Podcasting has become an extremely popular trend in recent years, and there’s a good chance that as a result of listening to all of these podcasts, you’ve probably been inspired to start a podcast of your own.
But starting a podcast of your own is no easy task, and whilst there are a few obvious things to consider sorting as you start, one of the things that people often forget about is setting up a schedule!
Scheduling your podcast is super important because your listeners want to know exactly when your latest podcast episode is coming out, and without a decent schedule, your listeners won’t know when to tune in.
So, to ensure that your listeners know exactly when a new episode is released, as well as to help you keep track of your recording and editing, then here’s a guide to creating a schedule for your podcast that is going to ensure that your episodes are always released on time!
Create The Perfect Podcast Launch Plan
Why Create A Podcast Schedule?
Scheduling your podcast is essential as any professional podcaster will tell you, but what exactly are the benefits of creating a schedule for the recording and release of your podcast?
Well, allow us to explain!
1. Keeping Your Podcast Strategy On Track
Many non-podcasters don’t realize that creating a podcast that releases episodes regularly can sometimes take hours and even days to record (Find out the best day to release a podcast here) and edit properly, and without a proper schedule to give you a timeline of when things should be completed by, then it’s easy to get lost in the process of recording it and creating it.
A great editorial schedule and podcast workflow also allows you to take a step back and look at the episodes you have planned from afar.
Do this week’s episode’s guest and topic clash with the next episode? Are the episodes being released inconsistently?
These are just some examples of things that a well-structured schedule will help you to evaluate.
2. Brainstorming
When it comes to trying to come up with ideas for topics and potential guests for new episodes, it can be hard to think when you have the weight of all those recording and editing deadlines on your shoulders, but by creating a podcast schedule, you can give yourself set time to relax and to think about these type of things, and you could even go as far as to plan your topics a month or two in advance, granted that the topic is still relevant by the time that the episode has been released.
3. Consistency
Since there are so many other podcasts out there at the moment, maintaining your podcast’s release dates is important to keep your listeners engaged and invested, if your schedule is inconsistent and patchy, then it means that chances are your listeners will stop listening to your podcast and will find other podcasts to listen to instead.
It doesn’t cost any more to release your podcast on a regular basis, but it can actually be the key to whether or not your podcast gains traction or not.
4. Engagement
Consistent releasing also means that the engagement with your podcast is high too, especially if your podcast works in series, or discusses things in multiple parts, as your audience will generate hype around the release of each episode of your podcast, as well as discuss the new episodes in anticipation before they release.
So for fictional story podcasts or true crime-themed podcasts, which are incredibly popular with the podcasting community, scheduling is an absolute must.
But whether you decide to do a series, or just release standalone episodes, a consistent schedule is an excellent way to ensure that your podcast receives the engagement it deserves, which helps to inform the content of future episodes too.
5. Easier Promotion
The key to growing your podcast is through promotion, and promoting your podcast when you release your episodes on a consistent and regular basis is much easier to do than if you were to simply release the episodes sporadically whenever you felt like it, and whether or not you’re adept at marketing strategies or not, it allows you to create a simple plan as to how you want to market your podcast to potential listeners or even sponsors!
By having an organized schedule of when the podcast episodes will be released, it will also give you an idea of when you should begin posting across your podcast’s social media that a new episode is out soon.
Factors To Consider When Creating Your Schedule
Now you know why you should have a schedule, here are some things to consider when it comes to creating a podcast schedule of your own!
Subject
The genre or subject of your podcast is vital when deciding what your schedule looks like.
For example, if your podcast is all about different books, then you want to give enough time between episodes to allow your listeners to read the book themselves, so a week would probably be the best amount of time.
If your podcast is about true crime, then you want to create enough suspense and anticipation between each episode, but you don’t want to make people wait too long either!
Understand Your Audience
Your podcast schedule should take into account when your audience is most likely to listen. This may require some research and experimentation, but understanding your audience’s habits can greatly improve engagement.
Content
The amount of content you can discuss surrounding the topic of your podcast is essential to how often you release your podcast’s episodes.
Some genres may never run out of content (think technology-based podcasts), whereas others may run out of content after a period of time, or fade in relevancy depending on current affairs.
Time
Chances are if you’re a beginner podcaster, then you’re still working a job in order to afford to run the podcast, which you should factor into your schedule, as you’ll need to ensure you’re keeping up with all of the podcast’s marketing and production alongside your job.
Tips For Podcast Scheduling:
- Consistency is Key: Make sure to publish your podcast episodes consistently. This could be daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on your capacity and content. A regular schedule lets your audience know when to expect new content.
- Know Your Listeners’ Habits: Tailor your podcast schedule to align with your audience’s listening habits. Determining when your listeners are most likely to tune in can greatly enhance engagement. This may require some audience analysis and a bit of trial and error, but it’s a crucial step in creating a successful podcast schedule.”
- Batch Produce: Instead of recording and editing each episode individually, consider batch producing. This means recording multiple episodes at once and editing them together. This can make your podcast production more efficient and ensure you have content ready to go.
- Plan for Buffer: Always have a few episodes ready to go in case you can’t record or something goes wrong. This buffer can help you stick to your schedule even during unforeseen circumstances.
- Consider Seasonal Content: If appropriate for your podcast, consider planning episodes that coincide with holidays, seasons, or major events. This can make your content more timely and relevant.
- Use a Content Calendar: A content calendar can help you plan your episodes in advance, manage your recording schedule, and keep track of important dates or themes.
- Take Breaks Strategically: If you need a break, plan it ahead of time. You can create a season-based podcast where you take breaks between seasons, or schedule hiatuses when you know you’ll be busy.
- Quality Over Quantity: Don’t rush to put out episodes if the quality isn’t there. It’s better to delay the release than publish subpar content.
- Be Clear About Your Schedule: Let your listeners know about your podcast schedule. You can do this in the podcast itself, on your website, or via social media.
- Leverage Scheduling Tools: There are many podcast hosting platforms that offer the ability to schedule episodes for publication in advance. Use this feature to maintain your consistency even when you’re away.
What is a typical podcast schedule?
- Weekly: This is probably the most common podcast schedule. Many podcasters find that releasing one episode per week is a good balance between keeping listeners engaged and managing their own production workload. Weekly episodes are often released on a specific day of the week, like every Monday or every Friday.
- Bi-Weekly: For podcasters who need a bit more time to produce each episode, a bi-weekly schedule can be a good option. This means releasing a new episode every two weeks.
- Monthly: Some podcasts release a new episode once per month. This might be the case for podcasts that have very long episodes, or for those whose episodes require extensive research or production.
- Daily: There are some podcasts, often news-based or short-format shows, that release a new episode every weekday, or even every day. This requires a significant amount of work and is less common than weekly or bi-weekly schedules.
- Seasonal: Some podcasters choose to release their shows in seasons, much like a TV show. This might involve releasing weekly episodes for a set number of weeks, then taking a break before the next season begins.
- Irregular: Finally, some podcasts don’t have a set schedule and release new episodes as they’re ready. This is less common as it can be harder to build a consistent listener base without regular episodes.
What is the best schedule for a podcast?
The best schedule for a podcast is typically weekly. A weekly release ensures regular engagement with listeners while providing a manageable timeframe for creators to produce quality content.
Conclusion
A podcast schedule is an incredibly important tool to have when it comes to running a podcast, so we hope this helped!
