✊ Half the episodes, 4x the downloads
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Hi friends, When it comes to almost anything we like—money, time, birthday cake—our default wiring is that more is better. And so it's no surprise that when it comes to podcasting, most podcast hosts are under the impression that more episodes are better. Beyond our internal wiring, there are a few practical reasons for this belief. First, podcasting is a highly habitual consumption medium. And it's hard for listeners to build a habit around your show if you don’t release episodes regularly. Second, many social platforms do (or historically have) rewarded volume with algorithmic reach… though that was never true for podcasting. Third, many popular shows release multiple episodes per week because they are incentivized (or even forced) to do so because of their ad-supported business models. And then, of course, there’s the long-running narrative that “consistency” is the key to podcasting success… which, sure, is true insofar as consistency is key to success in literally anything. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with producing a weekly (or more frequent) show. But over the past year, I’ve become convinced that most hosts, specifically business owners, are better off publishing fewer but better episodes. This week, I got an email from a longtime reader, Anna Furmanov, host of the startup marketing show Building With Buyers, that acted as another proof point in this trend. "Just wanted to give you an update.
I stopped doing weekly episodes and am now doing 1-2 quality ones every month.
My listens went way up higher than they ever were before (my show's been around since 2020)."
Anna was also kind enough to send a snapshot of her numbers to demonstrate. Personally, between Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, Roast My Podcast, and Killer Concept, I’ve been producing seasonal and/or sporadically released shows for the past three years. And the benefits to me of a less but better approach are threefold: First, of course, you can afford to put more time into the actual episode development process, resulting in objectively better episodes. Second, with a reduced production schedule, you have a lot more time to dedicate to marketing and promotion. More than 43% of plays for Podcast Marketing Trends Explained have come in the off-season, for example, when I dedicate significantly more effort to marketing it. But the biggest and most important benefit of a less but better podcast is this: The fewer episodes you release, the pickier you become about the ideas you build episodes around. Because with only so much “shelf space,” each episode now has to earn its keep. Survival of the fittest. The result is a show where the average quality of episodes, ideas, and insights organically increases. Often significantly. And often near instantaneously. And what listeners care about more than consistency of publish frequency is consistency of insight. Make no mistake, we are firmly in the age where the best ideas win. Where audiences are looking to follow people who consistently make them see and understand their problems, themselves, and the world differently. Average ideas, average content, average episodes… we can get those from Claude. Uncommon insight, understanding, and nuanced exploration, on the other hand, that’s what we come to podcasting for. And that’s what we as hosts get rewarded for. If you can deliver that on a weekly (or more) basis, great. If you can’t, the opportunity is to dial back the volume and dial up the value. Your audience, your numbers, and your business will thank you for it.
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