You hit refresh at midnight—2,847 downloads on episode 47, up 3% from last week. Your heart races. You’ve checked this number 14 times today. But somewhere in those 2,847 “listens,” your mom accidentally downloaded it three times, a bot in Russia scraped the RSS feed, and 1,200 people stopped listening after 45 seconds. Only 42 … Read more
You send your tenth sponsor pitch this month—custom media kit, glowing analytics, a personal video message. The response is identical: “Thanks, but you’re not the right fit right now.” Meanwhile, a podcast with half your downloads lands a five-figure deal. Another creator mentions they turn down sponsors weekly. What do they have that you don’t? … Read more
You used to wake up excited to record—ideas flowed, conversations sparkled, editing felt like sculpting art. Then the sponsor email arrived: “We need three ad reads per episode, 60 seconds each, delivered in your ‘authentic voice.’” Your Patreon dropped five subscribers after you missed one release date. The analytics show a 3% decline, and you … Read more
You bought the $300 microphone after watching a YouTube tutorial promising “six-figure podcast income.” You’ve recorded 47 episodes. Your Patreon has two subscribers—one is your mom, the other is a bot. Last month you made $4.27 from Spotify and spent $47 on hosting fees. The podcasting conference you attended featured speakers earning $50K per episode, … Read more