How Frequently Should I Post My Podcast?
Photo Credit: Monica Sauro
Consistency & Sustainability
One of the wonderful things about being an independent podcaster is that you're in complete control of when your episodes are posted. The challenge is holding yourself to that schedule. It might seem like a good idea to do a daily podcast at first, but then you quickly realize how time consuming it is. And then you burn out. Let's talk about how frequently you should be posting your podcast.
Your publishing schedule is completely up to you. There are successful podcasts that come out every day or every week. There are successful podcasts that are just one season. It's very flexible.
Here's what we recommend when deciding your podcast release schedule.
Be consistent
And choose a publishing schedule that is sustainable.
Consistency is important when you're trying to build an audience. You want your listeners to know when to expect the next episode. If your episodes are released randomly, your audience won't know when to tune in. A consistent schedule gives them something to look forward to, so when the new episode is released, they're ready to listen. It's also important if you're thinking about sponsors for your podcast. Sponsors will want to know when their ads will be read and how often.
Sustainability is key when choosing your publishing schedule. Most podcasts don't make it past episode seven. And the reason is those podcasters have likely become quickly overwhelmed by the workload of creating their podcast. You want your podcast release schedule to fit within your schedule.
You have a couple of options.
You can release new episodes on an ongoing schedule that works with your schedule.
Your other option is you can release new episodes as a season. This approach requires some planning, but it's a great way to schedule a release because it gives you a lot of flexibility. Let's say you create a 10-episode season, you can record and edit all of those episodes ahead of time and then you can release them every week for 10 weeks, or every other week for 20 weeks, or any schedule that you choose. This also gives you plenty of time to create additional content surrounding your episodes like social media content, transcripts, and so on. It also means that while your season is coming out, you don't need to be focusing on making more episodes. And instead, you can focus on building relationships and community with your listeners.
Pro Tip
When you submit your feed on Apple Podcasts, you're able to note the frequency of when your podcast is released. Make sure you do this so your audience knows when to expect your episodes. Here are the options they give you:
Daily
Weekly
Semi weekly (twice a week)
Bi weekly (every other week)
Monthly
Semi monthly (twice a month)
Bimonthly (every two months)
No set schedule