How I Built My Show to a Top 0.5% Podcast (5 Phases to Podcast Growth)

How can someone who’s not a household name nor a celebrity grow her podcast and even more, rank in the top 0.5% worldwide?

That has been my journey and I am here to share with you tips and lessons on how I made it through these 5 phases.

Phase 1: Start imperfectly

You don’t start knowing everything already and definitely, you won’t start perfectly.

When I was just new in podcasting, I was the one who gave my podcast my first review. I even used my husband’s account to leave another review. I was going through imposter syndrome and doubting myself. Until I took the first step and changed my focus. If you’re scared, write down your worst-case scenarios and think about what will you do if they happen.

Start things imperfectly and do things scared. There will never be the perfect time to start. Just do.

Phase 2: Try new things for podcast growth

I really had a hard time owning my zone of genius. My early episodes were very basic, until a few episodes later, I focused on something I’m passionate about: Etsy and Amazon. But there came to a point when I thought I had shared everything I know about e-commerce and it’s not as fulfilling anymore. I pivoted. I had several tries for my niche content before focusing finally on Organic Marketing Simplified.

Never be afraid to try. As you grow as a podcaster, you can still try new things. And you can bring your audience to grow with you too.

Phase 3: Optimize for podcast growth

The key is experimenting. Here’s my mantra: If it works, then optimize it. Study and analyze data and have an objective mindset. As business owners, we have to learn to be detached from the outcome and to really focus on what works and what doesn’t.

Phase 4: Visibility and podcast growth

I optimized my podcast for SEO and targeted keywords instead of relying on social media promotion. This focus allowed me to avoid distractions and produce high-quality content. I believe that sustainable podcast growth comes from within the podcasting community itself, through engagement, cross-promotion, and collaboration with other podcasters. Podcast listeners listen to podcasts. So use the podcasting community for your advantage. Optimize the SEO of your content.

Phase 5: Rinse and repeat what’s working in growing your podcast

I am a person full of ideas and I always want to implement them. But I am also a wife and a mother of 2 kids, and I am currently pregnant with my third. I have a business. My husband and I can’t seem to be tied in just a certain place. We lived in so many different places already. 

So I know that if I wanted to grow my podcast, I would have lost sight of my goal if I started to focus on social media too. I told myself to focus on what works for me, to grow my podcast and not spread myself too thin.

The important lesson for me is to stay committed. To continue showing up. To continue doing. And normalize change. Find the courage to face changes because that also means you’re growing and learning more. And I am thankful to God because I have learned to surrender and trust God with this journey. I hope the same for you.

There’s a beautiful path ahead of you! Here’s to the podcast growth that awaits you!

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