Lauren Passell: The Slow Art of Podcast Growth

How much time are we spending chasing the next big thing in podcasting—and what are we giving up on too soon? I’m joined by Lauren Passell, founder of Tink Media, who wants to call her business “the slow company.” She helps podcasts grow through thoughtful recommendations, strong relationships, and the kind of consistent work that rarely delivers overnight results. Our conversation had me questioning where I put my own time and how quickly I expect it to pay off. We start with what it took to put on the International Women’s Podcast Awards in Toronto, including the struggle to secure even small sponsorships and the people who showed up to support women in audio. Lauren is candid about the disappointment, the joy, and what she learned about community when enthusiasm didn’t always translate into support. That same question—what does meaningful support actually look like?—runs through our discussion of podcast discovery and growth. We get into why promo swaps deserve more patience, why the right audience matters more than the biggest audience, and why I care more about time spent listening than downloads. Lauren also shares the inspiration behind her upcoming podcast, Welcome to the Bathroom, and reminds me how much possibility there is in simply being curious about people. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show. Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.