For over two years I helped co-host a science/comedy podcast at Stanford called Goggles Optional (http://gogglesoptional.com/). We never hit hockey stick growth, but kept plugging away week after week. When I left, I think we had somewhere between 50,000-100,000 cumulative downloads from around ~90 countries. It's still going today.

I learned a lot from doing the podcast. Consistent, deliberate practice where you get feedback from others and from your own listening is a terrific way to improve over the years. As a result of the podcast, I became a more engaging speaker, a punchier writer, and even a better scientist. Spending hours thinking about how to best tell a story around a scientific concept really builds fluency, even if you think you already know the concept well.

If anyone is thinking about doing a podcast, feel free to email me. We found that having a big team with specialized roles and work rotation helped make the work sustainable and enjoyable. And as others highlight, content matters far more than tools or editing.