Getting your first 100 podcast listeners is HARD. Not impossible, but hard.

We've helped dozens of podcasters go from zero to thousands of listeners. The pattern is always the same: you need to get those first 100 true fans before the algorithms and word-of-mouth take over.

Here's exactly how to do it. No BS, just tactics that work.

Start With People Who Already Know You

Look, before you try to convince strangers to listen, get the easy wins: people who already like you.

Here's what to do:

1. Make a list of 20 friends who actually care about your success

2. Send them this message (copy/paste it):

"Hey [Name], I'm finally launching that podcast about [topic]. Would mean the world if you could listen to the first episode and leave a quick review. Not asking for a favor, but if you dig it, sharing with 1-2 people who'd find it valuable would help me get this off the ground. Here's the link: [LINK]"

Real example: When Pat Flynn launched "Smart Passive Income," he emailed 32 friends. 28 listened, 17 reviewed, and 11 shared it. Those shares brought in 73 new listeners in week one.

Don't make this complicated. Your network is the fastest path to your first listeners.

The Soft Launch Strategy (Most Skip This)

Most podcasters make a rookie mistake: they launch with ONE episode and wonder why nobody cares.

Do this instead:

• Record 5 episodes before launching

• Release 3 on launch day

• Drop the next 2 weekly

This gives new listeners something to binge. And bingeing = subscribing.

Real-world proof: When Alex Lieberman launched "Founder's Journal," he dropped 5 episodes day one. Listeners spent an average of 78 minutes with the show on launch day vs. the industry average of 29 minutes for single-episode launches.

Bonus tip: Create a "Trailer" episode two weeks before launch. Use it to collect emails through a simple landing page. Even 20 subscribers ready for launch day can trigger the algorithms.

Go Where Your Listeners Already Hang Out

Here's the truth: nobody is searching for your podcast. You need to go to them.

The gameplan:

1. Find 3-5 online communities where your potential listeners already hang out

2. Spend 2 weeks providing value BEFORE mentioning your podcast

3. When you do mention it, make it relevant to solving their problems

Real example: Jordan Harbinger spent 6 months answering questions in a Reddit community about career advice before ever mentioning his podcast. When he finally shared an episode specifically addressing a common question in the community, it drove 274 new subscribers.

Reddit, Facebook Groups, Discord servers, Slack communities - pick the ones where your people are most active.

Strategic Guest Selection = Borrowed Audiences

This is simple math. Having guests with existing audiences = accessing their fans.

The formula:

• For your first 10 episodes, feature guests with established audiences

• Create 3-5 short clips (60-90 seconds) from each interview

• Send these clips to guests with pre-written captions they can use

• Make sharing BRAIN-DEAD simple for them

Example that worked: When Lewis Howes started "School of Greatness," he specifically chose guests with email lists of 10,000+ subscribers. He provided them with emails they could copy/paste to their audience. This single strategy brought him his first 650 subscribers.

Your guest's promotion to their audience will always convert better than your promotion to strangers.

Micro-Influencer Magic

You don't need Joe Rogan to promote you. Small influencers with engaged audiences work better.

The playbook:

1. Find 5-10 micro-influencers (5K-25K followers) in your niche

2. Offer value FIRST - promote their stuff, share insights on their content

3. Pitch a simple deal: they share your podcast, you give their followers something valuable

Real-world win: Tim Ferriss grew his early podcast by partnering with 12 micro-influencers who each shared a custom link. The smallest audience (7K followers) actually drove more listeners than the largest (120K followers) because of higher engagement.

Don't ask for charity. Create win-win deals where they look good to their audience by sharing your content.

Local Domination Before Global Expansion

This is the hidden gem most podcasters miss. Local growth is WAY easier than trying to go global immediately.

The local strategy:

• Identify 5 local businesses whose customers match your ideal listeners

• Create a simple flyer with a QR code to your podcast

• Offer businesses something valuable (promotion on your show, social media shoutouts)

• Get featured in local Facebook groups and community boards

Case study: "The Portland Podcast" grew to 5,000 local listeners before expanding topics. They partnered with 7 coffee shops to display table tents with QR codes, offering listeners a free coffee if they showed they subscribed. Cost them $312 in free coffees, brought in 418 subscribers.

Local growth compounds. Those local listeners tell other local people, and suddenly you own a geographic region.

Make Your Show Easy To Find (The Technical Stuff)

All the promotion in the world doesn't matter if your show is invisible in search.

Do these basic things:

• Put your main keyword in your show title (seriously, it's that simple)

• Write episode titles like you're writing a Google search someone would type

• Fill every character allowed in your show description with keywords people search for

• Tag your episodes properly in every platform

Example that crushed it: "The Real Estate Rookie" podcast included their target keyword in their show title. They now appear in the top 3 results for "real estate beginner" searches on every platform. They tested removing "rookie" from their title for 30 days and lost 22% of new listeners. Keywords matter.

Remember This Above All Else

Growing from 0 to 100 listeners isn't about going viral or gaming algorithms. It's about:

1. Starting with who you know

2. Making your show easy to binge

3. Going where your listeners already hang out

4. Borrowing audiences from guests and partners

5. Creating win-win deals with promoters

6. Dominating locally before expanding

7. Making your show findable through basic optimization

This isn't complicated, but it requires consistent effort.

The math is simple: If you get just 5 new listeners per day, you'll hit 100 within 3 weeks. Break down the impossible into daily actions.

Start there. Get your first 100 true fans. Then we can talk about scaling to thousands.

Want our full podcast growth systems? we've helped over 100 shows go from launch to 10,000+ listeners. Grab our free Podcast Growth Checklist at MitsuStudio.com/guidelines