December 12, 2024 • 17 mins
Comparison is a thief of joy and that includes asking everyone how long you think your podcast should be. The answer lies with you, the creator and how long you believe each episode of your podcast should be. Today, Podcast Insider gives you the pros and cons on how one can optimize podcast length to balance the depth and engagement that creators strive for.
Today's Hosts: Todd Cochrane and MacKenzie Bennett
Don’t focus on a specific time length of your episode, take this advice and decide what works best for you and your audience.
Optimizing Podcast Length
Pros of Shorter Podcast Episodes
Higher Engagement: Short, digestible episodes reduce drop-off and fit busy schedules.
Consistent Production: Faster to produce, allowing for frequent, reliable uploads.
Easy to Repurpose: Ideal for social media clips and mini-episodes to attract new listeners.
Lower Production Effort: Less editing and quicker publishing, especially helpful for beginners.
Focus on Key Points: Encourages concise, impactful content, ideal for quick tips and updates.
Cons of Shorter Podcast Episodes
Limited Depth: Restricted ability to explore complex topics fully.
Lower Perceived Value in Some Genres: Can lack the immersive experience expected in storytelling genres.
Reduced Monetization: Fewer ad opportunities, which may limit revenue.
Frequent Content Planning: Requires consistent topic ideas, which may lead to burnout.
Less Listener-Host Connection: Less time for building rapport, potentially limiting fan loyalty.
Pros of Longer Podcast Episodes
In-Depth Content: Allows for comprehensive storytelling, deep dives, and detailed discussions, enhancing engagement.
More Monetization Opportunities: Supports more ad spots and attracts engaged listeners likely to support premium content.
Stronger Listener-Host Connection: Builds rapport with listeners through extended time for personality and humor.
Flexible Content Structure: Enables multiple segments and content styles, providing variety within an episode.
Higher Retention for Loyal Fans: Appeals to dedicated listeners, fostering a sense of community and encouraging word-of-mouth growth.
Cons of Longer Podcast Episodes
Higher Production Time and Costs: Requires more editing, increasing time and resource demands, which may lead to burnout.
Listener Drop-Off: Risk of losing listeners partway through due to the extended length.
Harder to Repurpose: Challenging to create shareable snippets, as longer content is less digestible for social media.
Intimidating for New Listeners: Longer episodes can deter newcomers who prefer shorter, easier-to-try content.
Risk of Filler Content: Pressure to meet a longer runtime may lead to repetitive or less engaging content.
Remember, at the end of the day you - the podcaster - decides how long is best for your show.
Got a subject you would like us to cover on the show, Drop an email to mike@blubrry.com (audio, text, video), and we may use it. You can also post a question on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group.
The best place for support with any Blubrry product or service is our ticket system. Tickets give the whole team access vs. direct emails or calls. General podcasting discussions and more can be shared on the Blubrry Podcasting Facebook group.
Fill out our listener survey at surveys.blubrry.com/podcastinsider
Hosting customers can schedule a one-on-one call with Todd or a tech checkup with Mike at todd@blubrry.com and mike@blubrry.com
Stay tuned for more episodes and visit our website for the latest updates and resources.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to today's episode of Podcast Insider. I'm
Tod Cochrane, founder of Blueberry Podcasting. I'm Mackenzie
Bennett, marketing specialist at Blueberry. Every podcaster
asked how long their episodes should be. And
today, we clear up the pros and cons
of shorter and longer episodes.
You're listening to Podcast Insider, a weekly podcast
bringing insights, advice, and insider tips and tricks
(00:21):
to help you start, grow, and thrive through
podcasting
with the support of your team here at
Blueberry Podcasting.
Welcome. Let's dive in.
One thing I've always said in regards to
this subject is that you should not focus
on a specific time like of your episode.
You really need to
(00:43):
decide
what works for you and your audience and
I guess the main takeaway is don't waste
our time.
Give them great information and and lean in.
But you're gonna definitely hear a lot of
different
suggestions out there. Pro and con to long
and short. But I think we should also
(01:03):
understand that
some of the most famous and AKA most
popular podcasts are super long. 2, 3 hours.
But let's just talk a little bit of
the pros of shorter podcast episodes
and the potential out there.
Starting off with pros of shorter podcast episodes
is higher engagement.
(01:25):
So
particularly,
I am this person, I think, a lot
of the time. The shorter the episode, the
more
in tune I'm gonna be. So short, digestible
episodes
reduce the drop off and fit into people's
busy schedules nowadays.
Where I think I'm almost the opposite. It's
almost like I just get started and the
(01:46):
show is ending
and I always want more sometimes on shorter
podcasts. I think it's really a personal preference
as well as as a listener. You know,
consistency,
I think no matter
is is that is the thing to consider.
And I know folks that do short shows
that take as much time doing the short
show as a long show.
But you would think that production time would
(02:09):
be
would be shorter. I I think it all
depends on
again,
how
for a better word, if you're
if you're really super,
you know,
if you do a lot of super editing,
you you may not save time. But for
me, I know shorter episodes when I've done
them, definitely shorten my production time because I
(02:30):
don't do too much post production.
It does mean if you're gonna use those
to repurpose them, that it's probably gonna be
easier.
You know, longer content might be better for
more frequent
repurposing
if you have, you know, a a variety
of different ways that you wanna use it.
But in general,
(02:50):
the shorter, the easier. So you can specifically
use this for social media clips and do,
like, really mini episodes to attract new listeners,
kinda like a teaser episode type thing. I
think that's probably become more popular as social
media has become more popular or more important
to finding audiences nowadays.
(03:10):
Also, shorter episodes
could potentially
not let your audience get to know you
as much,
but at the same time, it can allow
you to be super focused
and having really this tight concise message
because you can't spend a lot of time
on personality. You have to get in with
the content and get out if you want
(03:31):
to stay, you know, stay in with content
being short. You know, my introduction to my
show
to get through all of that and the
just the jibber jabber I have with the
audience before I even get to,
you know, the first piece of content that
I'm going to share with them is usually
like 3 to 5 minutes.
And if you're doing a short show, that
might be 25% of your entire podcast. So
(03:52):
you definitely have to be to be focused
and get those key points out.
Yep. Moving on to the cons of shorter
podcast episodes. The first one is
limited depth, and that is
that we're saying right there is kind of
what we mean. With the shorter amount of
time, you are restricted in exploring complex topics
(04:12):
fully to the extent that you might want
to. It's instead of, like, a full in-depth
episode
about this complex,
you know, situation. It might just be
here are the facts that we know right
now about this, something like that.
And it could be also lower perceived value
in some genres,
(04:33):
And you could lack that immersive experience
expected in storytelling genres. But I think, to
be honest with you, I think
all of us
that are not
original storytellers and we haven't we don't have
a media background.
We really don't fully know
the art a k a of storytelling.
So
(04:54):
I think it's something that develops over time
and probably something we should do a topic
on. It depth at some point is talking
about, you know, storytelling itself as a strategy.
But for sure, you know, doing that shorter
content to maybe that lower perceived value.
And also some reduced monetization
opportunities. You you have the ability to, in
(05:14):
a longer show, to have more ad spots.
But in a shorter show, you know, take
for
example, Grammar Girl. You know, they get they're
in and out in 5 minutes. Mhmm. So,
you know, that's a very short, very concise
show and boom, just one small ad spot
of maybe 20 seconds.
They can't spend a minute and a minute
and a half on the ad and then
(05:34):
only have 3 and a half or 4
minutes of content. So again, it depends on
the length of your show.
Definitely fewer ad opportunities.
Something else is that you are gonna have
to be focused on creating
content all the time. So frequent content planning,
you are required to have consistent topic ideas
and probably in a, you know, a shorter
(05:56):
amount of time if a lot of the
shows that do shorter episodes do them more
frequently.
So you can
potentially lead yourself into burnout rather quickly. We
changed how we did Podcast Insider
about a year or so, maybe 2 years
ago at this point, and now we have
these more detailed and concise shorter episodes,
(06:16):
which is great. And we think,
you know, it seems that you guys like
it, but it also means that we're like,
what do we need to talk about?
Didn't we talk about that 2 months ago?
Oh, no. We did. So I guess we'll
think we'll think of something else. So it
definitely can
take up brain space very quickly where you're
like, I'm all out of ideas.
(06:36):
And I think too, again, if it depends
on your goal of your show. If you
really wanna have that
audience
interactivity where they know you really well,
Maybe it's an idea to go a little
longer. But let me talk a little bit
about the pros of longer podcast episodes.
Really, this in-depth content allows for this comprehensive
(06:58):
storytelling, deep dives and detailed discussions.
You know,
you'll take you may some people like Joe
Rogan, some people don't.
But he he definitely spends 3 hours digging
into his guest backgrounds and really gets deep
into the story. But he's also got a
big staff to help him
with that pre production work to get those
(07:20):
questions and topics and
really his his game plan together for for
every episode. So it's not like he's going
into it cold, but he also has, in
a great way, like, and he's a great
interviewer.
I always had thought that Howard Stern was
also a great interviewer. He would get people
to say things that they would not say
(07:42):
otherwise. So you can get into that in-depth
content
and I guess,
again, there's sometimes you can waste people's time
too. So you got to be careful.
Are you boring people? I find myself, if
I'm listening
to something and
the story is going too long
and it's
again get to the point. And you know,
(08:02):
if it's something if it's obvious where you're
headed,
get to the point. Get there. I I
will admit I am not a fan of
like a stream of consciousness
podcast
where you're just kinda having this long conversation.
Like, I definitely will
lose interest. I am more so
a fan of
(08:24):
a a storytelling
of, like, here's the scenario. Here's what happened.
Here's what we think about it. But it
it's like that concise
topic instead of just
we went on a tangent about this and
then moved on to this and then moved
on to this. But, also, I think I've
just
moved on to,
you know, really sticking to
(08:46):
a specific host at this point. One of
the things that we have on here for
pros is a stronger listener host connection.
So, like, the longer the episode is, the
more connected you might feel
to to the host and as the host
to the listeners. So it really gives you
time to bring out your personality
and any humor you might have or, you
(09:08):
know,
just the the time and energy that you've
put into it to prepare so people can
really feel that through the episode a lot
of the time.
I do wanna back up a second, though.
But if you have something important to say
and
you feel that you have
you're capturing
the audience's attention
(09:30):
and keeping their attention,
that that's the important piece here. It's when,
you know, and we've all heard this when
we listen to content. You're like, come on.
Come on. You you know, you we talked
around this. We don't need a punch line
anymore. Just, you know, give us give us
the the details.
And and then we can have some backstory.
(09:50):
So I really think that people need to
work on that
pretty significantly
across the entire space. But at the same
time,
you can have a flexible content structure. You
can have
multiple segments. So you don't just have to
have one story that's long. Mhmm. Again, you
can have multiple
segments.
And I think for my show, because I'm
(10:11):
doing a new show, it's easy. I've got
30 segments. And sometimes I spend
2 minutes on something and sometimes I spend
15 seconds.
So it really because it doesn't need more
explanation. It's like, okay. Such and such happened.
X y and z. You're done. You don't
have to have this in-depth analysis. But then
there's other pieces. Well, what does this mean
(10:32):
and what are the ramifications and what's gonna
happen?
So
by having the ability to have, excuse me,
multiple segments,
it really it really helps keep the show
moving along. And I I think a higher
retention for loyal fans.
I think that if you
have this long form content where you can
(10:53):
keep people listening in
and yeah. The the task I always
tell is sometimes I'll listen to a show
while I'm working.
And if I pause
and I'm not typing,
I know that that show has got my
engagement and probably worthy of a listen later.
Whereas some shows, I can just kinda listen
(11:14):
to the background almost like a radio show.
And they they're definitely not as engaged and
they're just kind of a a bit of
noise that pick up a thing here or
there.
So just think about that when you're
when you want to retain listeners, are you
keeping them engaged?
Are you fostering a sense of community? Are
you getting feedback?
Are you encouraging word-of-mouth growth? Are they commenting
(11:36):
on the show? Are you giving them a
reason
to comment on the show? So I think
that has a big, big part of this
longer form content.
Just real quick before we move on to
the cons of the longer episodes. I think
we skipped talking about
when you do have these longer episodes, you
have the opportunity for
(11:57):
more monetization.
So
the longer the episode, the more ad spots.
Engaged listeners
are likely to support premium content. So
like Todd said, you know, as long as
people feel
like these loyal fans are dedicated and feel
like they have this sense of community, they're
gonna be okay with the additional monetization
(12:19):
opportunities.
And again, the some of the cons of
longer podcast episodes is, you know, higher production
time and cost. So if you're doing a
20 minute show twice a week, you know,
the recording of the show is 20 minutes
20 minutes and then whatever your production time
is. But if you're doing a 90 minute
show, you know, obviously, you're gonna have a
longer production time in just recording.
(12:41):
Cost can go up a little bit. Again,
depending on how much storage you need as
from your hosting provider.
But I think most shows based on encoding
we're seeing are are not seeing huge increases
in the cost because of the
the size of the show. But maybe it's
just because your your editor, if you have
one,
has having to spend more time.
(13:03):
And of course, you have that risk of
losing listeners partway through
due to the extended length. So again, you
got to keep them entertained.
It's and
as much as we want to say this,
we have to be entertaining a little bit.
And if you're not, well, you know, it
it this is gonna be like the snooze
button. People are gonna hit the snooze button
and go somewhere else. That is something, though,
(13:25):
that you can keep an eye on with
our blueberry stats.
The retention rate graph with the advanced stats
is gonna tell you when people are dropping
off. You know?
It it's one of those ones that might
hurt to look at initially if if you've
never really
seen this or thought about this before, but,
hopefully, you're hopefully, you're okay. But if you're
not, you know, take a good hard look
(13:46):
at at your show and decide
what can I do to wrap this up
quicker or in a more sufficient way? And,
you know, how do I fix this?
One thing that I found is the show
that Rob and I do for the new
media show.
Every once in a while, we'll kind of
like hit a wall. It'll be like,
hour 15 into what's normally an hour 30
(14:08):
minute show. I'll be like, Rob, it's time
to wrap it up.
You know, we've we're we're kind of playing
for time here and we're wasting people's time.
So There's no reason to go to 1:30.
Right. And so there's a there's times when
you will just talk a subject out and
you'll be done and,
well, then wrap it up. Mhmm. There's no
rule that says you need to go to
(14:30):
the full to the full length.
There are no rules.
There are no rules in podcasting.
But one of the ones that we also
have for a con of longer episodes is
that it could be intimidating for new listeners.
The longer the episode, the more it can
deter a newcomer who might prefer a shorter,
easier,
(14:50):
you know, easier to try, easier to give
it a listen, that first time content.
I definitely have started doing this, I think,
since I have
no commute to work anymore.
When I'm looking at a new show and
I see that it's longer than, you know,
35 minutes, I'm like, do I really wanna
listen to this? And it's not because
(15:10):
I don't wanna listen to the long episode
necessarily. It's just I'm like,
what am I gonna do for a half
hour that is going to make sure that
I listen to this whole thing on a
regular basis
with this show? Like, if it's if it's
a if it's a one off episode of
a show that I've never listened to before
or even, like, one that I do frequently
listen to,
(15:31):
I'll probably do it. But if it's, you
know,
40, 45 an hour an hour plus
that I would be listening to on a
regular basis for a new show that I
might wanna,
like, add to my
to my playlist, I'm really gonna think about
if I wanna do that because I'm like,
I don't what am I gonna have when
do I have the time to actually listen
to this?
(15:52):
And I guess the main thing too is,
you know, again, don't
press yourself to go the full length that
you needed to go like I said earlier.
And you know, maybe a little bit challenging
to find shareable snippets as well. Because if
you're doing long form
and the conversation goes on for a long
time,
it may be harder to find that 60
second snippet to grab.
(16:13):
Whereas in a shorter show, because you are
very tight,
maybe it again, it is easier. So, I
mean, it's just one of those things to
consider
when you're wanting to get ready to promote
the show on on social.
Right. Well,
Go ahead. One of those things is kinda
filler content
where,
like you said, with you and Rob, you're
like, we're at 1:15. And and at this
(16:35):
point,
we're just gonna be repeating what we've already
said in this episode. It's gonna be less
engaging towards the end, which is gonna be
off putting to people as well.
So
so avoid that filler content if you can.
It's just there is a higher probability of
running into that issue the longer the episode.
Alright.
(16:55):
Let us know what you think.
And short or long, what do you prefer
to do? What's your experience? Did we miss
something? We'd love to hear your feedback at
any time on any of these episodes.
There are no wrong answers of how long
your podcast should or should not
be. Do what feels comfortable to you and
what makes your audience happy.
Thanks for joining us. Come back next week.
(17:17):
And in the meantime, head to podcastinsider.com
for more information,
to subscribe, share, and read our show notes.
To check out the latest suite of services
and learn how Blueberry can help you leverage
your podcast, visit blueberry.com.
That's blueberry without the e's because we can't
afford them.
Welcome to today's episode of Podcast Insider. I'm
Tod Cochrane, founder of Blueberry Podcasting. I'm Mackenzie
Bennett, marketing specialist at Blueberry. Every podcaster
asked how long their episodes should be. And
today, we clear up the pros and cons
of shorter and longer episodes.
You're listening to Podcast Insider, a weekly podcast
bringing insights, advice, and insider tips and tricks
(00:21):
to help you start, grow, and thrive through
podcasting
with the support of your team here at
Blueberry Podcasting.
Welcome. Let's dive in.
One thing I've always said in regards to
this subject is that you should not focus
on a specific time like of your episode.
You really need to
(00:43):
decide
what works for you and your audience and
I guess the main takeaway is don't waste
our time.
Give them great information and and lean in.
But you're gonna definitely hear a lot of
different
suggestions out there. Pro and con to long
and short. But I think we should also
(01:03):
understand that
some of the most famous and AKA most
popular podcasts are super long. 2, 3 hours.
But let's just talk a little bit of
the pros of shorter podcast episodes
and the potential out there.
Starting off with pros of shorter podcast episodes
is higher engagement.
(01:25):
So
particularly,
I am this person, I think, a lot
of the time. The shorter the episode, the
more
in tune I'm gonna be. So short, digestible
episodes
reduce the drop off and fit into people's
busy schedules nowadays.
Where I think I'm almost the opposite. It's
almost like I just get started and the
(01:46):
show is ending
and I always want more sometimes on shorter
podcasts. I think it's really a personal preference
as well as as a listener. You know,
consistency,
I think no matter
is is that is the thing to consider.
And I know folks that do short shows
that take as much time doing the short
show as a long show.
But you would think that production time would
(02:09):
be
would be shorter. I I think it all
depends on
again,
how
for a better word, if you're
if you're really super,
you know,
if you do a lot of super editing,
you you may not save time. But for
me, I know shorter episodes when I've done
them, definitely shorten my production time because I
(02:30):
don't do too much post production.
It does mean if you're gonna use those
to repurpose them, that it's probably gonna be
easier.
You know, longer content might be better for
more frequent
repurposing
if you have, you know, a a variety
of different ways that you wanna use it.
But in general,
(02:50):
the shorter, the easier. So you can specifically
use this for social media clips and do,
like, really mini episodes to attract new listeners,
kinda like a teaser episode type thing. I
think that's probably become more popular as social
media has become more popular or more important
to finding audiences nowadays.
(03:10):
Also, shorter episodes
could potentially
not let your audience get to know you
as much,
but at the same time, it can allow
you to be super focused
and having really this tight concise message
because you can't spend a lot of time
on personality. You have to get in with
the content and get out if you want
(03:31):
to stay, you know, stay in with content
being short. You know, my introduction to my
show
to get through all of that and the
just the jibber jabber I have with the
audience before I even get to,
you know, the first piece of content that
I'm going to share with them is usually
like 3 to 5 minutes.
And if you're doing a short show, that
might be 25% of your entire podcast. So
(03:52):
you definitely have to be to be focused
and get those key points out.
Yep. Moving on to the cons of shorter
podcast episodes. The first one is
limited depth, and that is
that we're saying right there is kind of
what we mean. With the shorter amount of
time, you are restricted in exploring complex topics
(04:12):
fully to the extent that you might want
to. It's instead of, like, a full in-depth
episode
about this complex,
you know, situation. It might just be
here are the facts that we know right
now about this, something like that.
And it could be also lower perceived value
in some genres,
(04:33):
And you could lack that immersive experience
expected in storytelling genres. But I think, to
be honest with you, I think
all of us
that are not
original storytellers and we haven't we don't have
a media background.
We really don't fully know
the art a k a of storytelling.
So
(04:54):
I think it's something that develops over time
and probably something we should do a topic
on. It depth at some point is talking
about, you know, storytelling itself as a strategy.
But for sure, you know, doing that shorter
content to maybe that lower perceived value.
And also some reduced monetization
opportunities. You you have the ability to, in
(05:14):
a longer show, to have more ad spots.
But in a shorter show, you know, take
for
example, Grammar Girl. You know, they get they're
in and out in 5 minutes. Mhmm. So,
you know, that's a very short, very concise
show and boom, just one small ad spot
of maybe 20 seconds.
They can't spend a minute and a minute
and a half on the ad and then
(05:34):
only have 3 and a half or 4
minutes of content. So again, it depends on
the length of your show.
Definitely fewer ad opportunities.
Something else is that you are gonna have
to be focused on creating
content all the time. So frequent content planning,
you are required to have consistent topic ideas
and probably in a, you know, a shorter
(05:56):
amount of time if a lot of the
shows that do shorter episodes do them more
frequently.
So you can
potentially lead yourself into burnout rather quickly. We
changed how we did Podcast Insider
about a year or so, maybe 2 years
ago at this point, and now we have
these more detailed and concise shorter episodes,
(06:16):
which is great. And we think,
you know, it seems that you guys like
it, but it also means that we're like,
what do we need to talk about?
Didn't we talk about that 2 months ago?
Oh, no. We did. So I guess we'll
think we'll think of something else. So it
definitely can
take up brain space very quickly where you're
like, I'm all out of ideas.
(06:36):
And I think too, again, if it depends
on your goal of your show. If you
really wanna have that
audience
interactivity where they know you really well,
Maybe it's an idea to go a little
longer. But let me talk a little bit
about the pros of longer podcast episodes.
Really, this in-depth content allows for this comprehensive
(06:58):
storytelling, deep dives and detailed discussions.
You know,
you'll take you may some people like Joe
Rogan, some people don't.
But he he definitely spends 3 hours digging
into his guest backgrounds and really gets deep
into the story. But he's also got a
big staff to help him
with that pre production work to get those
(07:20):
questions and topics and
really his his game plan together for for
every episode. So it's not like he's going
into it cold, but he also has, in
a great way, like, and he's a great
interviewer.
I always had thought that Howard Stern was
also a great interviewer. He would get people
to say things that they would not say
(07:42):
otherwise. So you can get into that in-depth
content
and I guess,
again, there's sometimes you can waste people's time
too. So you got to be careful.
Are you boring people? I find myself, if
I'm listening
to something and
the story is going too long
and it's
again get to the point. And you know,
(08:02):
if it's something if it's obvious where you're
headed,
get to the point. Get there. I I
will admit I am not a fan of
like a stream of consciousness
podcast
where you're just kinda having this long conversation.
Like, I definitely will
lose interest. I am more so
a fan of
(08:24):
a a storytelling
of, like, here's the scenario. Here's what happened.
Here's what we think about it. But it
it's like that concise
topic instead of just
we went on a tangent about this and
then moved on to this and then moved
on to this. But, also, I think I've
just
moved on to,
you know, really sticking to
(08:46):
a specific host at this point. One of
the things that we have on here for
pros is a stronger listener host connection.
So, like, the longer the episode is, the
more connected you might feel
to to the host and as the host
to the listeners. So it really gives you
time to bring out your personality
and any humor you might have or, you
(09:08):
know,
just the the time and energy that you've
put into it to prepare so people can
really feel that through the episode a lot
of the time.
I do wanna back up a second, though.
But if you have something important to say
and
you feel that you have
you're capturing
the audience's attention
(09:30):
and keeping their attention,
that that's the important piece here. It's when,
you know, and we've all heard this when
we listen to content. You're like, come on.
Come on. You you know, you we talked
around this. We don't need a punch line
anymore. Just, you know, give us give us
the the details.
And and then we can have some backstory.
(09:50):
So I really think that people need to
work on that
pretty significantly
across the entire space. But at the same
time,
you can have a flexible content structure. You
can have
multiple segments. So you don't just have to
have one story that's long. Mhmm. Again, you
can have multiple
segments.
And I think for my show, because I'm
(10:11):
doing a new show, it's easy. I've got
30 segments. And sometimes I spend
2 minutes on something and sometimes I spend
15 seconds.
So it really because it doesn't need more
explanation. It's like, okay. Such and such happened.
X y and z. You're done. You don't
have to have this in-depth analysis. But then
there's other pieces. Well, what does this mean
(10:32):
and what are the ramifications and what's gonna
happen?
So
by having the ability to have, excuse me,
multiple segments,
it really it really helps keep the show
moving along. And I I think a higher
retention for loyal fans.
I think that if you
have this long form content where you can
(10:53):
keep people listening in
and yeah. The the task I always
tell is sometimes I'll listen to a show
while I'm working.
And if I pause
and I'm not typing,
I know that that show has got my
engagement and probably worthy of a listen later.
Whereas some shows, I can just kinda listen
(11:14):
to the background almost like a radio show.
And they they're definitely not as engaged and
they're just kind of a a bit of
noise that pick up a thing here or
there.
So just think about that when you're
when you want to retain listeners, are you
keeping them engaged?
Are you fostering a sense of community? Are
you getting feedback?
Are you encouraging word-of-mouth growth? Are they commenting
(11:36):
on the show? Are you giving them a
reason
to comment on the show? So I think
that has a big, big part of this
longer form content.
Just real quick before we move on to
the cons of the longer episodes. I think
we skipped talking about
when you do have these longer episodes, you
have the opportunity for
(11:57):
more monetization.
So
the longer the episode, the more ad spots.
Engaged listeners
are likely to support premium content. So
like Todd said, you know, as long as
people feel
like these loyal fans are dedicated and feel
like they have this sense of community, they're
gonna be okay with the additional monetization
(12:19):
opportunities.
And again, the some of the cons of
longer podcast episodes is, you know, higher production
time and cost. So if you're doing a
20 minute show twice a week, you know,
the recording of the show is 20 minutes
20 minutes and then whatever your production time
is. But if you're doing a 90 minute
show, you know, obviously, you're gonna have a
longer production time in just recording.
(12:41):
Cost can go up a little bit. Again,
depending on how much storage you need as
from your hosting provider.
But I think most shows based on encoding
we're seeing are are not seeing huge increases
in the cost because of the
the size of the show. But maybe it's
just because your your editor, if you have
one,
has having to spend more time.
(13:03):
And of course, you have that risk of
losing listeners partway through
due to the extended length. So again, you
got to keep them entertained.
It's and
as much as we want to say this,
we have to be entertaining a little bit.
And if you're not, well, you know, it
it this is gonna be like the snooze
button. People are gonna hit the snooze button
and go somewhere else. That is something, though,
(13:25):
that you can keep an eye on with
our blueberry stats.
The retention rate graph with the advanced stats
is gonna tell you when people are dropping
off. You know?
It it's one of those ones that might
hurt to look at initially if if you've
never really
seen this or thought about this before, but,
hopefully, you're hopefully, you're okay. But if you're
not, you know, take a good hard look
(13:46):
at at your show and decide
what can I do to wrap this up
quicker or in a more sufficient way? And,
you know, how do I fix this?
One thing that I found is the show
that Rob and I do for the new
media show.
Every once in a while, we'll kind of
like hit a wall. It'll be like,
hour 15 into what's normally an hour 30
(14:08):
minute show. I'll be like, Rob, it's time
to wrap it up.
You know, we've we're we're kind of playing
for time here and we're wasting people's time.
So There's no reason to go to 1:30.
Right. And so there's a there's times when
you will just talk a subject out and
you'll be done and,
well, then wrap it up. Mhmm. There's no
rule that says you need to go to
(14:30):
the full to the full length.
There are no rules.
There are no rules in podcasting.
But one of the ones that we also
have for a con of longer episodes is
that it could be intimidating for new listeners.
The longer the episode, the more it can
deter a newcomer who might prefer a shorter,
easier,
(14:50):
you know, easier to try, easier to give
it a listen, that first time content.
I definitely have started doing this, I think,
since I have
no commute to work anymore.
When I'm looking at a new show and
I see that it's longer than, you know,
35 minutes, I'm like, do I really wanna
listen to this? And it's not because
(15:10):
I don't wanna listen to the long episode
necessarily. It's just I'm like,
what am I gonna do for a half
hour that is going to make sure that
I listen to this whole thing on a
regular basis
with this show? Like, if it's if it's
a if it's a one off episode of
a show that I've never listened to before
or even, like, one that I do frequently
listen to,
(15:31):
I'll probably do it. But if it's, you
know,
40, 45 an hour an hour plus
that I would be listening to on a
regular basis for a new show that I
might wanna,
like, add to my
to my playlist, I'm really gonna think about
if I wanna do that because I'm like,
I don't what am I gonna have when
do I have the time to actually listen
to this?
(15:52):
And I guess the main thing too is,
you know, again, don't
press yourself to go the full length that
you needed to go like I said earlier.
And you know, maybe a little bit challenging
to find shareable snippets as well. Because if
you're doing long form
and the conversation goes on for a long
time,
it may be harder to find that 60
second snippet to grab.
(16:13):
Whereas in a shorter show, because you are
very tight,
maybe it again, it is easier. So, I
mean, it's just one of those things to
consider
when you're wanting to get ready to promote
the show on on social.
Right. Well,
Go ahead. One of those things is kinda
filler content
where,
like you said, with you and Rob, you're
like, we're at 1:15. And and at this
(16:35):
point,
we're just gonna be repeating what we've already
said in this episode. It's gonna be less
engaging towards the end, which is gonna be
off putting to people as well.
So
so avoid that filler content if you can.
It's just there is a higher probability of
running into that issue the longer the episode.
Alright.
(16:55):
Let us know what you think.
And short or long, what do you prefer
to do? What's your experience? Did we miss
something? We'd love to hear your feedback at
any time on any of these episodes.
There are no wrong answers of how long
your podcast should or should not
be. Do what feels comfortable to you and
what makes your audience happy.
Thanks for joining us. Come back next week.
(17:17):
And in the meantime, head to podcastinsider.com
for more information,
to subscribe, share, and read our show notes.
To check out the latest suite of services
and learn how Blueberry can help you leverage
your podcast, visit blueberry.com.
That's blueberry without the e's because we can't
afford them.
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