46. Simple Ways to Return After a Podcast Break

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Podcasting for Business Owners helps you grow your network through podcasting

Laura: Welcome to Podcasting for Business Owners. I’m Your host, Laura McCrae, a podcast consultant, educator, and self confessed podcast nerd. If you’re thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow the one you have, you’re in the right place. Hold on to your headphones and let’s go. Hello and welcome back to Podcasting for Business Owners, the podcast that helps you share your story, lead your industry, and grow your network through podcasting.

Taking a break from your podcast is so common. But you haven’t failed

Today, I want to talk about what to do when you’ve had a break from your podcast, whether it was planned, unplanned, or somewhere in between. And how you can come back without overthinking it. If you’ve ever fallen off the podcast wagon, you’re in the right place. Maybe it’s been a few weeks, a few months, or maybe longer. Maybe you keep telling yourself, I’ll be back soon. But that gap keeps getting bigger and bigger. If you’re feeling a little bit guilty about not releasing new episodes, you’re not alone. And, um, more importantly, you haven’t failed. Taking a break from your podcast is so common. It happens to podcasters at every stage, even the ones who seem like they’ve got it all together. Life happens. Business priorities shift, Motivation can dip. Or you just need space to think. The break isn’t the problem. The pressure you put on yourselves afterwards usually is. I’ve worked with so many clients who’ve taken a break from their podcast and then felt really guilty afterwards and can’t get back into it. They say things like, oh, I’ve lost momentum, or I feel like I’ve let people down, or I’ve missed my window. Is it even worth coming back? But you haven’t missed your chance. And you can come back. And when you do, you’ll probably connect with your audience even more because you’ve had time to reset. But before you record that comeback episode, it’s worth asking yourself, why did I stop? It could be time constraints, feeling uninspired, inconsistency, or just too many things going on at once. And you know what? All of this is valid. But understanding what led you to pause can help you figure out what needs to change this time around. Maybe you need help with editing. Maybe you need to record less often. Maybe your format needs to shift to better fit your current business. You didn’t fail at podcasting. You just maybe didn’t have the right setup for the season you were in. The good news is there’s no one right way to come back. And plenty of experienced podcasters do it in ways that Work for them. Let me give you a few real life examples. Sally Prosser, she’s the host of the that Voice podcast. She takes a break every 20 episodes completely on purpose. It’s built into her process to avoid burnout and come back with fresh ideas. Sarah Thompson, who’s the host of the Social Circus, she always pauses her show over the holiday season. She planned that in before she started her podcast so she has no guilt over taking a break and she always lets her listeners know. Erica McInerney, the host of Small Town Business podcast. She took an 18 month break and when she was ready, she came back with a short two minute bonus episode saying she was back. There’s no need for a long explanation. She simply just picked up where she left off. And Anita Dykstra, from the marketing that leads podcast, she had a three month break that wasn’t planned. When she returned, she simply explained she’d had some life stuff going on and needed some space and that was that. Some breaks are planned and some aren’t. There’s no need to over explain or over complicate it. But when you do return, I recommend that you start small. You don’t want to come back with a long 45 minute episode. A short, honest update is more than enough. The title of the episode could be why I Took a Break and what’s next or I’m back and here’s what to expect. Then get straight back into your usual content. Don’t wait until you feel like it’s perfect. Just take the first step if you want to make things more manageable moving forward, here’s a few simple changes you could try. Switch to fortnightly episodes instead of weekly batch. Record two or three episodes at uh, a time so that you’re ahead. Get help with editing or uploading. Use a trello board or a project management system to help you always know what’s coming up and, um, when your episodes are due. And plan your episodes around your business goals so it always feels connected to what you’re doing. You don’t have to do things the hard

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way. You can simplify things and still stay consistent. So whether your podcast has been on pause for two weeks or two years, it’s not too late. You can come back and you get to choose how it looks. You haven’t lost your voice, you haven’t lost your audience, and you haven’t lost your impact.

I’m taking a break from podcasting to enjoy family and friends

And speaking of breaks, I, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be taking a break myself at uh, the time this episode goes live. 11th of June I’ll be getting ready to go for a trip to the UK where I’ll be spending time with my family and friends. It’s been a while since I’ve been back and I really want to make the most of being present while I’m there. Originally I was going to batch record everything and get everything ready before I went away, but at the moment because I want to have a break from work, I’ve actually got so much client work at the moment because I’m editing their episodes and getting all their stuff ready. This means I haven’t really got time to work on my own podcast. So I thought I’d practise what I preach and give myself a little break and enjoy my holiday and not worry about my podcast for a while. So I’ve taken the pressure off myself and I’m taking a break. I’ll be back with the next episode on 23 July Once I’m back in Australia and settled back into a routine. If you’re in the middle of your own busy season or you’ve been wondering if it’s okay to take a break too, this is your reminder that it absolutely is. So if you’re thinking about making a return to podcasting or want to make it easier to stay consistent when you do, I’m here to help. From relaunching support to ongoing editing and management, we’ll make sure your podcast actually fits your life and your business. Send me a message on Instagram or Facebook podcast support services or head to my website podcastsupportservices.comau and see how we can work together. I’ll put all the links in the show notes right now. Time for my break and I’ll see you back on the 23rd of July. If you found value in this podcast, please leave A five star rating and a review would be even better. Your support shows that this is a good show which will attract high profile guests and in turn deliver greater value to you. This podcast is produced and edited by me. Don’t waste your time on editing. Let me help you with your podcast. Check out the links in the show notes to get in touch.

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