Welcome to the show! In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing the feedback you’ve given me over the past year. From the things you love—like honest opinions and those behind-the-scenes bloopers—to areas where you think I could improve, I’m breaking it all down.

I’ll share how I process both praise and criticism, respond to some thought-provoking and even challenging listener comments, and talk openly about staying authentic on the microphone, no matter what.

If you’ve ever wondered how to handle feedback for your own podcast—or you’re just curious about what really goes on behind the scenes—this episode is for you. Let’s jump in and talk about what it really means to grow through feedback!

• Shared survey results about my audience (how you found the show, preferences on episode length, etc.)
• The value of opinions and why I’m not afraid to voice mine—people appreciate authenticity!
• Blooper reel gets love for keeping the show relatable and real.
• Several listeners said the show’s focus has improved—thanks for noticing!
• Some prefer solo episodes to interviews, and I talk about why I sometimes do interviews anyway.
• The “same old” show approach: people tune in for consistency, just like reruns of Hallmark movies.
• Trust is crucial; I work hard to give value and answers you can’t find elsewhere.
• You can tell when I’m tired or distracted! I agree—your energy transfers to listeners.
• Being award-winning isn’t about ego—my goal is always helping people.
• Repetition helps beginners, but seasoned podcasters would like more advanced content.
• Technical details: I use a Rode Podmic USB microphone into a Rodecaster Duo, recording in Hindenburg.
• Notes on ideas and feedback: people want more “behind-the-scenes” and technical information.
• Reading vs. riffing: I admit sometimes I slip into “reading mode” and work to stay spontaneous.
• Length controversy: some want shorter shows, some longer, but the majority like the current format.
• Hobbyists vs. business podcasters: I explain why my content has sometimes shifted toward podcasters wanting to grow.
• Ads feedback: some want fewer ads, especially repeating the School of Podcasting ad too often.
• Religion and “blue” humor: I discuss my Christian identity, my sense of humor, and respect differing tastes—even when jokes cross lines.
• You can’t please everyone—sometimes what “crosses the line” for one person is just casual for another.
• Suggestions for more advanced content and deeper listener Q&A segments.
• Advanced podcasting wisdom: find out what your audience wants, deliver with value, and keep improving.
• On making money: it’s possible, but requires loving the journey and standing out from the crowd.
• I’m always open to detailed questions—consider sending in your own for future deep dives!

• School of Podcasting
• Podcasting Observations (my email list)
• Podpage
• AppSumo
• Voicemail: schoolofpodcasting.com/voicemail
• Biz Chicks Podcast

In this episode, I circle back to a classic question:

What do you wish you’d known when you started your podcast that you know now?

This is a question I’ve asked in the past (shout-out to episode 768 back in 2021!), and while I received close to 20 answers then, participation was a bit lighter this time around. But don’t worry—the quality makes up for the quantity!

Featured Guests & Their Insights

I’m joined by two long-time contributors—Kim Newlove and Steve Stewart—who share powerfully honest responses about their podcasting journeys.

Kim Newlove:

Kim shares 12 things she wishes she’d known when starting her podcasts, The Pharmacist’s Voice and the Perrysburg Podcast. She talks about everything from being able to change your podcast’s “why” as its mission evolves, to discovering the right gear (hello, Shure SM7B!), figuring out realistic production schedules, mastering research and writing demands, making effective use of Canva for episode artwork, choosing media hosts wisely, the importance of newsletters, the value of trailers, and more. She emphasizes learning as you go and assures new podcasters that it’s totally okay to fill in gaps as you build your parachute on the way down!

Steve Stewart:

Steve reflects on how much he wishes he’d known how to edit for content when he first began his show in 2010. His early episodes would benefit from a bit more polish, and he shares how improving his editing skills made a huge difference not just for his own podcast, but eventually for others through his work at the Podcast Editors Academy. Steve also offers an excellent resource for anyone looking for a podcast editor.

My Takeaways & Thoughts:

I share my own lessons learned—including the importance of setting aside regular time for learning new skills, asking for direct feedback from listeners, and being willing to adapt and evolve your show as needed. I also discuss the value of constructive criticism and how it helps me grow as a podcaster.

Resources & Mentions:

• Kim’s Podcasts: The Pharmacist’s Voice and Perrysburg Podcast
• Steve’s Podcast Editing Resource: Find an Editor
• School of Podcasting: schoolofpodcasting.com (use coupon code “listenr” for a discount!)
• Media Host Recommendations: Captivate, Buzzsprout, Libsyn (coupon sopfree), Transistor, Blubrry, and now

In this episode, I look into the many ways you can measure the success of your podcast beyond just download numbers. Too often, new podcasters get fixated on stats that might not actually reflect their true goals, whether that’s growing their business, building a community, or simply having fun. I share 12 alternative metrics—including email list growth, audience engagement, speaking opportunities, and more—so you can assess your progress and celebrate wins that go way beyond downloads. I also mention some valuable tools, companies, and podcasts to help you along the way. This episode (as all of my recent episodes) uses chapters.

When you go into the dashboards of Apple and Spotify, you can see how far people listened to your show. I'm an old teach so for me 70% is a C. 80% is a B, and anything above 90% is an A. The beauty of both these platforms is you can click and listen at any point that shows a drop of so you can see if it was something you said that cause the dropoff.

Listeners: The number of unique devices that have played more than 0 seconds of an episode.

Engaged Listeners: The number of unique devices that played at least 20 minutes or 40% of an episode within a single session. Pausing or stopping an episode does not count as starting a new session.

Spotify shows People You reached (people who have seen your show), People who Showed Interest (they interacted with your show, which may be an indicator of episode titles o artwork), People who consumed (so they listened to your show).

This is my favorite. You put out an episode, and 24 ours later you've got emails in your inbox, DMs on social giving you feedback. For me, this is a great indication that your episode resonated with your audience.

If the goal of your show is to monetize, this metric is KEY. I know for me, I focused on lead magnets and growing my list, and those efforts resulted in me growing my list by 39%

You can look at your community growth, this could be Facebook, Discord, Heartbeat (my favorite), Circle, etc. School of Podcasting member Mark Lawley who does the Practical Prepping show with his wife Krista. They have 155 thousands people in their community. I do not recommend using Facebook (or any free service) for your community. Paul G shared in his interview how he lost a five figure community. I've been kicked out of my own Facebook group, and moved to Heartbeat (which now has a great AI tool that makes setting up a community a breeze).

If the goal of your show is to grow your business, then looking at the number of customers, the revenue generated should be something to look at. I hear people all the time mentioned how they will measure the goals in downloads and later say they want to make some income. Then I believe you may want to measure your success in income.

If you ask people who interact with you and the answer to the question, "How did you find me?" If the answer is, "I heard your podcast" that is something you can measure and let's you know your SEO and word mouth is working.

We had unprovoked audience feedback, this is unprovoked opportunities to appear on other podcasts, speaking gigs, or other media appearances.

Have you heard yourself being quoted? You can see what websites are linking to yours (which may be someone you collaborate with). This article from SemRush explains how to see who is linking to your website?.

Consistency in...