Welcome to Podcasting Problem Solver: Transform Your Podcast into a Lead Gen Tool
Leah Bryant [00:00:02 - 00:00:59]:
[00:00:02] Welcome back to the Podcasting Problem Solver. [00:00:05] I'm Leah Bryant, your go to podcast growth strategist, and I am here to help you stop treating your podcast like a hobby and start using it as the strategic lead gen tool it should be. [00:00:18] So your podcast isn't growing. [00:00:21] And before you spiral thinking it's because your content isn't good enough, let me stop you right there. [00:00:28] There's a really good chance it has nothing to do with your content quality. [00:00:32] Everything to do with five very specific, very fixable things that you can change this week, and I'm going to walk you through all five of them today so you can audit your own show and start making changes immediately. [00:00:47] Most podcasters think discoverability is this mysterious, subjective thing that's out of their control. [00:00:54] Like the algorithm just randomly decides who gets discovered and who doesn't.
Podcast Discoverability: It’s Not Just About Content
Leah Bryant [00:00:59 - 00:01:38]:
[00:00:59] Well, that's not how it works, friend. [00:01:01] Podcast platforms are looking for clear answers to two basic questions. [00:01:06] Who is the show for? [00:01:07] And what problem does it solve? [00:01:10] And when your podcast doesn't clearly answer these questions, it's going to get skipped every single time. [00:01:17] But there's good news and there's hope. [00:01:20] The answers to those questions, those are completely in your control. [00:01:25] You can fix them yourself. [00:01:26] And when you do that, your discoverability changes almost immediately. [00:01:32] Before we jump into these five fixes, I want to make sure we're on the same page about where we're actually talking about here.
What Does the Podcast Algorithm Look For?
Leah Bryant [00:01:38 - 00:02:30]:
[00:01:38] Okay? [00:01:39] When the algorithm looks at your podcast, it's not listening to your episodes. [00:01:44] It's scanning specific things like your show title, your description, your episode titles, your episode descriptions, your categories, all the technical stuff that lives behind the scenes. [00:01:58] And it's using these things to figure out who your show is for and when to recommend it. [00:02:05] And if these pieces are not clear and consistent, the algorithm doesn't know where to put you. [00:02:13] Okay. [00:02:14] If they're vague or all over the place, then it's definitely going to move on. [00:02:19] Right? [00:02:20] And this is where most podcasters kind of get stuck. [00:02:23] They're creating incredible content, but that technical layer, the visibility layer, they really haven't.
Leah Bryant [00:02:30 - 00:02:57]:
[00:02:30] They haven't set it up strategically. [00:02:32] So the platforms don't know how to categorize them, which means they don't know who to recommend them to, which means discovery just doesn't happen. [00:02:41] The content is there, the value is there. [00:02:45] Your expertise is there. [00:02:46] But this setup, that's the part that's missing. [00:02:50] So we want to fix it. [00:02:51] Okay? [00:02:52] The first thing the algorithm looks for is your show title. [00:02:56] Yes.
The 5 Key Podcast Visibility Fixes
1. Podcast Show Title: Clarity for Humans and Algorithms
Leah Bryant [00:02:57 - 00:04:28]:
[00:02:57] The name of your Podcast friend. [00:03:00] And this one is non negotiable because it's the first thing both the platform, AKA the robots and the humans, the listeners See. [00:03:12] Okay, your show title needs to do two things. [00:03:17] Tell the people who the show is for. [00:03:19] Two, tell people what the outcome or topic they can expect. [00:03:25] If it doesn't do those two things, please think about going back and adjusting it. [00:03:31] Okay, let me give you an example. [00:03:34] Let's say you're a business coach who helps service providers scale their revenue.
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2. Show Description: Use Strategic, Searchable Language
Leah Bryant [00:05:41 - 00:06:18]:
[00:05:41] And this is where you have a lot more room to work with. [00:05:55] Okay? [00:05:56] Because a weak description may look like. [00:06:01] Join us for inspiring conversations about growth, mindset and living your best life. [00:06:08] It's not horrible, but come on, we have to have something more. [00:06:14] Okay. [00:06:15] And a strong description looks like mine.
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3. Episode Titles: Make Them Searchable and Relevant
Leah Bryant [00:08:44 - 00:10:46]:
[00:08:44] You can grab yours@leah bryant.com get found. [00:08:49] And if you use the code podcast, you'll get a little special thank you for being a listener. [00:08:55] And by a little special thank you, I mean a little discount. [00:08:58] But whether you work with me or tackle this yourself, what matters is that you make these changes. [00:09:06] All right, so let's keep going. [00:09:07] The third thing is your episode titles, and this one, my friend, is huge because your episode titles are the primary way the algorithm figures out what each Episode, individual episode is about. [00:09:22] Here's what a lot of podcasters do. [00:09:24] They write episode titles that sound interesting or clever to them, like the power of showing up or Mindset shifts that change everything or what I learned this week.
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4. Episode Descriptions: Target Listener Problems and SEO
Leah Bryant [00:11:38 - 00:13:34]:
[00:11:38] Your episode description just should do the same thing your show description does, just on a smaller scale. [00:11:44] Please. [00:11:45] It should tell someone what the specific episode covers, who it's for, and what they'll walk away knowing or being able to do. [00:11:54] Okay, so a weak episode description that I see 99.9% of the time, it starts off with, in this episode, we'll talk about X, Y, Z. [00:12:07] Oh, gosh, no, please stop. [00:12:09] And I say that lovingly. [00:12:11] Please know that. [00:12:12] And I laugh and I'm trying to be funny, and trying is a key word.
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5. Consistency Across Catalog: Help the Algorithm Recommend Your Show
Leah Bryant [00:14:07 - 00:17:24]:
[00:14:07] All right. [00:14:08] The fifth thing is consistency. [00:14:10] And this is the one that most podcasters don't really realize is affecting their discoverability. [00:14:16] So the algorithm, AKA those lovely robots, is looking for patterns. [00:14:22] They're kind of like me, across your entire catalog. [00:14:27] Sorry. [00:14:28] They're trying to figure out, what is this show consistently about? [00:14:33] Who does this show consistently serve? [00:14:37] So if every episode feels like it's for a different audience, or you're covering completely different topics and there's no through line, well, then the roadblocks are going to get confused.
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Real-Life Podcast Audit Success Story
Leah Bryant [00:17:44 - 00:19:17]:
[00:17:44] So I worked with a health and fitness coach last year who had this exact issue. [00:17:49] Her podcast was really great. [00:17:51] Her teaching was clear, her energy was great, and her clients loved her content. [00:17:54] But her show wasn't growing because she was stuck at roughly the same listeners every month.
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The Seamless Podcast Framework: Attraction Phase and Strategic Clarity
Leah Bryant [00:19:17 - 00:20:39]:
[00:19:17] And that is the power of fixing these things. [00:19:20] And this, my friend, is exactly what the attraction phase of the seamless podcast framework is about. [00:19:27] You can have an incredible strategy and flawless execution, but if people cannot find your show, none of that is going to matter. [00:19:34] Attraction is about building discoverability into your podcast from the ground up. [00:19:39] It's about making sure the platforms know who your show is for so they can connect you with the listeners who are already searching for what you teach. [00:19:48] And when your attraction is dialed in, everything gets easier. [00:19:52] Your content reaches more people. [00:19:54] Your downloads grow organically.
How to Audit and Fix Your Podcast Discoverability This Week
Leah Bryant [00:20:42 - 00:21:20]:
[00:20:42] Go through those five fixes. [00:20:44] Pull up your podcast, look at your show title, your show description, your episode titles, your episode descriptions, and the consistency across your catalog. [00:20:55] Ask yourself the audit questions I gave you, and if you find gaps, fix them. [00:21:00] You don't need anybody's permission. [00:21:02] You don't need to overthink it. [00:21:03] Just make those changes because your content is probably already awesome enough to grow your show. [00:21:10] You just need to help the platforms find you fix these things and watch what happens. [00:21:16] If this was helpful, make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss the next episode.
Leah Bryant [00:21:20 - 00:21:35]:
[00:21:20] And if you want to share this with another podcaster who's struggling with growth, please do so. [00:21:24] The more podcasters you understand how discoverability really works, the better. [00:21:29] All right, Keep your podcast purposeful, keep it visible, and keep your growth seamless, and I'll see you next time.
