What is the best length for a podcast?
- It’s a lot of talking. Speaking for 30 to 45 minutes is tiring. And that’s only if you record it perfectly the first time. ...
- You don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off (unless you have a partner or team behind the scenes) or help you promote.
- If you’re nervous behind the mic, you may need to practice a bit before recording for your first episode.
How long is the average podcast?
The overall average length of a podcast in 2019 is about 37 minutes; the average length of a podcast in the video games category is twice that. But that 37 minutes figure includes all podcasts, whether they’re popular or not. How long is a popular one? It turns out that the average length of a top 100 podcast (in October 2018) is 53 minutes.
How long should a podcast be?
Make sure you also join my weekly LIVE Podcast every Friday at 12 pm GMT / 8 am EST / 5 am ... on 30th or 60th second they hoover the mouse over the video to see how long it is. If you can deliver your TEDx talk in maximum 8 minutes you will have the ...
What is the ideal length for a podcast interview?
- There are currently over 750,000 podcasts out for people to listen to [ source]
- Over 30% of the US population listens to podcasts monthly [ source]
- 49% of podcast listeners listen at home while 22% listen while driving [ source]
- Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of 6 shows [ source]
- The average podcast lasts about 43 minutes [ source]
What is the average listening time for a podcast?
3. The average listening time for Americans who listen to podcasts is 6 hours 39 mins per week. 4.
Is a 15 minute podcast too short?
No, it can't be too short. There is no definitive time which a podcast has to reach. Shorter podcasts leave you less time to deliver information, engage and entertain, but can work well if you have a lot of useful tips to share.
How long should a good podcast last?
If you know your listeners are listening in during their commute, keep your podcast to between 20 and 30 minutes. If your listeners do their housework while they listen, 15 to 60 minutes will keep them entertained.
How long should your first podcast be?
Anywhere from 3-6 minutes is common. It doesn't look like you're demanding too much of a listener's time – because they probably don't know anything about you at this stage, and so, have no loyalty towards you. Of course, you should never feel obliged to record any episode based on a time length recommendation.
How often do podcasts fail?
Less than 20% of the podcasts that have launched this year will make it to next year. Most podcasts fail. If you've launched a podcast or are thinking about launching one, you don't want to put in all that work just to see your experiment get canned in a few months.
How long is a solo podcast?
Depending on the podcast, episodes can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 2-3 hours – wow! But, what's important to remember here is that, as a solo host, you'll be the only person talking the entire time.
Is an hour too long for a podcast?
But the general theory of podcast episode lengths is simple. If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 1 hour, then it's too long. If If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 20 minutes, then it's too short.
Do podcasts make money?
Sponsorships are the most common way podcasters make money. This is when the podcast promotes the sponsor during the show. You probably hear your favorite shows plug their advertisers a few times in every episode. How much you earn from a sponsor depends on the number of downloads your episodes earn.
How often should I release a podcast?
Weekly. A weekly podcast publishing frequency is great if you're covering trending news or have an interview-style or storytelling-type podcast. Publishing on a weekly basis is perfect for episodes over 30 minutes because it allows your fans time to actually listen to your episode and get excited about the next one.
How do you know if your podcast is successful?
Download numbers are one of the most obvious metrics for measuring the success of your podcast. Download stats are immediately accessible to you, from the minute you launch your first episode. Watching the numbers climb can be rewarding. Some might even say addictive.
What's the best day to release a podcast?
Research from Megaphone reveals that most podcasters publish the newest episodes on Wednesday, Tuesday, and Thursday (in that order) between 2 AM and 5 AM, with 5 AM gaining the max amount of downloads. According to Megaphone, podcasts that publish episodes on Tuesdays at 5 AM are downloaded the most.
How much does a popular podcast make?
Income from Popular Podcasts The Dave Ramsey Show has 13 million weekly listeners and earns nearly $10 million in annual income. Shepard Armchair Expert earns $9 million a year with almost 20 million monthly listeners. The Bill Simmons Podcast earns $7 million yearly income. Chapo Trap House makes $2 million each year.
How long should a podcast be?
Here's the bottom line – if your episode contains a solid 20 minutes of good content that delivers on its title and serves your audience, then 20 minutes is the perfect podcast episode length.
What dictates the length of a podcast?
So the bottom line is that the only thing that can dictate the “correct” length of your podcast episodes is your content!
Should I Avoid Overly Long Podcast Episodes?
Arguably, one of the biggest shows on the planet is Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.
Why are all episodes the same length?
They're all similar lengths because that's generally how long it takes to present your content. You can deviate from that now and then if the content dictates. But having absolutely no consistency in your episode lengths could be jarring for your listeners, and prevent you from growing your audience. It could easily give off the impression of ...
How long can you play a show on your phone?
You can play 5 minutes of a show whilst making your breakfast in the morning, another 15 on the trip to work, then listen to the rest on the way home. Or even the next day or week. It's just as easy to plug your car speakers into your phone as it is a set of earbuds.
Do you have to be wrapped up for podcasting?
You don't need to be wrapped up on the hour so they can cut to the news. Podcasting is on-demand content, so take as long as you need to create a great episode. But once you've achieved that, be mindful not to drag it out any longer.
Is 40 minutes too short for a podcast?
If If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 20 minutes, then it's too short. And if you're consistent and organised with your content, then it's likely your episodes will fall within a certain length range overall. Content shouldn't be made to fit length. Length should be made to fit content.
How long is a podcast?
The average podcast episode length on a Buzzsprout review is 38 minutes. 38 minutes and 42 seconds to be exact according to research. Keep in mind that people who have hours and hours to dedicate to podcast listening tend to be in the minority, which is why a lot of podcasts are between 20 minutes and 30 minutes while some get up to 60 minutes.
What is the Average Podcast Length?
The podcast episode length can vary dramatically; therefore, it may be helpful to look at a few specific podcast examples and talk about the average length for podcast episodes.
How Much Time Do You Have?
While much of the conversation about podcast length involves thinking about the audience, you should also think about yourself. Few people have the time and energy to devote hours and hours to podcasting each week consistently. You do not need to feel bad if you are not one of those people; you just need to be honest with yourself and with your listeners. Making one fantastic podcast episode every two weeks is much better than throwing together a lackluster show every week.
Why is podcast content important?
This is an important question to ask because the odds are that many of your listeners are listening to your podcast on their way to and from work. Audio and Podcast content works well for commuting in comparison to YouTube because it allows people to keep their eyes on the road or the way they are going while still allowing them to get new information. If you can find out what your audience’s average commute is, then that could influence how long you choose to make your podcast.
How to get a better idea of how long a podcast should be?
Consider asking your audience what the average length of their commute is as well as how long they would like to spend listening to your content to get a better idea of how long your podcast specifically should be. Use information directly from your audience whenever possible to be sure you are serving your listeners as best you can.
What happens if you don't give yourself enough time for podcasting?
If you do not give yourself enough time for audio editing after recording, then you will likely end up with a podcast that is not of the right quality for your show.
How long is the longest podcast?
The longest continuous podcast episode ever spanned 36 hours. Mike Russell of UK Podcasters gave up sleep to record continually for a day and a half. While this was a one-time endeavor, podcasts out there regularly record episodes that clock in at several hours long.
How Long is the Average Podcast?
The No Such Thing as a Fish podcast tends to average around 40 minutes per episode. Some episodes are longer, some shorter but mostly they’re around this mark.
How many podcasts are there?
There are now over 660,000 podcasts, all of which vary in length. The Longest Podcast in the World clocks in at 36 hours and the world’s shortest is just under a second long ( though that was probably an accident ). The 60-Second Science podcast is an example of a great non-accidental short podcast.
Is it better to have a podcast than an hour?
Podcasts are about quality, not quantity. It’s better to release a podcast that is 20 minutes of great content than an hour of substandard content.
How Long are Podcasts, on Average?
If you're trying to decide on how long your podcast should be, then it might help to get an answer to the question: how long is the average podcast?
How Many Podcast Episodes Are There?
In this case, we're going by industry estimates here, rather than solid facts:
How Many People Know What a Podcast Is?
There continues to be good growth in the simple act of knowing what a podcast is, year on year:
How Often Does the Average Podcast Publish an Episode?
Similarly, if you're asking, how often should I release my podcast, here's what Buzzsprout's Podcast statistics show about the average.
What Organisations are Collating Podcast Statistics?
The Infinite Dial report , a survey conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, is probably the most popular databank and survey on the state of Podcast industry statistics in the United States, especially audio. The Rajar Midas survey is the equivalent in the UK.
How Many Podcasts Are There, Right Now?
In total, how many podcasts are there in the world? This includes ALL shows, from 1 episode podfaders to 1000+ episode legends.
How Many Active Podcasts are There?
The stats show that 59% of the podcasts on Apple Podcasts are currently active. That means they've released a new episode in the past 90 days. That means that:
How long should a podcast be?
As a result, podcasts range from as short as a minute to as long as 3+ hours. But what do listeners really want?
How long is a podcast session?
At the same time the average number of podcasts listened went from 4.5 to 7. The authors did note that 56% of those surveyed listened to podcasts in multiple sessions - meaning they continued listening to episodes beyond a single session.
Why are NPR shows so long?
Popular shows from NPR and the like are long because they’re built for the radio broadcast schedule first. Celebrity-driven shows like Joe Rogan’s might have a higher tolerance for longness thanks to the rabid fanbases of the host and celebrity guests.
How long is a good sweet spot for NPR?
NPR goes on to say their data also suggests that 18-30 minutes may be a “sweet spot” for keeping an audience engaged. NPR isn’t saying much about its methodology here, but we can assume they’re working from a large, if NPR-centric, data set.
Is it better to have a longer podcast or a longer podcast?
As you may have guessed by now, there isn’t an ideal length. Yes, there’s some evidence that shorter is better, but many long shows are thriving. Just look at the Apple Podcasts top 50 chart:
Do podcasts collect listener data?
Aggregate podcast listening data is still hard to come by, since publishing and listening are so decentralized. In many cases we don’t even know if a user actually listened after downloading. In other cases, app makers and hosting providers collect detailed listener data, but won’t share that information publicly, or even with the podcasters themselves. All that to say that the data we’re about to discuss should be taken with a grain of salt. With that said, let’s see if we can infer anything from the available information.
How long should a podcast be?
But on the opposite side, a monthly podcast should not necessarily be a two- or four-hour-long episode.
How long should each podcast episode be?
The length of each episode greatly depends on your frequency. Unless you have an extremely loyal following, releasing one-hour episodes every day (under the same podcast, that is) seems overkill. If a subscribe goes on a one-week vacation, they'll return to five hours of that show's content, which can be very hard for catching up.
How frequently should you podcast?
If you talk about a weekly TV show, then it's probably obvious that you should have a weekly podcast. But have you also considered a semiweekly (two a week) episode? Perhaps an initial-reactions episode immediately after the TV show airs, and then a later, more thought-out episode with feedback. Cliff Ravenscraft's Weekly Lost Podcast followed this format.
How long is a good sweet spot?
The sweet spot seems to be 30–45 minutes. It's short enough that many can probably listen during their commute (either one-way or round-trip). However long you decide to make your episodes, have a good reason! Don't let yourself ramble on for two hours in one episode if you regularly release half-hour episodes.
Is Children's Ministry a biweekly podcast?
Some podcasts are biweekly, while others are even monthly. Subscribe to any monthly podcast, such as Children's Ministry Monthly, and you'll see that episodes are not released on a consistent schedule.
How many people listen to podcasts in the US?
37% (104 million) listened to a podcast in the last month – up from 32% in 2019 (Infinite Dial 20) 24% (68 million) listen to podcasts weekly – up from 22% in 2019 (Infinite Dial 20) 16 million people in the US are “avid podcast fans” (Nielsen Q1 2018)
How many podcasts are there on Apple?
Apple Podcasts … features more than 500,000 active podcasts, including content in more than 100 languages.
Which country has the highest podcast listening rate?
South Korea leads the world in the percentage of people who have listened to a podcast in the past month with 58%.
How many podcasts were there at WWDC 2018?
To highlight the growth, Apple confirmed there were over 550,000 podcasts at WWDC 2018 in early June. An article published April 25, 2018, by FastCompany states there are: Over 525,000 active shows and over 18.5 million episodes.
1. There are over 2 million podcasts
Currently, there are more than two million active podcasts, according to Podcast Insights 2021. Three years ago, there were only about a quarter of that. With regards to the number of podcast episodes specifically, as of April 2021 there were over 48 million episodes.
9. Eight Podcasts Are Listened to Per Week On Average
According to The Infinite Dial 2021, US weekly podcast listeners averaged eight podcasts in the last week. Only 11% of US podcast listeners older than 12 listened to only one podcast in the last week. Most (21%) listened to about five, while 19% listened to anything from six to 10 podcasts per week.
10. Average Time Spent Listening to Online Audio Was Down in 2020
Surprisingly, according to The Infinite Dial, the average time spent listening to online audio was down in 2020. In 2019, online audio listeners older than 12 spent an average of 16 hours and 43 minutes per week. In 2020, it was only 15 hours and 12 minutes – more than an hour less.
11. Podcast Listening Peaks in the Morning
According to The MIDAS Survey, the listening peak for podcasts is between 08:15 and 08:30 a.m. Other popular times include between 11:00 and 11:15 a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m.
12. Radio Is the Most Popular Audio Source While Driving
When it comes to audio sources in the car, AM/FM radio still outperformed podcasts in 2020. According to The Infinite Dial, only 28% used podcasts as an audio source in the car, compared to 81% that tuned into radio stations.
13. Mobile Phones Are the Preferred Device
The car stereo system might not be the preferred source for podcast listening, but the mobile phone definitely is. Mobile phones account for 79% of the podcast listening hours! The second most-used device is laptops (15%) with tablets (6%) in third spot.
14. More Men Listen to Podcasts
In the UK, podcasting is slightly more popular among men. The MIDAS Survey found that in 2020 54% of men compared to 46% of women listen to podcasts.
A Quick Clarification on Podcast Length
Ideal Podcast Episode Length Is Determined by Content
- Here’s the bottom line – if your episode contains a solid 20 minutes of good content that delivers on its title and serves your audience, then 20 minutes is the perfect podcast episode length. Why stretch that out to an hour, or cut it down to 15 minutes? That’s just putting artificial roadblocks in front of you in your quest to make the best conte...
What About Listening Habits?
- Over the years I’ve heard people try to answer the question of podcast episode length by referring to things like average commuter times. Or the time it takes someone to have a shower. I don’t buy that these are relevant to podcast listening, because you can stop and start listening to episodes wherever and whenever you like. You can play 5 minutes of a show whilst making your breakfas…
Should All My Podcast Episodes Be The Same length?
- The same rules apply here: you should never stretch something out if it’s finished, or cut it short if it’s not. There’s definitely a benefit to having some consistency here though. Loyal listeners will come to expect your episodes to be within a certain length range. But you get into that position by having a system, process, and routine in place for putting your episodes together. They’re all sim…
Flash Briefings & Daily News
- One reason to create short (sub 10 minute) episodes is if you want to do a daily news or “flash briefing” show. These are becoming increasingly popular on smart speakers, where listeners are building playlists of shows that can update them on their areas of interest on a daily basis. These shows, by their very nature, are short and to the point. But it’s the content that should dictate the …
Should I Avoid Overly Long Podcast Episodes?
- Arguably, one of the biggest shows on the planet is Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. The term “biggest” works on two levels. New episodes of the series are downloaded millions of times within the first month of their release. On top of that though, these episodes tend to be between 3 and 6 hourslong. This length is perfect for the show’s content, which means they are in no way “too lon…
Summary: Podcast Episode Length
- As ever, there’s no single one answer here, because everyone’s podcast is different. But the general theory of podcast episode lengths is simple. If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 1 hour, then it’s too long. If If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 20 minutes, then it’s too short. And if you’re consistent an…
Need More Podcast Questions answered?
- So now you’ve got your answer to the question “how long should a podcast be?”. Why not let us help you with a few more frequently asked questions? 1. What’s a Good Number of Downloads for a Podcast? 2. How Do I Upload a Podcast? 3. What’s the Best Podcast Editing Software? 4. What Music Can I Use in My Podcast? 5. How Loud Should a Podcast Be? If you’re a fan of our free co…