Stop Comparing Your Episode 1 to Their Episode 100
- Freddy Cruz
- Mar 2
- 5 min read
One morning I was out for a run, approaching my one-mile marker. I've got the trail memorized, my three-mile course, my four-mile route. I know these paths like the back of my hand.
About 50 yards ahead, I spotted a tall figure. He was running, but struggling. Really struggling.
I knew exactly who it was. Marcel, my neighbor. Early 60s. And if you knew Marcel, you'd know he's obsessed with running. Addicted to that natural high, that endorphin release.
But this morning? He was on the struggle bus.
As I passed him, not to be a douche, but I was passing him, I called out, "Hey Marcel, what's going on, man?"
He managed a response between breaths. "Hey Freddy. Running my first marathon."
"Really? What mile are you on?"
"Mile 19."
Mile. Nineteen.
Never Compare Your First Mile to Someone's 19th
Think about that for a second. Here I am on mile one, feeling pretty good, relatively fresh. And here's Marcel on mile 19, struggling like hell but still moving forward.
If I didn't know better, if I just looked at that moment in isolation, I might've thought, "Man, I'm in way better shape than this guy."
Right? Wrong.
Context matters. Your first mile is always going to look different than someone else's 19th. And the same damn thing applies to podcasting.
Don't compare your first podcast episode to somebody else's 19th. Or their 190th. Or their 1,900th.
I'm not just talking about comparing yourself to Joe Rogan or Mel Robbins or Steven Bartlett. Yeah, those are three of my favorite podcast hosts, arguably the best in the history of podcasting. Fight me on it. It's a hill I'm willing to die on.
But I digress.
The real trap isn't comparing yourself to the superstars. It's comparing your Episode 1 to the Episode 100 of some podcaster in your niche who seems to have it all figured out.
You're Riding the Struggle Bus (And That's Normal)
When you first start your podcast, yeah, you're probably going to ride the struggle bus in that first episode. First few episodes, even.
Your audio might be wonky. Your delivery might be stiff. You might ramble or lose your train of thought. You might not even know what your show is really about yet.
That's normal.
What happens is this: you see someone else's polished show, their smooth transitions, their confident delivery, their engaged audience, and you think, "I'll never be that good."
But here's what you're missing. That person? They probably sucked at episode one too.
Marcel didn't start as a marathon runner. He used to be over 150 pounds overweight. Now he's lean and mean, crushing 26.2 miles. But he didn't get there overnight. He started with a single mile. Then another. Then another.
Your podcast journey works the same way.
What Actually Keeps You in the Game
So what do you do instead of spiraling into comparison hell?
Keep going. Keep iterating. Find out what works for you.
Dig into those analytics. And I'm not just talking about downloads. I'm talking about getting into Apple's backend analytics. Get past the number of plays and find out how many engaged listeners you have.
Engaged listeners are people who've listened to at least 40% or more than 20 minutes of your episode. That's the metric that matters.
Look at your retention rate. Industry standards are between 50-70%. Can you get your episodes there? Are your retention rates in the 40s? Figure out where people are dropping off.
Let's say you're 19 episodes in, your mile 19. Maybe you've got 11 episodes with a retention rate higher than 70%. And eight that are less than 50%.
Boom. That's your roadmap.
Start doing more of what got you the success to begin with. Figure out where you went wrong with those underperforming episodes.
That's how you stay in the game.
Not by comparing yourself to everyone else. By comparing yourself to your last episode. By getting 1% better each time you hit record.
The Podcasters Who Quit
You know what kills most podcasts?
Not lack of talent. Not lack of equipment. Not even lack of audience.
It's hosts who compare their beginning to someone else's middle or end, and then quit because they feel like they'll never measure up.
Listen. Every podcast you admire went through an awkward phase. Every single one.
The difference between the podcasts that made it and the ones that didn't? The successful ones kept showing up. They pushed through the struggle bus phase. They recorded episode 20, then 50, then 100.
They didn't compare their first mile to someone else's 19th.
What If You Focused on Your Own Race?
Here's a radical idea: What if you just ran your own race?
What if instead of obsessing over how that other podcaster in your niche has 10,000 downloads per episode while you're sitting at 47, you focused on delivering value to those 47 people?
What if instead of trying to copy someone else's format, you experimented until you found what works for you?
What if you gave yourself permission to be a beginner?
Because here's the truth: You're not competing with other podcasters. Not really.
You're competing with your past self. With your fear. With your tendency to give up when things get hard.
That's the only race that matters.
Your Next Move
If you're sitting here thinking, "Okay Freddy, I get it. But I still feel stuck": I've got you.
Here's what you do next:
Record your next episode. Not someday. Not when you feel ready. Now. Because you'll never feel completely ready, and waiting for perfection is just fear wearing a fancy hat.
Review one past episode. Look at the retention data. Where did people drop off? What can you learn from that?
Stop consuming other podcasts like a critic. Start listening like a student. What techniques do they use? How do they structure their episodes? What can you adapt to your style?
Set a goal for your next 10 episodes. Not a download goal. A consistency goal. Ten episodes, whatever cadence works for your life. Bi-weekly? Monthly? I don't care. Just commit to it.
Remember Marcel on mile 19? He wasn't thinking about my mile one. He was focused on getting to mile 20. Then 21. Then the finish line.
Do the same with your podcast.
The Bottom Line
Your first episode is never going to be as good as someone's hundredth. That's not failure. That's math.
But your hundredth episode? That can absolutely compete. That can be something special. That can build a community, grow a business, change lives.
You just have to get there.
So stop comparing. Start creating. And trust the process.
Because the only way you'll never have an Episode 100 is if you quit before you get there.
And if you want help designing a format and strategy that matches your real life and business goals, hit me up at Speke Podcasting.
Now get out there and record your next mile.
Freddy
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