Zero-budget podcasting truths, signs it's time to quit your show, Spotify's new "Plays" metric, Audacity's 25th anniversary, and a pro trick for getting remote guests to show up in this episode of Build a Big Podcast ...

Big Ideas in This Episode

• Can you really podcast with zero budget?

• Your community: free content machine or wasted potential?

• Are you secretly quitting your show already?

• Audacity: free tool pros secretly rely on

• Spotify “plays”: will your numbers embarrass you?

• Doing it only for others? Beware burnout

• Outsmart flaky guests with this ruthless trick

Why You Should Listen

• Can you really build a high-impact podcast on a shoestring budget—and why some “zero dollar” shows secretly outperform the big spenders

• What the most obsessive fans in your niche desperately want to give you—for free—that can boost your podcast overnight

• The tragic mistake that exposes you as a non-believer in your own podcast ... and instantly destroys trust, influence, and momentum

• The “secret weapon” tool billion-dollar media companies use (and you can too) to produce world-class audio at no cost

• The seductive danger of podcasting for an audience you don’t care about—and how it poisons your creativity, your brand, and your will to win

• How to know with chilling certainty if it’s time to quit your podcast (Don’t ignore these 7 dark warning signs!)

• What to do when the passion is gone and your broadcast has turned into a soul-sucking grind

• Why the silent killer of fading creativity may already be sabotaging your episodes, stealing your audience, and nobody has the guts to tell you

• The toxic “slow quitting” behaviors every podcaster falls into—and the simple test that reveals if you’re infected

• How to seduce guests into showing up on time and ready to deliver their best—using nothing but a well-timed digital “breadcrumb”

• The envy-inducing way to grow a tribe of raving superfans who feed you story ideas, viral links, and juicy questions (while your competitors toil in obscurity)

• Why showing your raw, embarrassing numbers on Spotify can spark insane jealousy—or merciless humiliation—and how to flip public metrics to your advantage

• What podcasting’s oldest “free” software can teach you about outlasting the giants and still dominating your niche

• The lazy podcaster’s roadmap: Set up automatic processes so even when you’re running on fumes, you still ship episodes and cash checks

• The ruthless truth about “doing it for your community”—is your loyalty to the audience destroying your own happiness and profits?

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] The myth of the zero-budget podcast—what you really need to make your show compelling

• [00:03:40] The Blockbuster shrink wrap hustle: Does saving money mean you don’t believe in your podcast?

• [00:05:17] Why billion-dollar companies still use free tools like Audacity (and how you can, too)

• [00:07:23] The 7 silent warning signs you’re mentally quitting your podcast before you hit “stop”

• [00:09:56] The surprising truth: Why taking a break might reveal you’re ready to quit for good

• [00:12:13] Spotify “plays” exposed: Why most podcasters shouldn’t sweat over public metrics

• [00:16:36] The real reason Audacity is unfairly labeled “amateur”—and how it secretly shaped the podcasting world

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This episode of Build a Big Podcast is brought to you by Riverside ...​

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About this episode of Build a Big Podcast:​

This is the audio companion to Issue 235 of Big Podcast Insider. If you're interested in more info on what I talk about on this episode and also links, that's where to go. On this episode, I dive into where the money is made in podcasting. how to get more reviews (and subscribers) for your podcast, podcast hosting, and more.   ​

Big Podcast Insider is a weekly newsletter on podcasting. If you like the content of this episode, you can subscribe here – it's free and you can unsubscribe at any time with a single click.​

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