Podcast FAQ

how long is a podcast

by Mr. Brett Johns Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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The average length of a podcast is 36 minutes. However, that figure was calculated in December 2019. So, chances are high that the average podcast length is now less, with trends indicating that shorter podcasts are more popular. One of the reasons for shorter podcasts is not just about listener time.

Full Answer

How long does it take to launch a podcast?

Veteran podcaster reveals a step-by-step system to launch your first podcast on a budget in 7 days. , Producer of How to Live in Denmark, a weekly podcast for newcomers to Denmark.

What is the optimal length for a podcast?

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How long should your podcast really be?

On top of that though, these episodes tend to be between 3 and 6 hours long. This length is perfect for the show's content, which means they are in no way “too long”. But if any podcaster is running over 1 and a half to 2 hours, there needs to be a very good reason for it.

How many people do you need to start a podcast?

How to Start a Podcast: Every Single Step for 2021

  1. What's Your Podcast For? So firstly, why do you want to make a podcast? ...
  2. Who is Your Podcast For? So first day, get the big question in: Who are you making this podcast for? ...
  3. Give Them a Reason to Listen Whether you're providing information that will help someone to lose weight (in the case of our personal trainer), or doing a really entertaining ...

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Is a 5 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 are typical podcast episodes?

38 minutes and 42 secondsOverall average length Considering these extreme outliers, I decided to look at the median average: Based on a sample of 10 million episodes, the median podcast duration is 38 minutes and 42 seconds. In other words, half of all currently published podcast episodes are longer than 38:42. The other half are shorter.

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 Short Can podcasts be?

Short podcasts are shows with episode lengths that range anywhere from a minute to around 15 minutes. They've grown incredibly popular in the past few years – over 60 percent of podcasts hosted on Anchor are short podcasts.

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 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.

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 much should I charge for a podcast?

Expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000+ for an episode depending on the type of podcast you are producing (interview-based, narrative or story-driven, or a mixture of the two). Agencies and teams functioning in this space are experts and have the experience and evidence to prove it.

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 my 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 many episodes should a podcast have?

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to podcast season length. You might choose to release a season with only 4 episodes. Or you might release more than 20. Basically, you should make your season as long as it needs to be to cover a topic completely.

How many episodes is the average podcast?

2). 56.1% of podcasts had 10 episodes or fewer, and 17% had 50 episodes or more. The mean number of episodes was 30.1, and the median was ...

How Long Should a Podcast Episode Be? [2021 Update]

How Long Should a Podcast Episode Be? [2021 Update]

Why Podcasts Are Getting Shorter

In recent years there’s been an interesting trend emerging: podcasts are getting shorter. Discover why episodes are shrinking and how this affects you.

How Long is the Average Podcast?

Most podcasts fall around the 40-minute mark so striving for those hour-long episodes isn’t a necessity. 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.

It's Not All About Longer Podcasts

Since 2005 podcasts have actually gotten shorter with the majority of podcasts lasting around half an hour. A great example of a popular podcast where episodes last up to around 25 minutes is the Blossoms pubcast

Figuring Out Your Perfect Podcast Length

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.

Publish Your First Episode in Minutes

Podcast.co is the easiest way to create a podcast and share your stories. Import an existing show or create a new one. Click, drag, drop... and you’re done!

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.

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.

How long is Dan Carlin's Hardcore History?

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 4 and 6 hours long.

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 ...

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.

Do you have to be wrapped up on the hour to record a radio show?

You don't need to be wrapped up on the hour so they can cut to the news.

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.

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.

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.

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 should a podcast episode be?

However, with that being said, many people enjoy consistency. If the average length of your podcast episodes is 60 minutes, but then you suddenly create one that is two hours, it may throw off your listeners. People like to know how much time they need to dedicate ...

How long does it take to listen to a podcast?

Some podcasts get across all the information they need to in just five minutes. In fact, this short time frame for episodes is actually a huge draw for on the go people who do not have much time to devote to listening to podcasts.

How long is Dan Carlin's podcast?

One such example is Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. Nearly every episode of this podcast is longer than three hours. Some episodes even clock in at well over six hours. However, it has a huge following and is one of the most successful podcasts in existence.

Why is it important to get help on podcasts?

Getting help is a great way to reduce the burden on yourself. However, not every person has the resources to use help from others. If you are committed to your podcast show and want to make each episode the best you can, getting help may be the right move.

Why are podcasts longer?

Longer podcasts can indicate that you are an industry thought leader. And they allow you to drill deeper into your subject. This results in absorbing content that keeps your listeners interested, engaged and subscribed. Longer podcasts will:

What is Joe Rogan's podcast?

A well-known US comedian, martial artist, TV host and actor, Joe interviews a wide variety of guests about anything and everything – from aerospace entrepreneurs to filmmakers, authors to comedians and many others. Joe’s podcasts are often three hours or more, yet he commands a huge following of thousands.

Average length by category

The average length of a podcast episode varies a lot depending on the category. Gaming and music-related categories tend to have the longest episodes. Business and education-focused categories have the shortest episodes.

Average length over time

I was curious to know if podcast episodes are — on average — getting any longer or shorter. So I took my 10 million episodes, lined them up by release date, then calcuated the monthly median episode length. Here’s what I found:

Are popular shows longer or shorter than average?

To see how popular shows compare to the general population, I looked at 21,585 individual episodes published by shows listed on the Apple Podcasts US Top 400 on October 25, 2018.

What kind of content are you creating?

Content is the thing that should, first and foremost, dictate the length of your podcast. Some topics fit a shorter format, while others a long one.

Should I avoid longer episodes?

There is an understandable fear of longer episodes, but, not to sound like a broken record, it depends again.

When does your audience listen to podcasts?

You should keep the habits of your listeners in mind. Do they listen to podcasts on their way to work? The average commute time is around 30 minutes, so you may want to stick around that mark.

Should you stick to the same length for all of the episodes?

The same rules apply to each episode: “Talk as much as you need and only as much as you need.” If that means that some of your episodes are longer than others, then so be it.

Is there an ideal episode length?

I’d say there is. It is not what is the ideal length for listeners, but you. Everything rests upon the content that you create, which topic you choose. It rests upon how long you can give it your all.

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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...
See more on thepodcasthost.com

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…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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…
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