November 18, 2024 • 11 mins
In today’s episode, Steve, the Podcast Guy, shares four essential tips for taking a break from your podcasting routine without losing your audience or risking podfade. Drawing from his personal experience during Hurricane Milton, he dives into strategies that help you plan for breaks, keep your listeners engaged, and ensure a successful return. Whether you're facing unexpected events or planning some time off, Steve's insights will guide you through maintaining your podcast's momentum.
Key Takeaways:
- Plan Ahead and Batch Content: Steve emphasizes the importance of recording episodes in advance. By batching your content, you can schedule releases during your break, ensuring your audience continues to receive consistent value even when you're away. This proactive approach helps prevent listener drop-off and keeps your podcast top of mind.
- Re-release Valuable Past Episodes: If creating new content isn't feasible, Steve suggests re-releasing older episodes with a fresh 1-2 minute introduction. This strategy not only revitalizes valuable content that newer listeners may have missed but also keeps your feed active without the heavy lifting of producing new episodes.
- Communicate with Your Audience: Open communication is key. Steve discusses how announcing your break across your podcast episodes and social media platforms builds trust and keeps your audience informed. Whether you have the foresight to announce in advance or need to make a quick update, keeping listeners in the loop ensures they know you’ll be back.
- Set a Clear Return Date and Stick to It: Holding yourself accountable by setting a specific return date is crucial. Steve highlights how committing to a comeback date not only motivates you but also reassures your listeners. Sticking to this date helps prevent podfade and shows your audience that you're dedicated to providing them with ongoing value.
What's Next?
Visit www.sobersteve.com for more information on Steve’s Podcast Launch Program and his Branding and Business Bootcamp for Badasses.
Stay tuned for upcoming episodes where Steve will coach four aspiring podcasters through brainstorming sessions—offering insights that you can apply to launch or enhance your own show. Keep on podcasting!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steve (00:00):
Hey there everyone.
And welcome to a brand newepisode of podcasting.
Bad-ass I'm your host, a server,Steve, the podcast guy.
And today we're going to begoing over four tips and tricks.
That you want to make sure youdo when you're taking a pod
break.
Or a break in your podcastingroutine and schedule.
So it's an important lesson thatI had to put into practice more
(00:21):
recently, and we'll get intothat.
And it's something to make surethat you don't pod fake when you
go away.
Because that's the biggest thingthat we risk when we take a
break isn't necessarily thatwe'll lose some listeners
because we will lose somelisteners.
It's just a matter of the fact,if someone's used to showing up
for your show week after week,And then you go away for a
couple of weeks.
People are going to fill theirtime with something else.
(00:42):
It's just natural.
But the biggest problem thatpodcasts face is that they don't
actually come back or they comeback.
But not as into it, as they didbefore.
And then when the listenersdon't skyrocket back up to where
they were right away, that'swhen they give up.
But either way, the biggestthing, when you take a break is
that's the number one sign thatyou are at risk for potentially
(01:05):
pod fading.
And we want to avoid pod fadingor just stopping your podcast
without any sort of ending ornotice, but all costs.
So here's how you can avoidthat.
The first bit of personalstories, I'll give you as an
update.
If you've been listening to whythis is a topic that's close to
home is because we recently inFlorida where I live in
(01:27):
Sarasota, we're in direct lineof hurricane Milton and the
trickle effect of what happensafter hurricane, because it's
not just necessarily the nightof the storm, but.
The devastation afterwards andrecovering from that, I've
learned that can be reallydifficult.
And trying that led to me havingto take a few weeks off from my
normal podcasting routine, itwas a option of either
(01:47):
sacrificing a couple episodes ofthis.
Or sacrificing my client'scontent and that was not an
option for me.
So I did take a few weeks off.
I did post about it.
I did do my best with the littlepost here and we'll get into
kind of what I did in the momentas well as also just celebrating
the fact that I came backbecause I would not leave you
all hanging, but we also haveanother great handful of
(02:10):
episodes on the way.
So when you are having somethinghappen, like catastrophe
happens, life happens and youare no longer able to show up
for your podcast.
The best case scenario is thatyou are able to see it coming in
advance and, That there's amonth or two weeks or three
weeks or however long, if, Acouple of months in advance that
(02:32):
you need to, or want to takethis break.
You can work up to it byavoiding it altogether for your
listeners.
Thanks to the ability to createcontent in advance, batch it.
Like I go over with my clients.
Record through your four or fiveepisodes, all in one or two
sittings, schedule it all outfor release, and you can kinda
keep on releasing that contentwhile you are on your break.
(02:55):
You can even nowadays scheduleall the social media content.
I know some people will say thatthe auto schedulers will hurt
you, but if it's either use anauto scheduler to take a break
or don't take a break at all,the answer is use that auto
scheduler.
So using those tools, you shouldbe able to take a week or two
weeks off.
Easily without your listenersnoticing if you have the ability
(03:18):
and the foresight and theplanning to be able to make sure
that you can have that contentbatched and ready to go.
I quite regularly take a weekoff for my shows where no one
will notice because I am stillhaving the content come out and
I'm still liking and commentingas things happen.
But the actual posting editing,writing, creating, processing,
(03:40):
all of that's already done wellin advance.
It's podcasting.
And magic that you can use to ifyou're able to plan in advance.
So step one, obviously try andplan for your breaks so that
they're not breaks for youraudience, the way that their
brakes for you.
However, occasionally that canhappen like a hurricane.
You can only plan so much inadvance with a couple of days in
(04:00):
advance and then having torecover afterwards.
So in a situation like that, Youalso have the option to
rerelease old content.
If you have more than 25 to 50episodes, especially once you
hit over a hundred episodes.
It takes a very dedicatedlistener to find your show over
(04:20):
a hundred episodes in and.
Have listened to all of theepisodes.
I love to imagine that's whathappens.
And there are days where I knowsomeone finds the show because
they will download.
All 200 something episodes ofone of my shows.
But that is rare and few and farin between compared to people
that will find your showwherever you are releasing, and
(04:42):
then just stick with you weekafter week without ever going
back.
And so when that happens, agreat way that you can take
these breaks, if you don't havetime to.
Create brand new content.
Just take existing content.
Throw an introduction at thebeginning, saying why you chose
this piece of content, whyyou're revisiting it, why it
still matters today and isrelevant.
(05:02):
And there you get a one or twominute introduction that you
have to record the rest of it'sold material that you're going
to reintroduce to your audiencein a new, exciting way.
And then you also got the chanceto then again, where it's a very
small amount of work you'reputting up front to be able to
then take the break.
While you're doing either ofthese methods.
(05:23):
You also want to make sure withtip number three, no matter how
you're taking the break.
And even in a situation likemine, where I wasn't able to
plan.
And it was a newer podcast, thisshow specifically.
So I wasn't able to dive into myvaults for episodes like I did
for my queer and sober one thathad over 200 episodes.
That was very easy for mebecause I just took the two.
(05:46):
Vault episodes.
I created mixed them alltogether and had old content
become new content.
But what I did make sure I didwas let you know my listeners as
soon as I knew.
So what I mean by that is thatif A month in advance that
you're going to be taking amonth off or two weeks off, let
your listeners know, build itinto the format of your
episodes.
(06:06):
Leading up to it in thebeginning of the show, as well
as the end of the show andannouncing that there's going to
be a break.
That way as people are listeningweek after week, if they're used
to waking up every Tuesdaymorning to your show, and it's
not there on Tuesday morning.
If you let them know one, two,even three weeks up in advance.
As they listened to the episodesthat you're going to be taking
that vacation or that trip orthat things happening, they're
(06:29):
going to feel like they're onthe insider's club for knowing
what happened already, becausethey're already listening and
they won't worry about you andthey'll know you're coming back.
So it's a win-win situation whenyou're able to let your
listeners know in advance whenthe break is happening, I
recommend kind of the ratio is aone-to-one.
If you are taking a one weekbreak, Let them know at least
one episode or an advanced.
If you're taking a two weekbreak, try and spend two
(06:50):
episodes leading up to it,mentioning that you're going to
be taking a break.
If it's a month long break fourepisodes, hopefully by this
point, you get how a one-to-oneratio works.
Having that ratio or lettingyour listeners know in advance
multiple times.
Hey, I'm going to be gone for alittle bit.
It's okay.
I'm okay.
We're okay.
The podcast will be back.
I promise.
Makes them feel safe, makes themaware of it and makes them more
(07:13):
likely to return to you when youcome back.
All things you want.
So don't just go away and justfigure eh, then no one will
notice anyway, because mynumbers, aren't what I dream of
them being one day.
So why let the people listeningnow know where I went.
That's not a great mindset tohave for the people that already
know and love you.
You want to make sure you'reletting them know what's going
(07:34):
on with your podcasting.
So announcing your break to theaudience.
One thing, if you can't do itwith the buildup in this case
with the hurricane, again, Ididn't have that chance to let
you all know in advance that Iwould be having this hiatus.
But what I did do at that point,As soon as I realized that I was
going to be gone for a couple ofweeks, I did get behind the
microphone and spend all of oneminute to a minute and a half
(07:56):
explaining the situation that Iwas taking a hiatus uploaded it
as an episode.
So people who are alreadysubscribed and following got the
episode.
If you listen to it, you alreadyknow what I mean.
And if you didn't listen to itand you're like, where is it
now?
It's because you found me afterthis all happened.
And so what I did was I did thatepisode and I am deleting that
(08:20):
episode when I upload thisepisode, because that was a
message for my listeners whowere already listening to my
show.
That I was taking a break.
I don't need to keep that oneand a half minute long episode.
In my feed so that people sixmonths, eight months, one month,
five years down the road, we'llgo back and hear it.
So at that point, that's whenyou do the episodes a
(08:42):
placeholder, a be right backlike I did.
And then when you are backdeleted, so that's like a never
happened.
That's another great way ofmaking sure that you're letting
the people who matter knowwithout making it in your
podcasting history, resumeforever and ever.
I want to make sure that you areusing your communication skills
to be able to announce the breakto your audience.
Not only in the podcasting app,but also on your social media.
(09:04):
Make sure that they also know onsocial media and you post about
it on social media, let themknow.
And finally, you want to makesure that you have a clear
return date.
And that you stick with it.
Yes.
That is the most important partabout taking a break.
As I mentioned at the top of theshow, is that it is just a break
that you're not pod fading away.
(09:25):
Because most people don't say,Hey, I'm going to disappear into
oblivion.
They say, I'm going to take aquick break.
I'll be right back.
And then they don't come back.
So don't be those people knowwhen you are taking a break.
Even for an emergency thatyou're taking a X number of
weeks or days break and thenstick to it.
(09:46):
Plan forward.
And hold yourself accountable,let your listeners know, let
your followers know, let yourfriends and family know that we
have that date happens andyou're not coming back.
Everyone's gonna be like what'sgoing on.
You have to get back into thestudio.
You have to get back into thecontent.
You have to hit record becauseyou have people waiting for you
and you don't want to fade awayinto oblivion and you want to
hold yourself accountable and bethere for them.
(10:07):
Because when you tell them Iwill be back at this state.
There'll be waiting for you andyou don't want to let them down.
So you were creating foryourself a situation where you
will win.
They will win, and your podcastwill win because it will keep
going because you have thatclear return date and you're
going to stick to it.
So with that, if you are able tomake sure best case scenario,
(10:28):
you batch the content.
Backup plan is using old contentand polishing up it's new
content.
Combine those with your clearreturn date and all the other
tips I embedded into thisepisode.
And when you take a break, youwill come back and most of your
listeners will hopefully be backRay, waiting for you with beta
breath and open arms.
So that is my episode for today.
(10:51):
We are back with fourbrainstorming sessions in the
works.
I'm so excited for all four ofthese episodes.
You've got four excitingpotential podcasters getting
ready to get behind the mic andshare what their future podcasts
might look like a while I get tocoach them through how you might
be able to apply their.
Tools and tips and tricks intomaking your own shows, launch or
(11:13):
grow even better.
Keep on podcasting.
Hey there everyone.
And welcome to a brand newepisode of podcasting.
Bad-ass I'm your host, a server,Steve, the podcast guy.
And today we're going to begoing over four tips and tricks.
That you want to make sure youdo when you're taking a pod
break.
Or a break in your podcastingroutine and schedule.
So it's an important lesson thatI had to put into practice more
(00:21):
recently, and we'll get intothat.
And it's something to make surethat you don't pod fake when you
go away.
Because that's the biggest thingthat we risk when we take a
break isn't necessarily thatwe'll lose some listeners
because we will lose somelisteners.
It's just a matter of the fact,if someone's used to showing up
for your show week after week,And then you go away for a
couple of weeks.
People are going to fill theirtime with something else.
(00:42):
It's just natural.
But the biggest problem thatpodcasts face is that they don't
actually come back or they comeback.
But not as into it, as they didbefore.
And then when the listenersdon't skyrocket back up to where
they were right away, that'swhen they give up.
But either way, the biggestthing, when you take a break is
that's the number one sign thatyou are at risk for potentially
(01:05):
pod fading.
And we want to avoid pod fadingor just stopping your podcast
without any sort of ending ornotice, but all costs.
So here's how you can avoidthat.
The first bit of personalstories, I'll give you as an
update.
If you've been listening to whythis is a topic that's close to
home is because we recently inFlorida where I live in
(01:27):
Sarasota, we're in direct lineof hurricane Milton and the
trickle effect of what happensafter hurricane, because it's
not just necessarily the nightof the storm, but.
The devastation afterwards andrecovering from that, I've
learned that can be reallydifficult.
And trying that led to me havingto take a few weeks off from my
normal podcasting routine, itwas a option of either
(01:47):
sacrificing a couple episodes ofthis.
Or sacrificing my client'scontent and that was not an
option for me.
So I did take a few weeks off.
I did post about it.
I did do my best with the littlepost here and we'll get into
kind of what I did in the momentas well as also just celebrating
the fact that I came backbecause I would not leave you
all hanging, but we also haveanother great handful of
(02:10):
episodes on the way.
So when you are having somethinghappen, like catastrophe
happens, life happens and youare no longer able to show up
for your podcast.
The best case scenario is thatyou are able to see it coming in
advance and, That there's amonth or two weeks or three
weeks or however long, if, Acouple of months in advance that
(02:32):
you need to, or want to takethis break.
You can work up to it byavoiding it altogether for your
listeners.
Thanks to the ability to createcontent in advance, batch it.
Like I go over with my clients.
Record through your four or fiveepisodes, all in one or two
sittings, schedule it all outfor release, and you can kinda
keep on releasing that contentwhile you are on your break.
(02:55):
You can even nowadays scheduleall the social media content.
I know some people will say thatthe auto schedulers will hurt
you, but if it's either use anauto scheduler to take a break
or don't take a break at all,the answer is use that auto
scheduler.
So using those tools, you shouldbe able to take a week or two
weeks off.
Easily without your listenersnoticing if you have the ability
(03:18):
and the foresight and theplanning to be able to make sure
that you can have that contentbatched and ready to go.
I quite regularly take a weekoff for my shows where no one
will notice because I am stillhaving the content come out and
I'm still liking and commentingas things happen.
But the actual posting editing,writing, creating, processing,
(03:40):
all of that's already done wellin advance.
It's podcasting.
And magic that you can use to ifyou're able to plan in advance.
So step one, obviously try andplan for your breaks so that
they're not breaks for youraudience, the way that their
brakes for you.
However, occasionally that canhappen like a hurricane.
You can only plan so much inadvance with a couple of days in
(04:00):
advance and then having torecover afterwards.
So in a situation like that, Youalso have the option to
rerelease old content.
If you have more than 25 to 50episodes, especially once you
hit over a hundred episodes.
It takes a very dedicatedlistener to find your show over
(04:20):
a hundred episodes in and.
Have listened to all of theepisodes.
I love to imagine that's whathappens.
And there are days where I knowsomeone finds the show because
they will download.
All 200 something episodes ofone of my shows.
But that is rare and few and farin between compared to people
that will find your showwherever you are releasing, and
(04:42):
then just stick with you weekafter week without ever going
back.
And so when that happens, agreat way that you can take
these breaks, if you don't havetime to.
Create brand new content.
Just take existing content.
Throw an introduction at thebeginning, saying why you chose
this piece of content, whyyou're revisiting it, why it
still matters today and isrelevant.
(05:02):
And there you get a one or twominute introduction that you
have to record the rest of it'sold material that you're going
to reintroduce to your audiencein a new, exciting way.
And then you also got the chanceto then again, where it's a very
small amount of work you'reputting up front to be able to
then take the break.
While you're doing either ofthese methods.
(05:23):
You also want to make sure withtip number three, no matter how
you're taking the break.
And even in a situation likemine, where I wasn't able to
plan.
And it was a newer podcast, thisshow specifically.
So I wasn't able to dive into myvaults for episodes like I did
for my queer and sober one thathad over 200 episodes.
That was very easy for mebecause I just took the two.
(05:46):
Vault episodes.
I created mixed them alltogether and had old content
become new content.
But what I did make sure I didwas let you know my listeners as
soon as I knew.
So what I mean by that is thatif A month in advance that
you're going to be taking amonth off or two weeks off, let
your listeners know, build itinto the format of your
episodes.
(06:06):
Leading up to it in thebeginning of the show, as well
as the end of the show andannouncing that there's going to
be a break.
That way as people are listeningweek after week, if they're used
to waking up every Tuesdaymorning to your show, and it's
not there on Tuesday morning.
If you let them know one, two,even three weeks up in advance.
As they listened to the episodesthat you're going to be taking
that vacation or that trip orthat things happening, they're
(06:29):
going to feel like they're onthe insider's club for knowing
what happened already, becausethey're already listening and
they won't worry about you andthey'll know you're coming back.
So it's a win-win situation whenyou're able to let your
listeners know in advance whenthe break is happening, I
recommend kind of the ratio is aone-to-one.
If you are taking a one weekbreak, Let them know at least
one episode or an advanced.
If you're taking a two weekbreak, try and spend two
(06:50):
episodes leading up to it,mentioning that you're going to
be taking a break.
If it's a month long break fourepisodes, hopefully by this
point, you get how a one-to-oneratio works.
Having that ratio or lettingyour listeners know in advance
multiple times.
Hey, I'm going to be gone for alittle bit.
It's okay.
I'm okay.
We're okay.
The podcast will be back.
I promise.
Makes them feel safe, makes themaware of it and makes them more
(07:13):
likely to return to you when youcome back.
All things you want.
So don't just go away and justfigure eh, then no one will
notice anyway, because mynumbers, aren't what I dream of
them being one day.
So why let the people listeningnow know where I went.
That's not a great mindset tohave for the people that already
know and love you.
You want to make sure you'reletting them know what's going
(07:34):
on with your podcasting.
So announcing your break to theaudience.
One thing, if you can't do itwith the buildup in this case
with the hurricane, again, Ididn't have that chance to let
you all know in advance that Iwould be having this hiatus.
But what I did do at that point,As soon as I realized that I was
going to be gone for a couple ofweeks, I did get behind the
microphone and spend all of oneminute to a minute and a half
(07:56):
explaining the situation that Iwas taking a hiatus uploaded it
as an episode.
So people who are alreadysubscribed and following got the
episode.
If you listen to it, you alreadyknow what I mean.
And if you didn't listen to itand you're like, where is it
now?
It's because you found me afterthis all happened.
And so what I did was I did thatepisode and I am deleting that
(08:20):
episode when I upload thisepisode, because that was a
message for my listeners whowere already listening to my
show.
That I was taking a break.
I don't need to keep that oneand a half minute long episode.
In my feed so that people sixmonths, eight months, one month,
five years down the road, we'llgo back and hear it.
So at that point, that's whenyou do the episodes a
(08:42):
placeholder, a be right backlike I did.
And then when you are backdeleted, so that's like a never
happened.
That's another great way ofmaking sure that you're letting
the people who matter knowwithout making it in your
podcasting history, resumeforever and ever.
I want to make sure that you areusing your communication skills
to be able to announce the breakto your audience.
Not only in the podcasting app,but also on your social media.
(09:04):
Make sure that they also know onsocial media and you post about
it on social media, let themknow.
And finally, you want to makesure that you have a clear
return date.
And that you stick with it.
Yes.
That is the most important partabout taking a break.
As I mentioned at the top of theshow, is that it is just a break
that you're not pod fading away.
(09:25):
Because most people don't say,Hey, I'm going to disappear into
oblivion.
They say, I'm going to take aquick break.
I'll be right back.
And then they don't come back.
So don't be those people knowwhen you are taking a break.
Even for an emergency thatyou're taking a X number of
weeks or days break and thenstick to it.
(09:46):
Plan forward.
And hold yourself accountable,let your listeners know, let
your followers know, let yourfriends and family know that we
have that date happens andyou're not coming back.
Everyone's gonna be like what'sgoing on.
You have to get back into thestudio.
You have to get back into thecontent.
You have to hit record becauseyou have people waiting for you
and you don't want to fade awayinto oblivion and you want to
hold yourself accountable and bethere for them.
(10:07):
Because when you tell them Iwill be back at this state.
There'll be waiting for you andyou don't want to let them down.
So you were creating foryourself a situation where you
will win.
They will win, and your podcastwill win because it will keep
going because you have thatclear return date and you're
going to stick to it.
So with that, if you are able tomake sure best case scenario,
(10:28):
you batch the content.
Backup plan is using old contentand polishing up it's new
content.
Combine those with your clearreturn date and all the other
tips I embedded into thisepisode.
And when you take a break, youwill come back and most of your
listeners will hopefully be backRay, waiting for you with beta
breath and open arms.
So that is my episode for today.
(10:51):
We are back with fourbrainstorming sessions in the
works.
I'm so excited for all four ofthese episodes.
You've got four excitingpotential podcasters getting
ready to get behind the mic andshare what their future podcasts
might look like a while I get tocoach them through how you might
be able to apply their.
Tools and tips and tricks intomaking your own shows, launch or
(11:13):
grow even better.
Keep on podcasting.
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