“The podcasters who win aren’t always the most talented. They’re the most strategic.”
— Don Jackson, The Raven Media Group

Introduction

If you’ve been podcasting for a while and feel like your growth has stalled, you’re not alone. The global podcasting landscape now features more than 4 million active shows, and the vast majority of them plateau well before they reach their potential. The difference between a podcast that quietly fades and one that breaks through to tens of thousands — or even millions — of loyal listeners almost never comes down to audio quality or even content quality alone.

It comes down to strategy.

At The Raven Media Group, I’ve spent years studying what separates the world’s fastest-growing podcasts from the ones that never find their footing. I’ve analyzed the strategies behind shows like The Mel Robbins Podcast — which became the #1 Most Followed Show on Apple Podcasts — as well as dozens of independent creators who have built remarkable audiences without massive budgets or celebrity name recognition.

What I’ve found is that doubling your podcast downloads in 90 days is not only possible — it’s repeatable. It requires a specific set of strategies, applied consistently, with the discipline to trust the process even before the numbers move.

In this article, I’m going to share the 10 proven strategies that I’ve seen work time and time again. These aren’t theories. They are battle-tested, data-backed growth hacks that real podcasters have used to transform their shows — and their businesses.

Let’s get into it.

Why 90 Days? The Science Behind the Timeline

Before we dive into the strategies, it’s worth understanding why 90 days is the right window for meaningful podcast growth.

Podcast algorithms — particularly on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — reward sustained engagement signals over time. A single viral episode can spike your numbers, but it won’t move the needle on your long-term ranking. What the algorithm responds to is consistent listener behavior: regular subscriptions, episode completions, ratings, reviews, and shares — accumulated over weeks, not days.

Ninety days is also the minimum window for habit formation in your audience. Research in behavioral psychology consistently shows that it takes approximately 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. For podcast listeners, that means 90 days is roughly the time it takes for your show to become a scheduled part of someone’s weekly routine — the holy grail of podcast loyalty.

Finally, 90 days is long enough to test, iterate, and optimize. You’ll have enough data to know what’s working and what isn’t, and enough time to course-correct before you’ve wasted months on the wrong approach.

Now, let’s talk strategy.

Strategy #1: Nail Your Niche — Then Go One Level Deeper

The Problem: Most podcasters define their niche too broadly. “Business,” “health,” “true crime,” and “personal development” are categories, not niches. And in a market of 4 million shows, a category is not enough to stand out.

The Strategy: The most successful podcasts don’t just occupy a niche — they own a micro-niche. They go one, two, or even three levels deeper than the obvious category until they find a specific audience with a specific problem that no one else is solving with the same depth and consistency.

Real-World Example: When My Favorite Murder launched, true crime was already a crowded space. But Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark went deeper — they combined true crime with comedy and personal storytelling, creating a micro-niche that felt entirely new. The result? More than 35 million downloads per month at its peak and a devoted community called the “Murderinos.”

The Raven Media Group Framework: I call this the Niche Depth Test. Ask yourself three questions:

  1. Who specifically is my listener? (Not “entrepreneurs” — “first-generation immigrant entrepreneurs building service businesses in the U.S.”)
  2. What specific problem am I solving for them in every episode?
  3. Is there another show doing exactly this? If yes, go deeper.

Action Step: Rewrite your podcast description using the Niche Depth Test. Your description should make your ideal listener feel like the show was built specifically for them.

Strategy #2: Engineer Shareability Before You Hit Record

The Problem: Most podcasters think about shareability after an episode is recorded — if they think about it at all. They publish, hope for the best, and wonder why their episodes don’t spread organically.

The Strategy: Shareability must be engineered into the content before you record. This means identifying the specific moments, insights, or emotional beats that will compel a listener to pause, screenshot, and send the episode to someone they care about.

The Data: Mel Robbins’ team at 143 Studios analyzes listener data with the rigor of a tech company. They track which clips are saved, replayed, and shared — and they use that data to engineer more of those moments into every episode. The result? Her episode “The Body Reset: How Women Should Eat & Exercise for Health, Fat Loss, and Energy” became the #1 Most Shared Episode on Apple Podcasts in 2025.

The Raven Media Group Framework: Before every recording session, identify your episode’s “Share Trigger” — the single insight, statistic, story, or moment that is so valuable, surprising, or emotionally resonant that a listener would feel compelled to share it. Build the episode around that trigger.

Action Step: Review your last five episodes. Can you identify a clear Share Trigger in each one? If not, that’s your first area for improvement.

Strategy #3: Master the Cross-Platform Content Flywheel

The Problem: Too many podcasters treat their show as a single-channel medium. They record, publish, post a link on social media, and move on. This approach leaves enormous growth potential on the table.

The Strategy: Your podcast episode is not the end product — it’s the raw material for a week’s worth of content across multiple platforms. The most successful podcasters in the world have mastered the art of repurposing, turning one episode into a content flywheel that drives traffic back to the show from every direction.

Real-World Example: Joe Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience built much of its early growth through YouTube, where full-length episodes and clips accumulated billions of views and funneled millions of new listeners to the audio feed. Today, virtually every top podcast has a robust YouTube presence — not as an afterthought, but as a core growth channel.

The Raven Media Group Content Flywheel:

  • 60-second Instagram/TikTok Reels — The most shareable moment from each episode
  • 3-5 minute YouTube Shorts — A deeper clip that showcases your expertise
  • Full-length YouTube video — The complete episode with chapters and timestamps
  • Twitter/X thread — The top 10 insights from the episode in thread format
  • LinkedIn article — A thought leadership piece inspired by the episode’s core theme
  • Email newsletter — A personal note to your subscribers with a link and key takeaway
  • Blog post with show notes — SEO-optimized written content that ranks on Google

Action Step: Choose two platforms where your ideal listener already spends time and commit to repurposing every episode for those platforms for the next 90 days.

Strategy #4: Optimize for Search — On Every Platform

The Problem: Most podcasters treat SEO as a blog strategy, not a podcast strategy. This is a massive missed opportunity. Podcast discoverability on Google, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify is driven by the same fundamental principles as web search — and most creators are leaving enormous organic traffic on the table.

The Strategy: Treat every episode like a piece of SEO content. This means keyword-optimized titles, descriptions, show notes, and transcripts — all working together to help your episode surface when your ideal listener is searching for answers.

Key SEO Tactics for Podcasters:

  • Episode Titles: Use the exact language your audience uses when searching for solutions. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and AnswerThePublic can help you identify high-volume, low-competition search terms relevant to your topic.
  • Show Notes: Write comprehensive, keyword-rich show notes of at least 500 words for every episode. Include timestamps, guest bios, and links to resources mentioned.
  • Transcripts: Full episode transcripts are a goldmine for SEO. Google can index every word, dramatically increasing the number of search queries your episode can rank for.
  • Chapter Markers: Adding chapters to your episodes improves listener experience and signals to platforms that your content is well-organized and high-quality.
  • Podcast Website: Every podcast needs a dedicated website with individual episode pages. This is your SEO foundation — and it’s also how you build an AdSense-monetizable content library over time.

Real-World Example: How I Built This with Guy Raz consistently ranks on the first page of Google for searches like “entrepreneur podcast,” “startup stories,” and dozens of other high-intent queries — not because of paid promotion, but because of meticulous SEO optimization across every episode.

Action Step: Go back and rewrite the titles and descriptions of your 10 most popular episodes using keyword research. Monitor the impact on organic downloads over the next 30 days.

Strategy #5: Release on a Consistent Schedule — Without Exception

The Problem: Inconsistent publishing is the single most common reason podcasts lose momentum. When listeners can’t predict when your next episode will drop, they stop building your show into their routine — and once you’re out of the habit loop, you’re out of the algorithm.

The Strategy: Choose a publishing schedule you can maintain without exception and commit to it publicly. Whether that’s daily, twice weekly, or weekly, consistency is more important than frequency. A weekly show that never misses a beat will outperform a daily show that goes dark for two weeks every other month.

The Algorithm Reality: Both Apple Podcasts and Spotify reward consistent publishing with better placement in “New Episodes” feeds and recommendation algorithms. Consistency signals to the platform that you are a reliable creator — and reliable creators get promoted.

Real-World Example: The Mel Robbins Podcast publishes two episodes every week — Mondays and Thursdays — without fail. This consistency has been a cornerstone of the show’s algorithmic dominance and listener habit formation. Mel has spoken openly about the discipline required to maintain this schedule, and the results speak for themselves.

Action Step: Batch record at least four episodes before you launch or relaunch your show. This gives you a buffer that makes consistency achievable even when life gets complicated.

Strategy #6: Leverage Strategic Guest Partnerships

The Problem: Many podcasters book guests based on availability rather than strategy. They end up with a roster of guests who don’t meaningfully grow their audience because those guests don’t have audiences of their own — or their audiences don’t overlap with the show’s ideal listener.

The Strategy: Every guest booking should be evaluated through the lens of audience overlap and cross-promotion potential. The goal is not just to create great content — it’s to introduce your show to a new, relevant audience every time a guest appears.

The Raven Media Group Guest Strategy Framework:

  1. Audience Overlap: Does this guest have an audience that matches your ideal listener profile?
  2. Cross-Promotion Commitment: Will this guest share the episode with their audience? (Always ask upfront.)
  3. Content Value: Does this guest bring unique insights, data, or stories that your audience can’t get anywhere else?
  4. Relationship Potential: Is this a guest who could become a long-term collaborator, not just a one-time appearance?

Real-World Example: When The Tim Ferriss Show was building its early audience, Tim strategically booked guests who were already influential in the entrepreneurship, health, and performance spaces — people like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Robbins, and Jamie Foxx. Each guest brought their own massive audience to the show, compounding Tim’s growth with every episode.

Action Step: Identify 10 potential guests whose audiences perfectly overlap with your ideal listener. Craft a personalized outreach email that leads with value — what’s in it for them — not just what you need.

Strategy #7: Build and Activate Your Email List

The Problem: Social media followers are borrowed audiences. Platform algorithms change, accounts get suspended, and reach fluctuates wildly. Podcasters who build their growth exclusively on social media are building on rented land.

The Strategy: Your email list is the only audience you truly own. It is the most direct, reliable, and high-converting channel available to any content creator — and for podcasters, it is dramatically underutilized.

The Data: Email marketing consistently delivers an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent — higher than any other digital marketing channel. For podcasters, a well-nurtured email list drives episode downloads, boosts listener loyalty, and creates a direct line to your most engaged audience members.

How to Build Your Podcast Email List:

  • Lead Magnet: Create a free resource (checklist, guide, template, or mini-course) that is directly relevant to your podcast’s core topic. Offer it in exchange for an email address.
  • Episode Bonuses: Mention exclusive bonus content available to email subscribers at the end of every episode.
  • Landing Page: Create a dedicated podcast landing page with a clear email opt-in above the fold.
  • Newsletter: Send a weekly email that adds value beyond the podcast — behind-the-scenes insights, curated resources, personal reflections.

Action Step: If you don’t have an email list, start one today. If you do, send your subscribers an exclusive piece of content this week and track the engagement. Your email list is your most valuable growth asset.

Strategy #8: Harness the Power of Ratings, Reviews, and Social Proof

The Problem: Most podcasters mention ratings and reviews once, half-heartedly, at the end of an episode — and then wonder why they have 12 reviews after two years of publishing.

The Strategy: Social proof is one of the most powerful drivers of podcast discovery and conversion. When a potential new listener lands on your show page and sees hundreds of five-star reviews, the decision to subscribe becomes almost automatic. Ratings and reviews also directly influence algorithmic placement on Apple Podcasts.

The Raven Media Group Review Generation System:

  • The Specific Ask: Don’t just say “leave a review.” Tell listeners exactly what to do: “Open Apple Podcasts, search for [show name], scroll down to the ratings section, and tap five stars. It takes 30 seconds and it means the world to this show.”
  • The Emotional Why: Tell listeners specifically how their review helps — not just the show, but the community. “Every review helps this show reach one more person who needs to hear this message.”
  • The Strategic Placement: Ask for reviews at the moment of highest emotional engagement — right after you’ve delivered your most powerful insight, not at the very end when listeners are already reaching for the skip button.
  • The Incentive: Offer to read listener reviews on air. This creates a powerful incentive and makes your audience feel seen and valued.

Action Step: Rewrite your review ask using the framework above and deploy it in your next three episodes. Set a goal of 50 new reviews in 30 days and track your progress.

Strategy #9: Collaborate Through Podcast Swaps and Cross-Promotions

The Problem: Most podcasters market their show in isolation, competing for attention in a crowded space when they could be collaborating their way to growth.

The Strategy: Podcast swaps and cross-promotions are among the fastest, most cost-effective growth strategies available to independent creators. By partnering with shows that serve a similar audience, you can introduce your podcast to thousands of pre-qualified listeners overnight — for free.

Types of Podcast Collaborations:

  • Guest Swaps: You appear on their show; they appear on yours. Both audiences get introduced to a new voice they’re likely to love.
  • Promo Swaps: You read a 60-second promotional spot for their show; they do the same for yours. Simple, fast, and effective.
  • Joint Episodes: Co-create a special episode with another podcaster on a topic that serves both audiences. These collaborative episodes often outperform regular episodes in terms of reach and shareability.
  • Podcast Networks: Joining or forming a podcast network creates built-in cross-promotion opportunities and shared audience development.

Real-World Example: The early growth of the Gimlet Media podcast network was driven in large part by cross-promotion between shows. By promoting Reply All to listeners of StartUp and vice versa, Gimlet built multiple hit shows simultaneously — leveraging the same audience base across an expanding content portfolio.

Action Step: Identify five podcasts in adjacent niches with similar audience sizes. Reach out this week with a specific, low-friction collaboration proposal — a promo swap is the easiest starting point.

Strategy #10: Analyze, Iterate, and Double Down on What Works

The Problem: Too many podcasters publish content on instinct and hope, with no systematic process for understanding what’s actually resonating with their audience. Without data, you’re flying blind — and flying blind is expensive.

The Strategy: The podcasters who grow fastest are the ones who treat their show like a product and their audience like customers. They analyze performance data obsessively, identify patterns in what works, and ruthlessly double down on the content, formats, and topics that drive the strongest engagement signals.

The Metrics That Matter:

  • Downloads per Episode — Your baseline growth metric
  • Listener Retention Rate — What percentage of each episode are listeners completing? This is the most important quality signal.
  • Subscribe Rate — What percentage of first-time listeners subscribe after their first episode?
  • Share Rate — Which episodes are being shared most frequently? These are your best content templates.
  • Review Sentiment — What specific words and phrases do reviewers use to describe the show’s value?

Tools for Podcast Analytics:

  • Spotify for Podcasters — Detailed listener demographics and episode performance data
  • Apple Podcasts Connect — Episode-level performance data including plays, listeners, and followers
  • Chartable — Advanced attribution and growth analytics
  • Podtrac — Industry-standard download measurement and ranking

Real-World Example: Mel Robbins’ team at 143 Studios uses listener data to identify the exact moments in each episode that generate the strongest engagement — and they engineer more of those moments into every subsequent episode. This data-driven approach to emotional resonance is a sophisticated content strategy that has contributed directly to the show’s #1 global ranking.

Action Step: Pull the analytics for your last 20 episodes. Identify your top five performers by retention rate. What do they have in common? That’s your content blueprint for the next 90 days.

The 90-Day Action Plan: Putting It All Together

Here’s how to sequence these strategies for maximum impact over your 90-day growth sprint:

Days 1–30: Foundation

  • Redefine your niche using the Niche Depth Test
  • Audit and rewrite your top 10 episode titles and descriptions for SEO
  • Launch or revitalize your email list with a compelling lead magnet
  • Establish your consistent publishing schedule and batch record four episodes
  • Set up your cross-platform content flywheel for at least two platforms

Days 31–60: Amplification

  • Launch your guest booking outreach campaign (10 strategic targets)
  • Implement the Review Generation System across three consecutive episodes
  • Reach out to five podcasts for collaboration or promo swap opportunities
  • Begin publishing SEO-optimized show notes and transcripts for every episode
  • Identify your Share Trigger for every episode before recording

Days 61–90: Optimization

  • Pull your analytics and identify your top five episodes by retention rate
  • Double down on the content formats and topics that are driving the strongest engagement
  • Evaluate your guest partnership results and refine your booking criteria
  • Assess your cross-platform content performance and optimize your best-performing channels
  • Set your growth targets for the next 90-day sprint based on what you’ve learned

The Impact of These Strategies on AdSense Monetization

For podcasters who are building companion blogs or content websites alongside their shows, these growth strategies have a direct and significant impact on AdSense performance. Here’s why:

Higher Downloads = Higher Web Traffic. As your podcast audience grows, so does the traffic to your show notes pages, episode blog posts, and resource pages — all of which are AdSense-monetizable real estate.

SEO-Optimized Content = High-CPC Traffic. When your podcast content ranks on Google for high-intent keywords in niches like business, health, education, and personal finance, you attract visitors who are actively searching for solutions — and those visitors generate significantly higher AdSense revenue per click than passive social media traffic.

Email List = Repeat Visitors. A well-nurtured email list drives consistent, recurring traffic to your website — the kind of loyal, engaged traffic that AdSense rewards with higher RPMs.

Niche Authority = Premium Advertisers. When your podcast establishes genuine authority in a specific niche, your website becomes attractive to premium display advertisers — both through AdSense and through direct sponsorship deals that can dramatically outperform AdSense rates.

How Don Jackson and The Raven Media Group Can Help You Grow

Reading about growth strategies is one thing. Implementing them consistently, strategically, and effectively — while also running your business, managing your life, and actually creating great content — is another challenge entirely.

That’s where The Raven Media Group comes in.

I founded The Raven Media Group with a single mission: to help creators, entrepreneurs, and organizations build media that matters. Whether you’re launching your first podcast, trying to break through a growth plateau, or ready to scale your show into a full media business, my team and I bring the strategic expertise, creative insight, and hands-on support to help you get there faster.

What We Offer:

Podcast Strategy & Launch Consulting
From niche definition and content architecture to launch strategy and distribution, we build the strategic foundation that gives your podcast the best possible chance of breaking through in a crowded market.

Audience Growth & Development
We implement the proven growth frameworks outlined in this article — and dozens more — tailored specifically to your show, your audience, and your goals. No cookie-cutter approaches. No vanity metrics. Just real, sustainable audience growth.

Content Optimization & SEO
We optimize your episode titles, descriptions, show notes, and transcripts for maximum search visibility — turning your podcast content library into a powerful, compounding SEO asset.

Guest Booking & Partnership Development
We identify, vet, and secure strategic guest partnerships and cross-promotion opportunities that introduce your show to thousands of new, pre-qualified listeners.

Monetization Strategy
From sponsorship development and affiliate marketing to AdSense optimization and premium membership programs, we build monetization strategies that generate real revenue without compromising your audience’s trust.

Analytics & Performance Reporting
We track the metrics that matter, translate the data into actionable insights, and continuously optimize your strategy based on what’s actually working.

Ready to Double Your Downloads in 90 Days?

The strategies in this article work. I’ve seen them work for independent creators with audiences of a few hundred listeners and for established shows with millions of downloads. The common thread is always the same: strategic clarity, consistent execution, and the discipline to trust the process.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing — if you’re ready to build a podcast that doesn’t just exist but genuinely matters — I’d love to talk.

Connect with me directly.

Let’s build something worth listening to.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it realistically take to double podcast downloads?
With consistent application of the strategies outlined in this article, most podcasters see meaningful growth within 60–90 days. The exact timeline depends on your starting point, niche, and consistency of execution.

Do I need a big budget to grow my podcast?
No. The most effective podcast growth strategies — niche definition, SEO optimization, cross-promotion, email list building, and consistent publishing — require time and discipline, not a large financial investment.

Which strategy should I start with?
Start with Strategy #1 (Niche Definition) and Strategy #5 (Consistent Publishing Schedule). These are the foundation everything else is built on. Without a clear niche and a reliable publishing cadence, the other strategies will underperform.

How important is audio quality for podcast growth?
Audio quality matters — but it’s a threshold issue, not a differentiator. Your audio needs to be clear and professional enough that it doesn’t distract from your content. Beyond that threshold, content quality, consistency, and strategy drive growth far more than production value.

Can these strategies work for a brand new podcast?
Absolutely. In fact, implementing these strategies from day one gives you a significant advantage over the vast majority of new podcasters who launch without a strategic framework. The 90-day timeline assumes you’re starting from a baseline of at least a few published episodes.

Don Jackson is the founder of The Raven Media Group, a media strategy and consulting firm dedicated to helping creators, entrepreneurs, and organizations build high-impact podcasts and content platforms. Connect with Don on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/djackson33.