Why short Podcast episodes are the best way to win new listeners
I believe there is currently a gap in the podcast market that a lot of podcasters are missing. I have been working across media for over 15 years, and I love following trends within the industry. I see two clear metrics are more relevant than ever in people's decision-making when consuming media. The first is on-demand, and the second is the length of content.
One of the reasons Podcasting has exploded in the last few years is because of its on-demand nature. We have stopped consuming content based on a broadcaster's schedule and now consume whenever it suits us.
This has led to the success of streaming services like Netflix. As Netflix has taken a massive chunk of the live TV audience, Podcasts are similarly eating into the live scheduled radio audience (this is happening no matter what "official" surveys say).
The other thing that is of huge influence is the length of time it’s going to take to consume a piece of content. A long podcast can be an immediate reason not to listen, whereas a short podcast generally promises less and delivers more.
I have never listened to a Podcast and thought “that was good but it was too short”, but many times I have listened to long episodes and thought “there was some good in that but it was way too much information”
A good long podcast episode leaves you slightly underwhelmed, a good short podcast episode leaves you wanting more.
The reason every podcast app has a playback speed feature
Let’s take a look at why the speed and length of an episode are so important. You can look at all of the most popular podcast apps and they all have a feature that I believe tells us a lot. It’s a feature that allows you to speed up how fast the episode plays. Most speaking voices are still very easy to understand at 1.5x speed. I would guess, this is probably the speed at which most people playback podcasts.
However, let’s think about what this feature is really telling us. For me, it is proof that people want good content, but they want it delivered to them in as short a time as possible. Watching a TV show or movie is a very different experience compared to listening to a podcast. Movies more about escapism whereas podcasts are informative. People generally listen to podcasts because they want to learn something or solve a problem. So it’s understandable why they’d want that delivered to them quickly.
Less is more
Twitter's 160 characters, Snapchat's 60 seconds of video and Instagram (insta being short for instant). Modern media is changing our habits for consuming media. Short and to the point is not just what people want, it's what they expect.
Shorter episodes also fit with a modern lifestyle. Most commutes last roughly 30 minutes. People are more active with walking or running for 30 minutes. Most people prefer short and frequent breaks to the old-fashioned 1-hour lunch break.
There are many times throughout the day when a 15-30 minute podcast is perfect for the modern lifestyle. If you only have 1-hour episodes in your feed, you're losing the chance to win people over. Short episodes can also leave people wanting more, and this is precisely what you want.
Does your podcast really need to be 1 hour?
A lot of podcasters I have worked with release 1-hour episodes. I'm not sure where this came from other than it is a nice round number, or maybe most guests are willing to give an hour of their time. There is nothing wrong with 1-hour episodes, they are great but I often wonder if they need to be that long.
Longer does not equal more value. Time of a podcast is one of the first things people look at when deciding whether or not to try a podcast they have never listened to before. Think about it. You're looking for a podcast on how to make money with a side hustle. You come across two, one has episodes that are 1 hour long, and the other has episodes that are 30 minutes long. Which podcast are you going the try first?
It would be best if you assumed that everyone is very busy. People are less likely to try a new podcast they don't trust if it's going to take an hour of their time.
People often reference Joe Rogan or Tim Ferris when I make this point, as their episodes are typically 2 hours long. As a new Podcaster, you can't compare yourself to these guys. They have been well known for decades and have built up enough credit for people to know that the 2 hours will be worth it. Disregard any podcast that involves a famous person as it’s a different ball game.
Amateur audio recordings can be hard to listen to for long
The vast majority of Podcasts I work on now are remote recordings. So the host is in one place and the guest somewhere else. What I see an awful lot of is that the guest’s audio quality is poor because they record without a mic and this can be really hard to listen to.
Having quality control as the host is easy, You can choose a good microphone, set it up in a room suitable and make sure record settings are as they should be. However, a guest is completely different. More often than not they don’t have a microphone and they aren’t very tech-savvy.
The guest may well be coming on your show as a favour so it’s really hard to ask them to do anything that makes it more complicated for them. Unfortunately, as the host, there’s nothing you can do if a guest records with an inbuilt laptop mic because they don’t have anything else. So, the best approach is to make sure listeners don’t have to listen to the audio for long periods.
Audio recorded without a microphone and through an inbuilt laptop mic becomes hard to listen to after 15 or 20 minutes. So, before you record a Podcast with a guest, check to see if they have a microphone and get them to record something and send it to you. If the quality is poor, you should cut the episode time down.
Find out how to make your recordings sound more professional with a 30 dollar investment…
Short podcast episodes can be amazing
I recently came across Gary Vee's latest podcast concept, which I loved. Gary Vee is a guy who could release 4-hour episodes, and people would listen in their droves. The fact he is doing short episodes says a lot.
In these episodes, he interviews an entrepreneur for 15 minutes. A 15-minute blitz means pure value for a listener, listeners are hit with valuable content fast and furiously and they love it!
At the start of the Podcast, Gary speaks about how he is "testing out this new format", but Gary Vee being Gary Vee, nothing is by accident. I'm sure he knows what he is doing and realises an appetite for short podcast content. Check out all the comments from people who say they love how fast and impactful the episode is.
You can build trust with shorter podcast episodes
I spoke about this previously when I wrote about Tips on Podcasting for beginners. New podcasters should start by releasing short episodes (30 mins max). I think this is a much better way to attract an audience.
Should your podcast grow in numbers and popularity, you will have earned the right to make your podcast episodes longer if you want to. However, I think it’s more likely you will stick with 30-minute episodes and double down on releases because short episodes work!
At the very least, you should include short episodes as part of your podcast feed. Short episodes will allow the listener to check out the podcast without feeling they need to commit to an hour.
How to effectively deliver shorter Podcast content
Assume everyone is busy - Always have your listener in mind, put yourself in their shoes and imagine them to be very busy. What do you want them to take from your podcast and how can you deliver it as fast as possible?
Make sure all intros, inserts and outros are short and to the point - the vast majority of podcast intros and outros I hear are too long. Check out my guide on crafting your podcast intro and outro.
Choose 1 key message or outcome per episode - what is the 1 key thing you want people to learn from the episode. Narrowing it down can give the podcast real focus. Chances are the listener will take more than 1 but if you focus on 1 thing, you definitely won’t overwhelm them with too much information. This will also mean the focus of your questions to your guest will be more defined.
Ask why and not what - This is key to getting to the valuable information faster. Instead of getting a history of what a guest does or has done, ask guests more “why” questions. People relate to “why” much more than they do to “what”.
Use audiograms to promote your podcast - Audiograms are short bursts of content shared across social media. Audiograms are a great way to show people what you are about, they set the tone for the full episode. If they are short and valuable people are more likely to buy into your ethos of delivering valuable content fast. I talk about how to make good podcast audiograms here.
Book guests for shorter times - If you usually book your guests for an hour, book them for 30 minutes. You don’t want a frantic chat but you do want to get to the point quicker, having them for a shorter period will allow your subconscious to do that.
Be ruthless with your editorial - Ask yourself what the listener REALLY needs to know. What value are you providing them, do they really need a 10-minute chat about a guests background? or a 3-minute long intro? Cut down or cut out any segments that don’t deliver any value to a listener.
Audience test and get feedback - Something every broadcast company in the world does. Test your content, and not with your friends or family because they won’t be objective. Ask anonymous or impartial people who will give you honest feedback. You can contact us here at Podlad and we will take a listen to your content, you could check out the Reddit Podcasting forum which is full of very helpful Podcast people, or go to a forum related to the subject matter of your Podcast and find some people who will listen to your show and tell you what they thought.
Summary on why shorter episodes are better for beginners
They take less time to record and edit.
If a guest doesn’t have a microphone it can be hard to for over 20 minutes
They are easier for a listener to commit to.
They are easier for a listener to digest.
They will leave a listener wanting more.
They help build trust with an audience.
You will be exploiting an appetite amongst podcast listeners for shorter content.
If you can produce shorter content than your competitors, you will gain an advantage over them.
