What do you call three men sitting around in a room? A podcast.
It's a cheap joke (heck, we gave it to you for free!), but it says a lot about the perception of podcasting. Like, for instance, how easy it really is to set up. How aimless many podcasts feel. And, yes, how the field is traditionally more male and traditionally more white (though that trend is shifting some).
The truth is, though, podcasting is only growing more diverse and more in-demand. Here are just a few stats about the state of podcasting:
- An estimated 114 million Americans listen to podcasts in 2025 (growing around 5 percent each year)
- The global audience is around 584 million in 2025 (growing around 6 percent each year)
- 34 percent of Americans listen to more than 8 episodes per week on average
- The global podcast market is worth more than $38 billion
But this is just one side of podcasting. The reality is, there are plenty of reasons to start a podcast that have nothing to do with the rising popularity of the medium.
Just ask RSS.com's Greg Wasserman.
"I think everyone should have a podcast," says Wasserman. Officially RSS's Head of Relationships, Wasserman has spent years as a top strategist and consultant for podcasters, not to mention a sales guru and all-around podcast superfan.
The Eight-Episode Hump
As low as the barrier to entry for podcasting is, a lot of podcasts never get off the ground. "The reason most people don't have a podcast is because they don't have a strategy," Wasserman tells RootNote. "Or, they just think of it as a hobby, and then they get frustrated and never make it past the first eight episodes."
That is, according to Wasserman, the first big hump: eight episodes. "Most podcasters don't make it past eight episodes," Wasserman confirms. "They don't realize what they're getting into. Or they get discouraged by the numbers."
This first speed bump is, of course, excluding the types of limited run podcasts that are designed to only be a certain number of episodes, like critically acclaimed investigative narrative Serial. But for the majority of traditional episodic podcasts, making it past eight episodes is a big deal.
"The next one is 50 — you know, make it past the first year," Wasserman says. "You want to be that person that kind of says, 'Don't go back and listen to my first episodes because I was still figuring it out — these episodes now are the great stuff.' Of course, $100 says your listeners are still going to go back and listen because, while you may think it's rough, there's still incredible value in those early days."
The One Thing Most People Overlook When It Comes To Podcasts — And The One Thing They Pay Too Much Attention To
For those who think they can commit to at least eight episodes and are ready to take the leap into podcasting, there are a few key things to consider. And one of them is, well, being sure not to consider something too much.
"People can get too wrapped up in the equipment they need to buy," Wasserman says.
It's a classic concern just about anybody has when they try to start something new. Whether you're wondering what shoes you need to start running or what camera you need to start filming, people always get hung up on the technical side of it all. The good news is, with podcasting, even something as simple as your phone can record good enough audio for a podcast episode.
And with simple tools like those that RSS.com offer, actually uploading and distributing (and even monetizing) the podcast is also really easy.
So where should beginners focus their attention instead?
"People need to focus on how to become better storytellers," Wasserman says. But here's the thing: he doesn't just mean about the actual content of the podcast. "Storytelling" starts with everything from your podcast title to thumbnails and descriptions.
"I spend a lot of my time just educating podcasters on, like, 'Here are the basics,'" he says. "Packaging; how do we package up your titles, your descriptions, your, your artwork so that it gets found? Regardless of the platform, storytelling will always win."
It's important for creators to consider these kinds of things and set themselves up for success early on. If you're like most podcasts, you'll still probably struggle with growth early on and pay way too much attention to downloads (more on that in a second), but at the very least you'll feel confident knowing that people understand the story of your podcast. They'll know what to expect when they find it or go looking for something like it.
The "Why" Of It All
Here's the thing, though. If you don't know your "why" when it comes to starting a podcast, you'll have a hard time figuring the rest out.
"I was talking with a creator at an event," Wasserman says. "And they told me they just started a podcast. I said, 'That's really cool — so why are you doing this?' I asked them three times and they didn't have an answer."
Why do you want to start a podcast? Are you a content creator looking to expand your mediums? Are you a business or business owner looking to find customers? Are you somebody who just loves telling stories? Teaching? Having great conversations?
Or maybe you're just a big fan and always thought to yourself, "This seems fun."
But you need to be honest with yourself about why you're starting a podcast before you dive right in. That's going to help you set things up early and minimize frustrations in the long run.
As a consultant who lives and breathes podcasting, Wasserman says the "Why" can be an overarching philosophical question, or it can be something as simple as, "I want to find more customers."
But understanding the "why" helps podcasters (and people who coach them, like Wasserman) focus on the important things. For example, if you're ultimately looking to find more customers, you actually shouldn't be that worried about number of downloads or the size of your audience.
Downloads are, quite simply, the most overblown metric in podcasting. And if your why isn't to build a massive audience, but instead to land customers, then why should you really try to chase downloads at all? Wasserman offers one alternative: you should think about bringing the type of people you want to be customers as guests on your podcast.
Listen to them, talk to them about their expertise, and make a connection. Don't "sell" yourself, but genuinely connect. And the chances of not only landing them as a customers grow exponentially, but also the chances of reaching people in their network who are also probably similar to them and may be customers too. Whether you get 10 downloads per episode or 10,000 is less relevant when you're using your podcast to form relationships.
Other Quick Considerations Before Your First Episode
Alright, so you've thought about your why. You've thought about the story you want your podcast to tell, from the actual format to the artwork and episode titles. You haven't wasted too much energy thinking about gear. You're ready to push record.
What are some other key things to think about?
Audio Is Not An Afterthought To Video
"A lot of podcasters are thinking video first, but then when they think about chopping it up and uploading the audio, it's actually not a good experience for the listener," Wasserman says. It's like listening to a webinar and halfway through you realize, "Oh, I'm not getting all of this because there's something I need to be seeing." Of course, video is not a requirement by any stretch of the imagination. But if you're going to film it, make sure it's a great experience whether the viewer can see it or not.
Break The Fourth Wall
This is where "breaking the fourth wall" is important. In other words, speak directly to your audience. If something visual is happening, describe it to them. Howard Stern famously did this well on his radio shows. Invite the audience in to the room with you in a way. Remember, a lot of people listen to podcasts when their eyes are busy. Paint the picture for them with your audio.
Every Podcast Is An Opportunity For A Lot Of Content
Podcasts provide an opportunity for a wealth of content. "Where else could I record a conversation and then turn this into an audio that other people listen to, video so people can watch, and then cut it into little snippets for social media, cut it into a blog, turn it into a newsletter and any other pieces of content?" Wasserman says. "Like where else are you going to have that ability to record once and then disseminate how you see fit?" As long as the source content (i.e. the podcast itself) is thoughtful and engaging, the different ways you choose to package it can help you be in more places without significantly increasing the workload.
There Are Many Ways To Monetize
"People focus too much on downloads early on," Wasserman says. "They're thinking about getting sponsors. But I like to tell everyone this: I can get you a sponsor today. And then they ask, 'How?' and I tell them, 'Think about all of the tools and platforms you use in your daily life — they all have affiliate programs. When you start a podcast, you really are an influencer. People see you have a podcast and then they want one. Become an RSS.com affiliate — I can see how many people sign up to use RSS.com through our affiliate program. It really is amazing. So sign up for an RSS.com affiliate, start making money, and watch that grow as you grow.'"
RSS.com also offers a program called PAID, which stands for "programmatic ads inserted dynamically." In other words, once you hit a certain threshold of listeners, you can let RSS.com automatically insert ads into your podcast so you can start getting paid from them. "It starts with the quick and simple monetization that RSS.com gives you, and then through that you can create the stories of, who is my audience, who are the users, and how do I sell that story to get sponsors," Wasserman says.
Beyond that, though, there are myriad options for monetizing a podcast, from merch to live events to monetized fan clubs etc. If monetization is your primary motivation, you can at least achieve the mental satisfaction of knowing that you can pretty much start right away. That's not to say it'll be easy — but it is available.
Ultimately, there's a reason Wasserman and so many others have fallen in love with podcasting as a medium. If you're looking for more resources on starting a podcast or a service to host, distribute, and monetize your podcast, check out RSS.com.