How many podcast episodes should you launch with?

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How many podcast episodes should you launch with is an interesting question teams ponder when starting a new podcast. Of course, arguments can be made to start with just one or with multiple.

So let’s talk through what should be considered when it comes to a new podcast and the number of episodes needed to get going.

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Launching your new podcast with multiple episodes

Perhaps, it looks better when a new podcast launches with multiple episodes. Hey, there’s more than one episode here. But does it really matter? Do people even notice?

And will listeners who just discovered the podcast really listen to 5 or 8, or more episodes? Probably not if it’s a talk-show-type podcast where each episode can stand on its own. I know I rarely go back and listen to previous episodes of a podcast in my feed. Now, I might stumble across an older podcast episode while searching for something, but that’s different.

But if the podcast is a serial-type show where each episode starts building on each other, a release of multiple episodes to launch and even a season-by-season release might make sense. Some crime podcasts might fit this mold here, but I’m not so sure that most business podcasts fit the serial-style release for listening.

Another reason to launch with multiple episodes might be that you already have a bunch of content that can be used as early episodes. Those might be previous webinars that follow a similar style or previous video projects that were a podcast but not quite. Using these with a short intro section – with the show’s formal opening and an explanation of what this episode is about- is a great way to repurpose content.

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Launching your new podcast with just one episode

From a content workflow and performance perspective, launching an episode a week generally makes more sense to me. Some podcasts don’t even launch with one episode. They publish the trailer. The first episode follows later.

Let’s unpack some of the advantages of publishing one episode at a time:

• Producing an episode a week gets the team on a schedule. The quantity of production can help us reach our quality goals. 
• You can see what works and what doesn’t work. Publishing one episode at a time allows you to make slight changes to the content and the process going forward. Over 600 episodes into The Business Storytelling Show, I still learn new things all the time.
• Content that doesn’t get published can’t perform. The same holds for podcast episodes. The quicker you get quality episodes out there, the faster they have a chance to be listened to.

When you live stream your podcast

Given that I wrote an entire book on the topic of live streaming your podcast, you might imagine that I am a fan of broadcasting every episode as you are recording it. So, if that’s the model, you’re going to follow the answer to the question of how many episodes should you launch with is one because each episode will be live streamed.

Launching new podcast episodes continuously

Of course, once your podcast has been launched, it’s just as important to keep publishing and promoting it. So many shows do a handful of episodes and then stop. Podcasting – like most organic content strategies – is a long game that works when the content is relevant, valuable, and consistent.

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