Smarter Podcasting: How To Use Podcasting For Business Growth
Is It Normal to Have Low Podcast Downloads?
"So, if your stat screen says that there's 43 downloads this week, don't you dare quit. 43 people chose to spend time with you." I wanted to record this one because I keep seeing the same moment play out with the business owners I work with: they check their stats, see a small number, and quietly decide the podcast isn't working. So instead of the usual growth-hack advice, I wanted to reframe the number itself. A download isn't a stat, it's a person who chose to show up. That shift, from counting downloads to counting people, is the whole point of this episode. Key Takeaways Low Numbers Are Normal: Most podcasts, especially niche or business ones, never reach mass download counts, and were never built to. A Download Is a Person: 43 downloads means 43 real people chose to spend time with your show, not a number to be embarrassed by. Quitting Is the Real Mistake: Podcasts don't fail because of a small early download count, they fail when creators quit before consistency has a chance to compound. Some of Your Listeners Are Clients: A small, engaged audience is more valuable than a large, indifferent one. Reach the Right People, Not the Most People: The goal isn't chasing big numbers, it's building a show around the audience that actually matters to your business. Chapters and timestamps: 00:02– Why 43 downloads felt like failure to me, and why it isn't 00:05 – Reframing a download as a real person, not a stat 00:07 – Why quitting over the number is the actual mistake 00:10 – What to do with a small, real audience 00:12 – Closing thoughts and how I build shows around the right listeners Send us Fan Mail Book a free call with me here to help you create the best podcast possible! Email me (niall@sevenmillionbikes.com) or contact me on Seven Million Bikes Podcasts Facebook or Instagram to book your free Podcast Audit!
