I recently took a break from podcasting, but I’m back and ready for season 4! In this season, I’ll be releasing one episode per week, quality over quantity! 

In this very first episode, I’ll give you a breakdown on how I took a break from podcasting. It’s a topic that’s been discussed numerous times in the Facebook groups I’m a part of, so I think it will be valuable to many podcasters.

Why I love working in seasons

I love working in seasons for my podcast, because it gives me the opportunity to not have a huge task in mind to do episodes weekly, forever into the future. Instead, I see this as a season with a start date and an end date. Basically, with a due date in mind it’s easier for me to plan and schedule my episodes.

Another reason is that I can reassess my strategy using the data from previous episodes. I am able to see which ones are doing well, which ones are not working the way I planned. It gives me a peek into the future and I can make changes to what I’m working on now.

The last reason is that it gives me the opportunity to launch the season. When I started this podcast, I was busy with relaunching my business. Because of that, I didn’t have the time and energy to launch the podcast properly. Fortunately, now I get to launch every new season going forward and get more eyes on my podcast that way. 

Consistency is key

Some podcasters are scared to take time off from podcasting. They say consistency is key to grow and build trust in your audience. That is absolutely true! But for me, I can be consistent working in seasons too. How? By telling your listeners that you’ll be taking a short break and will be back on a specific date. By doing this, you’re also setting a deadline for yourself with the responsibility in mind to stay true to what you say to your audience. That way, you get to build trust too.

Aside from mentioning it during the podcast, it also helps posting on social media. Not just once, but create a habit of reminding until the day of your launch. This way, your listeners are aware, and would look forward to the launch of your new season.

Be visible

I’ve had a few mistakes in staying visible. During the times that I didn’t have new content or episodes, I didn’t focus on keeping myself visible on other channels. I didn’t send out newsletters like I used to. This was a valuable lesson for me. 

As podcasters on break, we have to keep ourselves visible. And how do you do this? By simply pointing out old episodes on social media. This is to make sure your viewers have another opportunity to listen to a previous podcast in case they missed it or they want to listen again.

Another way is to re-released existing episodes. I went back to my existing episodes and looked up pillar content. Content which I think is informative and valuable to release again for old and new followers especially. I just switched the intro and outro, and there it is! I’ve got a repurposed podcast episode ready for posting.

Closing note

Don’t be afraid to take a break. Taking a break is important for every podcaster. It’s a time to reset, plan for future content, and just to relax really. Podcasting should be fun, it shouldn’t cause stress because you’re always thinking of each and every episode that needs to go out. Take a break and come back stronger for the new season. 

In my case, after repurposing episodes before my launch of the new season. I saw a pretty big peak in downloads after I came back from my break. And then when the new episode for the new season was released, I saw a bigger peak in downloads. That means that the launch strategy I use works. 

And one more thing, we’ll have new templates for social media. This is another way to pique your viewers interest. Fresh content means a peak in downloads.

Hope this is helpful! Again, take a break, and reset.

Ready to have a profitable podcast? 

No matter if your podcast has 10 or 10k downloads, you can start monetizing your podcast right now. I am so sure of this that I have created an ebook for anyone that wants to monetize their podcast without turning it into one big ad. 

In this ebook, I’ll break down 5 ways to monetize your podcast, including which one is the easiest to start with and which one will be most profitable in the long run. Download it here.