Upload podcast episodes frequently and consistently
tl;dr – Upload your podcasts frequently and consistently — aim for the same day each week — to grow your listening audience.
Why should you upload podcast episodes on the same day of the week?
FIRST, a regular day episode drop helps you stay top of mind with your audience. When they know that new episodes are available on a certain day of the week, they’re more likely to check out your show. And, since people tend to consume content in sequence, keeping them engaged will keep them coming back for more. That’s one big reason you want to upload podcast episodes frequently and consistently.
SECOND, uploading on a regular basis reinforces your podcast’s presence online. If you upload every other day, for example, people may forget about your show after a few weeks. But if you upload every week, they’ll have a better idea of when new episodes are available and be more likely to listen.
Tip #1: Upload podcast episodes frequently and consistently.
Listeners count on listening to your podcast when they are exercising, walking or taking a break. To keep and grow your audience, try to have at least three upcoming podcasts ready to drop on the day of the week (or month) you choose so you are uploading podcast episodes frequently and consistently.
If your audience is made up of small business owners, they are usually up early and take their morning walk early in the day. If your podcast drops the night before, it’s ready for their earbuds while they are on their morning walk or exercising the same day each week.
If your podcast appeals to young women, especially if your topic is interesting to young mothers and dads-at-home, their schedule is different. Very young babies nap in the morning and a little older ones in the afternoon. That’s mom or dad’s free time to listen to your podcast. Make sure it drops when they have time to listen to it. They look forward to your episodes if you upload podcasts frequently and consistently.
An older audience? If your fans are empty-nesters or adults who can tweak their own schedules, let them know that your new podcast episode will drop at “lunchtime” on “Thursday.” They’ll arrange their time and look forward to listening when they know what day of the week one of your new episodes is available.
What’s the best day to drop podcast episodes?
Every Monday
If you upload early in the week, you give your audience a WHOLE week to listen to each episode before it’s replaced by the next one. When you upload podcast episodes frequently and consistently, your audience will plan based on that day.
Tip #2: Add a quiz or poll to your podcast website when you drop an episode.
Listeners visit your website if they know an interactive feature, like a quiz or poll, is ready. Visitors enjoy interactive features, and will answer interesting and topical questions. It’s an excellent way to draw visitors to your podcast website – which is where you want them – so they can contact you or perhaps listen to older episodes.
What day of the week should you choose to add a quiz or poll? Here’s a sample podcast website calendar and don’t worry if you can’t meet the entire schedule. Choose what works best for you and your time.
- On Tuesday, add a quiz about the latest episode
- On Wednesday, add a poll about the latest episode
- On Thursday, add a quiz about an older episode.
If you gain a big enough audience, usually measured through downloads of your podcast, you may get advertisers. When your listeners go to your website, they have another chance to click your advertisers’ links. And that’s a good thing. because advertisers count those clicks!
Tip #3: Add a transcript of each episode to your website.
A transcript is another way for your audience to interact with you and learn from the show. The beauty of a transcript is that it can be updated as new episodes are released, so it always reflects the most current information. If you make transcripts available on your website, you’ll be in a better position to answer listener questions about the content of the show.
Socially conscious podcasters provide transcripts for visitors who may have hearing problems. When it’s written for them to read, you engage with an additional audience and that helps grow your podcast’s impact.
4. Bonus tip: Publish articles about podcasting and related topics on your website.
People like information that is relevant to them, so include insightful articles about podcasting and related subjects on your website. A podcast about fishing, for example, could repost or link to similar articles or locations for good fishing. No matter what your podcast topic is, there are outbound links you can include (search engines like it when you link to authoritative or popular websites) as well as inbound links to podcast episodes on your site that relate to the current topic (search engines like those, too).
Just starting your podcast? Read how to start a podcast for free. Established podcast? Find out how to grow your podcast audience.