Identifying What’s Blocking Your Podcast Growth
Leah Bryant [00:00:00 - 00:00:39]: [00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:04] Welcome back to the Podcasting Problem Solver. [00:00:06] I'm Leah Bryant, your go to podcast growth strategist, here to coach you to podcast strategically for better results. [00:00:14] So here's what I want to talk about today. [00:00:17] You know that feeling when you open your podcast analytics and just kind of stare at the numbers? [00:00:24] I mean, you're publishing regularly, you're. [00:00:26] You're showing up. [00:00:27] You might even be doing more than you were six months ago, and yet the downloads look exactly the same as they did back in June. [00:00:37] If you're nodding right now, stay with me.
Why Hard Work Isn’t Enough for Podcast Growth
Leah Bryant [00:00:39 - 00:01:17]: [00:00:39] Because what I keep seeing isn't about effort. [00:00:42] You're putting in the work. [00:00:43] What's happening is that there are patterns quietly blocking your growth. [00:00:49] And once you know what to look for, they're everywhere. [00:00:53] Quick thing about me you might not know is before I got into podcasting, I worked in fraud investigation. [00:01:01] That's right. [00:01:01] My whole job was looking at messy data and conflicting information to find the thing that didn't fit that detail that told the real story. [00:01:11] I will be having a whole episode about from here to there and all that fun stuff in January, so look out for it.
Podcast Strategy: Patterns That Limit Your Growth
Leah Bryant [00:01:18 - 00:01:51]: [00:01:18] But podcast strategy kind of works the same way. [00:01:21] When a show isn't growing, there's usually a pattern, sometimes multiple patterns layered together. [00:01:29] And today I'm going to walk through the five that I see the most, and by the end of this episode, you'll probably going to recognize at least one in your show, maybe more than one. [00:01:41] And that's actually good news. [00:01:42] I don't want you to be like, oh, gosh, no, no, no. [00:01:45] It's actually good news, because once you see it, you know what you can do. [00:01:50] That's right, friend. [00:01:51] You can fix it.
How a Podcast Growth Audit Can Help
Leah Bryant [00:01:52 - 00:02:26]: [00:01:52] Now, if you're listening to this and thinking, leah, I don't want to wait until the end. [00:01:57] I want someone to just tell me what's happening with my show. [00:02:01] Well, that's exactly what a growth audit does for you. [00:02:05] I look at your actual data, your positioning, your episodes, and I map out exactly what's blocking your growth and what to tackle first. [00:02:13] There is a link in the description below if you want to skip straight to that clarity piece. [00:02:18] Okay. [00:02:19] But if you want to understand the patterns first so you can start spotting them yourselves, well, then let's dive in. [00:02:25] Okay.
5 Common Patterns Stopping Podcast Growth
1. Vague or Missing Podcast Strategy
Leah Bryant [00:02:26 - 00:02:59]: [00:02:26] First, we're going to start with a foundational one, which is pattern number one that your strategy is vague or missing. [00:02:32] Okay. [00:02:33] The strategy may exist in someone's head, or it doesn't even exist at all. [00:02:39] And here's the thing. [00:02:40] When I ask podcasters what the goal of their show is, I hear things like visibility or building authority or helping people. [00:02:49] And look, those are all fabulous. [00:02:52] Fabulous. [00:02:53] Hear me when I say that they're fabulous, but also hear me when I say they are not a strategy.
2. Episodes Are Interesting, But Lack Direction
Leah Bryant [00:03:00 - 00:03:50]: [00:03:00] You see, strategy answers the hard questions, like, who exactly is your podcast for? [00:03:07] What problem does your show solve that the other 47 podcasts in your niche don't? [00:03:14] And what should someone do after they finish an episode? [00:03:20] Without that clarity, your episodes just start to drift. [00:03:24] Topics feel all over the place, and your messaging gets really unclear. [00:03:30] And this inside my seamless podcast framework. [00:03:33] This is a strategy phase issue. [00:03:35] When that foundation isn't solid, everything else feels harder than it should. [00:03:41] Next up is pattern number two. [00:03:43] Episodes are interesting, but this one can sting a little. [00:03:49] So I'm just gonna say it.
Leah Bryant [00:03:51 - 00:04:13]: [00:03:51] And I always say it with love, of course. [00:03:53] Okay. [00:03:54] The second pattern that I see is that episodes are genuinely good. [00:04:00] They're thoughtful, conversational, and well produced, but they don't actually go anywhere. [00:04:08] Yeah. [00:04:09] There's no clear takeaway. [00:04:10] There's no through line connecting them. [00:04:13] Right.
3. Trying to Serve Everyone Dilutes Your Message
Leah Bryant [00:04:13 - 00:06:18]: [00:04:13] There's no reason for someone to think, okay, I need more of this. [00:04:19] And here's something that took me a while to accept, and I will admit this to you. [00:04:24] Interesting content doesn't automatically attract the right people. [00:04:30] I said it. [00:04:31] Intentional content is what does. [00:04:34] Attraction comes from clarity and repetition, from knowing exactly what you're about and showing up consistently around that thing. [00:04:45] I had a client earlier this year who was convinced. [00:04:48] Convinced her problem was marketing.
Leah Bryant [00:04:51 - 00:05:41]: [00:04:51] They kept saying if more people could just find the show, it would take off. [00:04:56] So I didn't touch a single thing about their promotion strategy. [00:05:00] At first, of course, I did pull up their last 15 episodes and laid them out side by side. [00:05:05] Different topics, different tones, different promises from each episode. [00:05:10] But once we were able to look at this, right, the big picture and tighten that focus in to have clear positioning, a stronger listener outcome, and cleaner messaging, you know what happened? [00:05:23] Their downloads started climbing before we even change anything about their marketing. [00:05:28] And that's where the strategy is feeding into the attraction. [00:05:31] Right? [00:05:32] And that, my friends, is the seamless podcast framework working the way it's supposed to. [00:05:37] All right, so pattern number three is trying to serve everyone.
Leah Bryant [00:05:42 - 00:06:18]: [00:05:42] I get it. [00:05:43] Guilty as charged. [00:05:44] I want to help everybody. [00:05:46] Everybody, everybody has a podcast. [00:05:47] I want to help you. [00:05:48] But that's not how it works. [00:05:49] Right? [00:05:50] Because this is where podcasters will tell me, well, my audience is kind of broad, and this is where I have to lovingly Push back on that, because broad shows do more harm than good. [00:06:04] You're not reaching more people, and your message is really diluted when you're covering too many problems for too many different listeners, your show just then becomes hard to describe, and then it's hard to recommend, and then it's hard to remember.
4. Episodes Without a Clear Next Step Hurt Engagement
Leah Bryant [00:06:19 - 00:07:24]: [00:06:19] Attraction isn't about casting the widest net. [00:06:23] Nope. [00:06:24] It's about resonance. [00:06:25] Right? [00:06:26] And resonance comes from specificity. [00:06:30] Now, this next one sneaks up on people. [00:06:32] It's that fourth pattern. [00:06:34] Episodes that just kind of end. [00:06:38] There's no imitation.
Leah Bryant [00:06:40 - 00:07:00]: [00:06:40] There's no next step. [00:06:42] There's no guidance on how the listeners can keep the relationship going. [00:06:46] So here's what I want you to think about. [00:06:48] Here's what I want you to think about. [00:06:50] Write down and remember, always put it on a sticky note. [00:06:53] Put it in front of your face when you're recording. [00:06:55] Growth doesn't come from being liked. [00:06:59] No friends.
Leah Bryant [00:07:00 - 00:07:25]: [00:07:00] Sure, that's part of it. [00:07:02] But it comes from being useful and giving people a clear path forward. [00:07:07] Right. [00:07:08] Whether that's pointing them to another episode, offering a mindset shift they can apply this week, or inviting them to book a call with you, your listener. [00:07:17] I've said it before, I will say it a million times. [00:07:19] Needs a bridge. [00:07:21] Otherwise, the connection just stops when the audio stops. [00:07:24] And we don't want that to happen.
Leah Bryant [00:07:25 - 00:07:53]: [00:07:25] We want to build the bridges to your amazing offers. [00:07:29] Yes. [00:07:30] All right, last one. [00:07:31] And this might be the biggest one. [00:07:33] Are you ready? [00:07:35] So your podcast gets treated just like another thing on your content calendar. [00:07:42] Who's guilty? [00:07:43] Raise your hands. [00:07:45] It's another box to check. [00:07:47] Right? [00:07:47] Instead of being viewed as a strategic asset that is actually doing something for your business or your goals.
5. Treating Your Podcast as Just Another Content Task
Leah Bryant [00:07:54 - 00:09:42]: [00:07:54] And I get it, Podcasting takes time. [00:07:57] You've got the recording, the editing, the publishing. [00:07:59] Like all the things. [00:08:00] It's so easy to slip into this mode where you're just trying to keep it going. [00:08:05] But when that happens, decisions become reactive instead of intentional. [00:08:11] Like you're scrolling Instagram, see what another podcaster is doing and think, hmm, maybe I should try that format. [00:08:17] Or there's a trending topic that pops up and you pivot to it even though it doesn't quite fit your show. [00:08:23] Or you sit down to record and just grab whatever feels easiest to talk about that week because you need to hit that publish button.
Leah Bryant [00:08:30 - 00:08:57]: [00:08:30] Here's what I see. [00:08:31] When this pattern takes you hostage, episodes will start feeling disconnected from each other. [00:08:39] There's no through line building over time. [00:08:42] Right. [00:08:43] Nothing's accumulating. [00:08:44] You're putting in the effort, but it's not adding up to anything bigger. [00:08:49] And your momentum is going to stall because there's no system that's actually supporting the work you're putting in, and we don't want that at all. [00:08:56] Okay.
Leah Bryant [00:08:57 - 00:09:46]: [00:08:57] And this is where that strategy and attraction get completely disconnected from momentum. [00:09:03] Inside the stainless podcast framework, you might have clarity on paper, but if the podcast itself isn't being managed like a strategic asset, with intention behind each episode, with systems that make the work sustainable, with a plan for how episodes build on each other, growth cannot sustain itself. [00:09:26] Yes, it's true. [00:09:28] Here's what I want you to remember. [00:09:31] Your podcast should be working for you. [00:09:34] Yep. [00:09:35] It should be attracting the right people, moving them closer to whatever the next step is, building your authority and trust over time. [00:09:42] When it's just a content task that you're checking, you.
Building Sustainable Podcast Growth Through Strategy
Leah Bryant [00:09:46 - 00:12:40]: [00:09:46] You're essentially working for the podcast. [00:09:49] And that, my friend, is backwards. [00:09:52] So here's what I'm noticing when I zoom out. [00:09:55] Every single one of these patterns traces back to the same core issue. [00:10:00] Yep. [00:10:01] A missing or underdeveloped strategy and attraction connection. [00:10:07] So your show exists and the effort is absolutely real. [00:10:11] But those signals are mixed.
Leah Bryant [00:10:13 - 00:10:45]: [00:10:13] And those mixed signals are going to confuse your listener and the algorithms, the robots, all of that. [00:10:20] Right. [00:10:21] If even one of these patterns resonated while you were listening, just imagine what we didn't cover if we'd actually looked at your data, your episodes, your positioning together. [00:10:31] Because these patterns don't usually just show up alone. [00:10:34] They're actually cluster. [00:10:36] Okay? [00:10:36] And that's what we dig into during my seamless podcast growth audit right now. [00:10:42] It's available at December pricing. [00:10:43] You're gonna wanna get it and grab it and go.
How a Strategic Podcast Audit Can Transform Your Results
Leah Bryant [00:10:45 - 00:12:13]: [00:10:45] It's a deep strategic review of your show, what's working, what's quietly blocking growth, and what to fix. [00:10:52] So your effort actually translates into results. [00:10:55] Because that's what I'm about here, is getting you results. [00:10:57] Okay? [00:10:58] No guesswork, no generic advice. [00:11:01] No. [00:11:02] We want the clarity. [00:11:04] And you can book that through the link in the show notes, and I'll share what Tori shared with me. [00:11:09] She booked a audit a couple weeks ago, and we had our phone call last week, and this is what she said.
Leah Bryant [00:11:16 - 00:11:42]: [00:11:16] My question was, would you recommend this audit to others? [00:11:19] If so, why? [00:11:20] And Tori said a thousand percent. [00:11:22] Yes. [00:11:23] When Leah says she will audit your podcast from top to bottom, she means every single nook and cranny. [00:11:29] And it's true. [00:11:30] Every nook and cranny. [00:11:31] I am in there, she said. [00:11:34] I feel like she put so much time, strategy, and thought into the plan she gave me, and it was so organized. [00:11:40] Highly, highly, highly recommend.
Leah Bryant [00:11:43 - 00:12:13]: [00:11:43] I booked my second session before we even finished our first one, and she did. [00:11:47] We are meeting in March to go over the things that she implemented this month. [00:11:52] So before I let you go, I want you to hear this. [00:11:55] A stagnant podcast isn't a failed one. [00:12:00] No. [00:12:01] It's a podcast that's actually giving you information. [00:12:03] Okay. [00:12:04] And once you learn how to read those signals, growth will stop feeling like this mysterious thing, and it'll start feeling manageable.
Leah Bryant [00:12:14 - 00:12:40]: [00:12:14] I also want you to know that you're not doing anything wrong. [00:12:18] You're not behind, the algorithm doesn't hate you, any of that. [00:12:24] You're just ready for a more strategic lens. [00:12:26] Okay. [00:12:27] If this episode helped, make sure you're following the show so you don't miss what's coming next. [00:12:32] Until then, keep your podcast purposeful, keep spotting those opportunities, and keep your growth seamless, and I will see you in the next episode.
