So, you’re thinking about starting a podcast. Maybe you’ve already Googled a million how-to guides, seen the flashy studio setups, and started believing you need a huge number of downloads to make it worth your while. And who would even sponsor your podcast, right?
If that’s where your head’s at, here’s the truth:
Almost everything you’ve heard about podcasting is outdated, overcomplicated, or just plain wrong.
That’s why I’m so excited to have Hayleigh on the show today. She’s the founder of Espresso Podcast Production, a full-service podcast management agency that helps you through every stage of podcasting—from concept and launch to editing, audience growth, and monetization.
Hayleigh helps clients focus on sharing their expertise without getting bogged down by the tech or creative hurdles. And the best part? She does it for people like us—small business owners. We’re not necessarily trying to steal Call Her Daddy’s top spot—we’re just trying to make podcasting work for our business.
In addition to her client work, Haley also hosts two podcasts:
- Employee to Boss – focused on entrepreneurship and business growth.
- The Podcast Café – a show that helps elevate the craft of podcasting, whether you’re just starting out or already experienced.
Outside of work, Hayleigh is a Seattle local who loves checking out new coffee shops and hanging out with her rescue dog, Captain. So cute!
I’m so excited for this conversation, because we’re breaking down what nobody else tells you about starting a podcast. Most of what you hear online is one of two extremes:
Podcasting is super easy and the best way to grow your business.
or
Podcasting is way too hard, totally oversaturated, and a waste of time.
But what about everything in between? That’s where the truth actually lives—and that’s what we’re talking about in this episode.
We’ll cover:
- How much time podcasting really takes each week
- The strategies you need if you want to actually convert listeners
- And why you don’t need a massive audience to see a return—especially if you’re a business owner
So if you’re podcast-curious, consider this your permission slip to start messy and still make money.
Let’s dive in.
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Table of Contents
Who is Hayleigh Hayhurst of Espresso Podcast Production?
Hi, I’m Hayleigh, and I run Espresso Podcast Production—a full-service podcasting agency that helps business owners start and scale their shows.
I work with clients across all kinds of industries—from mindset coaching to bridal services, finance, social media, and more. It’s such a fun part of the job because I’m constantly learning from the amazing people I get to work with.
Whether someone is launching a brand new podcast or already has a show and wants to level it up—or just get it off their plate—I’m here to help. There’s a lot that goes into podcasting, and my goal is to make it easier, more effective, and way less overwhelming.
What do you think about podcasting as a role in an overall marketing strategy?
Honestly, I see podcasting as one of the best marketing tools out there because of how versatile it is across different parts of your business. Whether you’re using it for lead generation, building trust with your audience, or simply networking, your podcast can serve multiple roles depending on your goals.
That’s something a lot of people don’t realize—there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to podcasting. It can function very differently depending on your business, which is why no two of my clients ever follow the exact same strategy.
For example, when I first started my business, I had just moved to a new city. I knew two people—and zero entrepreneurs. I needed to build connections, so I launched a podcast. For that first year, the podcast was purely a networking tool. It wasn’t about sales at all—just meeting people. Over time, it naturally began generating sales, but that wasn’t the initial goal.
Now, I have another show called Podcast Café, and that one is more focused on lead generation—because that’s what I designed it for.
So when I start working with a client, I take a deep look at their overall business and their goals. That way, I can help them create a podcast that’s actually aligned with what they want to achieve.
How much time should someone dedicate if they’re thinking about starting a podcast?
Yeah, I’ve had clients tell me I’ve saved them 20 to 25 hours a month on their podcast. And honestly, as a business owner, you’re probably not a podcast editor—and you probably shouldn’t try to be. That’s not the best use of your time.
For me, podcasting is my entire business, so I understand the process inside and out. Here’s a rough breakdown of how long it really takes to produce an episode:
- Planning: Give or take an hour—whether you’re doing a solo episode or an interview.
- Recording: Let’s say it’s an hour-long episode.
- Editing: I usually recommend doubling the recording time for editing, so that’s about two hours.
- Post-production: Writing SEO-optimized show notes takes time and research. Then there’s creating graphics and promotional content.
And here’s the big mistake I see a lot of business owners make when they try to DIY their podcast:
They handle the whole production process, hit publish, and stop there. But what happens after the episode goes live is where the real magic happens. If your audience doesn’t know a new episode is out, or if you’re not repurposing that content, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.
If you’re exhausted by the time you finally publish the episode and think, “Thank God, it’s done,” and then never promote it—you’re really missing out on the potential value.
So if you’re aiming to release one episode per week, I’d recommend budgeting around 5 to 6 hours per episode, start to finish.
For most busy business owners, that’s just not sustainable. That’s why I always say: you don’t have to do it all yourself. Whether you outsource editing, show notes, or the entire process—it’s okay to get help. And honestly, if you have the resources, you should. I really believe that the best use of a business owner’s time when it comes to podcasting is in three key areas:
- Planning the episode
- Showing up to record it
- Marketing it (if they choose to)
Everything else? That can be outsourced. Honestly, even the marketing can be outsourced if that’s what works best for your bandwidth.
For my clients, I handle everything behind the scenes. I create their social media graphics, edit video clips if they’re doing video, write the show notes—basically everything they need to promote the episode. Then I hand it all off so all they have to do is hit “publish” on the posts.
What do you think are the best ways to market a podcast?
It’s so funny—I was just talking to someone about this yesterday. There are so many AI tools out there now, but honestly, they’re not quite there yet, especially in the podcasting space.
When I started podcasting back in 2018, there were zero AI tools. Maybe around 2020, some started to pop up, but honestly, they weren’t great. They’ve definitely improved over time, but here’s the thing: even if you’re using AI to pull clips from your podcast, you’re still going to have to edit them to make them truly engaging.
A lot of clips generated by AI start with awkward pauses, filler words like “and” or “so,” or some random mid-conversation moment that doesn’t make sense out of context. Good podcast clips take intention and production—it’s not just about cutting a random 30 seconds and calling it content.
It really comes down to where you want to promote your podcast. If you’re on social media or TikTok—as you know, Kara—you have to stop the scroll. Your content has to stand out. And AI isn’t quite at the level yet where it can do that on its own. It might save you some time, but you’ll still need to do some editing and polishing afterward.
That said, tools can be helpful. You can bring collaborators in, streamline your workflow—but I think the intention behind the content really matters.
Here’s the big takeaway:
Business owners are not influencers, and the way we podcast is totally different. Influencers create content to monetize their audience directly—so their clips and strategy reflect that. But for business owners, podcasting is more about building relationships, generating leads, and providing value.
Sure, we can look at big shows like Diary of a CEO and learn from them, but at the end of the day, you have to set your expectations and strategy based on your business goals and your audience—not someone else’s.
Outside of sharing clips, how else can someone grow their listeners?
For businesses, what I’ve been seeing more and more is the power of using your podcast strategically in other parts of your business.
This is something I focus on heavily with my clients—episode planning. We don’t just hit record randomly. We plan what to talk about, when to talk about it, and how it aligns with the seasons of their business. That way, the content is relevant and timely when a listener hears it.
For example, I have clients who use their podcasts to build leads for their courses. So we’ll look at ways to integrate episodes directly into the course content. Could an episode be embedded as an extra homework step? Could it expand on a concept from a module? That kind of cross-pollination helps both grow the podcast and deepen the learning experience—especially with lead magnets or low-ticket offers where someone’s just getting to know you.
I was just reading a book by Monica Yates—her podcast is called Feminine as F*ck, and it’s fantastic. In her book, she actually points readers to specific podcast episodes throughout. She’ll say, “If you want more on this topic, go listen to this episode.” It’s such a smart way to reinforce your message across platforms.
The more depth you can create with your content—especially through podcasting—the easier it is to reinforce and support everything else you’re putting out there. And that’s especially powerful if it’s someone’s first interaction with your brand.
That’s actually why I created the Espresso Series. It’s for people who maybe don’t want to commit to a full-blown, ongoing podcast, but still want the benefits of podcasting. It’s just 10 episodes, designed as a kind of audio funnel. You can take someone from point A—where they barely know who you are—to point Z, where by the end, they’re like, “I’m obsessed with Kara. I need to work with her right now.”
So podcasting doesn’t have to be this huge, social-media-driven content machine. It can be intentional and strategic—a tool for long-term business growth. And that’s how a lot of my clients are using it now. Monica’s just one example I admire who’s doing that incredibly well.
Can you share a little bit more about the types of podcasts someone can consider when starting a podcast?
The reason I started offering limited series podcasting is because I was seeing it done so well in other industries—like politics, news, and true crime. They’ll do a 10-episode series focused on a specific topic, and I thought, Why aren’t we doing this in the business space?
There’s a whole group of people who learn best through audio. If you look into adult learning styles, audio is an incredibly effective way to reach people. You’re able to connect with them in real time and dive deeper into topics that matter to your business.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I still love and run long-term podcasts myself. Mine are evergreen, and that format works for me. But I totally get that for some business owners, the idea of launching a full-blown, ongoing podcast can feel overwhelming. Especially after hearing that it might take up to six hours a week—they’re like, “Yeah, no thanks.”
That’s where a limited series podcast really fits in. You can embed it right on your website so when someone visits, they see, “Oh, a podcast!” and start listening before they even reach out. It’s also perfect for people in that gray zone—they’re on the fence about working with you, and they’re looking for more insight before committing.
I’ve also seen clients use this format when their business or service is hard to explain. You know when people always ask, “So… what do you actually do?” Or if you’ve got a strong opinion or a unique way of doing things—even something like social media management—a limited series gives you the space to really explain your approach and stand out.
You can pour all of your thoughts into 5 to 10 episodes, and by the end, your listener fully understands your value—and is far more likely to trust and hire you.
Some people start with a limited series and end up loving it, deciding to continue and turn it into an ongoing show. Others are happy keeping it short and strategic. What I’ve also seen is the opposite—people who start a traditional podcast without a clear plan and drop off after about 10 episodes (which, by the way, is a common industry stat). The problem? They just stop with no wrap-up, no intention, and it feels incomplete.
That kind of burnout or abrupt ending doesn’t usually happen with my clients—honestly, it hasn’t happened in years—because we go in with a clear strategy and outcome from the start.
How are people distributing limited series podcasts? Are they typically private podcasts?
So when I use Video to Blog or Audio to Blog, the RightBlogger tool is designed to take whatever raw material you give it and then structure it in a way that’s optimized for both SEO and readability. It handles smart formatting, organizes your thoughts and advice into properly structured header sections, and builds out a thoughtful outline.
You also have control over the outline. There’s an edit-outline stage where you can drag and drop sections, rearrange things, or add additional instructions — like, “Hey, actually let’s move this section up because it makes more sense here.” The tools are designed to give you the most thoughtful structure possible based on your source material.
Now, because it’s AI, it does take instructions — kind of. If you’re very direct and prescriptive, it will usually listen. For example, if you want it to stick very closely to your original video without adding extra formatting or expansion, you can say: “Skip the additional formatting. Don’t add anything new — just turn this into a blog post as-is.”
To your second question on length — that’s a really good one too.
If you record a three-minute video, the blog post will probably land around 500 words. But if you record a 20-minute video, do you actually want a 5,000-word blog post? Probably not.
That’s why we give you control over length in every tool. You can select options like micro blog, short form, medium, long, or extra long — and those options each correspond to a word count range. The AI is usually pretty good at following that, though sometimes you do have to gently remind it: “No — 2,000 words maximum, that’s all I want here.”
If your goal is still to drive traffic from organic search, especially for competitive topics, I find that landing in the 1,500 to 3,000-word range is still generally helpful. Beyond 3,000 words? That’s pretty debatable — very few people want to read a 3,000-word article these days.
In those cases, you can repurpose that long-form content into downloadable guides, or let the video do the heavy lifting. People today are much more likely to watch a 15-minute video than read a 15-minute blog post.
What advice do you have for someone starting a podcast who wants to monetize it?
There’s a huge misconception around how much podcasters actually make. People see shows like Call Her Daddy, Diary of a CEO, or Joe Rogan and assume podcasting is super lucrative. And for them, it is—because they’re pulling in millions of listeners.
But here’s the reality: podcast sponsors typically pay about $25 per 1,000 listens.
So, if you’re getting 100,000 listens a month—great, you can make some solid money. A million? Even better.
But if you’re getting 1,000 listens a month? That’s $25 total.
Let’s be real—your offers are worth more than $25.
I don’t know who’s listening right now, but I guarantee your products or services are worth more than that.
That’s why I always encourage business owners to focus on using their podcast as a trust-building tool that drives sales for their own offers.
Yes, there are platforms for finding sponsors or adding affiliate links, and I’ll absolutely support my clients if they’re set on that path. But generally, your time is much better spent building authority and selling your own services or products through your podcast.
How does one measure an ROI from a podcast?
There’s a lot of overlap between the blogging world and the podcasting world. Both are long-term strategies, and the payoff comes when you do them consistently and intentionally.
One thing I always tell my clients: don’t even start obsessing over your podcast data until you have at least 10 episodes published. That 10-episode mark is a solid baseline for evaluating what’s working. It helps you understand things like:
- Are you retaining listeners?
- What’s your episode consumption rate?
For example, let’s say your first 10 episodes are a mix—five are an hour long, and five are 30 minutes. You can start comparing: Where are people dropping off? You’re never going to have a 100% consumption rate, but I like to see something over 60-70%. That tells me listeners are staying engaged.
I meet with my clients quarterly to review this kind of data, and it’s something I also recommend to every podcaster. I even did an episode about it on my show, Podcast Café, where I share what to track each quarter.
The key is: don’t overreact. Don’t feel like you need to completely overhaul your show just because of a few stats. Small, strategic adjustments can lead to big results over time.
Another thing I’ve noticed? A lot of podcasters lean really heavily on guest episodes—so much so that they forget they’re the host. And often, their solo episodes are actually performing better, but they only release them maybe twice a quarter.
People are tuning in to hear you. Your voice, your expertise, your perspective. So if you’re not doing solo episodes regularly, you might be missing a huge opportunity to build trust and connection with your audience.
It’s also worth remembering that podcasting creates a ripple effect. You might not always see direct ROI in the form of downloads or sponsorships, but your show can fuel so much content elsewhere—
- Blog posts
- Social media clips
- Email newsletters
- SEO traction on your website
You might be getting great visibility on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Google—and that’s ROI, too.
At the end of the day, it all comes back to this:
Why are you podcasting?
When you’re clear on that, it’s much easier to evaluate whether your show is moving the needle in your business. And for every one of my clients, it is—because we’re always aligning it with their bigger business goals.
If someone’s thinking about starting a podcast, what would you tell them?
Back to what I said earlier—the podcast production phase does not end when you hit publish. Don’t forget that, because it’s so, so important. There’s a lot you can do after your episode goes live. It’s optional, sure, but honestly, it’s the stuff you should be doing if you want your podcast to grow. A big mistake I see is people stopping at “publish.” Make sure you keep going with the process even after the episode is live.
I’d also say I see a lot of people get stuck on small details—like the podcast logo or the music. But here’s the thing: your logo is changeable. Your music? Also changeable. None of that needs to be perfect to start.
Honestly, I think messy action is better than anything else, because your first podcast episode is not going to be as good as your 50th. But you’ll never get to your 50th if you don’t just start.
And that’s something that’s really important to remember.
Connect with Hayleigh Hayhurst
You can check out my website at espressopodcastproduction.com. I’m also very active on Instagram—@espressopodcastproduction—and you can find me on LinkedIn as well.
I have two podcasts you can check out:
- Employee to Boss – where I interview people about their entrepreneurial journey and how they went from employee to boss, just like the name says.
- Podcast Café – insights for podcasters, from podcasters. I do two episodes a week there. One is a short solo episode—15 minutes or less—called an Espresso Shot, where I talk strategy. The other is an interview where a podcaster shares their story and how they approach podcasting.
LINKS MENTIONED
- Learn more about working with Hayleigh
- Follow Hayleigh on Instagram
- Learn more about working with our marketing agency here
- Follow me on Instagram
