Named the best podcast on podcasting, this isn’t another “share great content and stay consistent” show doling out generic podcasting advice. We’re breaking down 30,000+ hours of study into what today's top hosts do differently to create bingeworthy podcasts that convert.
Hosted by Forbes and Rolling Stone–featured podcasting psychology expert, Webby Awards judge, and PodLaunch® founder Courtney Elmer, you’ll get the podcasting tools and strategies other shows won’t dare to share (backed by 70+ Top 100 podcast launches).
Expect unfiltered podcasting insights, behind-the-scenes breakdowns, and “why didn’t anyone tell me this sooner?!” advice so you can master growing a podcast that listeners can’t stop bingeing (and buying from).
When you’re ready to break out of less-than-200-download-per-episode jail and stop settling for downloads that don’t reflect your effort...
Or if you want a podcast launch strategy that positions you as the authority in your category and drives revenue...
Welcome to the podcast that’s about to change the game for you. Hit follow and let’s dive in.
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Popular Guests Include: Adam Adams, Alex Sanfilippo, Dave Jackson, James Cridland, James Wedmore, Jeremy Enns, John Lee Dumas, Jordan Harbinger, Kevin Chemidlin, Seth Silvers, Tom Rossi, and more.
Popular Episode Topics Include: Podcast Messaging, Podcasting Psychology, Podcast Marketing, Creating Bingeworthy Podcast Content, Listener Engagement Strategies, Podcasting Mistakes to Avoid, Podcasting Tools, Podcasting Trends, Growing a Podcast, How to Monetize Your Podcast, Podcast Listener Conversion, Video Podcasting, Ranking Your Podcast in the Top 100, How to Start a Podcast, Podcast Launch Strategy
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94% of Your Listeners Will Keep Listening When You Get This Right | George Lejnine, PodAnalyst
Episode 429
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 17:54
If a listener makes it through the first 30 seconds of your podcast episode, there’s a 94% chance they’ll still be listening a quarter of the way through. Which means what happens in those first 30 seconds can make or break your show's listener retention.
PodAnalyst co-founder George Lejnine is back to reveal what your retention curve can tell you about why listeners stay, skip, or leave so you can keep more of the listeners you've worked so hard to earn. Hit play and let’s dive in.
…
2:07 – Why 94% of Listeners Who Make It Past 30 Seconds Keep Listening
4:14 – The Episode Opener Mistake That Can Push New Listeners Away
5:25 – Why Pre-Roll Ads Cost You Listeners
7:55 – How to Tell When Listeners Are Hitting the Skip Button vs. Leaving for Good
16:55 – Why You Should Wait 7–14 Days Before Judging an Episode’s Performance
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
What 100,000 Podcast Episodes Reveal About Listener Drop-Off | George Lejnine, PodAnalyst
Episode 428
Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 15:26
What does “good” podcast retention actually look like? And how many listeners should you expect to lose before the end of an episode? Data from more than 100,000 podcast episodes reveals some surprising patterns in why listeners stay and why they leave when they do.
PodAnalyst co-founder George Lejnine joins me to unpack how to read your retention data, what these patterns reveal about your content, and how to spot the problems that may be costing you the listeners you worked so hard to attract.
Why "Just Keep Going" Might Be the Worst Podcasting Advice | Dave Jackson
Episode 427
Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 23:32
One of the most common pieces of podcasting advice might also be one of the most misleading. And if you've ever been told to "just keep podcasting," this episode will help you know when that advice is right for your show and when it isn't.
Podcast Hall of Famer and School of Podcasting host Dave Jackson joins me to unpack why the best podcasting advice isn't universal and how to avoid following advice that sounds right but leads you in the wrong direction.
Hit play and let's dive in.
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1:23 – The One Question You Should Answer Before You "Just Keep Going"
3:28 – Why Every Podcast Needs Its Own Definition of Success
8:03 – Why Your First Recording Shouldn't Be Your First Episode
12:27 – The First 30 Seconds That Can Make or Break Your Podcast
18:55 – Why Feedback Is Every Podcaster's Competitive Advantage
5 Reasons New Listeners Aren’t Clicking on Your Podcast
Episode 426
Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 01:01:16
Before a new listener gives you 20, 30, or 60 minutes of their time, your podcast has to convince them it’s worth it. And if your cover art, podcast name, description, episode titles, or show notes fail to do that job, you can drive more traffic to your show all day long without seeing much growth.
I recently joined Jordan Blair on Buzzsprout’s Buzzcast to put their show to the test using the five Podcast Content Gatekeepers® that determine whether a potential listener clicks, scrolls past, or hits play. And in this episode, you can score your podcast right alongside us to pinpoint what could be costing you listeners before they ever hear your content.
Hit play and let’s dive in.
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2:00 – Why Your Podcast Metrics Can’t Tell You What to Fix
11:04 – What New Listeners Decide Before They Ever Hear Your Voice
13:42 – Is Your Podcast Cover Art Costing You Listeners?
17:01 – Is Your Podcast Name Making You Harder to Find?
25:46 – Why Your Podcast Description Isn’t Getting People to Listen
35:45 – How to Write Podcast Episode Titles That Make People Click Play
45:41 – The Biggest Mistake Hosts Make When Writing Show Notes
54:06 – What Your Score Reveals About Your Podcast’s Growth Potential
Ever wonder why optimizing one part of your podcast doesn’t always improve its performance as a whole?
That question is at the heart of what we’re building with the PodLaunch OS®, and in this special episode, my eight-year-old son takes over the microphone to ask why I spend so much time studying podcasts, how host decisions shape listener behavior, and why, according to him, it involves a lot of “scribble scratch circles” and possibly some undercover spy work.
For a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re building next, plus what “working from home” looks like through the eyes of an eight-year-old, hit play and let’s dive in.
…
2:35 – Why Strategy Alone Can’t Grow Your Podcast
9:24 – What Your Listener Behavior Reveals About Your Podcast Performance
12:09 – How 30,000 Hours of Research Led to the PodLaunch OS®
14:08 – The Industry Blind Spot the PodLaunch OS® Is Built to Solve
27:40 – The PodLaunch Health Score vs. PodLaunch OS®
How to Pinpoint Where Your Podcast Performance Is Breaking Down
Episode 424
Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 17:47
The hardest part about growing a podcast isn't knowing what to do next. It's knowing what to fix first.
That's why so many hosts spend months chasing better titles, stronger SEO, bigger guests, or more content. Every one of those could be the right answer. Every one of them could also waste the next six months of your life.
In this episode, I'll show you how to pinpoint exactly where your podcast performance is breaking down right now, so you can go from hoping your podcast grows to engineering growth you can predict. Hit play and let’s dive in.
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0:02 – How to Pinpoint Where Your Podcast Performance Is Breaking Down
5:59 – Why Most Podcast Audits Diagnose the Wrong Problem
9:52 – Symptom-Based vs. Systems-Based Thinking
18:53 – The 5 Systems Behind Every High-Performing Podcast
23:46 – What to Fix First on Your Show to Create Predictable Growth
If your podcast isn't growing, your metrics are the last place you should look. Every download, play, and retention graph only tells part of the story. Which means you can spend months improving your podcast without ever knowing whether you're fixing the right problem.
Every podcast's performance is shaped by two key decisions. Once you understand how they work, you'll never think about growing a podcast the same way again.
Ready to find out what your podcast metrics aren't telling you and why most podcast growth strategies never deliver the results they promise? Hit play and let's dive in.
…
0:51 – The 2 Decisions That Determine Your Podcast's Performance
2:25 – What Your Podcast Metrics Aren't Telling You
10:40 – Why Most Podcast Growth Strategies Fail
17:13 – The PodLaunch Performance Model Explained
21:53 – The Difference Between Measuring Performance and Driving It
This Changes Everything We Know About Growing a Podcast
Episode 422
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 • Duration 17:08
Everyone’s trying to teach you how to grow your podcast. Do SEO. Add video. Write better titles. Improve your production. But what if almost everything you thought you knew about growing a podcast is backwards?
That's the question I've spent the last six years working to answer. Because until you understand what drives predictable podcast performance, every decision you make for your show is still a best guess. Let's fix that. Hit play and let's dive in.
…
1:01 – The Truth About Why I Started This Podcast
10:08 – The 3 Questions That Change What We Know About Podcast Growth
11:45 – The Blind Spot That Makes Growing a Podcast Unpredictable
14:02 – Why the Podcast Industry Keeps Solving the Wrong Problem First
17:16 – The One Thing Every High-Performing Podcast Has in Common
The New Rules for Growing a Podcast in 2026 | Roger Nairn
Episode 421
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 24:08
Knowing where listeners discover podcasts is only half the battle. The bigger challenge is turning that knowledge into a repeatable strategy that helps more people find your show month after month instead of hoping people stumble across your podcast.
Roger Nairn from JAR Podcast Solutions is back to break down how to turn one podcast episode into multiple ways to get discovered, why more podcasters are building for YouTube first, and how to create viral podcast moments people can't wait to send to a friend. Hit play and let's dive in.
…
1:03 – The 4 Biggest Podcast Discovery Trends Happening Right Now
3:08 – The 2-Week Podcast Launch Mistake That Limits Long-Term Growth
8:08 – Why One Podcast Episode Should Create Multiple Ways to Get Discovered
11:16 – Why More Podcasters Are Building for YouTube First
18:04 – How to Create Podcast Episodes People Want to Share
Podcast Discovery Has Changed. Here's What the Data Says | Roger Nairn
Episode 420
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • Duration 21:02
New data reveals that podcast discovery has changed, but most podcasters haven't changed with it. If you're still expecting new listeners to find your show inside Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you're overlooking the top places podcast listeners are discovering new shows today.
Roger Nairn from JAR Podcast Solutions is here to unpack why podcast apps are not best place to grow your audience, how to choose the right platforms to market your show, and three podcast marketing strategies circa 2015 you can stop obsessing over (and what to focus on instead). Hit play and let's dive in.
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1:14 – Why Podcast Apps Are No Longer the Best Place to Grow Your Audience
2:18 – The Top Places Podcast Listeners Are Discovering New Shows
5:38 – Why Your Podcast Doesn't Need to Be Everywhere
14:35 – How to Choose the Right Platforms to Market Your Show
18:31 – 3 Podcast Marketing Strategies You Can Stop Obsessing Over
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
Special thanks to Resonate Recordings, our implementation partner for PodLaunch® Accelerator. If your podcasting efforts aren't bringing you the listeners or sales you expected, book a strategy call for help to fix it.
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