written by
David Hooper

Will Fewer Episodes Help You Grow Your Podcast?

Podcast Marketing 3 min read

When I was single, I limited my first date with somebody to an hour. This was for two reasons.

  1. If I didn’t like the person, or she didn't like me, we didn't waste much time.
  2. If things did go well, we each left the date wanting more.

Stop while you’re hot. And if something isn't working, stop that too. Everybody knows the first slice of pizza you eat tastes much better than the last, when you're already stuffed.

So why do podcasters think doing more episodes will help them grow their audiences?How did we get the idea that "more" is better?

"More" is the Lazy Podcaster's Marketing Secret

When something isn't selling, the first thing an inexperienced salesman does is drop the price. This can be done in one of two ways – actually dropping the price or adding additional goods and services.

Both yield the same result – more stuff for less money.

"More" appeals to the gluttonous nature of people. And because many people do think more of something means they're getting a better deal, it may give you a boost in sales, or downloads, or whatever your metric is. But is it really good for you or the customer you’re working with in the long term?

Not necessarily. Especially in podcasting.

People Don’t Want “More"

Sure, they’ll say they do, but only for things that come with some kind of restriction. In other words, the things they feel like they can’t have more of.

Money. That girl who plays hard to get. Something exclusive.

"Unlimited" is nice in theory, but people have a better experience with something when there are limits on it and they have to work to get it. Apple understands this. And the nightclub that keeps you waiting outside the door, even when nobody is inside, gets it too.

Think about this with your podcast. Podcast listeners don't want "more" either.

A daily podcast may be great to flood the Apple Podcasts directory with search engine results, but if those results are overwhelming to your potential audience and fewer people listen to your podcast because of this, what's the point?

What You Really Want As A Podcaster

As a podcaster, you don't want "more" either. At least when it comes to listener volume.

Not all listeners are created equal, so "more" listeners for your podcast won't necessarily get you where you want to go.

What you want is to connect with the people who are listening to your podcast and have them to respond to what you’re doing. When you do this, you don't need search engines to point new listeners to your podcast because your current listeners, the ones you're connecting with, will find new listeners for you by sharing your podcast with others.

How well you connect with listeners has very little to do with the volume of podcast episodes (or other content) you create. Yes, in order for people to listen to your message, you have to release something, but a weekly or bi-weekly show is fine. You certainly don't have to do a daily podcast.

Think Like A Musician

Sometimes the most powerful songs are those recorded with just a singer and an acoustic guitar. And sometimes the most famous musicians in the world only have a couple of albums recorded.

"Less is more." And this rule applies to podcasting. You connect with people based on quality of work, not quantity.

Make it better, not bigger. "Bigger" can overwhelm your audience, but "better" will improve your connection with the people who hear you and make impact.

YOU DON'T NEED ANOTHER NEWSLETTER! But since you're here, how about one to help you grow your podcast audience?
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