Is consistency really the key to a successful podcast? Do many people say you NEED to be consistent in order to grow your podcast but is that really true?
Today I want to talk about the one thing that is even more important to your podcast’s success than consistency. Let’s jump in!
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The benefit of consistency
Though I just said I don’t believe consistency is the key to a successful podcast, it is still important. As a podcaster, you want to become part of your listeners’ routine. Imagine that every Saturday morning, your listener drives her daughter to soccer practice. Each time she drives to soccer practice, she turns on your podcast. It’s part of her routine and because of that, she never misses a show.
As a podcaster, it is awesome to have listeners that have made you part of their lives. They like you, they are a fan of your show, and by showing up consistently, you have become part of their routine.
Update: after recording and releasing this episode, I kept podcasting (of course). One of the best things I’ve done in my podcasting career was relaunching my other pod, Digital Nomad Stories, and releasing weekly episodes for 1.5 years. I recorded an episode on what happened: What Happens When You Release Weekly Podcast Episodes For One Year?
Why sharing value is more important
To understand why sharing value is so important, you need to think back to your podcast strategy from episode 2 (Podcast Strategy 101). What is the goal of your podcast? It is to become part of your listeners’ routine? If your podcast is related to your business, probably not. You probably have a larger goal that impacts your business’ bottom line. To achieve that goal, you will have to create value.
By creating value, your listeners get to know you and trust you. Once trust is established, you can begin to monetize your podcast by selling your coaching program or digital products. This is the ultimate goal for many podcasters.
Setting expectations
Since consistency isn’t the key to success, you have the flexibility for your podcast’s schedule. Seasons are a great way to be inconsistent in a structured way and allow you to have a break. This also means you don’t have to put out episodes every week.
You can also play around with show length. For my show, I know my target audience is a podcaster looking for a quick tip they can use to improve their podcast right now. That person will not have time to listen to a one-hour episode. However, I’m also going to have interview episodes and those will be longer to share my guest’s expertise. This is another way my podcast is inconsistent.
The key is setting expectations. If you communicate with your listeners, they will know what to expect and they will show up.
Getting back on the horse
A lot of podcasters beat themselves up when they fall out of their podcasting routine. They feel like they have lost their listeners, their previous effort is wasted, and there’s no point in coming back. This is such a shame to hear and frankly, not true.
If you haven’t released an episode in a while, that’s ok. You still have all of your old content out there and people can still find you. Continue promoting your old episodes to keep them in people’s minds. When you have value to share and the energy to show up consistently again, release a new episode and your audience will come.