In the podcast universe, the frequency of publication plays a critical role in the success of the show. From daily episodes to monthly publications, the decision of when to publish new episodes can be crucial to attract and retain your audience.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore in detail the ideal podcast frequency.
Because launching into the arena of creating and publishing a podcast, beyond the motivations, is to face a sea of doubts and questions about what we should take into account to achieve the best possible impact. And, undoubtedly, one of those aspects is the periodicity of the show, i.e. the frequency with which each of its episodes are published.
However, before getting into the subject, it is very important that you understand the nature of this format. If you are not fully familiar with podcasts, I recommend that you consult our article The ABC of podcasting to learn in depth all the details you need to know to master this type of content.
Essentially, it could be said that one of the great benefits of the podcast is its superpower to accompany the listener while doing other things in their daily life, without the need for a screen or a high degree of concentration: you can listen to podcasts on the way to work, preparing dinner, exercising, before going to bed, etc... And that is a powerful opportunity that we can not miss.
And the starting point to take advantage of this kind of omnipresence of the podcast is to create the habit in the audience of listening to our content. No one really feels accompanied when that company is fleeting, scarce, intermittent or unpredictable. The beauty of proximity lies in the certainty that the content will be there, in the same place and at the same time as always, waiting for us.
This has everything to do with the frequency of the show: we have to promise a frequency to the audience and be able to deliver on it. And that periodicity has to be recurrent enough so that the habit of watching is built, or in other words, so that the audience can always be sure that the episodes of their favorite show will air, for example, every Thursday at 10 A.M.
Do you need more arguments to establish a fixed frequency? Here it is: it is a proven fact that the higher the frequency of episode publication, the more loyal listeners, who follow our content and become the biggest fans of our show.
In fact, this is so important that the most advisable thing is that podcasts have a fixed day and time of release for their episodes and that this schedule is deeply respected because, in a way, it is a way of respecting who listens to us. At this point, the same question usually arises: what is the best day and time to publish episodes?
From our experience at Naranja Media, we have observed that podcasts that deal with educational, academic, pedagogical or learning topics, in general terms, perform better by going on air on a weekday, especially Tuesday through Thursday because there is a high probability that people -immersed in the holiday spirit- are not as willing to pay much attention to this type of content on Fridays.
On the other hand, if the podcast is about entertainment or culture, the ideal is to focus precisely on the period between Friday and the weekend. On the other hand, if the content is about productivity, organization, motivation or meditation, we recommend publishing your episodes on Monday to start the week.
When deciding on the time slot, it is important to bear in mind that the podcast is a timeless format, that is to say that unless it handles current affairs or news content, the specific time of publication is not a vital or determining detail.
However, a good practice is to think, in general terms, about the routine of our listeners: at what times of the day are they more available to be accompanied by a podcast? The vast majority of the audience manages to have these spaces very early in the morning or very late at night, precisely because at these times they are moving to their jobs or their homes, preparing to start or end their day.
Again: the most important thing is to be able to ensure that our podcast is predictable so that our audience can know with certainty what day and time we are going to air new content.. Moreover, this is particularly important when taking into account that many times users consume podcasts from platforms that are not fully developed and therefore do not have notifications to alert them about a new episode available.
If we fail to create a fixed periodicity, the scenario is far from ideal: people do not generate the habit of listening to us and we do not have the support of an efficient notification system on all platforms to cause that reminder effect and leverage our growth, so there is a very high probability that the content is simply lost in the depths of the cyber ocean. A risk no one wants to take.
With all this in mind and having clear the great importance of frequency in the success of our podcast, how can we set the ideal periodicity? Below, we share some types of periodicity that you can choose for the publication of each episode:
- Daily podcast: an episode is published every day.
- Weekly podcast: a certain number of episodes -we recommend between one and three so that there is a noticeable difference with the daily frequency- are published each week.
- Biweekly podcast: an episode is published every 15 days.
- Monthly podcast: only one episode is published once a month.
🤔 What is our recommendation for managing the frequency of your podcast?
From Naranja Media we try, whenever possible, to go out once a week because, in this way, it will be very easy for people to create a schedule with us. For example in our show Sales machine We always work on the periodicity so that users are able to have us present on a schedule.
However, if that frequency cannot be met, due to budget, time or any other reason, then we recommend going out at least twice a month, i.e. with a biweekly frequency. This is because the difficulty of positioning a new podcast in the market and building a loyal audience is even greater with a monthly frequency or, even more difficult, when there is no guaranteed frequency. Why? Because people are going to get lost during that month while the other episode is coming out and it is likely that the content will not give us enough to talk for four weeks until people come back to listen to us.
If the decision is definitely made to have a monthly frequency because it is the only thing you can afford at the moment, we recommend you to produce and publish content in seasons, so you can guarantee a higher frequency and then make longer breaks. That is to say: if you are going out once a month for a whole year, it is better to have six months of season with a biweekly frequency and then make it clear to your audience about the pause to make a new season and, later on, resume the other six months with biweekly episodes.
So, to sum it all up in one powerful sentence: the frequency of publication of a podcast is directly proportional to its number of listeners. This is why, beyond the country and the platform of streamingIn general, the top 10 of the different podcast categories are dominated by shows that are released more frequently, such as news and daily content.
In short, we advise you:
- Start with a realistic and sustainable frequency.
- Be consistent in the publication of new episodes.
- Promote your podcast on social networks and podcasting platforms.
- Analyze your podcast statistics to understand the behavior of your audience.
- Adapt the frequency according to the needs of your audience and the objectives of the podcast.
There is no magic formula for determining the ideal podcast frequency. The key is to find a balance between the different factors mentioned above. Experimenting and analyzing the results will help you find the frequency that works best for your podcast.
If after reading all this, you are still confused about how to define the frequency of your podcast, don't worry: we have all had that doubt. If you want to take this step with more security and firmness, you can contact us so that we can advise you according to the objective and the type of content you want to create. Also, remember that you can always leave us your doubts in the comments section, we'll answer you anyway!