Ep 61: Defying the Weekly Episode Expectation
In this episode, I'll address the frequently asked question about whether podcasters need to produce weekly episodes. There is no hard and fast rule dictating a weekly release schedule and as a podcaster, you should find a rhythm that works for them. I parallel this with music artists who don't release albums every week, highlighting that consistent output does not necessarily mean weekly episodes.
I'll encourage you to focus on the age-old podcasting tip that is creating quality content and building a loyal audience, rather than feeling pressured to adhere to a specific release schedule. Ultimately, the emphasis is on the fact that podcasting is about finding what works best for you as an individual podcaster and your show.
Highlights:
- Introduction to the question: Do you need to produce weekly podcast episodes?
- Comparison with music artists who release albums less frequently than weekly.
- Emphasizing that consistency does not necessarily mean a weekly release schedule.
- The importance of finding a rhythm that works for the podcaster.
- Highlighting the benefits of releasing episodes less frequently, such as allowing for more focused content and better preparation.
- Encouraging podcasters to prioritize quality over quantity and to set realistic goals for themselves.
- The importance of communication with listeners about release schedules and expectations.
Timestamps:
- [00:00:00] Introduction
- [00:01:32] Debunking the Weekly Release Myth
- [00:02:10] Success Stories: Lessons from the Music Industry
- [00:03:34] Finding Your Podcasting Rhythm
- [00:04:52] The Importance of Quality Over Quantity
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Transcript
[00:00:01] Verity Sangan: Welcome back to another episode of the Lazy Girl's Guide to podcasting.
[:[00:00:14] Verity Sangan: Every single episode, I feel like I don't know what.
[:[00:00:18] Verity Sangan: If you have any ideas, let me know.
[:[00:00:23] Verity Sangan: As ever, I'm verity hope of the Lazy Girls Guide to podcasting.
[:[00:00:28] Verity Sangan: Podcasting.
[:[00:00:31] Verity Sangan: If you are new here, if you have come back again, it is great to have you here regardless.
[:[00:00:42] Verity Sangan: I mean, I always say that kind of thing, don't I?
[:[00:00:44] Verity Sangan: And then 20 minutes later, I'm still chatting and I'm thinking, well, I've gone way over my 1015 minutes limit for these episodes, but what I want to do today is just very quickly answer the question of do I need to produce weekly podcast episodes?
[:[00:01:03] Verity Sangan: So there we go, straight off.
[:[00:01:10] Verity Sangan: My answer is no.
[:[00:01:12] Verity Sangan: You can stop listening to the episode if you want.
[:[00:01:14] Verity Sangan: However, if you want to just stop listening to the episode, the answer is no.
[:[00:01:25] Verity Sangan: Because I think sometimes in podcasting we get really, really wrapped up on this idea that we have to produce weekly episodes and we always need to be on this content cycle.
[:[00:01:38] Verity Sangan: I try my absolute hardest to put out a new podcast episode every week.
[:[00:01:57] Verity Sangan: It's something that I love.
[:[00:01:59] Verity Sangan: And so for me, I like to keep up with that schedule.
[:[00:02:09] Verity Sangan: And I think the answer to that is just no.
[:[00:02:20] Verity Sangan: Do they put out a new song or a new album every single week?
[:[00:02:24] Verity Sangan: They will produce maybe once a year, once every couple of years, depending on who they are and what their content production is and how much they're in demand and all the rest of it.
[:[00:02:41] Verity Sangan: Maybe they'll have the deluxe version as well.
[:[00:02:45] Verity Sangan: They're definitely not putting out a brand new song every single week.
[:[00:03:01] Verity Sangan: Yeah, no, I completely get that.
[:[00:03:10] Verity Sangan: They may put, like I said, an album out one year and then they tour it for a couple of years and then they work on another or something.
[:[00:03:26] Verity Sangan: However, you've also got your limited runs, don't you, where you've got a show which maybe will only be on for like six weeks, and then they take six weeks off, and then they might come back for another however many weeks.
[: [:[00:03:52] Verity Sangan: Sorry.
[:[00:03:55] Verity Sangan: Is that you need to put a new episode out every single week.
[:[00:04:08] Verity Sangan: I was on LinkedIn recently, and I don't go on LinkedIn very much, but I saw from a creator who I hugely admire, and he was saying that if he was starting his podcast again, his content schedule would actually only be two episodes per month.
[:[00:04:28] Verity Sangan: Biweekly?
[:[00:04:30] Verity Sangan: Basically, he'd be putting out a new episode.
[:[00:04:47] Verity Sangan: So I thought that was really, really interesting.
[:[00:05:01] Verity Sangan: But what I really want to say is don't feel the pressure that you have to put out a weekly episode if you either don't want to or you don't feel that you have anything to talk about for that week.
[:[00:05:17] Verity Sangan: Life happens at the end of the day and that's absolutely fine.
[:[00:05:29] Verity Sangan: It's your show.
[:[00:05:33] Verity Sangan: I do that every so often.
[:[00:05:46] Verity Sangan: I'll just turn around and be like, hey, I haven't talked about episode 13 in a while, or episode 15, or I'll just promote some previous episode quite randomly because why not?
[:[00:05:58] Verity Sangan: You still want people to listen to it.
[:[00:06:01] Verity Sangan: We've already hit six minutes and I told you it wasn't going to be a long episode.
[:[00:06:12] Verity Sangan: My answer to that is no.
[:[00:06:37] Verity Sangan: So no, you do not need to produce new episodes every single week if you don't want to.
[:[00:06:46] Verity Sangan: I've taken a break now for my other podcast, the confident CEO podcast, since, oh, six months now, actually, just looking at the calendar.
[:[00:06:54] Verity Sangan: And do you know what?
[:[00:07:03] Verity Sangan: And I don't actually promote it very much either, but that is still getting really good numbers of downloads.
[:[00:07:17] Verity Sangan: So on that note, I am going to close off.
[:[00:07:31] Verity Sangan: And otherwise, I will see you next time.
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