needed to publish an episode—editing, scheduling, music production, ad placement, etc. —not just recording. Podcasters also struggle to get discovered and gain visibility. That’s where SEO comes into play!
Podcast growth is typically slow and compounding, especially in the first 6–12 months. Most podcasts see moderate traction in the first 10–20 episodes, with more noticeable growth after 30–50 episodes if they publish consistently and promote strategically.
Factors like niche clarity, audience demand, guest reach, and off-platform marketing (blogs, social media, email) play a much bigger role. Podcasting is a long-term brand asset, not a quick-win channel.
Nope! It’s the opposite, actually. It’s expected to grow 27% between 2025 and 2030. Listener growth continues, while competition has increased, which means low-effort or unfocused podcasts may struggle more than they did years ago.
Audiences now expect higher-quality audio, more precise positioning, and real value. Podcasts that serve a specific audience, solve a clear problem, or support a larger content ecosystem (like a blog, newsletter, or YouTube channel) are still growing and converting extremely well.
Meet Kylee Chandler
Kylee has been immersed in the podcasting world for almost a decade, helping top industry names amplify their reach and impact. While managing Amy Porterfield’s top-ranked Online Marketing Made Easy podcast, Kylee consistently grew its monthly downloads from 400,000 to over 1 million through proven marketing strategies and innovative initiatives. She is committed to helping podcasters reach more listeners with effective, tailored strategies.
When Kylee isn’t working on podcast growth, she’s traveling full-time with her family, exploring the Rockies, mountain biking, or spending time with her beautiful daughter.
Listen to the Podcast Growth Tools podcast.
If you’re serious about how to grow a podcast, tune into the episode!
Apple Podcasts | Spotify
If you loved today’s episode of The Duo On Air Podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on your favorite platform and hit subscribe for those new episodes dropping every Monday — it helps more small business owners find us (and let’s be honest, that’s good SEO ).
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts with over 20+ years of combined experience working with big brands. They are educators and co-founders of Duo Collective; a boutique organic marketing agency specializing in SEO, branding, and custom websites for women-led small businesses and creative entrepreneurs.
Ready to grow your visibility and become unforgettable?
Learn more or work with our team here.
To inquire about being a guest on Duo On Air, please fill out this application form.
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