Lock In Entertainment with Lengthy Podcasts
By Tom Seest
How Long Do Podcasts Last?
At PodcastBig, we help new podcasters develop strategies to create content, traffic, and revenue from podcasts based on our experiences and experimentation.
No matter the topic at hand – comedy podcasts or literature discussion podcasts alike – episodes tend to run about 30 minutes in duration. Listeners find shorter shows easier to digest and maintain their attention spans for extended listening experiences.
Do not fall into the trap of restricting your content based on a set time limit; doing so may result in too much information being crammed into one subject matter and may confuse your audience.
How Long Do Podcasts Last?
Table Of Contents
How often do you publish new episodes?
Many podcasters face difficulty finding an appropriate balance between how often and long their episodes should come out, as well as their length. Consistency is key for building loyal listeners but it’s also important to remain realistic about your ability to produce. When working solo it may be tempting to think that daily publication of episodes won’t tire either you (or listeners). If this becomes overwhelming, you could consider outsourcing some production work or teaming up with an audio editor/co-host to ease some of the strain on production work.
Episode length depends on the content being produced. Most sports-oriented podcasts tend to run between one and two hours long; historically-minded ones can sometimes exceed that mark. Literary or cultural podcasts may run shorter; but don’t cut down just for meeting an arbitrary deadline!
Hosts should know how long their content should be. As subject matter experts, you know exactly how long it takes to cover certain topics; but keep in mind that not everyone may share the same knowledge or understanding of your topic so don’t be afraid to push the envelope a bit if necessary – however respect your audience if your podcast exceeds an hour length and listeners may not appreciate being told they only have 30 minutes for listening!
Remember to have shorter episodes available so you can draw listeners in quickly with promises of an easy podcast experience. A longer episode might make attracting new listeners harder, and could put off potential listeners altogether. Therefore, creating episodes that are shorter may help lure new listeners with promises of quick and effortless listening experiences.
How often do you publish new episodes?
How long do you want your listeners to listen to your episodes?
Overall, the length of each episode depends on your time availability and how much effort you want to put into crafting engaging podcast episodes. If you are working full-time as well, for instance, then episode length should likely be limited to around an hour or less. On the other hand, if producing about topics that require extensive research and in-depth discussions then longer episodes might be necessary so listeners get maximum value from each one.
Some popular podcasts feature long episode durations. But this should not be taken as evidence that audiences prefer long shows; in fact, quite the contrary is true – at NAB Show 2017, Rob Walch of LibSyn presented data showing 84% of most popular podcasts had over 51 minutes in episodes!
Pacific Content’s Dan Misener recently conducted some enlightening analysis that suggests podcast episodes are getting shorter overall. He examined over 19 million podcast episodes – representing 637,793 distinct series) – to analyze their metadata and discover that average episode lengths have decreased since 2018.
Although this doesn’t suggest you need to shorten your own podcasts, it does demonstrate an increasing preference for shorter podcasts as an industry trend. This could be because creating something engaging enough to hold audience interest for over an hour can be more difficult in an crowded audio landscape populated with legacy media companies, big budget startups, and celebrities with resources and connections who draw listeners in than ever.
No matter what content you create, knowing your audience is vitally important. Tools like Spotify’s Episode Performance graph allow you to track listener retention throughout an episode – this provides insight into when most listeners lose interest – so that you can improve the listening experience.
Think carefully about what kind of listening habits your target audience has and aim for an episode length that meets their lifestyles. Are they busy parents who need to fit podcast listening in while taking kids to school or soccer practice, university students who don’t have a lot of free time outside studying, or home workers who often multitask by listening while performing chores or working on projects at their desks?
How long do you want your listeners to listen to your episodes?
What type of content do you want to cover?
Podcasts are meant to be consumed quickly on the go, so shorter episodes make sense for listeners with limited listening time. Radio journalist and broadcaster Jamie East hosts an engaging daily short-form podcast called Smart 7, in which he gives brief updates about current affairs daily – it has attracted an enormous following and increased average channel listening hours significantly over time.
the content you produce should determine the length of each podcast episode. A longer episode can work provided there is enough quality material that compels listeners to stay tuned – studies show that casual listeners typically stop listening after five minutes, unless something captures their interest.
If you’re producing a sports-related podcast, for example, then an episode length of two hours or more might make sense as there are numerous interesting details to cover on this subject matter. Educational podcasts also tend to run longer as they cover various subjects; ultimately it all boils down to what content your target audience wants and needs from their podcast experience.
Another factor affecting the length of your podcast is how frequently new episodes are released. A set schedule can help maintain consistency for your loyal listeners; however, if your production of higher-quality episodes allows more flexible publishing timing options.
Keep your listeners in mind as the focal point of your podcast, and put yourself in their shoes when creating content for them. By keeping these considerations top of mind – as well as those already discussed – when creating podcasts, you’re more likely to achieve maximum success – which every creator wants!
What type of content do you want to cover?
Do you want to keep your listeners engaged?
Attention must always be paid to maintaining listener engagement during an episode, which can be achieved using various strategies. Transitions – be they voice changes, music, or sound effects – can help break up long periods of spoken content and create more flow for listeners. Incorporating an outro to provide closure can be done either through answering any questions they might have or simply asking if there are any additional comments or feedback they would like shared back; finally, consider including some type of call-to-action such as links to your website or social media accounts at this stage of production.
Keep your listeners engaged by including engaging information in each episode – this could range from an intriguing factoid or interview with someone knowledgeable on the subject matter – which will ensure they come back for future episodes.
While you want your podcast to be captivating and captivating, avoiding going too long could also be detrimental. When selecting an episode length for your podcast, it is essential that you consider who your target audience is – working professionals on the commute or busy parents trying to prepare their children for school. In these instances it may be wiser to keep episodes short.
If your podcast focuses on entertainment, make your episodes longer to increase listener engagement and boost your chances of making iTunes’ New and Noteworthy section.
No single length fits everyone, so the key to crafting an engaging podcast episode lies with its content and not worrying too much about adding minutes for padding. Just keep in mind that casual listeners won’t stay tuned in without content that truly engages them!
According to research from Pacific Content, podcasts that exceed an hour in duration typically lose 20-35% of new listeners within five minutes if their episodes do not capture them sufficiently. Casual listeners have many other choices when it comes to podcasts, making the commitment a challenge; casual audiences need something compelling enough for them to stay tuned in!
Do you want to keep your listeners engaged?
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