Podgagement® has gone through several names, technologies, competitors, setbacks, and new directions. But when I look back at its history, I see more than the story of a product. I see lessons that apply to podcasters, creators, and anyone trying to build something useful.
Here are 11 of those lessons.
1. Innovate when you can't invent
I realized after reading Steve Jobs’s biography that I’m more of an innovator than an inventor. I’m usually better at looking at something that already exists and finding ways to improve it, combine it with something else, or make it more useful.
That’s how Podgagement began.
In 2012, I discovered a little Mac app called CommentCast. At the time, seeing all of your podcast reviews in Apple Podcasts (then called “iTunes”) was difficult. You had to change countries, find your podcast again, and repeat the process for every country. Even then, you couldn’t easily copy, export, or share the reviews.
CommentCast made that process easier by checking reviews across multiple countries and exporting them. But it was still a desktop app, it required manual action, and it couldn’t automatically notify you when new reviews arrived.
I started thinking about how useful this would be as a web app. It could work on Mac, Windows, Linux, or mobile devices. It could check for new reviews automatically, send email notifications, and make it easier to share those reviews.
The original developer wasn’t available to build it, but the idea stayed with me. I conceived of what eventually became My Podcast Reviews in April 2013.
I didn’t invent the idea of tracking podcast reviews. I innovated on it.
You might not be the first person to create a podcast about your topic, either. That doesn’t mean you have nothing new to offer. You can find what others are missing, combine ideas in a new way, or bring your own perspective and approach.
You don’t have to invent something completely new. Sometimes, you can innovate when you can’t invent.
2. Get help from others
When I first started My Podcast Reviews, I needed someone else to build it for me.
At the time, I was what I called a copy-and-paste developer. I knew enough to make small changes to WordPress themes and plugins, but I didn’t understand programming well enough to build a complete web application.
This project needed payment processing, automated review collection, queues, email notifications, and more. I knew I couldn’t do all of that myself.
So I posted a request for proposals on Elance, which later became Upwork. I hired a development team from India. The original estimate was around $2,000 to $3,000, but by the time the product launched, I had spent more than $10,000, probably closer to $12,000.
There were communication difficulties. Some things were lost in translation, and I had to communicate through a manager who then worked with the developers. But we officially launched My Podcast Reviews on June 10, 2014.
That would not have happened without help from other people.
Getting help doesn’t always mean paying someone. It could mean finding a volunteer, trading services, or accepting help from someone who believes in what you’re doing. But it does involve some kind of value exchange.
You might not have the skills or time to do everything yourself. That’s okay. You need help to get better and to accomplish some of the things you want to do.
3. There will always be “competition”
Before My Podcast Reviews launched, another developer announced a web-based version of CommentCast. I remember feeling crushed because it seemed like someone else had taken my idea.
That product launched before mine, but it was limited. It didn’t automatically track multiple podcasts, and it didn’t offer the complete functionality I was building. Still, it existed before my product did.
Then another competitor contacted me after I announced the upcoming launch of My Podcast Reviews. They were upset because they were also building something similar. I told them to launch anyway. There were enough podcasters for both of us to serve.
They never actually launched.
The bigger competition came in the summer of 2018, when Chartable launched. Chartable received a lot of attention for tracking podcast charts and reviews. I had already been operating My Podcast Reviews since 2014, but Chartable had a feature I didn’t yet offer: chart tracking.
There have been multiple competitors since then. Some of them were direct competitors, and I’ve even met a few of them in person. At first, that could feel awkward. But I eventually decided that competitors didn’t need to become rivals. There was room for both of us to serve podcasters.
Most of those early competitors are no longer operating.
That doesn’t mean you should ignore competition. You should understand what other people offer and look for ways to serve your audience better. But competition shouldn’t automatically discourage you.
Your advantage might be your experience, your perspective, your communication style, or the fact that you’re a practitioner who understands the problem personally.
I’m a podcaster first. I’m also the first customer of the products I build. That helps me understand the needs of other podcasters because I’m in the trenches with them.
There will always be competition. The question is, what makes you different?
4. Improve your skills
I started officially learning to code in 2018.
I had already created small things before then, but I wanted to build the next version of My Podcast Reviews myself. I couldn’t afford to hire another developer, and I wanted to be able to change the product without having to explain every detail to someone else.
I also wanted to experiment. I wanted to move buttons, change colors, add features, and test ideas without waiting for someone else to interpret my vision.
So I bought a course and started learning JavaScript and Node.js. I began building My Podcast Reviews 2.0 almost immediately.
This was during a difficult season in my life. I was going through an unwanted divorce and was a single full-time dad. I didn’t have unlimited time or money, but I still wanted to improve my skills and work toward the product I envisioned.
The same principle applies to your podcast. You might need to improve your marketing, design, communication, speaking, editing, or interview skills.
Some improvements don’t cost anything except practice. Other improvements might require a course, a consultant, or an investment in better tools.
Either way, improving your skills can give you more control over what you create. It can also help you communicate more effectively with the people who help you.
You don’t have to become an expert in everything. But you should keep improving the skills that matter most for your podcast.
5. Watch for “accidental inventions”
The microwave oven, Post-it Notes, and the X-ray machine are often described as accidental inventions. They weren’t the original goal, but someone noticed a useful possibility during another project.
Something similar happened while I was building My Podcast Reviews 2.0.
I started collecting data from Apple Podcasts so I could build better review and chart-tracking features. While working with that data, I discovered that I could count the number of podcasts in Apple Podcasts. I could also track how many were active, how many episodes were available, and how many podcasts were being added or removed.
In December 2019, I published those statistics on a new webpage. At the time, Apple Podcasts had passed 800,000 valid podcasts.
In August 2020, I spun those statistics off into Podcast Industry Insights.
That wasn’t the original product I intended to build. It came from paying attention to something useful that appeared while I was working on another idea.
You might discover an accidental invention in your own podcast. It could be a recurring segment, a spin-off show, a new format, a collaboration, or a service your audience keeps asking about.
Don’t chase every shiny object. But don’t dismiss every unexpected idea, either. Sometimes, there’s a bigger opportunity hiding inside the project you’re already building.
6. Foster relationships
In March 2019, a developer named Ravi contacted me.
He told me that he had previously worked for the company I hired to build My Podcast Reviews. In fact, he had been the lead developer and had written much of the original code.
I recognized his name because he had included it in the files he edited. I knew he was telling the truth.
By then, parts of My Podcast Reviews were breaking. I was trying to maintain code written in a programming language I didn’t understand, and I needed help. Ravi was now working independently, so we started working together.
He fixed bugs, cleaned up some of my patches, and added new features. More importantly, we were able to communicate directly.
That made a huge difference. He could push back on my ideas, suggest better approaches, and help me understand what was practical. We had a productive relationship for several years.
The lesson isn’t simply to find a good developer. It’s to foster relationships with people who understand your goals and can contribute something you can’t provide on your own.
Relationships can give you access to ideas, skills, encouragement, and opportunities. They can also make difficult work feel much less lonely.
Treat competitors, customers, contractors, and colleagues as people, not merely as resources. You never know which relationship might become important later.
7. Pick a good name; rebrand if necessary
“My Podcast Reviews” was a useful name when the product focused mainly on collecting podcast reviews. I also chose it partly because I thought it would help people find the service through search engines.
But the name eventually became limiting. I wanted the product to include more than reviews, including chart tracking, audience engagement, and other features.
The name also created a grammatical problem.
News articles would sometimes say something like, “According to My Podcast Reviews, there are now 800,000 podcasts in Apple Podcasts.”
That could sound like the information came from someone’s personal podcast reviews. But the statistics were actually based on data collected across the podcast industry.
The name was no longer accurate, and it didn’t always make sense when other people used it.
So I began thinking about what I wanted the product to represent. The answer was podcast engagement. I combined those words and came up with “Podgagement” in early 2022.
I tested the name by asking people what they thought a product called Podgagement would do, without explaining the product first. Most people guessed that it had something to do with podcast engagement or engaging with a podcast audience.
That was the response I wanted.
A name doesn’t have to explain everything, but it should point people in the right direction. It should also still make sense when other people say it.
If your podcast name no longer fits what your show has become, it’s okay to rebrand. Rebranding takes work, and it can create confusion if you handle it poorly. But keeping an inaccurate name forever can create even more problems.
Pick a good name when you can. Rebrand if necessary.
8. Be prepared for disappointments
I started building My Podcast Reviews 2.0 in 2018, but the project became complicated. I was learning new technologies, working with React, and struggling to understand how everything fit together.
In October 2022, I tried to acquire a competitor whose product was available for sale. I thought I could use the existing code as the foundation for my own product. I could also potentially merge the customers from both services.
That would have saved time and given me a stronger starting point.
But the deal didn’t happen. The owner eventually decided not to sell.
That was disappointing, but it also clarified the situation. If the competitor wasn’t going to keep updating the product, I didn’t need to worry about it in the same way. I could focus on building my own product.
Sometimes a disappointment removes an option you were relying on. That can be painful, but it can also force you to move forward with a clearer plan.
You might lose a guest, miss an opportunity, get rejected by a sponsor, or discover that a project isn’t going to work the way you expected.
That doesn’t mean your work is over. It means you need to decide what the disappointment changes and what it doesn’t.
9. Pick the right tools
After struggling with React, I began learning about Next.js. It still uses JavaScript and React, but it provides more structure and makes certain tasks easier.
Next.js gave me the foundation I needed to build the product I had in mind. So in early 2023, I started over again.
This time, I was able to make much better progress. I had the right tools, and I understood how to use them.
The same applies to your podcast. There isn’t one universally best microphone, mixer, editing app, hosting provider, or website platform. The right tool depends on what you need.
Maybe a microphone is right for you because it fits your budget. Maybe it works well with your voice. Maybe it’s compact enough for travel. Those factors matter more than whether someone calls it the best podcast microphone.
Choose tools based on your needs, not simply on someone else’s recommendation.
Finding the right tool isn’t enough, though. You also have to learn how to use it.
I launched Podgagement on November 30, 2023, with only minutes to spare before the deadline I had set for myself. I was working late, finishing migrations, changing domains, and switching the branding.
That launch was possible because I finally had tools that fit the job and a better understanding of how to use them.
10. Be quick to seize opportunities
Chartable was a major competitor for many years. It had the chart-tracking feature I knew Podgagement needed, and I had already been collecting chart data for years. I simply hadn’t turned it into a feature customers could use.
Then, in 2024, Spotify announced that Chartable would shut down in December.
That was the opportunity and the motivation I needed. Right before Chartable shut down, I launched chart-tracking inside Podgagement.
Because I had been collecting chart data for years, Podgagement had historical data that new competitors didn’t have. They were starting from zero, while I could show rankings from years earlier.
I was able to seize the opportunity because I had already done some of the work before I knew exactly when I would need it.
You can do the same thing with your podcast.
Set up systems that give you flexibility later. Use your own domain for calls to action instead of sending people directly to a third-party service. Then, if you change platforms in the future, you can update the destination without changing every past mention.
You might not know which opportunity will appear next. But you can prepare in ways that make it easier to act when it does.
Sometimes being quick means moving fast. Other times, it means doing the groundwork now so you can move quickly later.
11. Just keep growing
Dory from Finding Nemo says, “Just keep swimming.” For your podcast, I’d change that to, “Just keep growing.”
Growing doesn’t necessarily mean gaining a larger audience. You can grow by becoming a better podcaster, deepening relationships with your listeners, improving your systems, or building stronger relationships with others in your space.
You can also grow by listening to feedback.
That’s what I continue to do with Podgagement. I listen to what customers need, and I regularly add new features. Some features come directly from customer requests. Others are ideas I create that customers recognize as useful once they see them.
For example, I created the networking feature to help podcasters discover other podcasts they might want to connect with. Customers then gave me feedback about how to make that feature more useful, including better sorting, filtering, and information about each podcast.
That feedback shaped the product.
You should listen to your audience, but you don’t have to wait for them to request every idea. Sometimes your job is to see a possibility they haven’t considered yet. Then, once you build it, listen to how they respond.
Just keep growing. Keep learning, keep improving, and keep building relationships.
That’s what I’ve tried to do with Podgagement. It started as an idea inspired by another product, survived competition and disappointments, changed names, changed technologies, and eventually became something much bigger than I originally imagined.
You might be closer to your next breakthrough than you realize. Keep working, pay attention to unexpected opportunities, and keep growing.
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Disclosure
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
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