Stuck in a Podcast Growth Slump? Here’s How to Get the Ball Rolling Again

Podcasting is amazing, but as with most things, podcast growth isn’t always linear, and there can be bumps in the road. Maybe you’re a podcaster who’s doing all the “right” things… publishing episodes consistently, showing up for your people, having important conversations… yet you’re not seeing the traction you hoped for. You’ve put in the work to get your show off the ground, but your growth has slowed to a crawl. 

As a podcast expert who’s been behind-the-scenes of many shows, I hope it’s comforting for you to hear that it’s common to hit a plateau, even if you’re putting in a solid effort. 

If you’ve been wondering how to grow your podcast when you feel stuck, the good news is, you don’t need to burn it all down or completely rebrand your show to get the ball rolling again. Sometimes, all it takes is a few small shifts to start building momentum again.

In this blog post, I’m sharing five easy strategies to help you break out of your podcast growth slump and get your show moving in the right direction. 

 

Why Podcasts Plateau

Before we attempt to fix the problem, it’s essential to understand what can cause a podcast to plateau. Not only will this help you when trying to problem-solve and get your growth back on track, but it can also help you prevent future growth slumps. 

Here are a few common reasons why podcasts stop growing:

• Focusing only on content and not enough on promotion
• Unclear positioning or a misaligned audience
• No clear listener journey
• Calls to action that are too vague (or tacked on at the end without being sprinkled naturally throughout the episode)
• Weak discoverability (poor SEO, non-clickable titles, no repurposing strategy)

If any of these sound familiar, take a deep breath. This doesn’t mean your podcast is broken or that you need to start from scratch. It just means it’s time to optimize what’s already working.

 

5 Simple Ways to Reignite Podcast Growth

If you’re ready to move past the plateau, start with these five simple but powerful ways to reignite momentum and grow your podcast with intention. 

 

1. Revisit Your Listener Promise

Is your show still solving a problem your audience actually has or fulfilling a clear desire? Or are you continuing with content that worked a year ago but no longer resonates with your audience?

Your listener promise (AKA, the clear outcome or benefit someone gets from tuning in) should guide everything from your episode ideas to your guest pitches. As your audience grows and evolves, your listener promise may need to be refreshed.

📌Want to see this in action? Check out how Katie’s show transformed after she clarified her show premise and made the listener’s promise clear. Read her case study here.

 

2. Audit Your Episode Titles for Discoverability

If you’ve been around for any amount of time, you know that I could go on for days about how important podcast SEO is. 

And one of the biggest parts of that? Creating optimized episode titles that communicate the value of the episode while still being clickworthy and allowing new listeners to find you. 

Titles should do more than just describe the episode… they should spark curiosity and include keywords your ideal listeners are actively searching for. I recommend having 8-10 main keywords for your show overall that you optimize for.

🎧 Need help getting found? I walk through this process in detail in this episode:
Podcast SEO Tips: Get Found & Grow Your Audience Fast

 

3. Promote Like a Pro (Not an Afterthought)

If your podcast promotion plan looks like “post once on Instagram and cross your fingers it reaches people,” we need to talk. 

Podcast growth doesn’t come from dropping a link and calling it a day. It comes from intentional, strategic visibility.

I call this the Strategic Visibility Window, a 72-hour period during which you promote the episode on one social platform and in your newsletter, focusing on adding value and giving people a reason to click. 

Here’s an example visibility window you can use:

• • Tuesday AM: New episode drops
  • Tuesday AM: Carousel post with 4 takeaways
  • Tuesday PM: Livestream to talk about the episode (or chat with the guest if you can get them on a live)
  • Wednesday AM: Feature in your newsletter
  • Wednesday PM: IG reel (B-roll clip)
  • Thursday AM: Carousel post on opportunities related to the episode topic
  • Thursday PM: Another IG reel or video clip

Pro Tip: If it’s a guest episode, make sure to tag them and invite them to collaborate on these posts. It’s also a good idea to have a guest episode promotion kit to send them so they can promote the episode on their platforms as well. 

This kind of promotion doesn’t just increase clicks, it builds buzz.

🎧 Learn more about this promotion strategy in this live coaching session:
Podcast Growth Strategies with Rafer Owens Jr

 

4. Ask for Engagement… Strategically

Yes, ratings and reviews are nice. But what do you want your listeners to do next?

Your calls to action should guide listeners to the next step in your marketing funnel. Think… newsletter signups, DM convos, content shares, anything that deepens the relationship or starts a two-way conversation.

Start thinking about CTAs as touchpoints, not tasks. When done well, they’ll grow your listenership and your leads.

 

5. Track One Metric for 30 Days

Tracking podcast metrics can be tricky for some people. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and obsess over them, but it’s also easy to completely ignore/avoid them. 

This is your permission slip to ditch the overwhelm and start tracking smarter. You don’t need to monitor 12 metrics across 5 platforms to make progress.

Pick one thing (downloads, email signups, or episode consumption rate) and track it for 30 days.

Did downloads spike when you promoted on Threads? Did your newsletter opt-ins jump after a guest interview? 

Those little shifts tell a story… you just have to pay attention.

You don’t need a spreadsheet from here to Saturn to start seeing patterns. One month of intentional tracking can reveal whether your efforts are making a difference or where they’re stalling. 

Focused attention beats data overwhelm. Trying to track everything consistently leads to tracking nothing. But when you commit to watching just one number for a full 30 days, you’ll start thinking like a strategist. You’ll experiment. You’ll ask better questions. You’ll make smarter tweaks. All without spinning out in an analytics spiral.

Once you’ve done this for 30 days, shift to a 90-day review cycle. I use this model with all my coaching and production clients to build sustainable growth for their podcasts.

📌 Want proof? We tweaked Katie’s title and SEO keywords and BOOM… growth! Read her case study here.

Stuck in a Podcast Growth Rut? You Don’t Have to Fix It Alone

Making changes to your show takes time and mental energy, there’s no denying that. When you’re already juggling publishing, interviewing, and promoting (on top of running a business and living your life), it can feel really overwhelming. It’s no wonder strategic tweaks often get pushed to the back burner. 

But you don’t need another generic checklist to increase your podcast growth.

You need a framework, a fresh perspective, and someone who knows how to grow your podcast strategically. That’s where the 90-Day Podcast Growth Sprint comes in.

Join the 90-Day Podcast Growth Sprint

As your go-to Podcasting Problem Solver™, I’m here to help you troubleshoot what’s not working and amplify what is.

Your show is live, now let’s get it growing.

The 90-Day Podcast Growth Sprint is a 1:1 container designed for podcasters who publish regularly but aren’t seeing the traction they want. 

Together, we’ll:

• Diagnose what’s holding your show back
• Optimize your content, positioning, and promotion strategy
• Implement a simple, sustainable growth plan

You’ll get:

• Unlimited Q&A support via Telegram
• 180 minutes of private coaching via Zoom (use them however you need)
• A 90-day growth workbook to track progress and stay focused

Investment: $3,000 (payment plans available)

Ready to grow your show on purpose? Book a discovery call to learn more and apply for the 90-Day Podcast Growth Sprint.

Growth isn’t magic. It’s a method. And this is yours.

Bonus: Want More Resources?

If you want to go deeper into building a podcast that grows your business, check out this 4-part podcast series on my SEAMless Podcast Framework:

🎧 Ep 9: Build A Show That Grows Your Business
🎧 Ep 10: 5 Steps to a Workflow That Grows Your Show
🎧 Ep 11: 5 Proven Ways to Attract Listeners
🎧 Ep 12: How to Build Podcast Momentum Without Burning Out