The Podcast
Weekly, actionable advice to help seasoned, soulful entrepreneurs build trust and create long-lasting, rewarding relationships with their listeners.
The Meetup
A free monthly mingle where you can find friends and accountability buddies, and take another step closer to the podcast you want to make.
The Community
A free, invite-only space where helpful podcasters gather to learn and grow together, all with the shared goal of creating content with generosity.
When all the shortcuts have been exhausted, the only route left is the proven one that works.
I’m Mark Steadman, and it took me too long to realise this. As a consultant and the founder of a podcast tech startup, I’ve helped thousands of podcasters get a head start and make a difference. But as I began to lose sight of my own purpose, I turned to short-term tricks and tactics to grow my audience and to keep the lights on.
I tried audiograms, guest headshots, tweets, and TikToks. I tried to make an audio series go viral. I collaborated with famous names and hoped some of their audience would trickle down to me.
After all of this experimentation, I learned a valuable lesson:
Nothing works like serving your listener with generosity and consistency.
Growing an audience is a long game, and your in-game currency is trust. You build that by demonstrating your expertise, showing up consistently, and letting your listener hear the real you.
Once your listener knows you’re doing what you can to help them win, they’ll pay to work with you.
I know this is true, because it’s how I built my business.
In my consultancy I work with best-selling authors, TED speakers, TV personalities, impact entrepreneurs, and coaches. All people of purpose who have achieved success and notoriety, and want to share their knowledge and experience.
I help them grow and monetise their podcast by promoting their own products and services. This earns them far more than CPM ads and affiliate deals.
Together we’re building a body of work – a unique collection of valuable insight that fans look forward to each week, and new listeners can’t wait to binge.
I’m here to help you do the same.
You make a difference
You wanted to start a podcast to help people – to make an impact. You know that if your words can change just one person’s life, it will have been a success.
Now you’re ready to take things to the next level.
That doesn’t mean hiring a private jet with all your ad revenue, but it would be nice for your podcast to do more than pay its own way… or worse, cost you money without any return.
You know that podcast growth is a long game and that consistency is key, but without a compass and some mile markers, how can you know you’re headed in the right direction?
Let’s do this together
You want your podcast to be successful, but so often our ideas of success are borrowed from elsewhere. This leads us to think we need to chase sponsorship deals or be on every social platform to maximise our reach.
That’s our ego talking. And it’s completely understandable.
Social media almost always presents the most positive picture of a person’s life and business. The constant comparison can make us feel insecure. That’s not the place where we do our best, most generous work.
The Helpful Podcast Incubator is an invite-only virtual space with weekly events to help you hone your craft, grow your audience, and look after yourself.
You’ll also find self-paced courses to help you target your ideal listener, build an audio brand, and edit your podcast – even if you’ve never worked with audio before.
Chris Kenworthy
Transformative coach
Mark gently invited me to consider having a format, structure, and revisiting my expectations for it. He also indulged my playful side, encouraging me to channel something more of myself into the podcast, as well as having those boundaries to contain what/who the podcast is for.
Mark gently invited me to consider having a format, structure, and revisiting my expectations for it. He also indulged my playful side, encouraging me to channel something more of myself into the podcast, as well as having those boundaries to contain what/who the podcast is for.
Pia Lee
Co-founder & CEO,
Squadify
Such a rich and great partnership – always supportive, awesomely talented and with you on the journey.
Such a rich and great partnership – always supportive, awesomely talented and with you on the journey.
Lucy Clayton
Author and podcaster,
Dress: Fancy
Some people instinctively make good ideas better, they can't help but elevate; Mark is one of them. This is the kind of personality everyone needs on their side - especially in this industry because podcasting can be a lonely and relentless business.
Some people instinctively make good ideas better, they can't help but elevate; Mark is one of them. This is the kind of personality everyone needs on their side - especially in this industry because podcasting can be a lonely and relentless business.
Calvin Niles
Mark allowed Shamash and I to basically play for the whole time and not worry about anything. Honestly if this is what work is meant to feel like, then we're on to a winner.
Mark allowed Shamash and I to basically play for the whole time and not worry about anything. Honestly if this is what work is meant to feel like, then we're on to a winner.
Ben Johnson
Host,
Peripheral Thinking
I've no doubt without Mark's help I'd still be twiddling my podcast thumbs, thinking and not doing. Instead I'm close to 20 episodes in and excited by the next chapter.
I've no doubt without Mark's help I'd still be twiddling my podcast thumbs, thinking and not doing. Instead I'm close to 20 episodes in and excited by the next chapter.
Pippa Frith
Mark is so knowledgeable and experienced he makes complex things incredibly simple. He's flexible, and gently sees the gaps in your knowledge and fills them in, helping to create a professional and high quality offering.
Mark is so knowledgeable and experienced he makes complex things incredibly simple. He's flexible, and gently sees the gaps in your knowledge and fills them in, helping to create a professional and high quality offering.
Serena Savini
Host,
I'm Back!
I love Mark's ability to support me and create a safe space, to be practical yet empowering, and to help me eat the elephant one bite at a time.
I love Mark's ability to support me and create a safe space, to be practical yet empowering, and to help me eat the elephant one bite at a time.
Zoe Edwards
Host,
Check Your Thread
It's impossible to know what you don't know. When you're busy with the grind of making a weekly podcast, it's very hard to find an opportunity to stop and take a broader view of how things are going or where improvements can be made. So Mark provides that overview.
It's impossible to know what you don't know. When you're busy with the grind of making a weekly podcast, it's very hard to find an opportunity to stop and take a broader view of how things are going or where improvements can be made. So Mark provides that overview.
Anna Kolak
Mark is amazing. He is helping me come out of my shell and become visible in a way that I didn't even realize I needed. I couldn't have imagined a better guide in the process of starting a podcast, and we've only just begun.
Mark is amazing. He is helping me come out of my shell and become visible in a way that I didn't even realize I needed. I couldn't have imagined a better guide in the process of starting a podcast, and we've only just begun.