Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora
Everyone’s wrong about podcasting. They’re telling you it’s too saturated, too late, too hard. But here’s what they don’t know: 91% of podcasts are basically dead. While everyone’s scared to start, you’re walking into wide open territory.
If you’ve been sitting on a podcast idea, convinced you’ve missed your chance, this article will change your perspective entirely. After helping hundreds of students launch successful shows and building my own podcast to over 100 million downloads, I’ve learned that the people saying “it’s too late” are usually the same ones who gave up after three episodes.
The truth is, now might actually be the perfect time to start your podcast. Let me show you exactly why.
The Content Creation Problem Most Entrepreneurs Face
Everyone keeps saying podcasting is ‘too late’ and you’ve ‘missed the boat.’ Meanwhile, I’m watching entrepreneurs quietly build sustainable businesses with surprisingly small but deeply engaged audiences.
While everyone’s spinning their wheels trying to go viral on TikTok, smart entrepreneurs are building something that actually lasts. I can practically hear you thinking: “Jenna, I love this idea, but I can barely keep up with Instagram. How am I supposed to add another thing?”
Here’s what might surprise you: when you do podcasting right, it doesn’t add to your workload. It replaces it. One conversation becomes your podcast episode, your email content, four social posts, and your next YouTube video.
Why the “Saturation” Argument Falls Apart
Everyone’s panicking about 4 million podcasts, but here’s what they’re missing: only 357,000 have published an episode in the last 30 days. That’s a 91% abandonment rate.
This means while everyone’s worried about competition, you’re actually walking into an abandoned gold mine. Podcast discovery algorithms have gotten smarter too. Apple Podcasts now prioritizes consistent shows over one-hit wonders, and Spotify’s algorithm rewards weekly publishing schedules. The platforms are literally designed to push active shows to the top.
Your strategy should focus on consistency over perfection. Launch with three episodes minimum to give listeners something to binge, commit to weekly publishing for your first 12 weeks, and use the “podcast graveyard” to your advantage by researching how many shows in your niche haven’t posted since 2023.
While everyone’s waiting for the “perfect moment,” you’ll be building an unshakeable foundation. The podcast landscape in five years will reward the people who started consistently showing up today.
The Equipment Myth That Keeps People Stuck
I recorded some of Goal Digger’s most downloaded episodes in my walk-in closet with towels as sound treatment. Audio quality has plateaued, meaning the difference between budget and expensive microphones is getting smaller every year.
Smartphone recording apps now have built-in noise reduction that rivals professional software, AI-powered editing tools can clean up audio automatically, and listeners care more about content consistency than perfect audio quality.
Start with an affordable USB microphone, record in your closet, car, or any small space with soft surfaces, and use remote recording platforms for interviews. Batch record multiple episodes in one session, then you’re done for weeks.
You think you need perfect conditions to start, but authenticity beats perfection every time. Voice creates intimacy that text can’t match, and consistent showing up builds trust faster than sporadic posting with perfect equipment.
Want my complete list of podcasting equipment? Shop my Amazon Storefront here!
How Podcasting Simplifies Your Content Strategy
You don’t have a content problem; you have a systems problem. Stop doing six separate content tasks and do one that becomes six.
Repurposing one podcast episode across platforms is now expected, not optional. Your podcast becomes your content hub, not another content burden. AI can help with research and prep, but authentic voice matters more than ever.
One recording session becomes your podcast episode, multiple social posts, email newsletter content, YouTube video, blog post, and LinkedIn article. Create content buckets around education, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes moments. Use the “tell me about a time when” interview technique for unlimited storytelling opportunities.
This solves your overwhelm problem. Instead of being everything to everyone online, you become THE voice for your people through one consistent medium that works while you sleep.
Why Small Audiences Create Big Business Results
Everyone’s chasing massive download numbers while smart entrepreneurs are building sustainable businesses with small, engaged audiences. The average podcast listener subscribes to seven shows, so you’re not competing for their only slot.
Podcast monetization has evolved beyond ads. Listeners have higher purchasing intent than social media followers, the intimacy of podcasting creates stronger buyer relationships, and research shows podcast listeners have 45% higher household incomes than average.
Focus on engagement depth over download numbers, create a clear listener journey from podcast to email list to offer, and use your podcast as a networking tool, not just content. You’re not just building an audience; you’re building the right audience.
You’re literally in people’s ears for 30+ minutes. No other content platform gives you this amount of uninterrupted attention with your ideal clients.
The Long-Term Consistency Strategy
Most people obsess over launch day then burn out by episode seven. The real magic happens when you’re still showing up after everyone else has quit.
Podcast algorithms now heavily weight consistency over initial buzz, binge-listening is the new normal (people discover episode one from episode 50), and building trust takes time, but podcasting gives you that time.
Launch with three episodes, not one, to give listeners something to binge. Batch record your first batch of episodes before you launch and plan your content calendar three months out minimum.
Here’s the Podcasting Paradox: weekly episodes create more freedom than daily posts. Podcasting creates compound content returns and builds while you sleep versus the constant posting treadmill.
Using Interviews as Business Development Tools
Most people think interviews are about getting good content. Wrong. Interviews are about building relationships with people in your industry who can change your business.
Decision-makers are more accessible through podcasting than cold outreach, being a podcast host positions you as an authority immediately, and one great guest relationship can transform your entire business.
Interview people you want to collaborate with, not just famous people. Make your guests look like heroes, not yourself, and follow up after the episode with genuine relationship building.
Podcasting builds authority faster than any other medium because you’re the host. You’re asking the questions. You’re curating the conversation.
Your Next Steps: From Idea to Launch
The truth is, in six months you’ll either be that person who’s still talking about starting a podcast “someday,” or you’ll be the one with 20+ episodes under your belt, building real relationships with your dream collaborators, and watching your business grow in ways you never imagined.
Everything I just shared, all the reasons why now is the perfect time, is meant to get you closer to saying “yes” to starting a podcast. While you’re likely overcomplicating it all in your mind, it’s actually easier than you think.
Your future podcast listeners are out there waiting for your voice. The question isn’t whether you have something valuable to say (you do). The question is whether you’re going to let fear keep you quiet or finally step into the spotlight you deserve.
If you’re ready to move from idea to launch, I teach everything you need to know in my free masterclass, “Podcasting 101: How to Start, Record, and Profit from Your Show.”
The world needs what you have to share, and it’s time you believed that too.
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