183 | Podcast Growth Unleashed: Strategies for a Successful 2025

[00:00:00] The clock just struck midnight and 2025 is here. This year, it's all about smart goals, deeper audience connections, and real podcast growth. Let's jump into the best year of podcasting yet.

[00:00:20] Sound matters. Be heard. Welcome to the podcast where you get exclusive behind the scenes tips to make your own show sound truly spectacular. This is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:35] Tappan and how are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I truly do mean that.

[00:00:43] This show, Podtastic Audio, was designed and created to help you and other podcasters just like you make an amazing show for your audience. And that is what it's all about.

[00:00:55] I'm not here to try to sell you anything, not pushing you some, you know, service plan, not pushing you any kind of like coaching services.

[00:01:04] I'm not pushing anything on you other than value. And as we come to the end of 2024, you always kind of look back at what we've done, like what we have accomplished with our podcast and maybe even our personal lives over the course of 2024 and looking forward into 2025.

[00:01:24] But for me, 2024 was quite an incredible year. I did so many different things. I had so many things happen to me also. Some good, some bad.

[00:01:36] But a quick recap here. In March of this year, 2024, I went to my very first podcasting conference. I went to Podcast Movement Evolutions in Los Angeles.

[00:01:51] I was there for the entire week. It was so incredible meeting so many people in the podcasting industry, just hanging out with people that I actually listened to their podcast, meeting them face to face, you know, going to the iHeartRadio or iHeartMedia after party and seeing people there and mingling with different people and just seeing what it's like behind the scenes,

[00:02:15] meeting people that you normally would never meet in the industry that we all are part of.

[00:02:22] We're all part of the podcasting industry and actually like meet these people face to face. It was quite an incredible experience. And I will try to do it again.

[00:02:32] If I can find a time that works best for me and a location that works best for me, it's kind of the way it kind of goes.

[00:02:39] But there are lots of other like podcast movement or pod fest type of events all around the country in different locations.

[00:02:47] So if there is one that's close to you that you can go to, I would highly recommend going and checking it out and mingling with all the podcast people.

[00:02:56] It's our world. It's our people. It's our thing. So that's what I did in March.

[00:03:01] And then moving into June, we traveled to New York City and we were there for our summer vacation with the kids.

[00:03:10] We did so many things in New York City. We did everything you possibly can do in New York City.

[00:03:15] I'm talking Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, Rockefeller Center.

[00:03:21] We went over to Coney Island and actually I got the chance to ride the classic cyclone wooden roller coaster.

[00:03:29] I've been dying to ride that thing since, well, since forever for the most part.

[00:03:33] So we rode a bunch of stuff over there. We did everything you possibly can do in New York City.

[00:03:38] And then like literally like two weeks later, we went to Hawaii.

[00:03:44] Christina and I went to Hawaii for a week and we did all kinds of cool stuff in Hawaii.

[00:03:48] You know, Hawaii, it's the islands and it's tropical and it's, you know, it was middle of summer.

[00:03:54] So you do all the beach stuff. That was what we did.

[00:03:56] We went on a harbor cruise at sunset. That was amazing.

[00:04:00] I went in a submarine. Yeah, a submarine down to the very bottom of the ocean.

[00:04:04] I saw shipwrecks and plane wrecks and all kinds of cool stuff.

[00:04:08] We got to see where they filmed Jurassic Park, the Jurassic Park ranch.

[00:04:11] We went there. We saw a lot of cool things in our trip to Hawaii.

[00:04:15] But shortly after that, I was actually diagnosed with cancer in my left ear.

[00:04:23] So that was kind of a bummer.

[00:04:25] And what I had to do is go in for surgery and they had to remove it all, which was very painful.

[00:04:31] And then they had to go into reconstructive surgery to put my ear back together.

[00:04:36] Thankfully, I can still hear out of my ear and all of that.

[00:04:39] But that was a very somewhat traumatic time of my life because I have never gone through any kind of major surgery at all.

[00:04:48] I've never had any kind of major health issues at all.

[00:04:51] So this year, it really kind of threw it all at me, really.

[00:04:54] And so I was out of work for a while taking care of that stuff.

[00:04:58] And but yeah, everything's kind of healed up now.

[00:05:01] They stitched me all back up.

[00:05:02] They took the stitches out and I'm on my way to being 100% healed.

[00:05:06] It may take a while.

[00:05:07] It may take six months, eight months, but I'm on the road to recovery.

[00:05:12] So as we look forward into 2025 and being an indie podcaster myself here,

[00:05:19] we're always looking for ways to grow our shows looking into 2025.

[00:05:25] And if you are looking to grow your show next year, then you are in the right place.

[00:05:30] So today, we're going to set the foundation for your podcast growth by talking about realistic achievable goals.

[00:05:40] But what is an achievable goal?

[00:05:43] My goals are different than your goals.

[00:05:46] Everybody seems to have these New Year's resolutions.

[00:05:49] And you always kind of say, this year, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that and all that kind of stuff.

[00:05:54] But it's always good to think a little bit more realistic because you may say that, oh, in 2025,

[00:06:01] I'm going to make sure that I get 20,000 downloads per episode on my podcast.

[00:06:06] Great.

[00:06:07] That sounds amazing.

[00:06:08] How many downloads you get right now?

[00:06:09] About 12.

[00:06:11] Well, you're going to go from 12 downloads an episode to 20,000 downloads an episode?

[00:06:17] Not saying it's impossible.

[00:06:24] Face it, podcasting is growing and there are opportunities for us indie podcasters.

[00:06:31] But the problem is, is that without any clear goals, it's easy to feel stuck or maybe even overwhelmed.

[00:06:39] But here's a little fun fact.

[00:06:41] Did you know that there are over 5 million podcasts?

[00:06:45] Wow, that's a lot of podcasts.

[00:06:47] But only a small percentage are actively growing.

[00:06:51] Now, let's make sure yours is one of those in 2025.

[00:06:56] So on this episode, we're going to cover how to set SMART goals.

[00:07:01] That's S-M-A-R-T goals.

[00:07:05] Boost audience engagement.

[00:07:07] Try new formats.

[00:07:09] Start monetizing.

[00:07:10] And connect with fellow podcasters.

[00:07:13] So hopefully by the end of this episode, you'll have actionable steps to level up your podcast

[00:07:19] well into the new year.

[00:07:21] So here are the five things that you can do right now to level up your podcast.

[00:07:27] Starting it off with setting SMART goals.

[00:07:32] Now, what are SMART goals?

[00:07:35] Are those goals that are super intelligent?

[00:07:38] Are those goals like the class valedictorians, the SMART goals, is that what they are?

[00:07:44] Well, SMART goals stands for, it's S-M-A-R-T, SMART, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable,

[00:07:56] relevant, and time-bound.

[00:07:59] They help you focus and measure progress instead of like spinning that podcasting wheel like you're

[00:08:06] in a rat race going around and around.

[00:08:08] So for example here, instead of saying, I want more downloads, say, I want to increase my average

[00:08:17] downloads by 20% in 2025.

[00:08:20] Or maybe you're one of those podcasters that just started and you're trying to get these

[00:08:26] guests on your show.

[00:08:28] Well, instead of saying, I want to get guests in general, set a goal to book maybe 10 interviews

[00:08:33] within a specific niche of your podcast by say, maybe March of 2025.

[00:08:39] So the key to creating SMART goals for your podcast is for you to take some of those larger, bigger

[00:08:49] goals and making them into smaller little like things we can achieve.

[00:08:54] These smaller milestones.

[00:08:56] Say, for example, everybody talks about downloads.

[00:08:59] Oh my gosh, I want to hit this number of downloads.

[00:09:01] I want these many downloads or I got these many downloads.

[00:09:03] Okay, I've heard already all the downloads, right?

[00:09:06] But instead of saying, I want to hit 10,000 downloads per month, then maybe aim for something

[00:09:11] a little more achievable like 2,500 and then maybe grow up to like 5,000.

[00:09:16] Hey, maybe you can try this.

[00:09:18] Take a moment after this episode to jot down two SMART goals for your podcast.

[00:09:24] Listen, don't overthink it.

[00:09:25] Just start with something specific and realistic.

[00:09:29] Okay, moving on to the second thing you can do to enhance and create and move your podcast

[00:09:35] forward into the future going into 2025 is that you can focus on audience engagement over

[00:09:42] those numbers like I just talked about.

[00:09:45] When I look at my podcast, downloads are fun and all, but what really moves the needle for

[00:09:50] me personally is when somebody actually writes me, when I get a message on social media, maybe

[00:09:56] a new comment, maybe a text.

[00:09:59] I get a message on social media, maybe a little bit more about it.

[00:10:00] Something that's something that's somewhere who somebody who listened to my podcast reaches

[00:10:04] out to me and says, that was fantastic.

[00:10:07] I freaking love that stuff.

[00:10:09] That is what drives me to keep doing this podcast.

[00:10:13] But here's the thing.

[00:10:14] A small, loyal audience will always be a large, disengaged one.

[00:10:20] Your super fans are the ones who will share your episodes, support you financially, and tune

[00:10:26] in each and every single week.

[00:10:28] Now, I know it sounds easier said than done to get some kind of engagement from your audience,

[00:10:34] but there's some simple ways you can do it.

[00:10:37] You can actually run Q&A episodes where you answer listener questions live on the podcast.

[00:10:44] The listeners actually truly love that kind of stuff.

[00:10:47] Maybe start a newsletter, maybe with exclusive content or sneak peeks of upcoming episodes.

[00:10:53] That's kind of cool.

[00:10:54] Or maybe, you know, use social media polls.

[00:10:57] I actually love this idea.

[00:10:59] I use social media all the time and I run polls on there all the time.

[00:11:04] This way it kind of involves your listeners in the episode planning or maybe have some

[00:11:09] fun discussions about the episode.

[00:11:11] The diehard listeners are going to love that kind of stuff.

[00:11:14] And the coolest thing of all is that engaging with your audience consistently builds some kind

[00:11:20] of trust.

[00:11:21] And trust is what turns podcast listeners into lifelong fans.

[00:11:28] So here's a little quick tip.

[00:11:30] Track engagement metrics like likes or comments or shares or email replies, not just downloads.

[00:11:40] These tell you more about your audience's connection with your content.

[00:11:44] Okay, moving on to number three of an amazing way to help you grow your show moving into 2025.

[00:11:52] And that is if you are experimenting with new platforms or new formats.

[00:11:58] Now, why would you do any kind of experimentation in 2025?

[00:12:04] Now, podcasting, you know, is evolving.

[00:12:08] And so are your listeners' preferences.

[00:12:12] Trying something new can help you maybe stand out and possibly grow, which is what you want

[00:12:18] to do anyways.

[00:12:19] So here are some ideas for experimenting in 2025 with your podcast.

[00:12:24] I've already tapped into a few of these myself.

[00:12:27] For example, maybe try video podcasting on YouTube.

[00:12:31] Tools like Riverside.fm make it super easy to create video and audio at the same time.

[00:12:37] If you may have noticed that my interviews, I think the last three or so interviews, I've

[00:12:42] been using Riverside to create the video part and throwing that right on YouTube.

[00:12:47] The interview in its entirety is going on YouTube right there when I do interviews.

[00:12:53] And of course, the audio version gets put into the podcast here like normal, but just playing

[00:12:58] around that kind of stuff.

[00:12:59] Maybe, you know, you can do a live streaming Q&A or a bonus episode.

[00:13:04] I know I've done a few of these live streaming events before on Instagram.

[00:13:08] I've played around with StreamYard.

[00:13:10] And I do believe now Riverside's got these streaming capabilities.

[00:13:15] I have not tapped into them yet, but I plan to in the future.

[00:13:18] That's one way to do it.

[00:13:20] Or perhaps maybe you can actually collaborate with another podcaster for, say, a joint episode.

[00:13:25] That way, both podcasters get to benefit because the episode will get split up between two different

[00:13:33] shows.

[00:13:33] And that way, possibly, both audiences get to experience something new.

[00:13:39] And it introduces you to a brand new audience.

[00:13:42] But, hey, you don't have to go crazy and do everything all at once, you know, on January 1st right away.

[00:13:49] What you can do is maybe do a few little small things, you know, test one new idea, maybe get some feedback.

[00:13:55] If that doesn't work, then try something completely different.

[00:13:58] It's your show.

[00:13:59] You can do whatever you want.

[00:14:01] Feel free to experiment.

[00:14:02] That's what this is all about.

[00:14:03] Trying something new into 2025.

[00:14:06] Okay, so here's a little quick tip on this.

[00:14:09] Try polling your audience before you try something new.

[00:14:14] They'll tell you whether they're excited about it or not.

[00:14:17] And you'll know if you're on the right track or not.

[00:14:20] Easy peasy.

[00:14:22] Okay, moving on to number four.

[00:14:24] And this one always kind of gets me because this has not been the goal of this podcast.

[00:14:30] And I think a lot of hobby indie podcasters, it's probably not the goal of theirs either.

[00:14:36] But it's on this list for a reason because I do know that eventually when you look to growing your show and moving it into the future, say 2025,

[00:14:46] you start thinking about making some sweet, sweet podcasting money.

[00:14:51] I'm talking monetizing your podcast.

[00:14:54] But on the other hand, why would you want to monetize your indie podcast anyways?

[00:14:58] But for us indie podcasters, monetization can fund better gear, marketing, or even just cover some of those hosting fees.

[00:15:09] It's not about making money.

[00:15:12] It's about reinvesting the money you make back into your show.

[00:15:16] Keeping the engine alive.

[00:15:18] Keeping it going.

[00:15:19] But you're probably thinking, hey, Chris, I don't have a massive audience.

[00:15:23] I'm just an indie podcaster.

[00:15:25] A hobby podcaster.

[00:15:27] I don't have millions of downloads.

[00:15:29] I can't get a sponsor.

[00:15:31] I can't get ads.

[00:15:32] Well, don't you worry.

[00:15:33] I've got some beginner-friendly options that require very small downloads.

[00:15:38] Affiliate marketing is a great place to start.

[00:15:41] There's always tools out there.

[00:15:43] There's always companies out there that do affiliate marketing with podcasters.

[00:15:47] And it's very easy to get into it.

[00:15:49] And the way those things kind of work is that if you sell a product that is getting sold through your affiliate link, you get a chunk of that sale.

[00:15:58] But it means you got to sell.

[00:16:00] You can't just put the thing on there and hope for the best.

[00:16:02] They don't pay you automatically.

[00:16:03] You have to physically push their product.

[00:16:06] And you physically have to push your affiliate link to make any kind of money with that stuff.

[00:16:11] And it's usually not very much.

[00:16:12] But, hey, it's something.

[00:16:13] Another thing you can do, of course, is the always famous, always popular crowdfunding platforms like Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee.

[00:16:22] That way, when you do those things, your loyal listeners are going to give you money because you have a cool podcast, help you fund the fun, as it were.

[00:16:34] So those are always very popular.

[00:16:37] They're easy to set up.

[00:16:38] And you just put it there.

[00:16:39] You always got to tell your listeners, hey, if you like this show, we're going to do more amazing things, but your support helps us out, yada, yada, yada.

[00:16:47] You filter them to those services, and you make a little money on that.

[00:16:51] Now, the money you're going to make is not going to be massive unless you're a massive celebrity of a massive podcast anyways.

[00:16:57] But I'm talking about like an indie regular podcaster here.

[00:17:01] Might make a few bucks, at least enough to cover your hosting, at least enough to possibly maybe upgrade your equipment to something cooler.

[00:17:09] And speaking of selling things, maybe you're good at selling stuff.

[00:17:12] You can possibly sell your own merch.

[00:17:14] Now, this one has always been kind of tricky.

[00:17:17] I've seen a lot of podcasters do this.

[00:17:18] They'll have merch for sale on their website or however, t-shirt mugs, hats, you name it.

[00:17:24] There are plenty of companies out there that will help you create merch, sell merch.

[00:17:29] And some of them, you don't even have to own the product at your place.

[00:17:33] You actually have it where it's made to order.

[00:17:35] So you kind of set up the design.

[00:17:37] Maybe you'll order one or two, just kind of show it off on social media.

[00:17:41] But when the customer or listener goes to your website to actually purchase the merch, they will get created right then and there.

[00:17:49] You might make a small percentage of the money on that.

[00:17:52] I can't imagine it being very much.

[00:17:54] I mean, if a t-shirt's like $20, $25, you might make half of that, maybe a little more.

[00:17:59] I'm not too sure.

[00:18:00] I've tried merch, never been very successful at it.

[00:18:03] So it's one of those things where you have to constantly be pushing it all the time.

[00:18:08] And that's when it comes to actually the same thing with the Patreon or anything like that.

[00:18:13] If your audience doesn't know you have it, there's a chance they're probably not going to do it.

[00:18:18] And remember this, of all the things you have for sale for your podcast, about 3% of your audience will actually take action and buy the thing that you're selling.

[00:18:29] Whether it's Patreon or merch or anything like that, 3%.

[00:18:33] It all depends.

[00:18:34] I mean, it depends on a lot of different things, but usually around 3%.

[00:18:37] So keep that in mind.

[00:18:38] But the most important thing of all, when it comes to monetizing your podcast, remember this.

[00:18:45] If you don't remember anything else, always remember this, is that you need to offer value first.

[00:18:51] Build trust with your audience before you ask them for anything.

[00:18:57] Let me say this again.

[00:18:59] You have to offer value first.

[00:19:03] So in other words, when you start your podcast, do not have an ad or affiliate or a Patreon or anything at the very beginning of your episode before you actually deliver any kind of content or any kind of valuable information at all.

[00:19:19] Deliver value first, and then you can think about asking your audience to give you some kind of value.

[00:19:26] It's value for value.

[00:19:28] So if you still want to try this out, maybe start small.

[00:19:31] Add one affiliate link to your show notes or maybe create something like a very simple, a very basic Patreon page or buy me a coffee.

[00:19:41] Something like that.

[00:19:43] You don't have to do everything all at once.

[00:19:45] Just try something very small and just see what happens.

[00:19:47] Okay, moving on to the fifth and final thing you can do to create an amazing podcast moving into the future, moving into 2025 and beyond is that you can do some more networking and collaboration with other podcasters or YouTubers or anybody in the content creation space.

[00:20:06] Now, why does networking even matter for us?

[00:20:11] Now, connecting with other podcasters isn't just good for morale.

[00:20:16] Now, it's one of the best ways to grow your audience.

[00:20:20] Now, I remember during the thick of it all in 2020, during the old COVID days when lots of people were all doing podcasts from home because, of course, they were all under quarantine.

[00:20:31] So that's when the whole podcasting surge evolved and everybody and their mother had a podcast.

[00:20:37] And it seems like Zoom was a cool new toy everybody was figuring out how to do.

[00:20:41] So, yeah, everybody was doing all kinds of collaborations and they were doing all kinds of things, meeting up with other podcasters, doing kinds of networking stuff.

[00:20:50] It was probably like the peak of it all.

[00:20:52] And now it seems even harder to actually connect with other podcasters, especially those ones that were in the thick of it all back in 2020.

[00:21:03] They seem to be harder and harder to find.

[00:21:05] I don't know where they all went to.

[00:21:06] Probably back to work.

[00:21:08] Their shows probably all died.

[00:21:09] But you can still focus moving into 2025 thinking that, yeah, I want to connect not only with any podcaster, but probably the right podcaster.

[00:21:19] So here are some ways that you can connect and network in 2025.

[00:21:26] Perhaps maybe try, you know, joining a podcasting community like, say, Facebook groups or maybe LinkedIn groups.

[00:21:35] There's some over there, too.

[00:21:36] And with all the new social media platforms popping up, I'm talking to you, Blue Sky.

[00:21:41] There's probably ways to connect with podcasters right on there, too.

[00:21:45] Those are great ways to network.

[00:21:46] And like I said earlier, maybe try attending an actual podcasting event, Podcast Movement, PodFest or Pod whatever.

[00:21:55] I'm sure there's all kinds of pod things, IndiePod.

[00:21:58] I don't know what they're called, but there's probably ones around there.

[00:22:01] Now, you probably can attend these things virtually or in person.

[00:22:05] Now, being in person, it's always better than doing the whole Zoom thing.

[00:22:09] And I know during COVID, a lot of these kind of things were all done through Zoom.

[00:22:13] But places like PodFest and Podcast Movement are perfect for meeting like-minded creators like you.

[00:22:20] You also can reach out to other podcasters within your niche.

[00:22:26] Collaborations, guest swaps, or even cross-promotion can help you reach new listeners.

[00:22:33] And that's what it's all about.

[00:22:34] Yes, you have your current listeners.

[00:22:35] Yes, you have those that come back every episode.

[00:22:38] But if you want to grow your podcast into 2025, well, you have to get your show in front of people that don't already know you exist.

[00:22:49] Now, a way to do that is to collaborate.

[00:22:51] So try this.

[00:22:53] Perhaps maybe you should set a goal to connect with at least one new podcaster every month in 2025.

[00:23:02] It could be as simple as a DM message with somebody on social media or maybe even a comment under their post on social media.

[00:23:11] Something like that.

[00:23:12] A simple goal of connecting with at least one person every month in 2025.

[00:23:17] That sounds pretty easy to do.

[00:23:20] Just get on social media and make it happen.

[00:23:22] So to recap, today we talked about setting SMART goals.

[00:23:27] That's S-M-A-R-T goals, focusing on audience engagement, experimenting with new formats, monetizing your show, and building connections through collaborations.

[00:23:39] Now remember, podcast growth doesn't happen overnight, but with clear steps and consistency.

[00:23:47] You'll get there.

[00:23:49] 2025 is a brand new year.

[00:23:51] Hey, thank you so much for listening all the way to the very end of this episode, which is the very last episode of 2024.

[00:24:01] As I look forward into 2025, I cannot wait to see what is in store for us in 2025.

[00:24:07] It seems like every single year at New Year's or New Year's Day, I always say, hey, this is my year.

[00:24:13] This is the year something amazing is going to happen.

[00:24:15] I cannot wait for 2025.

[00:24:17] I'm super excited about 2025, and I hope that your podcast is going to do wonderful.

[00:24:23] Actually, you know what?

[00:24:24] I don't hope it is.

[00:24:25] I know it is.

[00:24:26] 2025 is going to be the year that your podcast is going to be doing amazing things.

[00:24:32] You're going to have everything you possibly could want with your show.

[00:24:35] It's going to be spectacular, and I can't wait to hear all about it.

[00:24:39] And until next time, I will see you next year.

[00:24:43] Happy podcasting.