If you’ve ever wondered, “Shouldn’t my show be bigger by now?” this episode is for you. Let’s rediscover together why your mission matters more than your numbers.
I’m talking about one of the toughest moments we face as podcasters: when our download numbers and rankings just don’t seem to match the heart and effort we pour into our shows.
I know firsthand how discouraging it can be to pour yourself into every episode and still feel like your audience isn’t growing the way you’d hoped.
I’ll share a story inspired by real conversations I’ve had with other podcasters—a moment when the excitement of launching a show faded, and the reality of slow growth started raising tough questions.
But more importantly, I’ll walk you through how reconnecting with your core mission—your real why—can keep you showing up, even when the metrics aren’t on your side.
Learn how to use numbers as feedback, not as a verdict on their worth or the value of their mission. Hear practical ways to rethink success, find fulfillment in serving your true audience, and keep your purpose at the center of everything you do.
3 Key Takeaways to Anchor Your Podcast Journey:
Your mission is your compass, not your stats. Metrics are feedback, not your identity. They should inform your direction, but never replace your purpose.
Numbers don’t get to dictate your worth. They can signal areas for growth, but they don’t get to say your mission doesn’t matter or you “shouldn’t” show up.
Success can be measured in impact—not just growth. A single thoughtful listener message can validate your show’s value more than any chart ranking ever could.
If you need a reset, ask yourself: If your numbers stayed the same for three months, would your mission still be worth it?
You can book a clarity call with me—just head over to My Podcast Guy and look for the Schedule A Call link. We’ll talk through where you’re stuck, what your real why might be, and how to build your podcast around it.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcripts
Brett Johnson [:
When the metrics don't match your mission. I'm Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy, your trusted friend in podcasting. This show is here to help you reconnect with the real why behind your podcast so you can keep showing up with clarity and confidence. Today, I want to talk about one of the most discouraging moments in a podcaster's journey. When the metrics don't match your mission. You're pouring your heart into episodes. You care about your listener, you believe in what you're doing, and then you look at the download numbers or the chart rankings and they just don't seem to reflect the effort you're putting in. If you've ever thought with everything I'm giving to this show shouldn't be bigger by now, you're not alone.
Brett Johnson [:
I've heard that exact sentence and some version of it from so many podcasters over the last 10 years. This is the moment where a lot of shows quietly stall out. Not because the mission is wrong, but because the metrics didn't give the validation the host expected. Here's the big idea for today. Your why has to be stronger and more stable than your numbers. Metrics are feedback, not identity. They're information, not a verdict. Your why is your anchor and your North Star when those charts are bouncing around.
Brett Johnson [:
If you build your show on the mission, the metrics can help you steer. If you build your show on the metrics, the mission gets lost every time the line dips. So in this episode, I want to show you what it looks like when a mission driven show hits a metrics wall and how a clear why kept the host from quitting. Then I'll give you a way to look at your own numbers that doesn't ignore reality, but also doesn't let the stats decide whether your show deserves to exist. Let me tell you a composite story pulled from a lot of real conversations I've had. Imagine a host. Let's call him David. David started a podcast to serve a pretty specific group of people.
Brett Johnson [:
His internal why was strong. He wanted to support professionals in a stressful corner of his industry who didn't have many safe places to talk about what they're dealing with. He was clear on that. If you asked him, why does this show exist? He could answer in one sentence. For the first few months, the numbers looked okay. Not explosive, but steady. A few listeners rode in with thoughtful messages. David would share episodes of colleagues and see some encouraging comments.
Brett Johnson [:
And then at some point, the curve flattened. New episodes came out, but the download line stopped climbing. Some weeks it Even dipped. That's when the question started. Is this actually working? Hello? Is anybody out there? Am I wasting my time? He wasn't seeing the kind of growth charts we're all used to seeing in success stories. He wasn't on any big lists. He wasn't getting flooded with DMs. It was just a small, steady show serving a very particular kind of listener.
Brett Johnson [:
From the outside, the mission was still solid. But inside, David was quietly letting the metrics rewrite his story. His original why I want to support people who feel alone in this job started to get drowned out by a new fake why? I need this show to be big, to prove it's worth doing. When we talked, he started the conversation exactly where you might expect. I don't know if this show is working. The growth isn't there. I asked him, what does working mean to you? He said, well, I thought I'd be at X downloads by now or getting more attention. Then I asked him a different question.
Brett Johnson [:
Forget the goals for a minute. Tell me about the people who are actually listening. What do you know about them? He paused. Then he told me about a listener who had written him a long email. And in it it stated, I listen to your show on my commute because it's the only time I hear someone describe what this job is really like. It makes me feel less crazy. He mentioned a colleague who said, I don't comment or share much, but I haven't missed an episode. They were real people having real experiences.
Brett Johnson [:
Because he showed up behind the mic together, we looked at this situation through that lens. His mission was to be a voice of honesty and support a very specific group. That show was doing that. The metrics didn't negate it. They just revealed that this was a focused niche show, not a mass market hit. Once he accepted that, he could make clearer decisions. If my why is to serve this specific group, what does enough look like? How many people do I realistically expect to reach right now? How can I measure success in more than one way? None of this magically fixed the numbers, but it did change his posture. Instead of quitting because the line wasn't climbing fast enough, he grounded back into his why and then used the metrics as information, like should I change my format? Should I promote differently? Or am I okay being a deep, narrow show that really matters to a smaller audience? That's what I want for you.
Brett Johnson [:
Not blind optimism, but a steady sense that your mission is bigger than this week's stats. Lets bring this into your world for a moment. I'm not going to tell you to ignore your numbers. You're allowed to care about them. Download stats can be really useful as a dashboard. They just make a terrible compass. The compass is your why, who you're serving, how you're helping, and why this show deserves a space in your life. Here's a simple way to re anchor when the metrics feel discouraging.
Brett Johnson [:
First, I want you to write down in one or two sentences your current, best version of your mission. Something like my podcast exists to do what for which people so that what changes for them. Don't overcomplicate it. Keep it simple and honest. Then I want you to look at your latest download numbers or whatever metric you obsess over the most. Look at that number and ask yourself two questions. One, what truth is that number telling me? And two what truth is it not allowed to tell me? For example, your numbers might be telling you I'm not reaching as many people as I thought I would by now. That's fair.
Brett Johnson [:
They might be telling you I haven't been consistent enough for the algorithm to really help me. Also fair. Those are useful truths that can inform your strategy. But here's what your numbers are not allowed to tell you. They don't get to say this mission doesn't matter. They don't get to say you're not allowed to serve this audience unless you hit a certain size. They don't get to say you're failing as a host because you're not growing at the speed of someone with a totally different show and a totally different platform. So here's today's why.
Brett Johnson [:
A question. If your download numbers stayed exactly where they are for the next three months, would your mission still be worth showing up for? And if so, what specific person or situation makes you say yes? Think of one real listener, one email, one dm, one face to face Anchor your why there for a moment. That doesn't mean you stop trying to grow. It means your engine is your mission, not your metrics. Growth becomes a strategy question, not a survival question. If you'd like help separating your mission from your metrics and building a plan that respects both, that's the kind of strategic work I love doing with podcasters. You can book a clarity call with me. Just head over to my podcast guy online and look for the book you call link.
Brett Johnson [:
We'll talk about what your numbers are really saying, what they're not allowed to say, and how to keep your why at the center of your show. Thanks for listening.
