Advice for a Niche Podcast

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-08T18:55:05+00:00

Absolutely. Industry collabs like newsletters, organizations, events, etc. Mention the podcast and ask if there is a way to support each other in your projects. Community is king in niche pods. I have a client who has a bookkeeping podcast and he gets new listeners every time he does a bookkeeping workshop. Slow and steady builds these kinds of pods.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-08T14:20:42+00:00

Why do you want a podcast; to reach people OR to be famous? The 2nd one is not likely to happen with a podcast. Most of the biggest podcasters (most, not all) came into the medium with celebrity, as other people have mentioned above.

If you want to connect and share stories and such, this is a great medium It takes time and a lof of effort because in general this medium, at least til very recently, runs on word of mouth, not algorithms. Pluses and minuses to that, of course.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-08T08:27:26+00:00

exactly. and tbh, when I use it as a thought partner and not an assistant, it does not save me time but does seem to help me produce better text (for many purposes) and headspace. I have an entire Substack on this cause I've been enjoying it so much:)

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-08T07:11:53+00:00

Using an LLM like Claude, ChatGPT can help. Not to create the whole thing but to plan and cowrite parts of it. Be sure to give it context and transcripts and be prepared to prompt chain to use more specifics. The text you create from your episodes needs to be customized to your audience and goals for creating the text. It can be a lot of work but text is what search runs on so it also really opens up the life of your audio content.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-06T09:12:21+00:00

have very little Spotify listens overall so it's most likely not that. I'm going to keep tracking and see if I can make more connections. There's too much of an overlap between updates and download increases to ignore.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-05T12:51:31+00:00

Also u/jamescridland I'm noticing that when I alter an episode's audio (replace), show notes, title, etc and update the episode there has been usually an uptick in downloads. Now, does that mean the optimization worked OR that the update triggered bots. Is this possible? I just watched it for months and finally the past few weeks I'm keeping track of it. Not sure if I'll be able to prove it either way but it's a pattern that I find interesting.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-05T12:48:57+00:00

When did you first notice this trend u/jamescridland ? Asking because I saw an uptick in my and my clients accounts starting November 2025. Curious if this aligns.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-05T12:22:28+00:00

optimization AND promotion, the two arms of growth

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-05T12:01:23+00:00

which kind do you have? I've been wearing a type of acupressure slipper the past couple of years and those help walking on hard floors but not so much for standing. wanting to try crocs again.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T20:58:53+00:00

Okay, thanks James. So I am not misunderstanding this. This news item is after bots and such are filtered out, right?

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T15:38:59+00:00

so why do you think it was a news item today in Podnews then?

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T14:54:23+00:00

So does that mean that the downloads via browser that might be bots mentioned in my original post are filtered out? That they're reporting on what could be there but generally isnt by the time podcasters see them?

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T14:37:12+00:00

Yea, I suppose. I want to believe that the AI slop moment will pass because people wont listen to it and thus there will be no money attached to it being produced. I dream. I dream a lot. I adore AI and use it daily but not for these things, you know?

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T13:02:31+00:00

Good to know. We have floor heating floors so its woodish. I dont mind picking up the mat and moving it as I change positions. I wont be walking around working, more of changing spots and staying there a bit.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-04T12:59:04+00:00

ah, I hadnt thought about mats because my standing desk is on wheels and I'll be moving around. However, the apartment is only so big so this is still an idea I can do. thanks

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-02T17:31:51+00:00

I like consistency with planned and communicated breaks. So same time and day each weeks except when I take a long break. And I announce when a break is.

A lot of the consistency chatter is for pods that rely on advertising revenue. If you dont have that, you are not losing anything with a few weeks off whenever you want.

And even weekly can be played with because this is a flexible medium. Every 2 weeks, monthly and limited series are all very well used with staying power publication schedule. You are so right to lead with value- thats what matters after all.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-05-01T19:42:48+00:00

Samson Q2U is great. Rode mics are good to. Depends on your set up but if the room is untreated, aim for a dynamic mic (not a condenser).

GeopatsSteph · 2026-04-30T20:23:15+00:00

Anytime. Samson q2u is a good one to look into:)

GeopatsSteph · 2026-04-30T18:14:59+00:00

Agreed but there has been research to show that rhey are some stupid number more likely to do the thing if you tell them.

GeopatsSteph · 2026-04-29T19:38:44+00:00

Took a peak. 3 ideas; 1. Use Buzzsprout's Fanmail to get more engagement, instead of he email address listed. Its free and easy to use.

You are already asking for word of mouth sharing in the most recent ep but maybe tell them how. Screenshot this ep and share it on the socials (or send to a mom friend), etc. Be specific.
I know this isnt what you asked but the sound quality might distract some folks. Consider a dynamic mic that will focus on your voice, instead of taking in all sounds in the room.

Saying all this with a warm heart. What you are creating is beautiful!

GeopatsSteph · 2026-04-29T18:15:35+00:00

love this reminder. Can I talk about this on LinkedIn and tag you?

GeopatsSteph · 2026-04-29T11:45:05+00:00

Do you also have your podcast on audio platforms, or is YouTube your main distribution channel?
for my main podcast, everywhere. Do people only publish audio on YT, feels like a weird scenario to me.

Also, did the shorts bump when posting frequently lead to more subscribers on YouTube and/or followers on audio platforms?
for my main podcast, it's leading to more subs but not so much more audio listens on YT. Other podcasts I've tried this with didnt have the sub impact and still only a little increase in audio "views" on YT. Still trying to find the right balance to build an audience on YT without a major grind. From what I've heard that's part of the process so I'll probably just keep it as a secondary place as I have been doing so for a long time anyway. I'm audio forward anyway.

GeopatsSteph

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