School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast
Episode: "Behind the Scenes of My New Podcast"
Host: Dave Jackson
Date: January 19, 2026
Overview
In this engaging solo episode, Dave Jackson takes listeners behind the scenes as he contemplates launching a new podcast project, transparently sharing his thought process and the strategic questions he asks before diving into a new show. Leveraging over 18 years of podcasting wisdom, Dave not only explores his motivations, goals, and potential pitfalls but openly invites his audience to participate in shaping the show's future.
Main Topics & Key Insights
1. The Idea’s Genesis: Facing the Spam Epidemic
- Dave describes the persistent annoyance of spammy pitch emails that every podcaster receives.
- He reflects on an incident where a PR agency tried to pitch a guest for his personal diary podcast, “Building a Better Dave,” which has never even had a guest (04:15).
- Quote:
"In the, I don't know, 10 plus years of me doing that show, I have never, ever had a guest. And stuff like that just drives me nuts. I just want to scream, do your homework." (04:15)
- Quote:
2. Original Concept & Tone Dilemma
- Discussed the working title “Podcast Pitch Slap” for a snarky, call-out style show aimed at poor PR pitches.
- Ultimately decided against negative branding, choosing instead to educate PR reps and support podcasters—preferring not to be known as hostile (07:10).
- Quote:
"I am an educator, and I don't want to kind of be known for the guy that's always attacking people..." (07:45)
- Quote:
3. Strategic Self-Coaching: Questions to Ask Before Launching a Podcast
- Dave runs through his own proven checklist for new podcasts, encouraging all aspiring hosts to do the same:
- Why are you starting this?
- To educate, push back against bad pitches, and entertain (12:00)
- Who is it for?
- Both PR agencies (to help them improve) and podcasters (to commiserate and provide validation) (14:10)
- How will you measure success?
- Not by downloads, but by adoption and engagement on resources like Podmatch and PodcastGuests.com (16:00)
- What hurdles do you expect?
- The main challenge is sourcing enough audience submissions to sustain the show (18:20)
- Is this a passion project, hobby, or business?
- Mostly a hobby/passion project with potential for small-scale monetization (24:30)
- Why are you starting this?
4. Audience Participation: Critical to the Show’s Survival
- Draws on past failed projects (like “Dates from Hell”) to warn against starting audience-generated shows without a solid plan to get regular submissions (19:45).
- Goal: Collect 20 bad (or good) pitch stories in advance for a runway of episodes.
- Provides a blueprint for how listeners can contribute via pitchapodcast.com: submit a pitch, say why it’s bad/good, share their show info & ideal guest. (21:30)
- Quote:
"This is an audience participation kind of situation. And if I don't have those examples, well, then it's going to make the show hard to produce. And when the show becomes hard to produce, I'm going to stop it." (37:35)
5. Practical Details: Production & Promotion
- Platform: Will use Captivate.fm for hosting due to its flat-rate and multi-show support (25:10).
- Website: Built with Podpage for easy submission and community—every contributor gets their own page (32:05).
- Format Plan: Short, focused episodes highlighting listener-submitted pitches, with commentary and the opportunity for both laughs and actionable advice.
- Realistic launch and content expectations are shared—guesstimating 20 to 30 downloads for episode one, and planning to report progress to listeners (33:40).
6. The Importance of Trying & Being Willing to Fail
- Dave encourages experimentation—drawing a quirky metaphor:
- Quote:
"I always use the weird example of chocolate covered fish sticks. I've never had them. I like chocolate, I like fish sticks. I've just never tried them together. And if I want to know what chocolate covered fish sticks taste like, there's only one way to find out." (41:35)
- Quote:
- Accepts that the show might not work, but values the learning experience above all.
7. Summary of Key Questions for Podcasters
- Revisits his key pre-launch questions for all podcasters:
- Why are we doing this?
- Is this a passion project, hobby, or business?
- Who is my audience?
- What do they want to hear?
- How will I gauge success?
- What’s the production/promotion schedule?
- Emphasizes the importance of clear, sticky branding—choosing “Pitch a Podcast” as the final show name for clarity and memorability (46:20).
Notable Quotes
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|---------| | 04:15 | Dave Jackson | "In the... 10 plus years of doing that show, I have never, ever had a guest. And stuff like that just drives me nuts." | | 07:45 | Dave Jackson | "I don't want to kind of be known for the guy that's always attacking people..." | | 18:20 | Dave Jackson | "It's one thing to make a mistake. It's another thing to make the same mistake twice." | | 24:30 | Dave Jackson | "It's a hobby now. Can I make some money with this? That would be great... but it's a passion project." | | 37:35 | Dave Jackson | "This is an audience participation kind of situation. And if I don't have those examples, well, then it's going to make the show hard to produce." | | 41:35 | Dave Jackson | "If I want to know what chocolate covered fish sticks taste like, there's only one way to find out." |
Important Timestamps
- 00:40 – Dave’s motivation and inspiration for starting a new show
- 04:15 – PR agencies and spammy pitches; why research matters
- 07:10-07:45 – Rejecting negativity in podcast branding
- 12:00-16:00 – Defining purpose, audience, and metrics for the new podcast
- 18:20-21:30 – The importance of audience contributions, lessons from previous failed ventures
- 24:30 – Hobby vs business – realistic expectations
- 32:05 – Technical setup: Podpage and Captivate
- 33:40 – Predictions for downloads and new project reporting
- 37:35 – The critical need for ongoing listener participation
- 41:35 – Embracing experimentation and willingness to fail
- 46:20 – Choosing clear, descriptive show names
Tone & Style
Dave delivers his insights with humility, humor, and his signature practical approach—peppering in pop culture references, self-deprecating stories, and memorable analogies. He creates a welcoming, non-judgmental space for beginners while remaining honest and self-aware about the realities of podcasting.
Conclusion
- Dave Jackson’s candid breakdown offers a model of how experienced podcasters evaluate new show ideas and guard against common pitfalls.
- The episode serves as both a blueprint for launching audience-powered podcasts and a rallying call for community participation in his upcoming project.
- The overarching message: try new things, ask the right questions, and don’t fear failure—learning is always worth the risk.
Contribute Your Story:
Have a good or bad podcast pitch? Submit to pitchapodcast.com to join the experiment!
For aspiring podcasters, this episode is a masterclass in self-reflection, planning, and authentic community-building.