Episode•September 1, 2022•17 min

How to Make Money Podcasting with Kevin Palmieri | Ep. 133

Kevin Palmieri joins Tiffany this week to share how he started his podcasting journey and how he was able to grow his podcast into a multi-six-figure business. Kevin shares everything you need to know to follow in his footsteps! About Our Guest Host of Top 100 Global Podcast "Next Level University" -1000+ Episodes, Listeners In Over 125 Countries. Kevin Palmieri hit rock bottom around his mid-twenties and after he hit his rock bottom, he said, I'm going to start a podcast. So he started Next Level University, which is a podcast that's listened to in over 125 countries with over a thousand downloads. He's given nearly a hundred speeches and had the opportunity to do hundreds of coaching calls. Now he's grown his podcast into a multi-six-figure business. He emphasizes consistency, commitment, habits, mindset, confidence, fear, relationships, limiting beliefs. Connect with Kevin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid Connect with Tiffany on Social Media Facebook: Money Talk With Tiff Twitter: @moneytalkwitht Instagram: @moneytalkwitht LinkedIn: Tiffany Grant This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Key Takeaways

1
Start with purpose, not profit
Kevin started his podcast after hitting rock bottom in his mid-20s and realizing money alone didn't bring happiness
He emphasizes getting your 'P's in the right order': purpose first, then passion, then profit
Starting for profit leads to misery; starting for purpose allows fulfillment from day one
2
Consistency is non-negotiable for podcast success
Kevin releases an episode every single day and has over 1,000 episodes
Treating your podcast like a business means showing up reliably for your audience
Inconsistent releases break trust and cause listeners to find other shows
3
Growth requires knowing your audience deeply
Define your ideal listener and the specific problems you're solving for them
Episode titles should be written for what listeners would click on, not what hosts prefer
Growth comes from building relationships through DMs, guest appearances, and community engagement
4
Podcast growth is slow and compounds over time
Kevin's podcast had only 1,000 downloads in the first year; now they exceed that daily
Expect level 10 effort to produce level 2 results in the beginning
Continuous improvement in production quality, promotion, and content drives growth

Intro

Kevin Palmieri shares how he transformed his podcast from a personal project into a multi-six-figure business, emphasizing the mindset and strategies needed for podcasting success.
Host of the Top 100 Global Podcast 'Next Level University' with 1,000+ episodes and listeners in over 125 countries. Kevin has given nearly 100 speeches and conducted hundreds of coaching calls.

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– Kevin's First Steps Into Podcasting

Kevin's journey began unconventionally - after appearing as a guest on someone else's podcast, he realized podcasting could be a career. He Googled everything needed and invested in equipment upfront.

My first step, and I don't think my process was typical by any stretch of the imagination. Somebody had me on their podcast. And at the end of it, I said, imagine if you could do that for a living.
– Kevin Palmieri

– The Three Critical Questions Before Starting

Kevin outlines three essential questions every aspiring podcaster should answer:

What problem am I hoping to solve for my community?
Am I willing to be consistent?

There's a lot of people who start podcasts because it's the sexy, trendy thing to do... there are roughly 3 million podcasts that have been created out of those 3 million podcasts, an estimated 50 to 75% are no longer in production.
– Kevin Palmieri

– Finding Your Why - Kevin's Personal Story

Kevin grew up without much money, skipped college, and achieved financial success making $100,000 at age 26. Opening his final pay stub, he realized he wasn't any happier despite his bank account growing.

I realized in that moment that for most of my life, I had lived unconsciously. The opposite of unconscious is hyperconscious. And I wanted to help other people become hyperconscious.
– Kevin Palmieri

His original podcast was called 'The Hyperconscious Podcast' with the goal of having conversations people might not have the courage to have and helping people understand themselves at a deeper level.

– Overcoming Growth Hurdles

Kevin emphasizes that podcast growth is inherently slow. The biggest challenge isn't knowing what to do, but understanding the time perspective required.

We had 1,000 downloads our first year. We had more than that yesterday. And that's five years later, but that never would have happened if we stopped in the beginning.
– Kevin Palmieri

Key growth strategies include: knowing your ideal listener, understanding their problems, crafting compelling titles, and building community through DMs, guest appearances, and one-on-one coaching.

– The Power of Consistency and Listener Buckets

Tiffany shares her own lesson about consistency - after months of inconsistent releases, a conversation at FinCon transformed her approach. Kevin explains three listener buckets:

Warm listeners: Actively engaged and messaging you
Lost listeners: Know you, like you, trust you, but forgot about you

If you go to the pizza shop that I've never tried before and it's closed, I'm going to go to another pizza shop... If I go to the pizza shop I like and it's closed, I got to go find another pizza spot and that could become my new favorite.
– Kevin Palmieri