Table of Contents  

• What You Will Get

• Quick Answer: How Do You Grow a Podcast Fast?

• Why Splitting Your Energy Across Multiple Projects Kills Momentum

• The Russell Brunson Rule That Changed Everything

• How Guest Referrals Replaced Sponsors as the Best Monetization Channel

• The Three-Stage Growth Framework

• Common Mistakes Podcasters Make When Trying to Grow

• A Simple 5-Step Plan to Grow Your Podcast by Going All In

• FAQ

• Your Podcast Compounds When You Do

• Key Takeaways

What You Will Get  

• A clear framework for why focused effort on one show outperforms scattered energy across many

• A practical monetization model that uses guest relationships instead of ad revenue

• A three-stage system for getting guests, delivering value, and turning every episode into a growth engine

Quick Answer: How Do You Grow a Podcast Fast?  

Stop doing ten things and commit to one. Ross Stockdale spent six years spread across multiple shows and accumulated 30,000 downloads. When he went all in on The Thunder Stock Show, he hit nearly 400,000 in nine months. Growth compounds when energy is concentrated and every episode is treated as a relationship, not a transaction.

Most podcasters plateau because they split attention across too many projects. They run multiple shows, juggle side businesses, and treat their podcast as one of several priorities instead of the priority. The result is slow, linear growth that rarely builds real traction.

In this episode of Podcasting Secrets with host Nathan Gwilliam, Ross Stockdale, host of The Thunder Stock Show and fractional CMO for B2B service companies, shares the exact shift that triggered a 15x growth explosion and the systems that made it sustainable.

Why Splitting Your Energy Across Multiple Projects Kills Momentum  

Ross knows this lesson firsthand. He started with a show called Stocky Talk, built around interviewing MMA fighters. When COVID shut down in-person events, he pivoted to business interviews and eventually co-founded a private equity firm with its own branded podcast. But when he left that company, he lost the show.

That experience taught him a permanent lesson: own your show independently. But the deeper issue was not just ownership. It was focus. Across three different podcasts and multiple business ventures, Ross accumulated about 30,000 total downloads over six years. Solid effort, but scattered.

The turning point came at an Acquisition.com consulting conference where a mentor pulled him aside and said something simple: stop doing ten things. Just do podcasting. Ross listened. Within nine months, his cumulative downloads jumped past 400,000, a 15x increase driven by concentrated energy, not a new strategy or fancy equipment.

The lesson for podcasters at any stage is that compound growth does not work when effort is divided. You can do twice as much work and see 15 times the result, but only if that work is aimed at one target. Podcasters who maintain multiple shows or treat their podcast as a side project are working against the math of compounding.

The Russell Brunson Rule That Changed Everything  

Early in his podcasting journey, Ross heard a piece of advice from Russell Brunson that stuck: don't look at your analytics until you've done 100 episodes. That single line removed the pressure of measuring results before the reps were in.

Most podcasters check their download numbers after every episode and get discouraged when growth looks flat. But the first 100 episodes are not about growth. They are about skill development, finding your voice, learning how to ask better questions, and building a body of work that compounds later. If you are constantly measuring before the foundation is built, you are optimizing something that does not exist yet.

Ross credits that advice with giving him the patience to keep going when growth was slow. And once he committed fully and stopped watching the scoreboard, everything accelerated. The takeaway is simple: put in the reps first. The analytics will matter later, but only after the work is real. If you want more strategies for building sustainable podcast consistency, veteran podcasters share what keeps them publishing for years.

How Guest Referrals Replaced Sponsors as the Best Monetization Channel  

Ross does not make much money from podcasting directly. He does not chase sponsors or ad reads. Instead, his monetization comes from the relationships his podcast creates. As a fractional CMO for B2B service companies, Ross says 6 to 10 of his 30 clients came through guest referrals. Those introductions convert better because trust was built during the conversation itself.

His process is straightforward. He has real conversations, treats every guest like a relationship instead of a content opportunity, and simply asks how he can help. When guests like the experience and trust the person on the other side, referrals happen naturally. And those referrals are a better cultural fit because trust is already in place before any business conversation starts.

This approach flips the standard monetization playbook. Instead of waiting for downloads to reach a threshold that sponsors require, Ross uses the podcast as a lead generation engine where every episode has the potential to create a client relationship or a referral chain. For podcasters who run a service business, this model scales without ad revenue and builds authority in a niche without chasing fame.

The Three-Stage Growth Framework  

Ross breaks podcast growth into three stages, and says most podcasters only focus on the first one.

Stage one is figuring out who you want to talk to and why. The reason cannot just be views and clicks. There has to be a real purpose behind the conversation, something you genuinely want to learn or share with your audience.

Stage two is getting in front of those people. Ross says most podcasters are surprised at how often you simply need to ask. An outreach strategy that is intentional and consistent opens more doors than waiting for guests to find you.

Stage three is the one most podcasters mess up: delivering an experience so good that guests want to refer you to others, share the episode with their audience, and come back for another conversation. That means follow-up clips sent to the guest, genuine care about their goals, and a process that makes them feel valued beyond the recording.

If you can systemize those three stages, Ross says the mental fatigue drops significantly. You stop guessing what to do next and start running a repeatable process that compounds guest quality, referral volume, and audience growth over time.

Common Mistakes Podcasters Make When Trying to Grow  

Spreading across multiple shows before one is established. If your first show is not growing, a second show will not fix it. The issue is rarely the topic. It is the commitment level behind it.

Checking analytics too early and too often. Measuring results before the first 100 episodes sets expectations against a foundation that has not been built yet. It leads to unnecessary discouragement and premature pivoting.

Treating guests like content instead of relationships. If the guest feels like a transaction, they will not share the episode, refer their network, or return. The guest experience is the single biggest lever for organic growth.

Forcing episodes when you are not emotionally ready. Ross learned this the hard way after recording a show weeks after his mother's unexpected passing. The episode suffered because he was not present. Rescheduling is a better choice than recording in the wrong headspace.

Ignoring short-form content from long-form interviews. Ross aims for 15 clips from every 60-minute interview. Most podcasters publish the full episode and stop. That leaves distribution value on the table.

If you are looking to build a monetization strategy before your first episode, starting with relationships and proven demand can remove the financial pressure entirely.

A Simple 5-Step Plan to Grow Your Podcast by Going All In  

Step 1: Pick one show. If you are running multiple podcasts or splitting time across projects, choose the one with the most potential and commit fully. Drop or pause everything else.

Step 2: Ignore your analytics for the first 100 episodes. Focus on reps, improving your interview skills, and building a body of work that creates a compound effect later.

Step 3: Build a guest outreach system. Know who you want to talk to, why they matter to your audience, and have a repeatable way to reach them. Ask directly. Most people will say yes.

Step 4: Make the guest experience your best marketing channel. Follow up with clips, ask how you can help their business, and treat every conversation as a relationship that could lead to referrals, reshares, and return appearances.

Step 5: Extract 15 clips from every long-form interview and distribute them across platforms. Let one conversation fuel weeks of content. This multiplies your reach without creating new material.

If you want an all-in-one place to create, grow, and monetize your podcast, sign up for PodUp here: PodUp.com

FAQ  

How long does it take to see podcast growth? Ross spent six years growing slowly before his 15x breakthrough in nine months. The shift was not time. It was commitment. Once he went all in on one show, the compound effect kicked in fast. Most podcasters see meaningful traction once they stop dividing effort and build consistent systems around one show.

Should I start a second podcast? Not until your first one is established and growing consistently. Ross lost a show when he left a company, and learned that spreading across multiple podcasts delays the compound growth that comes from focused effort on one.

Can I monetize a podcast without sponsors? Yes. Ross monetizes through guest referrals for his fractional CMO business. Of 30 clients, 6 to 10 came through podcast guest introductions. If you run a service business, the relationships your podcast creates can be more valuable than any sponsor deal.

How many clips should I make from each episode? Ross aims for 15 short-form clips from every 60-minute interview. Each clip is a standalone moment that can reach a new audience on social platforms without creating additional content from scratch.

What is the best advice for new podcasters? Russell Brunson told Ross to ignore analytics for the first 100 episodes. That advice removed the pressure of early measurement and allowed him to focus on skill development, consistency, and building a foundation that eventually compounded into rapid growth.

Your Podcast Compounds When You Do  

Ross Stockdale's story is not about luck or timing. It is about a decision. He stopped splitting energy, committed to one show, and let the compound effect do what it does when effort is focused. He did not need a bigger audience, better equipment, or a viral moment. He needed to stop doing ten things and start doing one thing well.

For podcasters stuck in a plateau, the answer is rarely a new tactic. It is usually a narrower focus. Build your guest outreach system, deliver an experience worth sharing, extract every piece of content from every conversation, and trust that consistency compounds faster than most people expect. Podcasting Secrets with Nathan Gwilliam brings these strategies from creators who have tested them in the real world, so you can apply them to your own show.

Key Takeaways  

1. Stop splitting energy across multiple shows and go all in on one because compounding effort creates exponential growth.

2. Ignore your analytics for the first 100 episodes and just focus on reps.

3. One commitment turned 30,000 downloads into 400,000 in nine months.

4. Happy guests refer better clients than any ad spend ever will.

5. Pull 15 short-form clips from every 60-minute interview and let one conversation fuel weeks of content.

6. Losing a company podcast when you leave teaches one lesson forever: own your show from day one.

7. Cancel the episode before you force it because recording in the wrong headspace costs more than rescheduling.

8. Consistent conversations in a focused niche can 40x a business's online presence without expensive production.

9. Pattern recognition beats grinding harder, so study what other podcasters do well and borrow it fast.

10. Guest referrals close faster and churn less because trust was already built before the first sales conversation.

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Podcasting Secrets: Website: podcastingsecrets.com | YouTube: @podcasting-secrets | Instagram: @podcastingsecrets | LinkedIn: poduppodcasting | Apple | Spotify

Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: @NathanGwilliam

Ross Stockdale: LinkedIn: @JRossStockdale | Website: ThunderstockMarketing.com | YouTube: @ThunderStockMarketing