Why Episode Length Matters

Most podcasters try and aim for their episodes to be between 20 and 40 minutes, to make them easily digestible. You could actually split up a really long episode into several shorter episodes instead! Just make it clear what each segmented episode is about though. 

Obviously, this all depends on what kind of topics you're talking about though. If you feel like you can comfortably get everything you need to say in under an hour, there's no need to waffle on to fill an hour slot, but if you feel like you need longer than an hour, this is fine too! In fact, it’s been found that 84% of podcasts with more than 100,000 downloads are more than 51 minutes long. So making them longer if you're focusing on the right kind of topic may actually be better!

Let Your Personality Shine Bright

Think about what your podcast is all about. What kind of personality and tone matches your podcast? Try to match your presenting style to that!

If you’re not sure, take a look at other podcasters who are focusing on a similar topic to you and listen to their presenting style. Obviously, don’t try to mimic somebody else though! People want to hear and connect with you!

Relax, Calm Your Nerves

While having a script is important, we don’t necessarily mean having a full-blown, line by line script in front of you. If you do this, you risk sounding like you’re just reading off of your script and losing that personality we just built up. Collect some detailed notes instead, making sure you've covered every single point you need to cover in your episode, and take a few calming breaths before you start recording. 

Maybe do some test read-throughs before you even hit record? Some podcasters have mentioned they do little exercises before they record, like jumping jacks or running on the spot. Others have said they purposely have a co-presenter or regular guests so they aren't alone. Find your technique and breathe! You'll be just fine! 

Sound Professional, Edit Your Podcast Well

Editing audio may seem daunting at first if you’ve never done it before, but it’s actually pretty easy! Just make sure you chop out any mistakes, or ‘umm’ and ‘err’ moments, and maybe clean up your audio using some filter magic, and you’ll be sounding top notch in no time!

You can even slap a nice bit of music at the beginning and end of your podcast episodes as a theme for your podcast. Make sure this is either designed specifically for your podcast or copyright-free though!

Publish Your Podcast Everywhere

Every podcast grows up, and then it’s time to send them off into the real world! Help it along its way by promoting it on social media! It’s completely free and you can really build a following there; Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, use as many as you like. Also, make sure you’re submitting your podcast to different directories like iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and more! If you’re a Podcast.co customer, we can actually do this for you to save you some time!

Hopefully, your podcast sucks no more! If you feel like you need some more help making your podcast awesome, take a look at our full list of services we can offer you to help you grow your podcast. Or, start a chat with a member of our team about how we can help your podcast using the speech bubble in the bottom right!