Top podcast host. Creator. Your new Head of Growth.
Podcast growth for business owners and independent podcasters with a show that is meant to drive revenue.
What’s your podcast costing you? Try my interactive calculatorIs this you?
“I’m putting so much more into my podcast than I’m getting back.”
If so, you’re not alone.
So what’s actually going wrong?
The Five DoorsHi, I’m Jerry Kolber.
2020
A few thousand downloads a month.
Following all the advice and getting nowhere.
Now
Three shows in the top 0.5% of all podcasts.
Figured out the Five Doors to podcast revenue; now I use it to grow my portfolio and other people’s shows every month.
I figured out how to supercharge the connection between podcasts and business revenue — because I had to.
Let me help you skip the years of guessing so your show can start delivering real impact and revenue today.
Top 0.05%
Who Smarted?
1M+ monthly downloads
Co-creator, star, head of growth of one of the world's most popular family podcasts.
Top 0.5%
Slaycation
True Crime show
Co-created, co-host, head of growth of top 0.5% true crime series.
Top 0.5%
Mysteries About True Histories
200K+ monthly downloads
Co-created, head of growth, family series in top 0.5% of all podcasts.
Before
25 years of prime-time television, multiple series on A&E, and a Prime Time Emmy nomination.
Showrunner of Brain Games on National Geographic. Brainchild on Netflix with Pharrell Williams. Produced the first three seasons of Queer Eye.
Television runs on one discipline: make people care, then give that attention somewhere to go. That’s exactly what I now build into podcasts — the path from listener to customer.
Today
I help business owners, coaches, consultants, and independent podcasters figure out why their shows aren't delivering the audience, impact, or revenue they should, and exactly what to change.
From TED speakers to mindfulness coaches, STEM consultants to marketing consultants, and three years running as the growth consultant for the Siemens USA podcast, I've helped them all dial in how to make their podcast a key part of impact and revenue.
My whole career has been one job. Getting people to pay attention to things they didn't think they cared about, and keeping them there. Then turning that attention into revenue.
If your show should be doing more for you than it is, book a call.
Small shifts. Big possibilities.
What’s your podcast costing you?
A few more listeners. A tiny improvement in conversions. The same offer, with a very different payoff.
What could that look like for your show?
Podcast revenue calculatorFree calculator. No signup. Find your podcast’s potential.
Case study
Tiny improvements, easily achieved, compound dramatically.
Before
$13,000
a year · 1,200 listens a month · converting 0.1%
Year one
$28,600
a year · audience up 1.5% a month · converting 0.2%
+$15,600 a year
More than double what the show was earning before — and the growth keeps compounding.
A four-year-old podcast connected to a coaching business, publishing weekly and averaging 1,200 listens a month.
It was converting at roughly 0.1% — about one customer for every 1,000 listens — or around 14 new customers a year at about $900 each.
We doubled the conversion rate to 0.2% (a modest 0.1% improvement) and grew the audience an average of 1.5% a month. In the first year that produced about 32 customers and roughly $28,600 in revenue.
A real client show, with the numbers rounded. Run your own through the calculator and see where you land.
Interactive podcast revenue calculatorThe approach
Your podcast isn't the problem
A podcast is a tool. The only question that matters is whether the tool is doing the job.
I don't start with your podcast. I start with your business. What are you trying to build? Who do you need to reach? What is the show supposed to be making possible that it isn't? Only then do I look at the show itself.
The framework I use to diagnose where the breakdown is happening is called The Five Doors. I use it on my own shows every week. I use it with every client. It's the same five failure points that make or break a television series, mapped onto podcasting.
When all five are working you know it, because you see the results in the positive impact your show is having on your audience and your bank balance.
When any one of them isn't working, you've got a leak. The job is finding the one costing you the most and plugging it first.
1Discovery.Making sure the right people know about you.+
The leak: A good show with low downloads and low engagement.
The story beat: This is the call to adventure, and in a story the call never comes from the hero. It comes from a messenger, and a messenger can be anyone or anything that carries your show to a stranger. Which is why discovery is the one stage you cannot fix from inside your own show.
You might be making something your audience would love. Are you reaching them? I look at who you need to attract, where they already pay attention, and how your current promotion, partnerships, and guesting connect with their needs. Or don't.2Entry.When they get there, they press play.+
The leak: Lots of impressions and traffic, few plays.
The story beat: This is the threshold. Pressing play is the moment someone crosses it, leaves their world, and steps into yours. What you want is a door that the right person recognizes as theirs.
Your title, description, artwork, and premise make a promise to a stranger scrolling past. Is it clear enough to get them to press play, and specific enough that the right stranger can tell it was built for them? An episode can contain the best conversation of someone's week and still be packaged in a way that nobody tries. Packaging that reaches for everybody fills your feed with people who are never going to become customers, which looks like growth right up until you check the revenue.3Engagement.They come, press play, and stay until the end.+
The leak: Lots of starts, low completion rates.
The story beat: They made the choice to enter your world, and now they make the choice to stay. If this was a journey, this is the road, and every episode is a test of whether they keep walking. It is also where you stop being a voice and become their mentor, which only happens if the show is built around what they are trying to do rather than what you want to say.
Once someone gives you their attention, the show has to keep earning it. Does the opening pull them in? Do they understand where the episode is going and why they should care? I examine whether you can improve on delivering your promise to the listener.4Loyalty and advocacy.Listeners become fans, and tell their friends.+
The leak: High engagement, low followers, low retention.
The story beat: This is the reward, the part where your listener walks away with something they did not have before. And when they tell a friend, they become the messenger who delivers somebody else's call to adventure. Your fourth stage is what feeds your first.
What stays with someone after the episode ends? A surprising idea. A story they want to repeat. A useful way to think about a problem. A sense that each episode builds on a body of knowledge, rather than being stand-alone. “That was a nice conversation” and “you have to hear this” lead to very different kinds of growth.5Business results.Your impact and revenue are growing.+
The leak: A real audience, and nothing happening inside the business.
The story beat: This is the return, where the hero goes home and the change finally shows up in their ordinary life. For a listener that is the moment they stop consuming your show and start buying from you.
This is where the audience meets the business. Do listeners take the next step you are aiming for? This could be impact, a bootcamp or challenge, or signing up for your newsletter or a call. A show that checks all the first four boxes but not this one is still not performing for you. This is why we do not focus on downloads, but on results.Results
What's happened for clients
I find the highest leverage action that unleashes the most results.
10x
Grew downloads and revenue 10x in less than six months for a creative client, after identifying a better promotional strategy.
Booked Solid
Filled a mindfulness coach’s consultancy, speaking engagements, and coaching practice by repositioning the show and getting him onto other podcasts where his people were already listening.
Inbound
Turned an interview show into a source of inbound leads for a digital agency, by restructuring the show and the topics while keeping its conversational tone intact.
New Revenue
Helped an industrial client generate thought leadership, new business, and real sales by refocusing the show on who it was actually for.
Store Sales
Connected an educator coach’s podcast to the part of her business that was already working, so the show reliably sends people there.
3x
Brought in on season 2 of a talk show (after a first season that didn’t move the needle), grew the listenership by changing how the interviews were framed and promoted, leading to sponsorships and sold out live shows.
Free case studies
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Why me
I'm Jerry Kolber
I’m Jerry Kolber, co-creator of Brain Games for National Geographic, Brainchild for Netflix, and the top indie podcasts Mysteries About True Histories, Slaycation, and Who Smarted?, among other shows.
I’ve spent my career making complicated ideas interesting and giving people a reason to keep watching or listening. My work spans television, branded content, and independent podcasts generating more than a million downloads a month.
As a producer
I’m always asking: Who is this for? Why would they care? What makes them curious? What keeps them with us? What will they remember afterward?
As a business owner
I’m also asking: What is this helping us accomplish? Is the effort going into the right things? How does the audience we’re building support the business we want?
I bring both perspectives to your podcast.
That means I’m looking at your podcast through the lens of a creator who also runs a creative business.
Sometimes the opportunity is a significant change. Sometimes it’s a connection you’ve overlooked. My job is to investigate, explain what I see, and help you decide what to do next.
Work with me
How to work with me
I offer the Atomic Audio Podcast Diagnostic & Plan.
First, I'll request some data from you. Then you get a 45-minute deep-dive session with me. Next, I go through every aspect of your goals and your show against the Five Doors. Then you'll receive a written diagnosis of roughly 20 pages, focusing on your highest leverage actions, with a 90-day action plan and a roadmap for the three quarters after that. Then you get a Strategy Call with me where we go through everything together.
I work directly with every client, supported by my team of researchers, writers, technicians, and specialists at Atomic Audio.
Diagnostic & Plan
$2,500
This is designed for a busy business owner to implement on their own. Some clients continue with me on retainer after the diagnostic. We'll talk about that if and when it makes sense.
Full breakdown of what's included+
A Free 20 Minute Discovery Call with Jerry. A short call so you can ask me anything and I can get a feel for your situation. The whole purpose is to decide together if this is the right work for you.
A 45-minute deep-dive session. Once you sign up, we go deep on four things. Your goals: what you're trying to accomplish and why this podcast exists. Your audience: who you're trying to reach and what matters to them. Your story: what you're telling people, and whether the show is actually telling it. The bigger picture: how your podcast connects to your offers, your marketing, and the other ways people find you.
A full review of your materials. Episodes, show analytics, your website and offers, the channels you use to attract listeners, interviews you've appeared on, and anything else that matters. I review all of it with my team through the Five Doors framework.
A written diagnosis and plan. Roughly 20 pages. What's holding the show back and why. What's working and worth building on. What to change, what to stop, where to focus first. Detailed priorities and actions for your first 90 days, and a broader roadmap for the three quarters after that. Delivered within 10 business days after our deep-dive session.
A 30-minute Strategy Call. We meet to walk through the findings, discuss the priorities, and answer every question you have. You leave understanding the reasoning behind every recommendation and knowing exactly where to start.
Built for you to implement. The plan is designed for you or your team to carry out, with priorities that reflect your actual resources. If you'd rather have help with the implementation itself, we can discuss that as a separate engagement.
Testimonials
What people say
“Six months after launch, we were barely getting 800 downloads a month. Our audience doubled the first month we worked with Jerry, and has been multiplying ever since. Jerry helped us unlock the growth we knew was there.”
“Jerry knows and understands podcast audiences better than anybody else, which is why he's so effective at growing shows. His unique combination as both a creator and marketer has led to incredible growth for his own shows and other creators time and time again.”
“Jerry has been an invaluable strategic advisor to us. His perspective helped us clarify our positioning, think more expansively about what our show could become, and make smarter decisions about how we grow it.”
More from clients and collaborators+
“Jerry has the keen ability to provide outside perspective with the intimacy and care of a team member in the trenches. His insight and guidance was instrumental for us as we built our podcast, and they remain a plumb line to this day.”
“When it was time to go independent with my voice and vision, Jerry guided me through every step of the process. His knowledge about the arena and his generosity with his time and presence were truly invaluable.”
“Jerry's innovative and creative approach to growth is unparalleled. I've worked with him on several projects and have seen his strategies transform podcasts.”
“Jerry goes above and beyond when it comes to understanding your content and revenue goals. He delivered outstanding results, helping us elevate the storytelling of several of our brands, and I had a blast working with him.”
“Working with Jerry and his team is fun and rewarding. Every time, they were able to see ways to leverage our brand story that were not only unique and compelling but deeply authentic and results-oriented. They are the best at what they do.”
“We partnered with Jerry and his team many times to get the message out about our brands and shows, and they brought in thousands of new fans. He is a pro at helping you deliver thoughtful and dynamic content that will cut through to audiences, no matter what business you are in.”
Learn more
See who you'd be working with
Jerry Kolber
On LinkedIn
Posts and updates on what's actually working in podcast growth.
View my LinkedInIs this a fit
Is this a fit?
This is for people with an existing podcast, a real goal for it, and the willingness to change what isn't working.
Business owners
whose podcast is supposed to drive sales of a product or service.
Coaches and consultants
whose podcast is supposed to feed their client pipeline.
Independent podcasters
whose show needs to grow revenue through sponsors, subscriptions, or live.
You don't need a huge audience. You need a reason to grow and the capacity to act on a plan.
Get in touch
Send me a message
Tell me about your podcast and what you're trying to grow. The fastest way to reach me directly is right here.
Next step
Let's find what's holding your show back
If you're still reading, something about your show is worth fixing. Start with a Free 20 Minute Discovery Call with Jerry — you'll leave knowing whether this is worth doing, and what to do first if it is.