How our client hit 100 episodes (When most quit at 3)

One of our longest standing clients, Apella Advisors, released their 100th podcast episode today.

This is a major achievement, especially when you consider that fewer than 0.5% of podcasts achieve this milestone. The vast majority suffer from some degree of 'podfade'.

Around 45% of new podcasts never make it beyond the third episode. Reaching 20+ episodes already puts a podcaster in the top 1% of all shows ever started.

A show with a deep archive - think 50 to 100 episodes - signals something: the hosts are serious, the content is reliable, and there's a body of work to prove it. That archive becomes social proof.

For advisory and B2B content especially, that matters enormously. Your audience needs to know you've thought deeply and consistently about your topic. One episode suggests an idea. Fifty plus episodes suggest mastery and thought leadership.

In it for the long term

Podcasting is a long term play. It's about building a relationship with your audience, demonstrating your expertise and sharing value time and time again. Over 70% of listeners complete most or all of a podcast episode, and that completion rate is remarkably consistent among regular listeners.

By hitting 100 not out, Apella has outperformed 99.5% of the competition and proven that dedicated, professional podcasting builds authority. And that authority translates into business, as host Matt Young told me after a recent recording; "The podcast comes up in conversations with our clients all the time."

Consistency is the #1 predictor of success. While others treat podcasting as a trial, Apella has treated The Little Questions as a brand asset, and the partnership with The Podcast Coach provided the structural integrity to make that work. One hundred episodes didn't happen by accident - it happened because of strategy, accountability, professional production, and a genuine commitment to showing up for their audience week after week.

That commitment now shows up in client conversations. That's the real milestone.

If you’re thinking about launching a podcast but aren’t sure where to start, take our Podcast Readiness Assessment to identify whether you have the strategic foundations in place, or book a strategy call to work through these questions in detail.