Podcast Launch Checklist: The First 90 Days

The first 90 days of a B2B podcast decide whether it becomes a channel or a graveyard. Get the early decisions right and the show compounds. Get them wrong and you'll be relaunching in six months with a different name. Here's the plan.

Week one: lock the strategic basics

• →Define the ideal listener in one sentence — not your buyer persona, the actual person.
• →Pick a format and stick to it for 12 episodes minimum.
• →Confirm cadence — monthly is the minimum that the algorithms reward.
• →Set a budget — use the cost calculator and add 15% for contingency.
• →Decide who owns the show internally. Marketing alone is not enough; you need exec air-cover.

Weeks two to four: build the engine

• →Build a 50-name guest target list, sorted by ABM fit.
• →Write a 4-line guest outreach email and a 12-line speaker brief.
• →Stand up the show page, hosting account, and analytics.
• →Record host-only intro, outro and trailer.
• →Batch-record episodes 1–3 before launch day.

Month two: launch with three episodes, not one

A single launch episode is a non-event. Three episodes give listeners a real reason to subscribe and give the algorithms something to learn from. Schedule a one-week social and email campaign around launch — not a single LinkedIn post.

Month three: prove it

• →Audit the first eight episodes — drop-off curves, completion rates, share of voice.
• →Run the four ROI metrics from our B2B podcast ROI guide.
• →Decide what to double down on — guest type, format segment, distribution channel.
• →Confirm year-one budget with finance using real cost-per-listener data.

Mistakes that kill momentum

• →Launching with one episode and going quiet for two weeks.
• →Letting cadence slip in month two — the algorithm punishes irregular drops.
• →Booking only friendly guests — your audience can tell.
• →Hiring an agency that can edit but can't book or measure.
• →Treating the show as marketing's side project rather than a channel with a P&L.

Want to compress the 90 days into something predictable? Talk to the studio. We do this for a living.