Practicing What I Preach
Hey Reader
Last week, I promised I’d put my money where my mouth is. Instead of just talking about how to get your first 100 listeners, I ran the strategy myself with our new in-house show, Kids vs Parents.
Here’s where we started last week (August 27):
- 51 unique listeners
- 83 downloads
And here’s where we are today, one week later:
- 96 unique listeners ⬆️ 88%
- 163 downloads ⬆️ 96%
Not quite at 100 yet, but close, and most importantly, this growth came directly from practicing what I preached.
The Outreach Spike
Take a look at the analytics from my hosting platform:
That big jump you see? That’s Saturday, the day I set aside for personal outreach. Messaging friends directly gave us a clear lift in both unique listeners and downloads.
But the story doesn’t stop there:
- The ripple effect: Some replies and subsequent listens trickled in days later. Outreach is seed planting, not instant results.
- The multiplier: The biggest lifts aligned with new content. On launch Monday, we dropped not one but three episodes (since each one is only 10 minutes). That was intentional. I wanted people who enjoyed the first episode to immediately have more to binge, and it worked. Week 2 is naturally lower on downloads since there aren’t as many new episodes to dive into.
- The rising floor: Even on quieter days, the baseline of listens is creeping up. That’s the early sign of momentum, you’re not just chasing spikes, you’re building a higher everyday average.
What I Actually Did
Here are a few real examples of the messages I sent:
Each note felt personalized. I made sure to mention their kids by name, referenced their family, or reminded them of a special shared connection we had. Plus, every message included a single universal link, making it easy for them to join the show and listen in their preferred podcasting app.
My hosting platform provided this, but you can also get one for your show here.
What Surprised Me
Not everyone responded right away. Some messages took days to get a reply, and some never got one at all. However, some of those responses reminded me why those first 100 listeners matter so much: they’re not just numbers, but real people engaging with the show.
This week, I’ll be following up with those who replied, asking them to do just one thing: either share the show with a friend OR leave a review. Not both. I have found that asking ONE thing at a time gets better results.
Okay, Your Turn
I want you to try this exact framework with your own podcast this week. Write down 20 people who’d genuinely enjoy your show, send them a personal message, and give them one easy link. Then see what happens.
And here’s my ask of you: hit reply to this email and tell me your results. How many new listeners did you get? What surprised you? I might even share a couple of your stories in a future newsletter.
What’s My Next Strategy?
Kids vs Parents is just getting warmed up. As the back catalog builds, I’ll be testing new strategies like pitching to Apple Podcasts for a potential feature (which involves creating some very specific graphics). I’ll share that process later, so you’ll know exactly what to prepare if you want to try it too.
For now, the focus is simple: close the gap and hit that first 100 regular listeners.
See you next week,
Steve