Our example creator, Tasha, has eight episodes out. Each one answers a real question a kid asked her, from "Why does my breath fog up in winter?" to "Do fish ever sleep?" Parents who find the show tend to love it. Her problem is that not enough parents are finding it. Her downloads climbed nicely for the first three weeks, then flattened into a line that barely moves. She is starting to wonder whether podcasting is a lottery and she simply did not win.

If you are where Tasha is, this post is for you. Welcome to Part 22 of "Starting a Podcast at The Union." In Part 21 you learned to turn every episode into clips and posts. Now you will learn how to turn that content into a steady, repeatable growth plan using three tactics that work for shows of every size: cross-promotion, guesting, and community-building.

Growth is a system you run every week

Most podcasts that grow do not "go viral." They grow because the host does a small set of growth actions on a schedule, measures what works, and keeps going. Growth is a system, not luck. The good news is that a system is something a beginner can build.

Here is the core idea. Podcast apps are not great at helping new listeners discover a small show. Apple Podcasts and Spotify do feature and recommend shows, but how their algorithms and editorial picks work changes over time and is largely outside your control. What you can control is getting your show in front of people who already listen to podcasts and already care about your topic. Audience research from groups like Edison Research has consistently found that recommendations from people listeners know and trust, along with other podcasts and social media, are among the most common ways people discover new shows. That points directly at the three levers in this post.

• Cross-promotion puts your show in front of another podcast's listeners.

• Guesting puts your voice in front of another host's audience, with a personal endorsement built in.

• Community-building turns listeners into people who tell their friends.

Each lever is slow on its own. Run all three on a regular rhythm and they compound.

Where Tasha starts: knowing her listener and her offer

Before Tasha pitches anyone, she gets clear on two things. First, who is the listener she is trying to reach? Her answer, refined back in the Content Strategy stage: parents of kids roughly 6 to 12, especially those who feel stumped when their kid asks a big "why" question at dinner. Second, what does her show offer that someone else's audience would value? Her answer: a ten to fifteen minute episode a parent can listen to with their kid in the car, plus a simple at-home experiment in the show notes.

That second answer matters because every growth tactic is a trade. Another host gives you access to their audience. You need to offer something useful in return: a great interview, a fun segment, a promo that fits their listeners, or a referral back to their show.

This is the kind of thinking The Union's content strategy service is built for. Audience targeting and research, plus producer research, are part of what the team offers on the services side. If you are not sure who your ideal listener is, or which shows share that listener, working through audience research with an experienced producer can save you weeks of pitching the wrong people.

Build your "neighbor shows" list

Make a spreadsheet of 20 to 30 podcasts whose listeners overlap with yours. For Tasha, that includes:

• Parenting podcasts, especially ones focused on elementary and middle school ages

• Science and curiosity shows for kids and families

• Education and teaching podcasts

• Local Seattle shows about family life, schools, or community

For each show, note the host's name, how often they publish, whether they interview guests, a rough sense of size (reviews and ratings count are a loose clue), and the best contact method. Aim for a mix: a few larger shows, mostly shows near your own size. Similar-size shows say yes far more often, and the audience fit is usually tighter.

Cross-promotion: trading audiences with peers

Cross-promotion means two shows promote each other to their own listeners. It costs nothing but time and is one of the most reliable growth tactics for independent podcasts.

Promo swaps

You each record a short promo for your show (usually 30 to 60 seconds) and play the other host's promo in an upcoming episode. The best promos are specific. Instead of "check out my show, it's great," try something like Tasha's: "If your kid has ever asked you why the sky is blue and you mumbled something about the ocean, my show answers one real kid question every week in about fifteen minutes. Search for it wherever you're listening."

Better still, have the other host read your promo in their own words. A host's personal recommendation lands harder than a pre-produced ad.

Feed drops

A feed drop is when a host publishes one full episode of another show in their own feed, usually with a short intro explaining why they love it. It gives listeners a real taste of your show without leaving their app. Feed drops require trust, so they work best with a peer you have already swapped promos with. Choose one of your strongest, most evergreen episodes.

Collaborative episodes

You and another host record one conversation and both publish it. Tasha imagines doing this with an illustrative example: a children's librarian who hosts a book podcast. Together they could answer "How do bookworms actually work?" from both a science and a reading angle. Both audiences get something new.

A collaboration like this is easier when you have a neutral, professional place to record together. A set like The Cove in the Blue Pill studio or Talk Show in the Red Pill studio supports high-quality audio and video you can both cut into clips. If one host is remote, The Union's producers test remote links before the session, and the integrated Blackmagic Cloud storage keeps files moving to whoever is editing.

A simple swap pitch

Keep your first message short and generous:

• Use their name and mention a specific episode you enjoyed.

• Explain in one sentence why your audiences overlap.

• Offer the swap clearly, with a timeline.

• Make it easy: offer to send your promo audio and a script so they can read it themselves.

Expect most pitches to get no reply. That is normal. If you send 20 thoughtful pitches and land three swaps, that is a good month.

Guesting: borrowing a microphone with an endorsement attached

Being a guest on other podcasts is one of the most effective ways to grow, because the host is essentially telling their listeners, "I trust this person enough to give them my show for an hour." Listeners who enjoy you there will often follow you home.

Find shows that need you

Look for interview shows on your neighbor list that regularly book guests with expertise like yours. Tasha is a strong guest because she has a credible angle: she is a working middle school science teacher who answers kids' questions for a living. Parenting shows, education podcasts, and even general curiosity shows can use that.

Prepare three or four specific talk topics before you pitch. For Tasha:

• "How to answer a 'why' question when you don't know the answer"

• "Five kitchen experiments that teach real science in under ten minutes"

• "What middle schoolers wish their parents knew about curiosity"

Topics like these tell a host exactly what their audience gets. A vague "I'd love to come on and talk about my podcast" rarely gets booked.

Be the guest hosts want back

Your guest appearance is an audition for future invitations and referrals. A few habits help:

• Sound great. Many interviews happen remotely, and poor audio is the most common guest complaint. Recording your side from a proper studio setup makes a real difference. Booking a studio session at The Union by appointment, with fiber internet up and down for a stable connection, gives the host clean audio to work with.

• Tell stories, not pitches. Mention your show once or twice naturally, then focus on being useful.

• Have one clear call to action. Something specific, like "Send your kid's question to my website and we might answer it on the show."

• Promote the episode. When it comes out, share it on your channels and tag the host. This is where your Part 21 clip skills pay off.

Host guests who bring their own audience

Guesting works in reverse too. When you invite a guest onto your show, they will often share the episode with their followers. Tasha could invite a local science museum educator or a pediatrician (both illustrative examples) to help answer a kid's question. If you record guests in the studio, The Union's CoCreate Podcast membership includes pre-paid parking for host and guests, which removes one awkward logistics question when you invite someone downtown.

Community-building: turning listeners into participants

Cross-promotion and guesting bring new people in. Community keeps them, and gets them talking about you. A listener who feels part of something is far more likely to recommend your show to a friend.

Design a participation loop

Tasha's show has a built-in advantage: every episode starts with a real kid's question. That is a natural invitation. She adds a line to every episode and every set of show notes: "Have a question from your kid? Submit it on the website, and if we answer it, we'll say their first name on the show." Kids love hearing their names. Parents love sharing that moment with grandparents and friends. Each answered question becomes a small word-of-mouth event.

Whatever your topic, look for a way listeners can contribute: questions, stories, voice memos, votes on future topics, or challenges.

Show up in real life

In-person connection is underrated for podcast growth, especially for a show with local roots. This is where The Union's community does a lot of quiet work for you. The space hosts workshops, webinars, community programming, and events, and memberships include VIP access to events The Union produces and presents, both in person and online. Every one of those rooms is full of educators, entrepreneurs, artists, and creators: potential listeners, guests, and collaboration partners.

Real members already create there. Jolyn GC, for example, records her podcast Wealth Rituals at The Union and co-hosts the YouTube show The Come Up Series. When you share a space with people actively making shows, conversations about swaps and guest spots happen naturally, in the Commune on the 20th floor or after an event.

Tasha could also host a small live taping. Imagine a Saturday session where families bring their kids' questions and she answers a few on mic. The Union offers event space and large event production, and the team can talk through what fits your idea. A live event gives you fresh episode content, photos and clips for social, and a room full of people who now feel personally connected to the show.

Own a direct line to your listeners

Social platforms and podcast apps can change their rules at any time. An email list is yours. Even a short monthly email (new episodes, one at-home experiment, a call for kid questions) keeps listeners engaged between episodes and gives you a way to announce live events. Start the list early, even if it begins with 15 people.

Reviews, ratings, and the ask

Ratings and reviews help new listeners decide whether to press play. Apple Podcasts supports written reviews and star ratings, and Spotify supports star ratings and has been adding interactive features like comments and polls. The exact features on each platform change over time, so check what is currently available in each app.

The single most effective way to get reviews is to ask clearly and specifically, at the right moment. Ask at the end of an episode when the listener just got value, and tell them exactly what to do: "If this answered a question in your house, open the show in your podcast app and leave a rating. It helps other parents find us." Ask in one episode out of every three or four so it does not become background noise.

Also remember that the simplest growth tactic is a personal ask. Tasha texted three parent friends and asked each to share her best episode with one other family. Personal recommendations are the strongest discovery source there is.

Your weekly growth rhythm

Here is the system Tasha puts on her calendar. It takes about two to three hours a week, which is realistic for a teacher with a full-time job.

1. Monday: Publish the episode and share it on your main social channels with two clips from your repurposing workflow.

2. Tuesday: Send three personalized pitches: one promo swap and two guest appearances.

3. Wednesday: Reply to every listener message, comment, and question submission. Log new kid questions.

4. Thursday: Follow up once on pitches older than a week. Confirm any upcoming swaps or guest recordings.

5. Friday: Engage with your neighbor shows: listen, share an episode you liked, leave a thoughtful comment.

6. Monthly: Send your email newsletter, attend at least one community event, and review which tactics brought new listeners.

That last step leads straight into the next part of this series. Without measuring, you cannot tell which tactic is actually working.

If this rhythm sounds like more than you can run alone, you have options. The Union's content delivery service includes distribution strategy and social media promotion and management. Some creators handle pitching and community themselves and hand off clips and posting. Others want a producer to map out the whole plan. A short strategy conversation with the team can help you decide which pieces are worth doing yourself.

Common growth mistakes to avoid

• Pitching before you have a few episodes out. Hosts want to hear your show. Aim for at least five to eight published episodes before you pitch swaps.

• Mass, copy-paste pitches. Hosts can tell. Personalization is what gets replies.

• Chasing only big shows. Shows your size are more likely to say yes and often have more engaged, better-matched listeners.

• Too many calls to action. Ask for one thing per episode: follow, review, share, or submit a question.

• Giving up after a month. Growth tactics compound over many months. Judge your system over a season, not a week.

• Ignoring the people already listening. Your current listeners are your best marketers. Reply, thank them, and invite them in.

Do this this week

Spend 90 minutes on a starter growth sprint:

• Build a neighbor-shows list with at least 15 podcasts and their contact info.

• Write three guest talk topics with specific, benefit-driven titles.

• Record a 30 to 60 second promo for your show and write a short script version another host can read.

• Send two personalized pitches: one promo swap and one guest request.

• Add one participation invitation to your next episode, such as a question submission or a topic vote.

Then find one upcoming community event you can attend in person. Bring a way for people to find your show quickly, and listen more than you pitch.

Coming up next

In Part 23, Reading Your Analytics, you will learn which numbers actually matter, how download and listener data differ across hosting platforms and apps, and how Tasha uses her stats to decide which growth tactics deserve more of her time.

Start your story at The Union

Growing an audience is easier when you are surrounded by people building the same thing. The Union has been part of Seattle's creative economy since opening its doors on Juneteenth 2018, and it exists to give educators, entrepreneurs, artists, and creators like you an on-ramp. You do not need to own gear or have every answer to start.

If community and events are your growth engine, the CoMmunity membership ($50/month, no sign-up fee, cancel anytime) includes VIP event access, the digital library, and discounted consultations. If you are ready to record collaborations and guest episodes in the media lab, the CoCreate Podcast membership is $300/month with a $100 sign-up fee and a 2-month commitment. CoCreate currently has a waitlist of about a month, so it is worth applying early. You can also explore the spaces and book a session as a guest without a membership.

Want help building your growth plan or a walkthrough of the studios? Email contact@theunion.io or call 206-551-0964. You can book the studio as a guest, or apply for membership and join a community that will help your show find its people.

The full series

This is Part 22 of 24 in Starting a Podcast at The Union (Distribution stage). Previous: Part 21, Turn One Episode Into a Week of Social Clips. Next: Part 23, Reading Podcast Analytics: What the Numbers Actually Tell You.