500 Listeners > 500k Views: Why Brands Are Betting Big on Small Podcasts - Ashley Morris

Ashley Morris joins Kevin and Lev in this episode of The Podcasters Lab to unpack what most podcasters get wrong about audience value, sponsorships, and monetisation. Together, they explore why downloads aren’t the real metric, how brand partnerships actually work, and what it takes to future-proof a show — not with hype, but with systems and trust.

Whether you’ve landed your first sponsor or you're just figuring out your niche, this episode delivers practical frameworks and honest insights you won’t hear in most “grow your show” advice.

00:00 – Reframing Value

→ Ashley’s take on why most podcasters underestimate the influence they already have.

03:01 – Podcasting Isn’t TikTok

→ The trap of shallow metrics — and why quality of attention wins.

05:04 – The Consistency Cliff

→ Why most podcasts never make it past episode 20 — and what separates the ones that do.

07:56 – Finding a Format You’ll Actually Stick With

→ The one question Ashley asks every would-be podcaster.

10:15 – Authenticity vs. Polish

→ How to balance professional production with staying human (and why listeners know the difference).

13:45 – Building Listener Engagement That Brands Notice

→ Real tactics for turning passive listeners into active community members.

17:56 – When Sponsors Actually Start to Pay Attention

→ The thresholds, signals, and sweet spots that turn heads.

19:04 – Ads vs. Partnerships

→ Why Ashley pushes for host-read integration and how to make sponsors feel like part of the content.

21:04 – The Trust Metric

→ What podcast intimacy means for buying decisions — and how to use that without being pushy.

26:47 – Future-Proofing Your Podcast

→ What brands actually want — and how overdelivering can open long-term doors.

30:42 – The Metrics That Matter

→ Why reach is overrated — and what to track instead.

33:00 – Brands You Already Use

→ How to approach sponsorships casually, confidently, and with a personal edge.

35:22 – Why Selling Your Own Stuff Wins

→ The blunt truth: you’ll usually make more selling your product than someone else’s.