Updated 2026: In September 2009, the Late Night Internet Marketing podcast landed on the New and Notable list in the Business section of iTunes. At the time, I wrote a quick thank-you note to my listeners. Looking back, that moment was a small but meaningful milestone in what became a podcasting journey that has now spanned more than 16 years. Here is what that achievement meant then and what the equivalent milestones look like for podcasters today.

What Was iTunes New and Notable?

iTunes New and Notable was a curated section within Apple's podcast directory that highlighted recently launched shows gaining traction. Apple's algorithm considered factors like subscriber growth, positive reviews, and download velocity over a show's first eight weeks. Landing on the list meant your podcast appeared prominently in iTunes browse pages, exposing it to listeners who might never have searched for your specific topic.

For the Late Night Internet Marketing podcast, making that list validated something important. Real people were listening, subscribing, and leaving reviews. Thousands of downloads in those early weeks felt genuinely humbling for a show I was recording late at night after my day job.

Why Early Podcast Milestones Matter

Getting featured on New and Notable did not make the podcast an overnight success. What it did was provide momentum. New listeners discovered the show. Some of them stuck around. That compounding effect, where each new episode reaches a slightly larger audience, is how podcasts grow over time.

The lesson I took from that experience is one I still share with new podcasters: your first 50 episodes are about building habits, not building an audience. The audience comes as a byproduct of consistently showing up with useful content. The New and Notable placement was not the result of a marketing strategy. It was the result of listeners genuinely finding value in those early episodes and taking the time to leave reviews.

Apple Podcasts Discovery in 2026

Apple retired the New and Notable section years ago. Today, podcast discovery on Apple Podcasts works through several mechanisms:

• Charts. Apple Podcasts maintains Top Shows and Top Episodes charts by category. Climbing these charts is driven by new subscriptions and downloads within a recent window.
• Editorial features. Apple's editorial team curates collections and spotlight features. Getting picked requires a combination of quality, timeliness, and sometimes direct outreach to Apple's podcast team.
• Personalized recommendations. Apple's algorithm suggests shows to individual listeners based on their listening history and preferences.
• Search optimization. Your show title, episode titles, and descriptions affect how easily listeners find you through search within the app.

Beyond Apple, podcast discovery now happens on Spotify, YouTube, social media clips, and through guest appearances on other shows. The landscape is far more distributed than the iTunes-centric world of 2009.

What I Would Tell a New Podcaster Today

If you are launching a podcast in 2026, do not obsess over charts or features. Focus on three things: consistent publishing, genuine value for your specific audience, and asking your listeners to subscribe and leave reviews. Those basics powered the Late Night Internet Marketing podcast from a hobby project to a show that has been running for over 16 years.

The tools are better now. Recording and editing software is more accessible. Hosting platforms handle distribution to every major app automatically. But the fundamentals have not changed. Show up regularly, help your listeners, and the audience will find you.

Subscribe to the Late Night Internet Marketing podcast on Apple Podcasts and hear what 16 years of building an internet business one night at a time sounds like.