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We are used to seasons on TV shows, so it makes sense to think about podcast seasons for podcast episodes. But does it make sense to publish podcasts that way, and when should you consider it?
That’s the topic of this article.
Article sections
What are podcast seasons?
Advantages of podcast seasons
Disadvantages to podcast seasons
How to decide whether seasons are the way for your podcast!
What are podcast seasons?
Podcasts that publish in seasons usually release:
- several episodes at once (think how Netflix does this). However, this practice isn’t super common yet for podcasts.
- one episode at a time until the season’s releases are complete. This is more common and similar to how appointment-TV viewing has worked for decades.
Once all the episodes have been published, there’s usually a break until the next season, just like on TV.
I’ve seen seasons with six or 20 episodes, so there are no hard and fast rules of how many episodes should make up one season. However, as podcast host Michael Buzinski shared on episode 700 of The Business Storytelling Show, “I have prescribed to 13 episodes per season – one per week.” This quarterly approach then aligns with business planning cycles.
On the flipside, podcasts that don’t publish podcast seasons keep posting at their usual intervals. For example, The Business Storytelling Show publishes a new episode every three days. There have been over 500 episodes, but no Season 1, Season 2, and so forth. It’s just an ongoing activity.
Read next: Should I publish my podcast on television?
What are the advantages of podcast seasons?
Seasons can make sense if your podcast tells an ongoing story and if that story or content thread gets mentioned and tied together through a season.
For a corporate branded podcast, that might mean that Season 1 covers the topic of customer preferences in retail, for example. Season 2 might cover how to handle parking issues in retail. And so forth. Each subject could then have a handful of episodes with guests discussing different aspects of the topic.
“What that allows me to do is be able to focus on certain aspects of our overarching topic,” Michael said. For example, his show dedicated an entire season to exploring AI in marketing, bringing in specialized guests and examining different angles of the subject.
Seasons also might help with production for teams that are new to podcasting. For example, they can go on a sprint every few months or whatnot, publish a season and then move on to other tasks. Then, at some point, it’s time again to produce Season 2.
“Start out by recording an entire season and having it in the can before you even start broadcasting,” Michael advised. “Now you’re automatically 13 weeks out.”
For brands that work with podcast agencies, billing per season might be easier.
In theory, breaks between seasons could help busy executives who often host them.
What are the disadvantages of podcast seasons?
Audiences might forget about your podcast. It’s hard to build a habit when it keeps getting interrupted. For example, I seek out some of my favorite podcasts on the days they usually publish. How would I keep track of when a new season starts? It’s like building a relationship over and over.
With seasons, it could be essential to tie each season together somehow. That could be through a specific story or theme. However, booking guests can be hard enough even without that relatedness requirement. So that could create a bit of a barrier to making this easy.
Sometimes when people publish seasons, they publish all the episodes at the same time which can be good but also bad. Like take the example where a bunch of episodes dropped at the same time. It’s impossible for me to keep up on them in my ever-updating podcast feed.
Read next: How to make podcast scheduling easy and automated
How to decide whether seasons are the way for your podcast
As usual, it all depends on your goal and availability. I use my podcasts as a centerpiece to get content for every other channel that I need content for. That includes my blog, emails, and social media. So, I need that content from the podcast episodes to make the overall content strategy an success.
Podcasts also are a great way to learn new things and hear unique perspectives from guests. It’s not like I create the podcast as a standalone content asset, but it acts as an essential piece to the overall success of the content strategy. From that perspective, doing one season with 12 episodes each year wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be nearly enough source content for the rest of my content initiatives.
“My team has already started on the outline of next season, which starts in January,” Michael said.
This level of advance planning can be beneficial if you have the resources, but it might not work for everyone.
On the other hand, if the podcast is a standalone piece for some general awareness and content on additional channels, it might be a better idea to go with seasons.
Read next: [Read this before starting your podcast] Going live – Livestream your podcast to reach more people
You’ll also want to decide how to number episodes. I know some seasonal podcasters list them like this:
Season 1:
- (Episode) 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Season 2:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Sometimes that can look like this in the Title:
2: < Title of episode>
But if that’s Season 13 it can look like it’s a brand-new podcast to the casual observer. After all, it’s just episode No. 2. The Title could also be:
S23 E3
But of course, that adds characters to the title, too.
On my ongoing show, I just list it as:
522: <title of episode>
How many episodes are in a podcast season?
If you decide to publish seasons, you have to decide how many episodes a season has. That number can vary widely, and there’s no clear-cut answer.
- You could follow a spring season or fall season model and publish 10-20 episodes in each.
- Another option is to call each calendar year a season.
- You could also do seasons based on topics. Season 1 has six episodes and covers ABM, for example. Season 2 has eight and covers personas. The biggest problem with this model is that episodes might be similar and not spaced out.
Typically, for me, the ongoing podcast strategy makes the most sense. But as Michael says: “Don’t be so stuck in the system. If you make the rules, you just make a new rule.” There can be reasons for either ongoing or seasonal podcast releases. Whatever you decide, make sure it makes sense with the overarching strategy. And keep going for a while. Podcasting – like many organic content initiatives can take time to fully develop its potential.
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