How Often Should You Actually Post Episodes?

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How often should you actually post episodes?

Dear Annie,

I’m gearing up to launch my first podcast and I’m unsure how frequently I should be releasing episodes? I follow a lot of podcasts that have new episodes every week, but I’ve also seen some shows release episodes monthly.

What should I do?​
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Thanks,

Confused over Cadence

Have a question? Ask Annie here.

The Ideal Podcast Cadence

Hi Confused,

The decision around the release cadence of your show is important, and also really personal. What works for one podcast may not work for another. If your goal is to become the next must-listen news podcast, for example, it might be a good strategy to release episodes every day so you’re on top of all the news. If you’re launching a contained limited series, you probably want to drag that season out a little bit to give you time to market it and grow the audience instead of dropping episodes all at once. So the best approach is kind of dependent on your show and your goals.

That said, I do have some helpful advice and tips based on what I’ve seen in the past.

These are the things you need to keep in mind when planning the frequency of your show.

• Sustainability: Will you be able to keep up with the cadence you select? Is it realistic that you’ll be able to complete episodes and release them in time to meet the cadence you promised to your listeners? If not, maybe it’s worth considering a less frequent cadence. It’s better to go into this realistically, with clear eyes, than go full throttle and burn out in 6 months.

• Habit building: How can you make your show part of your audience’s routine? The show needs to come out often enough that it becomes habit listening– something the audience expects and looks forward to, rather than something they have to remember exists. If too much time passes between episodes, listeners drift. They’ll find something else to fill that slot, or simply forget the show even exists. There needs to be enough frequent content to give listeners an opportunity to build a relationship with your show.

• Marketing & repurposing: Will you have enough time between episode releases to promote each episode effectively? Are you giving yourself enough time to maximize each episode for other potential content? Podcasts can become a content machine, generating content across multiple channels. This could look like posting clips on social media, creating additional short-form content drawn from stories from the episode, blog posts, newsletters, and more. If you’re too rushed to get the episode out the door on time that you don’t have time to maximize the content or promote the show, then that tighter release schedule isn’t serving you at all.

My recommendation for the release cadence of your show is also highly dependent on the goals of your podcast. If the goal is deep engagement, reach, or influencing brand metrics, it may not be worth pushing yourself to release more frequently– especially if it comes at the expense of quality. On the other hand, if the goal is monetization, total downloads matter a lot. Releasing more episodes increases your ad inventory, which means more potential revenue. Going from a bi-weekly to a weekly cadence could mean doubling your revenue. That’s worth factoring in too.

In general, when I’m asked this question, my recommendation would be to start with a bi-weekly release. That gives you enough time between episodes to really maximize each one– promoting it individually and reimagining the episodes as other content. It also gives enough breathing room to allow for higher quality, more thoughtful production, without each episode feeling like a scramble (particularly if you’re booking external guests). But bi-weekly releases are still frequent enough to become routine listening for your audience. They’ll know when to expect it (every other Tuesday, versus the 18th of each month) and frequent enough that they can start to feel a real connection to the show.

Good luck,

Annie