Episode Summary: “Why Combining Shows is a Recipe for Disaster”

Podcast: Your Podcast Consultant: Podcast Tips To Avoid Podcasting Mistakes
Host: Dave Jackson
Episode Date: February 27, 2026
Episode Length: Less than 9 minutes

Episode Overview

In this concise yet impactful episode, Hall of Fame podcaster Dave Jackson addresses a fundamental mistake many new podcasters make: combining unrelated topics into a single podcast feed. Responding to a listener’s question, Dave explains why this approach is detrimental to audience growth, discoverability, and sustainability, and shares actionable advice for correcting it early on.

Jackson draws on his extensive experience, using both real-life anecdotes and practical analogies, to stress the importance of niche focus and listener choice in podcasting success.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Evaluating Listener Joey’s Situation (00:36)

• Listener Joey is running a biweekly podcast discussing games on Tuesdays and TV shows on Fridays, but is averaging only two downloads per episode.
• Dave flags this as a “giant red flag,” suggesting fundamental issues beyond just low discoverability.

2. The Core Problem: Mixing Unrelated Shows (01:15)

• Immediate Advice: “Split the shows, especially if they’re not related.” (01:15)
  • If one episode is about Mario Kart and another about TV, audiences seeking one topic are not necessarily interested in the other.
  • “I kind of tuned in to hear about how to get to the next level in Mario Kart. And so for me, that’s not really related... I would split them now.”

3. Audience Growth Myths and Early Correction (01:50)

• Dave dispels the myth that combining topics grows an audience and argues for fixing mistakes early:
  • “Fix it now while nobody’s listening. Do you want to tune your guitar now when there’s only two people in the audience? Or do you want to tune your guitar when you have 3,000 people in the audience?” (01:52)
• Splitting shows later is logistically painful: listeners must be told to re-subscribe, and moving episodes is cumbersome.

4. Power of Audience Choice (02:50)

• Dave makes a memorable analogy:
  • “What if you had to watch every show on Netflix to get to the one you wanted? You want to put the power of choice into the hand of the audience.” (02:56)
• Emphasizing choice helps podcasters determine which topics resonate and focus on what works.

5. Real-Life Experience and Lessons Learned (04:00)

• Dave recounts examples from his time at Libsyn:
  • People with hundreds of episodes realized too late they needed two separate feeds, faced with the tedious task of moving over multiple episodes.
  • “It’s not a fun activity at all. It’s one of those things that the whole time you do it, you go, what was I thinking?” (04:25)

6. Technical Solutions: Hosting Multiple Shows (04:45)

• Modern podcast hosts like Captivate and Transistor allow unlimited shows under a single account.
  • Dave recommends Captivate as his top choice due to generous download limits (30,000 downloads/month for $19/month at time of recording).
  • Encourages starting new shows without fear of extra cost or complication.
  • His own shows, active and inactive, remain accessible with no penalty: “They’re still on Captivate. They’re still alive, even though I’m not actively producing more episodes.” (05:40)

7. Final Takeaway: Never Combine Unrelated Shows (06:05)

• “So never put two shows on the same feed. You want to keep the power of choice in the hands of your audience so that you can figure out what’s working and what’s not.” (06:10)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On fixing mistakes early:
  “Fix it now while nobody’s listening. Do you want to tune your guitar now when there’s only two people in the audience? Or do you want to tune your guitar when you have 3,000 people in the audience?” — Dave Jackson (01:52)

• On audience experience:
  “What if you had to watch every show on Netflix to get to the one you wanted? You want to put the power of choice into the hand of the audience.” — Dave Jackson (02:56)

• On the mess of splitting later:
  “It’s not a fun activity at all. It’s one of those things that the whole time you do it, you go, what was I thinking?” — Dave Jackson (04:25)

• On hosting options and cost:
  “With Captivate, which is why they’re my number one choice, it’s 30,000. With Transistor, it’s 20,000 a month. And if you’re getting 30,000 downloads a month, you should be able to monetize that to help pay for the additional cost.” — Dave Jackson (05:00)

Structured Timeline: Important Segments

• 00:36 — Listener Joey’s question and the core issue outlined
• 01:15 — Immediate advice to split unrelated shows
• 01:52 — Analogy: tuning your guitar early versus late (fix mistakes now)
• 02:56 — Netflix analogy: why choice is crucial for listeners
• 04:00–04:25 — Real-life headaches of splitting shows after hundreds of episodes
• 04:45–05:40 — Solutions: modern podcast hosts and the advantage of unlimited shows
• 06:05 — Dave’s key takeaway: never combine unrelated shows in one feed

Main Takeaway

Dave Jackson’s overriding message: Don’t combine unrelated shows in a single podcast feed. Doing so confuses listeners, limits your growth, and creates future headaches. Instead, split them early—while your audience is small and manageable—and leverage modern hosting solutions that make this easy and cost-effective. Empower your listeners with choice to build shows that truly resonate.