Talking The Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting with Courtney Reimer

Courtney Reimer
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How do you start a podcast that actually grows your business? Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcast strategy, launching a podcast, growing a podcast, and building a business podcast that lasts. Host Courtney Reimer shares practical advice, expert interviews, and honest lessons for founders, entrepreneurs, and aspiring podcasters.

  1. 2d ago

    Crucial Podcast ROI Can Be Easy to Miss (Especially if You're Fixated on Downloads)

    The most important return on your podcast investment shows up long before anyone writes you a check. In this voice note episode, Courtney shares why her obsession with podcast ROI may have something to do with her experience overseeing content development for the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Spotify and what a multimillion-dollar podcast deal taught her about the danger of expecting financial returns too soon. Because podcasting is a long game, and sometimes the early ROI is simply a signal from another human that tells you: keep going. Seemingly negligible returns (an idea resonating with a stranger, a relationship beginning, a potential client tuning in, someone validating the thing you're building) can be what keeps you in the game long enough for the financial ROI to follow.  ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners create podcasts that work harder than they do to earn their keep. Host Courtney Reimer explores how to build a show that creates trust, builds your business, remains sustainable, and delivers a meaningful return on what you invest into it. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder and principal strategist of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps entrepreneurs and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Follow on Instagram: @soundsgreatcourtney Connect on LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Subscribe to her weekly-ish newsletter on burnout-proof podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper Email Courtney: courtney@soundsgreatstrategy.com The Strategic Podcast Launch Studio begins the week of September 14th, and it's the final cohort planned for 2026. If you're thinking about starting a podcast and want to co-create it with Courtney and a small, intentionally curated group, visit SoundsGreatStrategy.com/Studio to learn more and apply.

  2. Aug 27 ·  Video

    Your Podcast Doesn't Need to Be a Whole Production (with Jess Milanes)

    If you're a busy person exhausted by the demands of work and life, this news should come as a relief: your podcast doesn't have to be a whole production. We've collectively convinced ourselves that a "real" podcast requires a beautiful set, multiple cameras, expensive equipment, and enough branded merch to clothe and house a small village. While we're distracted with the branding and presentation of it all, we can end up spending so much energy (and money) on the production that we forget the actual thing that makes a podcast valuable: the conversations that happen inside it.  In this episode, Jess Milanes and Courtney make the case for a simpler kind of podcast—one that serves the goals of the person behind the mic, not some irrelevant downloads number. Both on her own show and via her company, KNWN, Jess has produced and created countless podcast episodes. She's seen firsthand how much value a podcast can create that has nothing to do with its audience size. It can put you in conversation with potential clients, establish your expertise within a niche, and create the kind of relationships that keep paying dividends long after an episode is published. Topics include Why audio is still a perfectly good place to start (and why you can always add video later) How podcasting can build relationships and generate clients long before you have a big audience Why a broader audience isn't necessarily a better audience Why showing up as yourself is part of the strategy How podcasts can help you build authority Why being "useful" to your audience of potential clients matters more than working hard If you've been putting off your podcast because the whole thing feels bigger and more expensive than it needs to be, this episode offers a useful reframe. Your podcast doesn't have to reach everyone or look like a Netflix production. Sometimes the magic is much simpler: giving the right people a chance to get to know you well enough that they want to keep the conversation going. ABOUT THE GUEST Jess Milanes is a podcast strategist and producer who helps founders and business owners use podcasting to build authority, relationships, and their businesses. She's passionate about creating podcasts that are strategic, sustainable, and actually fit the lives and goals of the people making them. Learn more at: KNWN.com Connect on LinkedIn: Jess Milanes  ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners create podcasts that work harder than they do to earn their keep.  Host Courtney Reimer explore how to build a show that creates trust, builds your business, remains sustainable, and delivers a meaningful return on what you invest into it. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder and principal strategist of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps entrepreneurs and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Follow on Instagram: @soundsgreatcourtney Connect on LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Subscribe to her weekly-ish newsletter on burnout-proof podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper To book your free Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney, visit SoundsGreatStrategy.com

  3. Aug 21

    The Voice Note That Saved My Podcast This Week

    A funny thing happened on the way to recording this week's episode: I nearly didn't. Between work, family, travel, and life generally life-ing, I found myself on the verge of becoming exactly the kind of podfade statistic I spend so much time warning others about. So instead of skipping a week—or forcing myself through an elaborate production—I took my own advice. This episode is an experiment in easy mode podcasting. It's also my first attempt at something I've been talking about for months: making my podcast work even harder by repurposing…my own podcast episode into another podcast episode. (Yes, it's a little snake-eating-its-tail.) If you've ever felt guilty for not publishing every Tuesday, wondered whether "consistency is key" is more of a threat than a helpful tip, or needed permission to build a podcast around your actual life instead of rearranging your life around your podcast, this one's for you.  Topics include: Why I almost skipped publishing this week—and why I didn't The real reason so many podcasts fade out before episode 10 Why "always-on" publishing advice wasn't designed for most business owners How to make your podcast work harder by repurposing it—even within the podcast itself Why reliable beats relentless when it comes to sustainable podcasting Easy-mode formats that help you keep showing up without burning out What I mean by "Return on Thinking" (ROT) and why I'm trying to make it a thing If you're building a podcast to grow your business, establish your expertise, or create a body of work that compounds over time, this episode is your permission slip to stop chasing hustle-culture podcast advice and start building something you can actually sustain.  ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners build podcasts that work harder than they do. Host Courtney Reimer explores how to build a show that creates trust, builds your business, remains sustainable, and delivers a meaningful return on what you invest into it.  ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps people and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets.  HOW TO CONNECT & WORK WITH COURTNEY Instagram: @soundsgreatcourtney LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Weekly-ish newsletter: Sounds Great on Paper
 Thinking about a podcast? Want to get Courtney's take? Book your free Podcast Clarity Call at SoundsGreatStrategy.com.

  4. Aug 10 ·  Video

    What We Get Wrong About Consistency (with Julie Fischer)

    "Be consistent." We get this advice for everything from our strength training routine to business-building practices, and, of course: podcast strategy. Publish every week, on the same day, at the same time, from now until eternity til death do us part. But what if we've misunderstood what consistency actually means? What if "be consistent" is actually counterproductive advice if the goal is sustaining a podcast that delivers meaningful returns? We dissect this well-meaning advice with Julie Fischer, host of the Nine to Thrive podcast, whose thoughtful, every-other-week publishing cadence has helped her build a show she's sustained for nearly three years. Rather than chasing an arbitrarily demanding schedule, Julie designed a podcast around her actual life, energy, and capacity—and that simple decision has made all the difference.  We discuss: What people get wrong about consistency Why knowing your capacity is one of the most important podcast decisions you'll make How podcasting can be a service to the people you want to service, as well as a magnet for clients Why "baby steps" outperform ambitious content plans Helpful advice for folks hoping to land a guest spot on a podcast like Julie's If you've ever worried that you don't have enough time, enough energy, or enough capacity to keep a podcast going, this conversation offers a refreshing alternative to the hustle-culture-centric advice that dominates so much of the podcasting world. ABOUT THE GUEST Julie Fischer is the host of the Nine to Thrive podcast and a coach who works at the intersection of work, life, and well-being. Through coaching, speaking, and her podcast, she helps people rethink the relationship between achievement, purpose, and well-being, offering practical tools for building lives that feel both successful and sustainable. Learn more at: www.juliefischercoaching.com ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners build podcasts that work harder than they do. Host Courtney Reimer explore how to build a show that creates trust, builds your business, remains sustainable, and delivers a meaningful return on what you invest into it. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps entrepreneurs and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Follow on Instagram: @soundsgreatcourtney Connect on LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Subscribe to her weekly-ish newsletter on burnout-proof podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper To book your free Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney, visit SoundsGreatStrategy.com.

    What We Get Wrong About Consistency (with Julie Fischer)

  5. Aug 3 ·  Video

    Unexpected Discoverability Advice from a Literal Professor of Podcasting (with Anika Jackson)

    Discoverability. It's one of those words that suddenly becomes part of your daily vocabulary the minute you start a podcast. Then, before long, you're drowning in advice about SEO, AEO, YouTube, keywords, metadata, transcripts, video, social clips…and wondering whether your podcast can ever keep up. To help us separate signal from noise, I invited someone who literally teaches this stuff. Anika Jackson is a professor at USC Annenberg, host of the globally ranked Your Brand Amplified podcast, and someone who spends far more time thinking about podcast discoverability than most of us ever will. We get into the weeds on SEO, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), AI search, YouTube, podcast metadata, and all the technical pieces that help people find your work. But somewhere along the way, the conversation takes an interesting turn... The most important optimization metric of all, according to Anika, has nothing to do with dashboards, rankings, or download numbers—and everything to do with the humans your podcast attracts. We discuss: Whether podcast SEO actually exists (and how it's changing) What AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) means for podcasters How AI search is reshaping discoverability Which metadata fields are worth your time—and which many podcasters ignore Why YouTube isn't quite the same game as Spotify or Apple Podcasts The surprising role Pinterest can play for certain podcasts Why guest selection may be your most underrated growth strategy How to think differently about clips, downloads, and social media The metric Anika cares about more than downloads Why entrepreneur podcasters should optimize differently than creator-economy shows If you've been wondering how much of today's podcast growth advice actually applies to entrepreneurs, consultants, founders, and thought leaders—not people chasing millions of downloads—this conversation should leave you with both a few practical next steps and a healthy sense of relief. ABOUT THE GUEST Anika Jackson teaches the future of media and podcasting at USC Annenberg and hosts the globally ranked Your Brand Amplified® podcast. She helps entrepreneurs build stronger brands through strategy, podcasting, and AI, holds an MBA specializing in artificial intelligence and machine learning, has served as a startup advisor and Webby Awards judge, and spends a lot more time thinking about podcast discoverability than the rest of us. Learn more at: https://yourbrandamplified.com  ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners build podcasts that earn their keep. Host Courtney Reimer explores what makes podcasts worth creating—not just how to launch one, but how to build a show that creates trust, opens doors, strengthens your business, and remains sustainable for the long haul. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify Studios, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps entrepreneurs and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Weekly newsletter: Sounds Great on Paper Book your free Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney, and learn more at SoundsGreatStrategy.com

  6. Jul 26 ·  Video

    Your Podcast Should Work Harder Than You

    You work hard. Your podcast should work harder. Even if it means doing double duty on an episode--because if you do it right, it will do quadruple duty for you. I recorded this episode twice. The first recording disappeared into the technical-gremlin abyss and I had already done the mental math: this episode was worth more than the additional time it would take to recreate it. That calculation sits at the center of my approach to podcasting: it's not a time-sucking deliverable you continually feed because the content calendar says so. It can and should be one of the hardest-working, highest-ROI assets in your business because it generates ideas and leads, sharpens your thinking and delivery of your message, strengthens and develops relationships, creates pportunities by giving the rest of your content ecosystem somewhere to begin. In this solo episode, I puts my own advice to the test. Even though I had to invest a little more time than I intended to, I ultimately went with an easy-mode version of this episode, and I'm glad I did.  Sometimes walking the walk means talking the talk AND letting the podcast do more of your work.

    Your Podcast Should Work Harder Than You

  7. Jul 18 ·  Video

    Why Podcasts Win in a Sea of AI Slop (with Emily Aborn)

    You log onto LinkedIn and everyone is *delving* into a pool of AI slop that *quietly* reads like a DiGirornio frozen pizza ad--it's not their delivery, it's the sameness of it all. Then you stumble over to a podcast like this one, and feel seen by the realness, the stutters, and the general imperfectness of something that only an actual human voice can bring.  It's an established fact the podcasting wins by a mile when it comes to building trust with an audience. But what happens when AI enters the chat and brings all of its pet phrases with it? What do we lose when we win back some time by outsourcing some of our work to our LLM of choice?  In this episode, two word-nerd podcasters talk it out. They discuss: How AI "tells" are becoming easier to spot Why AI is eroding trust with audiences Where podcasts have an edge over other content channels–and how AI is threatening to erode it The difference between using AI as a tool and outsourcing your thinking Why AI abstention may not be an option for solo business owners Accessibility, AI voices, and where technology creates opportunity Where/how/when to disclose your use of AI And whether AI will ever be indistinguishable from humans If you've been wondering if it's possible to embrace AI without sacrificing the very thing people come to you for, this episode is for you. About Emily Aborn Emily Aborn is a copywriter, entrepreneur, and host of the Small Business Casual podcast. For more than a decade, she's helped entrepreneurs find the words that sound unmistakably like them by bringing personality, clarity, and humanity to how they show up for their clients. Listen to Small Business Casual wherever you get your podcasts. About Talking the Talk Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcasting: for entrepreneurs, creators, and business owners who want to build podcasts that earn their keep. Each week, host Courtney Reimer shares hot takes, practical podcast strategy, honest conversations with creators, and lessons learned from developing shows for everyone from first-time founders to Fortune 500 brands. Connect with Courtney Want to find out how to build a podcast that works harder than you do? Schedule a complimentary Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney at her website:  https://www.soundsgreatstrategy.com Connect with Courtney: Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcastss LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/CourtneyReimer Newsletter: Sounds Great on Paper ☕ If you'd like to share a cup of coffee with the real human behind this episode, Courtney would certainly appreciate your appreciation--head over to Buy Me a Coffee to say thanks for the realness: BuyMeAcoffee.com/SoundsGreatCourtney

    Why Podcasts Win in a Sea of AI Slop (with Emily Aborn)

  8. Jul 10 ·  Video

    The Truth About Making Money with a Podcast (ft. Ryan R. Sullivan)

    When people say they want to start a podcast to make money, it helps to remember even [INSERT MEGAMILLIONAIRE PODCASTER NAME HERE] didn't just roll out of bed one day, sit down in front of a mic, and start rolling in the cash. But also: there's a middle ground between the hobbyist podcasters seeing little monetary gain from their shows and the ones who are probably sailing on an eleventy-foot yacht as you read this.  That gray area is what this episode is about. Ryan R. Sullivan has launched and produced more than 100 podcasts, many for CPAs, financial advisors, attorneys, and other professionals who expect every business investment—including a podcast—to justify itself. Together, Courtney and Ryan unpack what podcast monetization actually looks like today, why sponsorships aren't the whole story (or always what they're cracked up to be), and how entrepreneurs should think about their podcast as a business asset that earns its keep. We discuss: The four primary ways podcasts make money Direct vs. indirect podcast monetization When sponsorships actually make sense (and when they don't) Why niche audiences often outperform large audiences The benefits of treating your podcast like a business (with its own P&L statement) Why "fun" may be one of the most overlooked ingredients in the recipe for podcast success If you've been wondering whether a podcast can actually pay for itself–or whether it's simply another marketing expense that's hard to quantify–this conversation offers practical yet nuanced guidance on how to get more than you pay for with your podcast. It may even change the way you think about why a podcast is worth starting  in the first place.  ABOUT THE GUEST Ryan R. Sullivan is the host of The Ryan Sullivan Show and founder of Podcast Principles, where he has helped launch and grow more than 100 podcasts. He specializes in helping CPAs, financial advisors, attorneys, and other professionals use podcasting to build authority, grow their businesses, and create meaningful revenue opportunities. Get more of Ryan's wisdom on The Ryan Sullivan Show, and find him everywhere by searching Ryan R. Sullivan (don't forget the R)! ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting is for entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders who want to build podcasts that last—and earn their keep. Each week, Courtney Reimer shares practical podcast strategy, behind-the-scenes lessons, and conversations with industry experts to help you create a podcast that's as sustainable as it is impactful. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is a podcast strategy and development expert, founder of Sounds Great Strategy, and host of Talking the Talk. After leading podcast strategy and development at Spotify, Audible, MTV, Discovery, and executive producing the award-winning, #1-ranking, Joe-Rogan-toppling Archetypes with Meghan Markle, she now helps founders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and organizations build podcasts that earn their keep by creating trust, opening doors, and generating opportunities far beyond downloads. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Instagram: @soundsgreatpodcasts LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer Hot Tips & Hot Takes on Podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper (Courtney's weekly-ish newsletter) Meet w/Courtney: Book a Free Podcast Clarity Call ☕ If you enjoy the show and want to support it (or just buy me a coffee while I edit another episode), you can do that here: BuyMeACoffee.com

    The Truth About Making Money with a Podcast (ft. Ryan R. Sullivan)
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How do you start a podcast that actually grows your business? Talking the Talk is a podcast about podcast strategy, launching a podcast, growing a podcast, and building a business podcast that lasts. Host Courtney Reimer shares practical advice, expert interviews, and honest lessons for founders, entrepreneurs, and aspiring podcasters.

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