Are you among those who intend to start a podcast, then the length of the episode is one of the first things you need to decide when starting a podcast? All things considered, length plays a vital part in creating an exciting podcast. Deciding on the length of your episodes can seem pointless though, so I thought to break down everything that you need to think about when deciding on the length of your podcast episodes.
To simplify this question which
constantly keeps coming to our minds, we can split it into “what, who, when,
where, how,” so you can use this method directly while preparing for your
podcast. Given that each podcast is different, we would like to give you a
bunch of questions and suggestions that you can use in your podcast to
determine the length for you instead of giving your comments about the length
of the podcast.
What is the topic?
Think about your podcast topic.
The theme is also a good guide to the length of the episodes. Does the course
take a few hours to clarify and pass? Or, does it take 30 minutes or less? If
you have a subject tutorial-based podcast, you want to consider doing your 2-3
hour podcast, which is very separate and complete. If the content of your
podcast is fun or inspiring, so in those cases it can take a while to get into
everything you want to talk about. This can be the case when the ideal length
is 45 minutes or more. You know your topic better, so think about the time it
will take you to discuss your topic, as well as how it will be resolved.
Who is your target
audience?
Think about your audience. You can expect to have a wider target audience, or you can expect a very specific audience if you are a niche podcast. For a wider audience, you can have more opportunity to pick which length is best. For a specific audience, however, you can think about the audience's lifestyle. For example, if the subject of your podcast is about a group of active people, such as working moms, you can rely on the length of the podcast for 30 minutes or less because they have less time to devote to listening to the podcast. On the other hand, your podcast ads can target retirees who have more free time so that an hour or more will be longer than required in this regard. Whether you already have an audience or you are planning to form a group, consider them in your decision. Do some research on demographics, preferences, lifestyle choices etc. and this can be a great way to help guide the flow of the content.
When are you
posting?
How often do you present podcasts? You can make the episode live several times a week, once a week, once a month, or sometimes it suits you. Generally speaking, if you post often, the episode should be short, and if you post often, the episodes should be long. You can think of an interval of 15-20 minutes if you upload several times a week, 45 minutes or an hour if you upload once a week, or an interval of 2-3 hours if you upload once a month. You especially don’t want to bother readers too much in a short amount of time and you don’t want to make the audience wait too long for a short story. So in this way, discover a balance between frequency and duration that suits you.
Where does your crowd tune in?
Keep track of where your audience tunes into your episodes. Your audience can listen at home, in the car, at work, while exercising, or anywhere else. All of these places have a different environment, which is a vital factor while deciding the length of your podcast. For example, if your listeners are at work, they may not be able to concentrate for long periods of time as compared to when they may be able to think clearly while listening at home or in the car. However, if the status of your podcast needs to last longer, do not let such factors put a constraint on the length of the podcast. All things considered, if someone likes your podcast, they will close and resume your podcast at their convenience.
How is your podcast
displayed?
Think about how you present your
podcast. How much different information do you want to put into one episode? Is
all the information you want to include equally interesting? How is your
content presented? Remember, if the content is not engaging, but you still have
all the power, then the listener will lose interest in the podcast because of
the content. While on the other hand, if you do not have the energy but still
have interesting content to share, then also your podcast will see a drop in
the audience. So be sure to have an ideal length of the podcasts so that you
have the most powerful and engaging content during the episode.
Conclusion:
As usual, there isn't any specific answer here,
because everyone's podcast is different. But the overall theory of podcast
episode lengths is simple and straightforward.
If you’ve got 30 minutes of excellent, on-subject content, and your episode lasts 60 minutes, then the episode is too long. If you’ve got 30 minutes of excellent, on-subject content, and your episode lasts 20 minutes, then the episode is too short. And if you're consistent and planned with your content, then it’s likely your episodes will fall within a particular length that will keep the audience engaged.
So the point here is that the sole thing which will
dictate the “correct” length of your episodes is your content!
Happy podcasting!
Thank you for reading.
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