Jonathan Denwood has been hosting The WP Tonic Show for roughly eight years and has published more than 900 episodes.
But the biggest return from all those conversations hasn’t come from downloads alone.
For Jonathan, podcasting has become a relationship engine. Guests have become friends, industry connections have led to referrals, and some of those relationships have eventually turned into paying clients for his WordPress hosting business.
In this episode of My Podcast Story, Jonathan shares how The WP Tonic Show started with a co-host, why he nearly stopped after that co-host left, and how the show evolved into a long-running weekly podcast serving WordPress professionals, agency owners, SaaS founders, and people building businesses online.
We also talk about what 900 episodes taught him about choosing guests, understanding your audience, growing through reviews and YouTube, building an email list from podcast listeners, attracting sponsors, and why owning your website, email list, and community matters more than relying entirely on platforms you don’t control.
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Connect with Jonathan
Website: https://wp-tonic.com
Podcast: The WP Tonic Show
Podcast: The Membership Machine Show
Podcast Offer: https://wp-tonic.com/deals
Chapters
00:00 The Real Business Value of Podcasting
01:04 Meet Jonathan Denwood
01:31 More Than 900 Episodes of The WP Tonic Show
02:27 How the Podcast Started Eight Years Ago
03:48 What Happened When His First Co-Host Left
04:31 Working With Multiple Co-Hosts Over the Years
05:13 The Business Side of WordPress Podcasting
05:39 The Difference Between Jonathan’s Two Podcasts
06:53 How WP Tonic Connects to His Business
07:08 Getting 5,000 to 10,000 Downloads a Month
07:22 How Podcast Relationships Turned Into Paying Clients
08:34 A Real Example of a Podcast Relationship Creating Business
09:53 Publishing One Episode Every Week
10:24 Behind the Scenes of a 900-Episode Podcast
10:38 Working With the Same Editor for Six Years
11:02 How Jonathan Finds Podcast Guests
11:55 Why He Rejects Most Agency-Pitched Guests
12:24 His Recording and Editing Workflow
13:12 Growing a YouTube Channel Alongside the Podcast
13:34 What Helped WP Tonic Grow
13:57 Why Jonathan Consistently Asks for Reviews
14:30 The Role of YouTube in Podcast Growth
16:34 Why You Shouldn’t Build Your Business Entirely on Social Platforms
17:32 What Jonathan Would Do Differently Starting Again
17:51 Understanding Your Podcast Audience Earlier
18:42 Why Podcasters Need to Build an Email List
18:52 Using Podcast Offers to Capture Email Subscribers
20:33 What to Offer If You Don’t Have a Product Yet
20:55 Using Lead Magnets to Grow Your List
21:33 Does The WP Tonic Show Make Money?
21:43 How Sponsorship Covers Podcast Costs
22:22 Using Podcasting for SEO, Branding, and Authority
22:59 Why Jonathan Almost Quit the Podcast
23:39 How He Found His Long-Term Editor
24:10 Finding and Keeping Podcast Sponsors
24:29 Why Most Sponsors Come to Him
25:33 What a Podcast Sponsorship Costs
26:10 Should Podcasters Build Their Website on WordPress?
26:56 Why Jonathan Recommends Owning Your Podcast Website
28:39 WordPress vs. All-in-One Podcast Website Platforms
30:39 Why Owning Your Domain Matters Long Term
31:49 Building a Community Around Your Podcast
32:09 Creating Membership Communities on WordPress
32:52 Fluent Community vs. BuddyBoss
35:31 Why Owning Your Community Platform Matters
37:44 The Importance of Owning Your Intellectual Property
38:06 Comparing WordPress With Kajabi and Podia
41:24 Why Flexible Tools Can Become Too Complicated
42:39 Start Simple Before Building an Advanced Membership
43:03 What WP Tonic Offers Clients
44:18 Hosting, Plugins, and Managed WordPress Support
46:31 Where to Find Jonathan Denwood and WP Tonic
