Is releasing multiple podcast episodes a week worth it?

 

Today we’re going to explore the question on whether it’s worth releasing multiple podcast episodes a week. As a dedicated podcast manager, I understand the importance of consistency, and it’s a topic close to my heart as I support podcasters to make sure their episodes are released consistently.

The significance of Consistency

Consistency is the key ingredient that transforms your podcast into a reliable part of someone’s routine. Imagine your listeners enjoying their Tuesday morning beach walks, absorbing the insights shared in your podcast. But why consider doubling up on episodes?

The pros of multiple episodes a week

1. Boosting downloads: Releasing more frequently can increase your download numbers, helping you achieve your goals quicker. For example, you need to hit a milestone, like 10,000 downloads, promptly? Releasing twice a week can be the accelerator to reach your target faster.
2. More opportunities of discoverability: With additional episodes, you create more chances for your content to be discovered, ultimately expanding your listener base.
3. Building trust and engagement: Increased episode frequency means more opportunities for you to connect with your audience, promoting services and building trust.
4. Enhanced SEO: Adding more episodes can also work wonders for your website’s SEO, making it more visible to potential listeners.

The Challenges of Multiple episodes a week:

1. Potential burnout: Doubling the workload can lead to exhaustion, especially if you’re managing everything yourself; the recording, show notes, guest management, content ideas, social media.
2. Audience burnout: Your audience might struggle to keep up, leading to decreased downloads and potential disengagement. Their library might start to get too full, and it may overwhelm them.
3. Quality Vs quantity: More episodes doesn’t always mean better content. Rushed episodes can compromise the quality, risking a decline in listener satisfaction.

What to consider:

1. Evaluate current workflow: If you’re already struggling to keep up with your current schedule, consider holding off on adding more to your plate.
2. Consider your audience: Will doubling episodes be sustainable for your audience in the long run? Is the approach short-term or long-term? If you’re considering doubling your episodes a week, it might be a good idea to make that second episode, just a short, 5–10-minute episode. That way you’re less likely to burn yourself and your listener out.
3. Listen to your audience: Are they craving more content? Pay attention to reviews, social media interactions, and emails from dedicated listeners.
4. Assess Consumption rate: Do people listen to your episodes all the way through, or do they drop off midway? Understanding this can guide you in how long to make your episodes.

6-8 week experiment

If you decide to release episodes twice-a-week episodes, maybe experiment for just 6-8 weeks and see how you go. But before you do this, make sure you have a plan beforehand. Work out what content you will record and batch record it. Also, if you manage everything for your podcast yourself, you may want to consider outsourcing parts of it.

Remember, when releasing multiple episodes a week, the increase in downloads may be temporary, and discontinuing might result in a dip. Because more episodes don’t equal more listeners, it equals more listens.

If you need support with your podcasting, then, I have a range of packages to suit different budgets. Click here.