How often you release podcast episodes plays a key role in how often your listeners tune in. Whether you’re a podcast pro or releasing your first episode, knowing how often to drop new episodes is a question you’ll always be asking yourself. Check out our guide to find the podcast publishing frequency that works for you!
- Why Podcast Publishing Frequency Matters
- Factors that Determine Podcast Frequency
- Podcast Publishing Schedule Options
Why Podcast Publishing Frequency Matters
“Every so often” or waiting until you have free time isn’t going to cut it when it comes to producing and publishing your podcast episodes. It’s important to drop your podcast episodes on a consistent basis to establish regular interest, avoid burnout with your work, and keep listeners engaged.
Consistency Helps Listeners
Whether you release new episodes daily or monthly, having consistency with episode releases can help your audience remember to tune in—just like TV shows that drop on the same day at the same time every week. Create a publishing calendar for your podcast so you can release episodes on a regular basis and help keep your audience in the loop about when the next episode will drop.
You Can Avoid Burnout
It’s a good idea to build a publishing schedule so that you can manage how much time you’re investing in your podcast project. If you record too often, you could experience burnout, which could impact the way your listeners enjoy and engage with your show. Consider a break between seasons, or scale down your publishing frequency if you don’t have the time for a rigorous podcast recording schedule.
It’s Easier to Build Anticipation
Sticking to a podcast schedule allows you to build listener anticipation for upcoming episodes or new seasons of your show. You can make it even more exciting by dropping a sound snippet on social media mid-week to remind your listeners of an upcoming show or by teasing sneak peeks of future guest interviews.
You Can Push Episodes at Optimal Times
Knowing optimal publishing times can help you establish a podcast release schedule. While Wednesday mornings are the most popular drop time for podcast episodes, that may not be the best move for your podcast. Check your social media analytics and analytics on your podcast hosting platform to get an idea of when listeners are engaging with your podcast content the most, then target those windows.
Factors that Determine Podcast Frequency
Most first-time podcast producers are antsy to get their new episodes out into the world, but there’s more to it than recording and uploading. Things like podcast budget, format, and guest spots can greatly affect how often you publish your episodes.
Podcast Format
Considering your podcast format in relation to your publishing frequency can help you produce top-quality episodes. For example, if you’re a solo podcast, you probably won’t spend as much time editing as you would if you were part of a roundtable podcast. Some podcast formats take longer to record, edit, and schedule than others, so keep this in mind when thinking about episode release frequency.
Podcast Topic
Deciding how often you should publish podcast episodes depends on what your podcast is about. If you have a podcast about current news, for instance, it’s probably a good idea to release on a daily or weekly basis. But if your topic isn’t as time-sensitive, then you could try anything from weekly to full season drop releases.
Podcast Episode Length
Knowing the length of your podcast episode will help you determine your publishing frequency, too. With shorter episodes that usually take less time to edit, you could drop episodes daily or weekly. But if you’re dropping episodes that are longer than 45 minutes, you might consider publishing less frequently so that you have more time to edit your podcast content.
Podcast Budget
Cost is one of the biggest factors that affects a podcast publishing schedule. Between equipment, production and editing costs, and podcast recording studio rentals, you might have a lot of expenses every time you want to produce a new episode. If you can’t afford to record and produce daily or weekly episodes, then your budget could very well determine how often you publish your podcast.
Podcast Post-Production
Taking the time to execute a flawless post-production is crucial, including editing and mixing sound, writing attention-grabbing podcast descriptions, providing an accurate podcast transcript, and optimizing your podcast for SEO. When considering how frequently you should publish episodes, be sure to keep in mind how much time you’re willing or able to spend on post-production.
Podcast Hosts & Guests
Not only will you be juggling your own production calendar and personal availability, but you’ll also have to consider the time commitment of your collaborators. Your co-hosts and guests may have conflicts in their schedules that you’ll have to work around, which can play a role in how often you drop episodes.
Podcast Publishing Schedule Options
Your podcast’s genre, length of each episode, and how long it takes you to edit each episode are key factors when building out your the podcast’s publishing frequency! Here’s a quick look at common publishing frequencies and how different types of podcasts use them for their episode schedules.
Daily
Releasing daily episodes is ideal for your listeners if your topic changes constantly, making daily episodes perfect for podcasts covering current events, world news, or trending topics. Although daily podcasts publish about five days a week, each episode is only 15 to 30 minutes long, making this a much easier time commitment for you and your listeners. Some podcasts that publish daily include The Daily, Adam Carolla Show, and The Atlas Obscura Podcast.
Weekly
A weekly podcast publishing frequency is great if you’re covering trending news or have an interview-style or storytelling-type podcast. Publishing on a weekly basis is perfect for episodes over 30 minutes because it allows your fans time to actually listen to your episode and get excited about the next one. Popular podcasts that release episodes on a weekly basis include Crime Junkie, Office Ladies, and Hollywood Raw.
Biweekly
Publishing a biweekly podcast means you’re publishing on a semi-regular frequency. Similar to releasing weekly podcasts, a biweekly podcast frequency allows you to keep your podcast current while still providing plenty of time for analysis. The most popular podcast genres for this type of frequency include sports news, educational topics, or health topics. Popular podcast that follow the biweekly posting schedule include The History Chicks, My Favorite Murder, and Pod and Prejudice.
Monthly
If you’re considering releasing a podcast with episodes averaging 60-90 minutes in length, then you should consider releasing podcast episodes on a monthly basis. Monthly episodes often have several hosts, featured guests, and dive deep into hot topics and deeply reported stories. Common genres that work for this podcast publishing frequency include self-help, finance, and sports. Popular podcasts that publish on a monthly schedule include This Month in Banking, Potterless, and Dead Show of the Month.
Seasonally
Releasing your podcast seasonally allows you to set up anthology-type content for your podcast topic or take longer breaks between recording sessions. With this publishing frequency, you can release episodes as fast or slow as you like, making them ideal for true crime podcasts and storytelling podcasts. It also means you have more time to prep and drop sneak peeks leading up to new seasons. Podcasts that release episodes seasonally include Serial and Up and Vanished.
Considering starting a podcast? Hurrdat Media can help! We offer professional podcasting services, including hosting and production. Contact us today to learn more!