<p>What was the moment you knew you were a podcaster? Was it your first episode? Your first listener? Or the moment someone asked for your advice? Today, we’re reflecting on the milestones that made us <em>feel</em> like real podcasters. Then, inspired by a question from a Facebook group, we shift to an in-depth conversation about podcast growth what’s realistic, and how to stay motivated when downloads feel slow. Plus, we analyze key success metrics beyond downloads and why they matter.</p><p><strong>Episode Highlights: </strong></p><p>[4:50] Personal Aha Moments in Podcasting</p><p>[16:58] Community Recognition and Podcast Success</p><p>[18:26] Challenges and Realities of Podcast Downloads</p><p>[24:21] Managing Expectations and Defining Success</p><p>[32:55] Engagement and Beyond Downloads</p><p>[57:08] Sustained Podcast Growth</p><p>[58:34] Community and Networking</p><p>[58:54] Balancing Promotion and Content Creation</p><p><strong>Links & Resources: </strong></p><p>The Podcasting Morning Chat: </p><p><a href="https://www.podpage.com/pmc/?utm_source=clubhouse" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.podpage.com/pmc</a></p><p>Join The Empowered Podcasting Facebook Group:</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting</a></p><p>Question About Podcast Statistics:</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BuzzsproutCommunity/permalink/9912576405428751/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.facebook.com/groups/BuzzsproutCommunity/permalink/9912576405428751/</a></p><p><a href="https://podmatch.com/?ref=1646144442692x331135044042346200" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">PodMatch</a>'s Monthly Independent Podcasting Report:</p><p>https://podmatch.com/report</p><p>Remember to rate, follow, share, and review our podcast. Your support helps us grow and bring valuable content to our community.</p><p>Join us LIVE every weekday morning at 7am ET (US) on Clubhouse: <a href="https://www.clubhouse.com/house/empowered-podcasting-e6nlrk0w" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://www.clubhouse.com/house/empowered-podcasting-e6nlrk0w</a></p><p>Brought to you by<a href="http://ironickmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> iRonickMedia.com</a> and <a href="http://nextgenpodcaster.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">NextGenPodcaster.com</a></p><p>Please note that some links may be affiliate links, which support the hosts of the PMC. Thank you!</p><p>--- Send in your mailbag question at:<a href="https://www.podpage.com/pmc/contact/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://www.podpage.com/pmc/contact/</a> or marc@ironickmedia.com</p><p>Want to be a guest on The Podcasting Morning Chat? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: </p><p><a href="https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1729879899384520035bad21b" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1729879899384520035bad21b</a></p><p><br></p>
![<p>What was the moment you knew you were a podcaster? Was it your first episode? Your first listener? Or the moment someone asked for your advice? Today, we’re reflecting on the milestones that made us <em>feel</em> like real podcasters. Then, inspired by a question from a Facebook group, we shift to an in-depth conversation about podcast growth what’s realistic, and how to stay motivated when downloads feel slow. Plus, we analyze key success metrics beyond downloads and why they matter.</p><p><strong>Episode Highlights: </strong></p><p>[4:50] Personal Aha Moments in Podcasting</p><p>[16:58] Community Recognition and Podcast Success</p><p>[18:26] Challenges and Realities of Podcast Downloads</p><p>[24:21] Managing Expectations and Defining Success</p><p>[32:55] Engagement and Beyond Downloads</p><p>[57:08] Sustained Podcast Growth</p><p>[58:34] Community and Networking</p><p>[58:54] Balancing Promotion and Content Creation</p><p><strong>Links & Resources: </strong></p><p>The Podcasting Morning Chat: </p><p><a href="https://www.podpage.com/pmc/?utm_source=clubhouse" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.podpage.com/pmc</a></p><p>Join The Empowered Podcasting Facebook Group:</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting</a></p><p>Question About Podcast Statistics:</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BuzzsproutCommunity/permalink/9912576405428751/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.facebook.com/groups/BuzzsproutCommunity/permalink/9912576405428751/</a></p><p><a href="https://podmatch.com/?ref=1646144442692x331135044042346200" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">PodMatch</a>'s Monthly Independent Podcasting Report:</p><p>https://podmatch.com/report</p><p>Remember to rate, follow, share, and review our podcast. Your support helps us grow and bring valuable content to our community.</p><p>Join us LIVE every weekday morning at 7am ET (US) on Clubhouse: <a href="https://www.clubhouse.com/house/empowered-podcasting-e6nlrk0w" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://www.clubhouse.com/house/empowered-podcasting-e6nlrk0w</a></p><p>Brought to you by<a href="http://ironickmedia.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> iRonickMedia.com</a> and <a href="http://nextgenpodcaster.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">NextGenPodcaster.com</a></p><p>Please note that some links may be affiliate links, which support the hosts of the PMC. Thank you!</p><p>--- Send in your mailbag question at:<a href="https://www.podpage.com/pmc/contact/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://www.podpage.com/pmc/contact/</a> or marc@ironickmedia.com</p><p>Want to be a guest on The Podcasting Morning Chat? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: </p><p><a href="https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1729879899384520035bad21b" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1729879899384520035bad21b</a></p><p><br></p>](https://us-central1-podcastguru-217d6.cloudfunctions.net/gcf_get_image?image_url=https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/ec/14/c1/ec14c119-bc16-cb92-901f-009d72d7eaa8/mza_1041736305117376633.jpg/600x600bb.jpg&width=300&height=300&api_key=xqFmUFX5BHLBTA)
