Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast with Courtney Elmer | Podcasting Strategies for Growing a Podcast That Converts

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
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Episode Links:
Meet Dave Jackson: schoolofpodcasting.com | LinkedIn
Listen to Dave’s Podcast: School of Podcasting
Ask the Podcast Coach with Dave Jackson & Jim Collison
What Was That Like? with Scott Johnson
The Jefferson Fisher Podcast
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Other Episodes You’ll Love: 
How to Monetize Your Podcast Even With a Small Audience
How Do You Measure The Success of Your Podcast (And You Can't Say Downloads) 
…
Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.
Support the show
Love this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.
Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.
Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.
Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.
Want more podcasting advice? See what I’m testing on Substack
...
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.
Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com
©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.

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
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Episode Links:
Get Your Podcast Health Score®
Listen to the aftershow on Buzzcast
Download the Bingeworthy Episode Title Cheat Sheet
Check out Courtney’s Airbnb
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Other Episodes You’ll Love: 
The 0.5 Second Decision That Makes Listeners Hit Play (or Not)
…
Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.
Support the show
Love this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.
Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.
Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.
Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.
Want more podcasting advice? See what I’m testing on Substack
...
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.
Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com
©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.

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.
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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®
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Episode Links: 
Elmer's CheeWees
...
Other Episodes You’ll Love: 
5 Reasons New Listeners Aren’t Clicking on Your Podcast
How to Pinpoint Where Your Podcast Performance Is Breaking Down
…
Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.
Support the show
Love this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.
Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.
Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.
Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.
Want more podcasting advice? See what I’m testing on Substack
...
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.
Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com
©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.

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
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Episode Links:
Get Your Podcast Health Score® →
See the PodLaunch Performance Model™
…
Other Episodes You’ll Love: 
This Changes Everything We Know About Growing a Podcast
What Your Podcast Metrics Aren't Telling You
…
Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.
Support the show
Love this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.
Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.
Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.
Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.
Want more podcasting advice? See what I’m testing on Substack
...
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.
Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com
©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.

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
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Episode Links:
See the PodLaunch Performance Model®
…
Other Episodes You’ll Love: 
This Changes Everything We Know About Growing a Podcast
How to Pinpoint Where Your Podcast Performance Is Breaking Down
…
Got Podcasting Questions? Send them to me here.
Support the show
Love this show? Leave a review to say thanks in true podcasting style, or share it with your podcasting friends.
Podcast Health Score™ See exactly where your show is losing listeners.
Podcast SEO Mastery Optimize your show so it can get found 24/7.
Apply for a spot on the show to get live podcasting help from me.
Want more podcasting advice? See what I’m testing on Substack
...
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.
Follow for more podcasting insights:  LinkedIn | PodLaunchHQ.com
©Ⓟ 2018–2026 by Courtney Elmer. All Rights Reserved.