Episode 13: Podcast Growth Audit with Health Educator + Podcast Host, Jen Heller
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A Live Podcast Audit – How to Streamline, Grow, and Monetize with Jen Heller
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have me audit your podcast, {First Name}?
Well, today, I’m pulling back the curtain and letting you in on exactly what that looks like.
In this week's episode of Podcast Growth Tools, I sat down with Jen Heller, host of Homes That Heal, to do a live podcast audit—giving her real, tangible strategies to grow her audience and drive more podcast listeners to her email list.
Jen’s show is already incredible, but like many podcasters, she was looking for ways to:
Streamline her guest process and make co-marketing easier
Turn casual listeners into loyal subscribers
Use her podcast to drive consistent email list growth
And that’s exactly what we tackled.
If you’ve ever felt like:
✅ You’re struggling to grow your podcast audience
✅ You’re overwhelmed by guest management and marketing
✅ You’re not sure how to drive revenue from your show
Then you’ll want to grab a notebook and tune in!
Jen has built an incredible brand around holistic wellness and home transformation, but she’s feeling stuck on how to get more listeners, streamline guest booking, and turn her podcast into a list-building and revenue-generating machine.
In this episode, I walk Jen through a step-by-step podcast growth plan—from guest marketing strategies to using a quiz funnel to attract and convert new listeners into email subscribers and paying customers.
Here’s a glance at this episode:
05:27 "Podcasting for Healing Spaces"
07:28 Podcast Growth and Expansion Strategies
10:01 Streamlining Guest Show Process
13:41 Content Sharing Options Form
19:07 "Downloads Don't Equal Listeners"
22:10 Podcast Revenue & Growth Strategies
22:56 Personalized Podcast Start Quiz
30:45 Optimize Website for Podcast Promotion
34:49 Direct Email Subscribers to Podcast
40:25 Seasonal Client Behavior Insights
44:40 Podcast Production & Email Strategy
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why guest co-marketing is the key to faster podcast growth
How to automate your guest booking and follow-up process
Why podcast quizzes are a game-changing lead generation tool
How to optimize your show notes for SEO and discoverability
The role of email marketing in podcast audience growth
The biggest mistake new podcasters make
Why Guest Co-Marketing is the Key to Faster Podcast Growth
One of Jen’s biggest challenges? Getting more visibility for her podcast beyond her existing audience.
The Solution? A guest co-marketing strategy that ensures every guest actively shares their episode—helping both parties expand their reach.
How to Make Guest Co-Marketing Work for You:
✔ Use a Co-Marketing Form – Before the interview, have guests check off how they’d like to share their episode (email swap, Instagram post, LinkedIn article, etc.).
✔ Provide Ready-Made Assets – Create social media graphics, reels, and email copy so it’s easy for guests to promote.
✔ Send a Reminder Email Before Launch – A week before the episode airs, send a pre-written email + links for guests to use.
💡 Pro Tip: Make it mutually beneficial by offering podcast swaps—you feature them, they feature you.
"When you make it effortless for guests to share, they’re far more likely to promote the episode—and that means more exposure for your show."
How to Automate Your Guest Booking & Follow-Up Process
Jen was spending too much time manually scheduling guests, following up, and managing communications.
The Streamlined Podcast Guest System:
📌 Step 1: Use a Calendly or Acuity link with pre-set recording dates to avoid back-and-forth scheduling.
📌 Step 2: Automate guest reminders via email sequences (send a prep email + a follow-up email).
📌 Step 3: Create an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) so a VA can manage bookings in the future.
💡 Bonus: Ask guests to leave a rating & review before their episode goes live—it’s a quick and effective way to boost credibility.
"A great guest experience starts before the interview—make the process seamless and professional."
Why Podcast Quizzes Are a Game-Changing Lead Generation Tool
Instead of hoping people listen to multiple episodes, why not curate the best episodes for them? That’s where a podcast-centric quiz comes in.
How a Quiz Drives Podcast Growth & Email List Sign-Ups:
🎯 Step 1: Create a quiz that segments your audience into key categories.
🎙 Step 2: Offer a customized podcast playlist based on their answers.
📩 Step 3: Add a follow-up email sequence with extra resources & offers.
Example:
Quiz Title: “What’s Your Holistic Wellness Type?”
Results: Send them a playlist of past episodes tailored to their needs.
💡 Bonus: Use the quiz to capture emails, nurture subscribers, and introduce them to your paid offers (courses, products, services, etc.).
"A quiz creates a seamless pathway from new listener to engaged subscriber—and ultimately, paying customer."
How to Optimize Your Show Notes for SEO & Discoverability
Most podcasters don’t realize that show notes are a major SEO opportunity.
How to Make Show Notes Work for You:
✔ Use long-tail keywords – Think like a Google searcher (e.g., “Best Detox Tips for Spring Cleaning”).
✔ Include timestamps – Helps listeners jump to key sections (and boosts searchability).
✔ Embed podcast players & YouTube videos – Makes it easy to listen directly from the page.
✔ Add a CTA (Call-to-Action) – Encourage email sign-ups, lead magnet downloads, or quiz participation.
💡 Pro Tip: Repurpose show notes into LinkedIn articles or Pinterest posts for extra reach.
"SEO-optimized show notes can help new listeners find your podcast organically—even years after an episode airs."
The Role of Email Marketing in Podcast Audience Growth
Jen already has 7,000+ email subscribers—but she wasn’t fully leveraging them to drive podcast listens.
How to Use Your Email List to Boost Podcast Downloads:
📩 Step 1: Send a weekly newsletter with a strong CTA to listen.
📌 Step 2: Include direct links to Apple, Spotify, and YouTube for easy access.
🎯 Step 3: Create an automated welcome email that introduces new subscribers to the podcast.
💡 Bonus: Turn weekly newsletters into LinkedIn articles to increase visibility and drive more traffic to your show.
"If your podcast isn’t converting listeners into email subscribers, you’re leaving so much potential growth on the table."
The Biggest Mistake New Podcasters Make
Many new podcasters focus too much on downloads—but downloads don’t equal engaged listeners.
What Matters More Than Downloads?
✔ Unique Listeners – How many real people are tuning in?
✔ Listener Retention – Are people staying until the end of the episode?
✔ Conversion Rates – How many listeners are signing up for your email list or buying your products?
💡 Action Step: Focus on keeping current listeners engaged before worrying about getting new ones.
"Your podcast should be growing your email list and business—not just accumulating download numbers."
Your Next Steps
🚀 Ready to take your podcast growth to the next level?
📩 Book a Free Podcast Growth Audit with Kylee → PodcastMarketingHub.com/call
🎙 Get Weekly Podcast Growth Strategies →PodcastMarketingHub.com/subscribe
Final Thoughts
Podcast growth doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right systems, co-marketing strategies, and lead generation tools, your podcast can be a powerful traffic & revenue generator.
Choose one strategy from today’s episode and start implementing it this week—small, consistent changes lead to massive podcast growth.
#PodcastGrowth #PodcastMarketing #OnlineMarketing #HowToGrowYourPodcast
Let’s Connect!
Share your favorite trend from this episode or ask questions by DMing me on Instagram at @thepodcastmarketinghub.
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