I launched a free podcast mastering tool and it hit #1 on Google (opens in new tab)

Please correct the title - should be: Free Podcast Mastering

> Please use the original title

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

What does podcast mastering entail? Is it primarily normalization and limiter?

I built freepodcastmastering.com as a no-signup tool for creators who just want great-sounding audio fast. It launched and immediately ranked #1 on Google for “free podcast mastering,” which surprised me because there was no marketing, no backlinks, nothing. Traffic started flowing right away. The tool includes 19 themes, and a random one loads each visit until you pick your favorite, which makes the experience surprisingly fun for something as routine as audio post-processing. Under the hood it outputs the same level of mastering quality you’d get from the major paid service LANDR, but without a paywall. Sharing the launch story, how it ranked instantly, what I learned about idea quality, and why tiny niche tools can still break through.