How to grow a podcast? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. The ideal length depends on factors like your topic, target audience, and the format of your show. Some podcasts thrive at a quick 10-minute runtime, while others captivate listeners for an hour or more.
Finding the right balance is key. When you’re starting, getting the length just right can help you grow your podcast and keep your audience engaged. Understanding your listeners, your content, and your podcast goals will guide you toward determining the best episode length for your show.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how long your podcast should be, how to keep your episodes engaging, and how adjusting your episode length can help you grow a loyal audience. Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve your existing show, we’ve got tips to help you make your podcast a success. So, let’s dive into how to find the perfect podcast length and use it to grow your audience!
How To Grow a Podcast
Target Your Specific Audience
Before you dive into growing your podcast, take some time to figure out who your audience is. While it might be tempting to think, “My podcast is for everyone!” the truth is that finding your niche is key to growing your listeners. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, focus on what makes your podcast unique and who would benefit most from it.
The more specific your topic, the easier it will be to attract and connect with the right audience. For example, the creators of “Growing Up Halal” focus on a very specific community: young Muslim-American women who feel underrepresented. Similarly, Angela Belt’s podcast “The Mood Board,” explores the intersection of race, culture, and interior design—topics that align closely with her identity and interests.
If your podcast jumps between different topics, genres, or tones, consider narrowing your focus. A consistent theme or message will make it easier to build a loyal audience.
Research Your Podcast Audience
To grow your podcast, you need to know your audience well. Start by asking questions like:
- Where do they live?
- What are their interests?
- What other podcasts do they listen to?
Spotify for Creators offers built-in analytics that provides useful demographic data and trends about your current listeners. Dive into these stats to understand who your audience is and what they enjoy.
You can also do your research to learn where your listeners are most active online. For example:
- Do they use social media?
- Are there hashtags, forums, or subreddits they follow?
By figuring out where your audience already spends their time, you’ll know how to reach them more effectively. You can even use Spotify’s polls feature to directly ask your listeners for feedback.
Match Your Strategy to Your Podcast’s Mission
Think about your podcast’s mission and format to determine where your audience is likely to engage.
- For business- or education-focused podcasts: Your listeners might be more active on professional platforms like LinkedIn or email. In these cases, starting a newsletter could be a great way to reach them and share updates.
- For entertainment or pop culture podcasts: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are perfect for engaging with an audience that loves to stay entertained and follow trends.
Understanding where your audience hangs out will help you create content tailored to their preferences.
Use Spotify Wrapped for Creators
Spotify Wrapped for Creators is an excellent resource for understanding your audience better. Every year, it provides key insights like:
- How many loyal fans do you have who regularly listen to your episodes?
- Your most popular episode
- Your top listener countries
- The most popular times your audience tunes in
- Other genres your audience enjoys
This data gives you the tools to offer your listeners more of what they love. For example, you can replicate the elements of your most popular episodes, cater to trends in your top listener countries, or experiment with topics from other genres your audience enjoys.
By combining research, analytics, and a clear understanding of your audience, you’ll be able to grow your podcast and create content that resonates.
Research Your Podcast Audience
To grow your podcast, you need to understand who your audience is. Start by asking: Where do they live? What do they like? What other podcasts do they listen to? Spotify for Creators gives you helpful data about your listeners, so you can learn more about their age, location, and interests. Use this information to get a better idea of who your audience is.
You can also do your research to find out where your listeners spend time online. Do they use social media? Do they follow certain hashtags or join specific online groups like subreddits? Knowing where they are online will help you connect with them more easily. You can even ask your listeners directly using Spotify’s polls feature.
Remember to think about your podcast’s purpose. If your show is about business or education, your audience may spend more time on professional platforms like LinkedIn or read emails. In this case, sending a newsletter might work well to reach them.
If your podcast is more about entertainment or pop culture, platforms like TikTok and Instagram are better places to connect with your audience. These platforms are great for engaging people who want to stay updated on trends and enjoy fun content.
Spotify Wrapped for Creators also gives you useful insights into your audience. Every year, you’ll learn things like:
- How many loyal fans listen to most of your episodes?
- Your most popular episode
- The top countries where your listeners are
- The best times your audience listens
- Other music or podcasts your audience enjoys
This data can help you create content that your fans love, from making more of what works to exploring new topics or trends in your top countries. With these insights, you can give your audience exactly what they want and keep them coming back for more.
Engage with Your Listeners
Once you’ve identified your audience, the next important step is to build a strong connection with them. Depending on who you’re targeting, some platforms may be more effective than others in reaching your listeners. Therefore, spreading the word across all the channels where they are most active is key to connecting with your fans.
Additionally, creating opportunities for your audience to interact with your show will help you build a community around it. By fostering a sense of belonging, you encourage loyalty and long-term engagement. For example, the Teenager Therapy podcast excels at engaging with its audience. They’ve created a space where young people can share their experiences, struggles, and questions. As a result, they’ve built a strong, supportive community of listeners who feel seen and heard.
Add Video to Your Podcast Content
With video podcasts on Spotify, you now have the option to record your entire episode as a video. This not only lets your audience listen but also watch your content, giving them more ways to enjoy your show. By adding video, you can reach a broader audience. Some listeners may prefer to watch the episode directly on their screens, while others might enjoy playing it in the background while multitasking.
Moreover, video content is becoming increasingly popular, and podcasts are no exception. In fact, video can offer a significant boost to your podcast. From the creator’s point of view, adding video to your Spotify podcast offers several key advantages:
- First, it allows your audience to put a face to your voice, which helps them connect with you on a deeper level.
- Additionally, it provides an opportunity to tap into the over 170 million Spotify users who watch video podcasts. That’s a huge potential audience!
- Furthermore, once you create video content, you can easily repurpose it for other platforms, increasing the chance of your content going viral.
- What’s more, the number of people watching video podcasts on Spotify has grown by 40% year-over-year, and the number of podcasters publishing videos has increased by nearly 70%. This shows that there’s a significant shift happening, and now is the ideal time to embrace this trend.
If you already create video content for other platforms, you’re well-equipped to reach Spotify users who enjoy visuals with their podcasts. You can easily adapt your existing videos to make them available to this new audience.
If you haven’t yet explored video, consider turning on your camera the next time you record an episode. The great thing is, you don’t need a professional setup. Your phone is enough to get started, and it will allow you to create more content without overwhelming your workflow.
What is the Ideal Podcast Length?
As we’ve discussed, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how long your podcast should be. However, we can look at general trends and benchmarks for different podcast types. Here are some ideal podcast lengths based on different genres:
Short Podcasts (10-20 minutes)
- Best for quick tips, news updates, or personal stories.
- Perfect for busy listeners who want to consume content during their commute or while doing household chores.
- Examples: “The Daily,” “The Short Podcast,” or any podcast that delivers small, digestible pieces of content.
Medium-Length Podcasts (20-40 minutes)
- Great for educational content, interviews, and deep dives on a specific topic.
- Suitable for a podcast that combines entertainment and information.
- Examples: “The Tim Ferriss Show,” “How I Built This,” and “Freakonomics Radio.”
Long-Form Podcasts (45-90 minutes)
- Ideal for podcasts that dive deep into topics, tell stories, or feature in-depth interviews.
- Perfect for listeners who enjoy long-form content and detailed discussions.
- Examples: “Joe Rogan Experience,” “This American Life,” or “Armchair Expert.”
Final Thoughts
Determining how long your podcast has to be is an important step in crafting a show that resonates with your audience. While there’s no fixed rule, focus on delivering high-quality, engaging content that fits your format and style.
At the same time, remember that consistency, engagement, and promotion are the keys to growing your podcast. Experiment with different lengths, gather feedback, and refine your approach to create a podcast that keeps listeners coming back for more.
Start creating episodes that stand out today—and watch your podcast grow! 🎙️