There Is an Ideal Release Cadence
One of the first questions new podcast hosts ask is: “How often should I release podcast episodes?”
And it’s an important question. Your release cadence is one of those decisions that is going to make a really big impact on your ultimate success with podcasting.
All things being equal, there is actually an ideal release cadence – and it’s at least weekly.
Now, if you’ve been podcasting for a while and maybe you’re even releasing multiple episodes a week, you might be saying, “Of course, that’s easy. It’s no problem.” Of course, that is how often you release podcasts. And if you’re in that situation, my hat is off to you. Congratulations.
Weekly release cadences are the most popular for a reason. In the State of Business Podcasting Report, we see that over 90% of the top 100 Business podcasts release weekly or more. It’s enough content that people stay engaged, they’re interested, they wait for the next episode, and they know what’s coming. They fit you into their schedule, and you become a part of the lives of your listeners when you’re releasing on that every week basis.
And that is an amazing relationship to have with your listeners. With every release, you are effectively spending one-on-one time with people who feel like they know you, and the more you can teach, engage and nurture them, the more disposed they are going to be to reach out to you and refer other people you’re way.
Why it’s a Challenge to Regularly Release Episodes of Your Podcast
It can be challenging though, once you get into it. The reality of finding guests if you have them, or coming up with topics if you’re doing solos and actually doing the recording and post-production can quickly become a challenging grind and sometimes can burn you right out.
And, of course, you actually have a whole other business to run, which presumably requires at least some of your time and attention.
So it can be tempting to think about releasing a lot less frequently, at least when you’re getting started with podcasting.
And you can, of course.
You’re the boss of your podcast. You can release as often as you want to. It’s your show.
But if you can’t do at least weekly, then you really need to moderate your expectations about what your results are going to be, because it does take a lot longer to get any traction.
And that’s if you get any at all.
Podcast listeners are very, very loyal until they aren’t. And so if you’re only releasing once or twice a month, people are going to forget you and move on to other things and consume content from creators who are releasing a little bit more regularly.
But if you know that it just doesn’t work for your business to be releasing content every single week for the rest of time, that’s okay.
There’s an alternative that works very well.
Releasing in Seasons
Releasing in seasons rather than doing an ongoing show where you release every Tuesday for the rest of time, is plenty of podcasting for a lot of businesses!
Instead, maybe twice or three times a year you’re going to release a season of six / eight / ten / twelve episodes that you recorded in advance when you had time. You can release them as a batch, netflix style or get that weekly cadence for the entire length of the season. An because you set the expectation for yourself and for your audience that this is a season of a show, there isn’t going to be any surprise or disappointment when there is some time between seasons.
We create a lot of this type of show using our Business Podcast Sprint process. Some of the most popular goals for a podcast season are:
- Sales Enablement/shorter sales cycles
- Case Study development
- Targeted networking
- Fast IP release
- Lean or new customer onboarding
- Book/Event launch
This can really be the best of both worlds for a lot of business owners, because you’re getting that ‘every week’ traction a few times a year, and plenty of other targeted benefits for your business without the show taking over your working life.
All of that said, for certain things weekly is always going to be best. If your primary goal is networking and building relationships, or your have a large audience who is hungry for more content from you, weekly podcasting is usually the best bet. Likewise, if you’re commenting on current events, you’ll want to have space to share frequently. Finally, if you’re looking to build a large audience and become a top podcaster, you must release consistently, and often.
So try to get weekly if that is the best way to reach your goals. If you can’t, consider going with a seasonal format instead to preserve your sanity and also be getting the results that your business deserves.
