The Secret Sauce to Podcast Success: Lessons from 4 Top Shows

What if you could sit down with four successful podcasts and get their best advice for growing your show? Well, that’s exactly what we did. In this special edition, we dive into their lessons learned, mistakes made, and strategies that truly work.

So, who are the podcasters?

• Farnoosh Torabi - Host of “So Money”

• Mark Bittman - Host of “Food with Mark Bittman”

• Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers - Hosts of “Pantsuit Politics”

• Jordan North and William Hanson - Hosts of “Help I Sexted My Boss”

And what did we get to ask them?

1️⃣ What’s one thing you know now, that you wish you’d known when you launched your podcast?

2️⃣ Which tactics have been the most effective for growing your podcast?

3️⃣ How do you interact with and engage your existing audience?

4️⃣ What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to launch a podcast right now?

Editors Note: this is gonna be a long email, so pour yourself a beverage of choice 😌 

Let’s get to the secret sauce!

1️⃣ What’s one thing you know now, that you wish you’d known when you launched your podcast?

Farnoosh:

You do NOT need expensive or fancy equipment. The tech requirements may seem overwhelming at first, but as long as you have a strong internet connection and a decent microphone, you’re ready to hit that record button!

Mark:

This is a funny question to answer, because I feel like, three years in, we’re still testing and trying to figure out what works for us. One thing is audio quality – thankfully, engineering has made many strides and it’s easier to clean up audio, but when we’re working on Zoom, it’s extremely important to have backup audio, even in the form of a simple voice memo on an iPhone.

I think we would have come up with a good marketing strategy/plan when we launched. We had a bit of press, but I think if we had invested in an outside firm that specializes in podcast marketing only, we could have gotten more traction early on.

Having two hosts, instead of one, has made a difference for us – since we mostly do one-on-one interviews, having an extra person has made the conversations more collaborative and colorful.

Investing in a “real” podcast producer rather than doing it ourselves! We should have done this, and hopefully we can some time soon.

And finally, I think maybe we’re learning that doing just a straight interview with no surrounding content might not be the best way for us to gain listens. I think bringing on a couple other small things to complement the interview might be good for us.

Sarah/Beth:

Sarah: That the industry will change and change and keep changing. It was so tempting to define success in a very narrow way in the beginning, but in an industry as volatile as this one there is no finish line and no one has it all figured out.

Beth: A podcast is a tremendous amount of discipline and vulnerability. Sustaining the show means that you have to stay interested in what you’re doing. That might (and probably will) mean a ton of change and evolution, some of which is at odds with what you see other people doing.

Jordan/William:

We've learnt so much about creating a podcast since launching the show, and we honestly feel like we've loved the journey. When we started it was just the audio, now we wouldn't be the same without the visual elements, the shows and everything that comes with Help I Sexted My Boss. It took us a couple of years to find our audience in the UK, so it would have been good to know that people would actually enjoy listening!

2️⃣ Which tactics have been the most effective for growing your podcast?

Farnoosh:

The most effective tactic is appearing as a guest on other podcasts with aligned audiences. After all, podcast listeners listen to... podcasts! They’re not doom scrolling on YouTube necessarily.

Mark:

This is a hard question to answer, and I have to answer it backwards by saying – a big name isn’t the only thing that matters, at least for us. Yes, Jamie Oliver’s episode did extremely well, but so did Michael Jacobson (a pioneer in food policy). There hasn’t been an obvious way to gauge who will and who won’t be a popular guest. I do think our guest swap with Bon Appetit’s podcast helped move the needle some in terms of listens.

Sarah/Beth:

Sarah: Being on other podcasts where the podcast listeners already are. Hands down. No contest.

Beth: Agreed, and I would just add that it’s been most helpful to go on shows outside of our genre to find podcast listeners who are a good demographic for us but don’t already have a queue of podcasts in our subject area.

Jordan/William:

The tactics at the very start included following people on Twitter and hoping they'd follow back - the hope was that Sexted being in the name might pique someone's interest! Things have changed since then, but we still want to build our community of listeners one person at a time. So encouraging word of mouth recommendations is always a consideration for us, whether that's sharing a clip on Instagram Story, copying a Spotify link into a WhatsApp group chat or bringing an unknowing spouse to one of our live shows - all are welcome!

3️⃣ How do you interact with and engage your existing audience?

Farnoosh:

I dedicate the Friday episodes to answering audience questions and I offer a free call with one audience member each week selected from the Apple Podcasts Reviews. I’m also actively engaged on Instagram and have created a private So Money Members Club that offers listeners more access to me and my teachings, as well as access to commercial-free episodes of So Money.

Mark:

We encourage our audience to email us with feedback, but we don’t get too much. We promote the podcast in our newsletter (more than 100k subscribers) every week, and that audience also knows that they can get in touch with us whenever they want. We ran a survey with Acast. And we promote the podcast every week on social.

Sarah/Beth:

Sarah: All the time in every way! We have always been in constant communication with our audience from the beginning, through email and social media and now in our premium community. They are our greatest teachers!

Beth: Email is still my favorite way to engage with our audience, and I love putting a handwritten note in the mail to thank people for listening and supporting our show.

Jordan/William:

We speak to our audience every day, and that has been the same since day one. From Twitter to Instagram and TikTok online, during stage shows around the UK, Ireland and Spain, and when we meet them on the street - hopefully when they're listening to the podcast! They make us laugh as much as they hopefully laugh with and at us - and we will always love reading messages from people who've been helped to the podcast.

4️⃣ What piece of advice would you give to someone looking to launch a podcast right now?

Farnoosh:

The riches are in the niches. Don’t be afraid to develop your show around a hyper specific topic and/or audience. Rather than create another “personal finance” podcast, get more precise in terms of the issues the show will tackle, as well the life stage or demographic of your audience. This is how you stand out.

Mark:

It’s a lot of work for one person, so having a team to back you up—and, with luck, a real platform, like Acast or Spotify!-- is crucial. Do your research well and ahead of time. Know that it will take real time and effort to grow, and it won’t just happen on its own

Sarah/Beth:

Sarah: The volatility in the industry presents an opportunity. There is still shifting tastes and landscapes that always create opportunities.

Beth: Be clear on your why for every decision point, and be conservative in what you expect from a business perspective. There is a ton of optimism in this industry, and that’s fun, but it also leads to a lot of disappointment if you don’t manage your business carefully.

Jordan/William:

Know your audience, and then work out how you're going to find them. Whether your podcast is for a particular niche interest, the mass market or somewhere in between, think about who you want to listen to your show and make every decision to match what you create to them. Help I Sexted My Boss wants to put a smile on as many faces as possible, so we'll keep on trying to add one more listener at a time!

Key Takeaways 🔑 

Growth Tactics - Guesting on Other Podcasts:
Both Sarah and Beth of Pantsuit Politics agree: appearing on other podcasts is the most effective tactic. Sarah emphasizes that targeting audiences from other shows where podcast listeners are already active is crucial. Beth highlights the importance of going beyond their genre to discover new listeners who might not have a full podcast queue yet. Farnoosh of So Money wholeheartedly endorses guesting as a growth lever, too.

Audience Engagement - Social, Newsletters, and IRL:
Mark connects with his audience primarily through his newsletter, which reaches over 100,000 subscribers. He promotes the podcast weekly, encouraging his audience to get in touch and share feedback. The Pantsuit Politics team is in constant communication with their listeners. Whether it’s through email, social media, or their premium community, they maintain an open dialogue with their audience. Beth even adds a personal touch with handwritten thank-you notes for listeners who support their show.

What I Wish I Knew - Change is the Only Constant:
The team behind Help I Sexted My Boss reflects on how much the show has evolved. What started as just an audio-only podcast has now expanded into a visual experience with live shows. The Pantsuit Politics ladies agreed, saying: “in an industry as volatile as this one, there is no finish line and no one has it all figured out."

Ready to go Pro?

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👋 See you soon!

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