There Is No #1 in iTunes Podcasts “New and Noteworthy”
Anyone who tells you about being #1 in iTunes “New and Noteworthy” is wrong. There’s no such thing as #1 because “New and Noteworthy” is not a ranking system.
Look at “New and Noteworthy” at almost any time and you’ll see highly popular podcasts visually below less popular podcasts.
You’ll also see that ratings and reviews don’t matter in that context. At this time, the “#1 New and Noteworthy” podcast (Significant Digits) has only 7 USA ratings, only 2 episodes, and a massive more-than-30-day gap between those 2 episodes. But the “#11” podcast (Alice Isn’t Dead) has only 2 episodes, 215 USA ratings, and it’s being featured by iTunes in the top big banners in the podcasts front page.
If “New and Noteworthy” was a ranking system, Alice Isn’t Dead (from Night Vale Presents) would probably be a true #1 or vying for that top position with the other new podcasts from major networks NPR, MLB.com, ABC News, and PodcastOne.
There’s absolutely nothing about Significant Digits that makes it #1. It breaks nearly every so-called “fact” proclaimed by marketeers.
So how did such an “insignificant” podcast (pun intended) get placed so prominently in the “New and Noteworthy” list? Because the iTunes Podcasts team saw something about this new podcast that they considered noteworthy.
Please, stop obsessing over bad advice from marketeers who don’t know what they’re talking about or they’re passing on misinformation without validating it themselves. Examine the facts and you’ll see other things that contributed to their success (such as great content, presentation, production, and promotion; or influence over a large, loyal following).
“New and Noteworthy” is a reward, not a goal. It is not the key to your podcast’s success.
Market your podcast as if Apple will do nothing for you and you’ll see far better results.
YOU are the key to your podcast’s success. You don’t need to wait on anyone else’s permission or feature to succeed.
(I’m not targeting anyone specifically, and I won’t publicly call out those who are giving this bad advice.)
