How long should your podcast be?
The average length of a podcast episode is 35 minutes; however, the length of your podcast can vary, depending on your audience and topic. Some studies show that the ideal length of a podcast is somewhere between 18–22 minutes, but like with all things podcasts, there is no right or wrong length for a podcast.
There are several benefits to shorter episodes, people are busy and shorter episodes are easier to create and consume, and you can release new episodes more frequently. But if your audience enjoys a more in depth look at your topic or topics, a longer episode might be more appropriate for you.
How often should you release a new episode?
Some people schedule their episodes to release weekly, some every two weeks, others only once a month. On the flip side, there are other successful podcasts releasing new episodes as often as several times a week, and even daily.
The frequency at which you release new episodes is less important than the consistency of it. Don’t pick a release schedule you can’t keep up with or release episodes sporadically. Many new podcasters get overly ambitions and find out the hard way that it can be tough to sustain a frequent release schedule for the long haul.
It’s better to have good quality episodes, less frequently, than sub par episodes, frequently. But remember, consistency is key!
Prepare to promote
- Build anticipation before you launch your podcast. Tell everyone, post about it on social media, you can even create a “coming soon” web page for your show, and get people to sign up for a waiting list.
- Use keywords to your advantage. Find highly searched keywords that give you a competitive edge in your podcast niche. Using keywords throughout your episode description and on social media will help your podcast land in front of the right people.
- Start an email newsletter. Use an automated service like MailChimp to send out an email to your list every time you release a new episode. This is a great way to increase your downloads and keep your listeners engaged.
- Cross-promote on similar podcasts. Sometimes, this means doing an episode exchange with an influential podcaster that has a similar audience to you. It doesn’t hurt to reach out and see if they’re interested in working together with you.
- Create audio and video teasers for your latest episode, and post it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. If you have guests on your show, be sure to send them content to promote on their social channels as well.
Podcasts are as unique as the hosts who create them! Do you know your podcast style? Check out this blog post here to find out how your should format your show!
