10 Lessons From Starting a Podcast on Substack

What I learned from 15,000+ podcast downloads in just 4 weeks.

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One month ago, we launched the Write • Build • Scale podcast here on Substack.

In just the first four weeks, we crossed 15,000+ downloads, published four episodes, and recorded more than 10 episodes with incredible creators.

While the experience is still fresh on my mind, I wanted to share the ten lessons I’ve learned so far, so you can use them to start your own podcast on Substack.

#1: Podcasts Create New Touchpoints With Your Audience

What’s unique about a podcast is that it fits into people’s daily lives in moments where written content can’t.

To read our articles and newsletter, you’ll always have to look at a screen (e.g. sit behind a laptop or check your phone).

But you can listen to a podcast while you’re walking your dog, driving in the car, working out at the gym, or doing chores in the home.

That means a podcast gives us more touchpoints with our audience - at different moments in the day - which helps with building a stronger connection.

Also, in an age of AI-generated content, I believe it’s going to be more important than ever to show more of your personality, face, and voice.

A podcast is the perfect way to do that (especially because we also upload the video interview to YouTube).

#2: Prepare with Purpose

Many new podcasters think they can just hit record and “have a conversation” with their guest.

That might be fun for you and your guest, but it usually isn’t valuable for your listeners.

Your listeners are looking to achieve certain results or solve some of their pain points, so it’s much more attractive for listeners when you center your episode around that.

That’s why I treat each episode more like a mini-workshop, and less like a casual conversation:

• Pick one clear focus topic per episode (like building your first digital product)

• Prepare 7 - 10 questions that move logically from beginning → end

• Send the questions to the guest ahead of time so they can prepare and bring their best insights

The better you prepare, the better your podcast episodes will be.

#3: Repurpose Long-Form into Short-Form

A single podcast episode can become a week’s worth of content.

From a 45-minute conversation, you’ll be able to generate multiple clips with some of the best tips, quotes, and insights.

I use Riverside FM to easily generate 5 - 10 clips per podcast episode, which I post as YouTube short and Substack Notes.

I also share these clips with our guests, so they can post them on their own channels, which brings more attention to our podcast.

(For example, here is a clip from the episode with

Veronica Llorca-Smith

, which she shared as a Substack Note. 👇)

It’s a super simple way to get daily content from a weekly show, while also expanding your reach.

#4: Balance Guest Expertise with Your Own Voice

Your guests should shine during the podcast, but that doesn’t mean you should fade into the background.

If you only ask questions, you miss a big opportunity to build your own authority.

That’s why I always share some of my own lessons, stories, and perspectives throughout the conversation - while maintaining the main focus on the guest.

#5: Use the Right Recording Tools

Using the right podcasting tools not only makes it much easier to record your episodes, but it also dramatically improves the quality of your show.

Here are the tools I personally use to record and edit my episodes:

• Mic – Shure MV7: Audio quality is everything in podcasting. The Shure MV7 is my go-to because it’s a professional-quality mic at an affordable price point.

• Recording – Riverside FM: This tool is a complete game-changer. Unlike Zoom, which compresses audio and video, Riverside records locally on each person’s device and then uploads to the cloud. That means even if your WiFi glitches, the final recording stays flawless.

• Editing – Riverside FM: Riverside’s built-in AI editing tools let me clean up mistakes, remove filler words, and polish the episode very quickly.

• Generating Clips – Riverside FM: With Riverside’s clip generator, I can instantly pull 5–10 short-form clips to repurpose on Substack Notes and YouTube Shorts. This makes one podcast episode fuel a week’s worth of content.

• Episode Descriptions – ChatGPT: Once Riverside gives me the transcript, I feed it into ChatGPT to create a polished episode description (for Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack) with timestamps.

Your episodes don’t need to be a Hollywood production, but quality matters if you want to build an audience for your podcast.

Using the right tools makes a big difference.

#6: Distribute On Multiple Platforms (Not Just Substack)

Recording an episode takes effort. Make that effort count by publishing your podcast on multiple platforms so you maximize your reach.

We don’t just publish our podcast on Substack, but also to:

• Spotify

• Apple Podcasts

• YouTube

Even though Substack is our home base, most people listen to podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, while many others prefer to watch them on YouTube.

By being present on all three, we meet our audience where they already are.

(I use Spotify for Creators to upload the episode to both Spotify and Apple Podcasts with one click of a button.)

But it also leads to another benefit: discoverability.

Someone who has never heard of you on Substack might stumble across your podcast on Spotify or YouTube, and suddenly you’ve got a brand-new subscriber.

So if you’re putting in the work to record an episode, don’t leave half the potential audience on the table. Distribute it widely.

#7: Podcasting = Collaboration Superpower

Inviting someone onto your podcast is offering them a stage to share their expertise.

It’s an easy “yes,” and it opens doors to people you might not otherwise connect with.

For example, prior to the podcast I had never spoken with

Kamil Banc

,

Taylin John Simmonds

,

Ollie Forsyth

, and

Corey Wilks, Psy.D.

(The last three will still be released in the upcoming weeks.)

It’s because of the podcast that we got in touch. And what started with a podcast episode has already turned into:

• Livestreaming together

• Sharing each other’s work

• Exchanging newsletter recommendations

Also, when the episode goes live, most guests will share it with their own audience, putting the podcast in front of new listeners.

All in all, a podcast is a true superpower for collaborations. And collaborations are one of the fastest ways to grow your Substack newsletter.

#8: Hook Listeners in the First Minutes

You only have 30 - 90 seconds to convince someone your podcast episode is worth listening to.

But most podcasts waste this time on small talk. The first few minutes are just the host and the guest chit-chatting about how excited they are for the episode.

And by then, many potential listeners are already gone...

That’s why it’s key to hook listeners in the first few minutes of your episode. Here’s how I do that for the WBS podcast:

• I always put 1 - 3 of the best clips at the start of each episode, so it creates more desire and ‘hooks’ people into the episode (see this episode as an example)

• I skip most of the small talk (I do that before the recording is turned on) and dive quickly into the first question

In the first 90 seconds of your episode, you either win or lose your listeners, so make sure you start strong.

#9: Be Strict About Your Guests

Not everyone makes a good podcast guest.

If someone rambles, struggles to explain their ideas, or doesn’t bring clear expertise, your audience won’t enjoy the episode - and they might not come back.

That’s why we make sure the guests we invite onto our podcast (1) know what they’re talking about and (2) are able to articulate their ideas well.

One bad episode can happen. But if you regularly invite guests who can’t present their ideas well, it will harm the reputation of your podcast.

#10: Substack Makes Podcasting Pretty Easy

One of the best parts of starting our podcast is how simple Substack makes it.

You can easily:

• Upload your audio or video directly inside a post

• Publish it to your entire email list with one click

• Share snippets and quotes as Substack Notes

• Restack highlights from the text summary

If you already run a Substack, and you’ve been thinking about starting a podcast for a while, I would highly recommend it.

Have You Considered Starting a Podcast?

Podcasting has already been one of the best decisions we’ve made for our business.

It’s helped us:

• Build deeper trust with our audience

• Collaborate with amazing creators

• Repurpose content into multiple formats

• Grow our reach across multiple platforms

Let me know in the comments, have you ever thought about starting a podcast? Or do you already have a podcast?

Share it below. 👇