Why Most Podcasts Fail and How to Become a Listener’s Favorite

Nobody wants their podcast to get lost in the shuffle. Yet, with so many shows out there and limited listener time, standing out feels almost impossible. How do you become a podcast people actually choose to tune into week after week? According to Jay Acunzo, it’s not about being the biggest or having the highest production value. It’s about being their favorite.

We’re about to share the great insights from Jay’s talk at the Brand Podcast Summit 2025, breaking down why most podcasts fail, what makes a show special, and how you can create one your audience can’t ignore.

Competition for Listener Time Is Fierce

Here’s the truth: your audience only has so much attention to give. We only have so much time in a day and energy to give. So we pick and choose wisely (or maybe not so wisely) where we give every ounce of attention.

According to industry data Jay highlighted, 59% of weekly podcast listeners consume fewer than five hours of content a week. That’s a tight window, and your show is up against every other podcast imaginable—comedy, news, true crime, everything. Not only that, it’s up against every other content out there, because an audience’s attention spans multiple platforms.

Thinking about content creation like a scene from Aladdin, Jay likens podcasters to the genie: “Phenomenal cosmic power… itty bitty living space.”

Your podcast might pack amazing value, but you’re competing for small slices of people’s lives. The odds are stacked against you, making it even more critical to stand out.

So, how do you make your podcast one people willingly add to their limited attention playlists?

Don’t Aim to Be the Best, Aim to Be the Favorite

Aiming to be “the best” isn’t what gets people hooked. Think about it, there are a lot of “the best” podcasts out there that you probably don’t relate to, and couldn’t care less about.

Your goal is to be their favorite—something listeners feel a personal connection to that can’t be easily replaced. 

Think about your favorite sports team, city, or dish. Is your choice always the best by objective standards? Probably not. But being your favorite means it holds emotional significance for you. That’s the feeling we podcasters need to create.

Your podcast needs to feel irreplaceable, tapping into emotional responses and personal preferences. And yet, most shows fail here because they focus on doing what everyone else is doing: topic interviews with experts. Yawn.

Why Generic Podcasts Fail

Many podcasts fall into what Jay calls the “commodity content” trap. These are the shows that sound like this:

• “Expert interviews about marketing trends.”

• “Discussions with thought leaders in [insert field here].”

• “The John Doe Experience: Insights from the world’s top minds.”

Sound familiar? These podcasts don’t stand a chance. Why? Because they’re interchangeable. If your show can be described as “just another…” anything, it’s already forgotten. That’s the content hamster wheel, where creators produce generic, forgettable material that offers weak connections to audiences.

You don’t need to market more; you need to matter more.

The Two Things That Matter: Value and Originality

If you’re going to compete for attention in such a crowded space, your show needs two things: value and originality.

• Value: Move beyond just sharing facts. Facts are everywhere. What your audience truly craves is insight—the “why” and “how” behind the facts. For example:

  • Informational value: “Five brands growing fastest in 2023.”

  • Insightful value: “Why these five brands are growing and the strategies you can adapt.”

Insight empowers. It gives listeners tools to act.

• Originality: Add something to the conversation no one else can. What about your unique perspective drives the stories you tell? “Generic” will never stick. Your personal experiences and outlook are your secret sauce, so don’t hold back.

Build Your Podcast Around a Strong Premise

To stand out, your podcast needs a premise. The premise is your distinct point of view or assertion—it’s the thing that makes your podcast yours.

 As Jay puts it, “Your premise is a defensible assertion based on your perspective, informing your choices and reputation.”

For example, instead of just interviewing experts about their success stories, Jay’s podcast How Stories Happen focuses on dissecting how one single story was created. This laser focus differentiates it from every other storytelling podcast out there.

Here’s how to craft your own premise using Jay’s XY Premise Pitch:

• X: What’s the main topic you explore?

• Y: What’s your hook—the unique way you explore it?

Now, fill in the blanks:
“This is a show about X. Unlike other shows about X, only we [Y].”

Let’s look at some examples:

• Hot Ones: “This is a show about celebrity interviews. Unlike other shows, only Hot Ones makes guests eat increasingly spicy wings while answering questions.”

• Song Exploder: “This is a show about music. Unlike other shows, only Song Exploder dissects songs piece by piece with the creator.”

• Working it Out: “This is a show about comedy. Unlike others, only Working it Out features comedians testing new material live.”

If your podcast can’t be summed up like this, you need to rethink your premise.

How to Go From Generic to Favorite

Let’s say you already have a podcast, but it’s just not hitting the mark. Great news—you don’t have to scrap it. Here’s how to turn it into a listener favorite:

1. Find Your Show’s Core Assertion
   Ask yourself, “What do I believe that others don’t?” or “What change am I trying to create with my content?” Use these ideas to craft your premise.

2. Pilot New Ideas
   Test your premise without disrupting your main show. Add bonus episodes, run a short mini-series, or publish pieces exploring your new focus to see if your audience engages.

3. Add Impact and Personality
   Stop aiming to sound polished or corporate. Focus on creating memorable experiences. Whether it’s an emotional story, surprising insights, or humor, give people something they’ll remember.

4. Make It Sharable
   Your audience needs simple ways to describe and recommend your show. This is why having a clear premise matters—if they can’t sum up what your show is about in one sentence, they won’t share it.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Change
   Ignore the sunk-cost fallacy. Just because your podcast started one way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Be honest with your audience. They’ll appreciate the effort to better serve their interests.

Stop Being Commodified, Start Being Unforgettable

Here’s the bottom line: commodity content will kill your podcast. You don’t need to be the biggest or the most “professional” to win fans. You need to feel human, you need to be there personally. You need to understand your audience and what they connect with on a human level.

If your podcast feels like just another show, shift gears. Create a premise that makes people care. Tap into your unique voice, insights, and expertise. When listeners say, “That’s my favorite show!”—you’ve won.

It’s not about being the best podcast in your category. It’s about being their favorite.