Thread by @EspreeDevora

Top 10 things I learned about growing my podcast audience by reviewing @Simplecast podcast analytics for 764 of my episodes

1-holiday breaks or any break DOES HURT listenership, you'll have to work harder to ramp back up
2-seasonal shows are NOT favored by podcast algorithms
3..

3- Guests who have high Instagram engagement (not twitter, not facebook) lead to more listens when they share the episode in post, not story
4- Guests and listeners who share episode in their Instagram story do drive some listenership, mostly awareness
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5. Social sharing on your own social profiles DOESN'T drive significant listenership
6. Sending guests cool episode trailers using @headlinervideo for all social platforms DOES excite and empower them to share
7. Famous guests DO NOT drive significant listenership
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8. Email Newsletters featuring your show link in GUEST owned newsletters DO DRIVE SIGNIFICANT listenership
9. It's worth considering paying for ad spots in your industry newsletters to drive listenership
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10. Stay focused on the WHY you're creating your podcast and the long term value for listeners to ride out the ebs and flows

I have a ton more discoveries. If you have questions or would like more insights from my listener research comment on this thread, happy to help!
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