The host is the brand
I've been doing this since 2008. Your Partner In Success Radio is now 18 and a half years old! Old enough to drink, drive, or vote. Here's what nearly two decades of showing up has taught me about why listeners follow people, not shows. Back in 2008, someone from the UK reached out to tell me how much they loved my show. I remember being so excited — and honestly, honored. I had no idea if anyone was even hearing it. No real metrics, no algorithm feedback, no follower count to stare at. Just me, my guest, a telephone, and a whole lot of hope that someone out there was listening.
That still happens today. And I'm just as happy every single time. Maybe even more so, because now I understand what it actually means — someone chose to spend their time with my voice, my opinions, my stories. Not the show's brand. Mine.
That's the shift that's happening across podcasting right now, and if you're building a show, or thinking about it, this is the thing worth understanding. Listeners aren't subscribing to podcasts anymore. They're subscribing to people.
An Old Sales Truth That Podcasters Need to Hear
"People buy from those they know, like, and trust." — A principle long taught by sales legends Bob Burg and Ben Gay III
It's one of the most repeated lines in sales training, and for good reason — it's just true. But what most people don't realize is that it applies to podcasting just as much as it applies to selling.
Think about it. Before a listener ever buys your course, joins your community, hires you, or tells a friend about your show — they have to know you exist, start to like what you're about, and eventually trust that you're the real thing. That doesn't happen in one episode. It happens over time, through consistency, honesty, and showing up as yourself.
Know
They find you — through search, a recommendation, a clip. Now they know you exist.
Like
Your voice, your take, your personality. They come back because they enjoy spending time with YOU.
Trust
You've been honest, consistent, and real. Now they'd follow you anywhere — and tell others about you.
You Are Floating In a Sea of 7 Million Shows
Here's some context for why this matters so much right now. There are somewhere between 7 and 8 million podcasts out there globally. Spotify hosts over 7 million titles. Apple Podcasts has nearly 3 million. That's a staggering amount of content competing for someone's commute or morning walk.
But here's the thing — only about 440,000 of those shows are actually active. Meaning they've put out an episode in the last 90 days. The average podcast goes quiet after just 21 episodes (and that number may be a bit hopeful). Most people start with a great concept, run out of steam, and disappear.
So in a world that feels oversaturated, the bar is actually lower than it looks. Show up consistently, be genuinely yourself, and you've already beaten most of the competition.
You Are In Their Ears, In Their Lives
Know. Like. Trust. A podcast might be the single best tool ever created for building all three. It's intimate in a way that social media isn't. It lives in someone's ears during their commute, their workout, their quiet morning. That kind of access — week after week — builds a relationship that no ad campaign can replicate.
But here's something I've noticed that doesn't get talked about enough. Because my show is a conversation — me and authors, business experts, thought leaders, just all-around fascinating people with so much to share- something really wonderful happens on the guest side too. These experts come with their own audiences, their own credibility, their own networks. And when someone in their world hears about the show, the message isn't "go listen to this podcast." It's "You have got to get on this show!"
That's know, like, and trust working in both directions. Listeners find you and follow you. But guests — and the people around them — seek you out because they want to be in that conversation. They trust the host enough to put their own reputation on the line by showing up.
When listeners connect with a host — really connect — they follow that person wherever they go. New topics, new formats, new platforms. They become advocates not for the show, but for you. People don't tell their friends about a great podcast. They say — you have to hear this person.
Come Join The Conversations
Eighteen and a half years in, I still get excited every single week. New guests, new ideas, new conversations that I honestly didn't see coming. That's the thing about showing up — you never quite know who's going to walk through the door next, or what they're going to say that changes how you think about something.
If any of this resonates with you, come find out for yourself.
Join us on Your Partner In Success Radio and The Closers Inner Circle Podcast each week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have plenty to share.