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
[00:00:01] Verity Sangan: Welcome back to another episode of the Lazy Girl's Guide to podcasting.
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[00:00:14] Verity Sangan: Every single episode, I feel like I don't know what.
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[00:00:18] Verity Sangan: If you have any ideas, let me know.
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[00:00:23] Verity Sangan: As ever, I'm verity hope of the Lazy Girls Guide to podcasting.
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[00:00:28] Verity Sangan: Podcasting.
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[00:00:31] Verity Sangan: If you are new here, if you have come back again, it is great to have you here regardless.
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[00:00:42] Verity Sangan: I mean, I always say that kind of thing, don't I?
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[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?
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[00:01:03] Verity Sangan: So there we go, straight off.
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[00:01:10] Verity Sangan: My answer is no.
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[00:01:12] Verity Sangan: You can stop listening to the episode if you want.
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[00:01:14] Verity Sangan: However, if you want to just stop listening to the episode, the answer is no.
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[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.
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[00:01:38] Verity Sangan: I try my absolute hardest to put out a new podcast episode every week.
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[00:01:57] Verity Sangan: It's something that I love.
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[00:01:59] Verity Sangan: And so for me, I like to keep up with that schedule.
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[00:02:09] Verity Sangan: And I think the answer to that is just no.
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[00:02:20] Verity Sangan: Do they put out a new song or a new album every single week?
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[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.
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[00:02:41] Verity Sangan: Maybe they'll have the deluxe version as well.
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[00:02:45] Verity Sangan: They're definitely not putting out a brand new song every single week.
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[00:03:01] Verity Sangan: Yeah, no, I completely get that.
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[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.
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[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.
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[00:03:52] Verity Sangan: Sorry.
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[00:03:55] Verity Sangan: Is that you need to put a new episode out every single week.
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[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.
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[00:04:28] Verity Sangan: Biweekly?
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[00:04:30] Verity Sangan: Basically, he'd be putting out a new episode.
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[00:04:47] Verity Sangan: So I thought that was really, really interesting.
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[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.
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[00:05:17] Verity Sangan: Life happens at the end of the day and that's absolutely fine.
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[00:05:29] Verity Sangan: It's your show.
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[00:05:33] Verity Sangan: I do that every so often.
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[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?
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[00:05:58] Verity Sangan: You still want people to listen to it.
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[00:06:01] Verity Sangan: We've already hit six minutes and I told you it wasn't going to be a long episode.
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[00:06:12] Verity Sangan: My answer to that is no.
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[00:06:37] Verity Sangan: So no, you do not need to produce new episodes every single week if you don't want to.
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[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.
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[00:06:54] Verity Sangan: And do you know what?
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[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.
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[00:07:17] Verity Sangan: So on that note, I am going to close off.
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[00:07:31] Verity Sangan: And otherwise, I will see you next time.
