Podfade

Podfade = Allowing your podcast to putter out and die.

“I’m working 80hr work weeks, the world has gone insane, and I have a ton of things to do. I’m not going to have time to create a good episode this week.” The email was long, long enough for me to think ‘I don’t have time for this’, and think about all the things I have to do to take my business to the next level. Posting consistent content to podcast hosting platforms is a major element of podcast growth on the current podcast algorithm. That being said how are super busy executive types and tastemakers supposed to keep up with making good new content every sing week, much less every single day?

This is where podfade happens when you simply run out of content or simply run out of time. That spot between what you can logically do, and when just isn't going to happen.

Here are a couple of ideas that we have found lower the threshold, and make it just a touch easier to make content. 

Bonus content aka The Car Episode

When you tag your podcasts you have the choice of episodic or series ordered episodes. This basically tells Apple which direction your podcast should be played, first to the latest or vice versa. In that section of your RSS feed, you can also indicate what type of podcast episode you are releasing. Your options include full episode, Trailer, and bonus. Bonus content is a great way to keep regular content from stopping, but making it a positive thing. Often, content creators and brands will want a certain amount of production and professionalism done in order to maintain a certain image. Bonus episodes however are great for branching out and making content that doesn’t have to be as highly produced and can even break from the traditional timeframe that you have already established. This also tends to cut down on the stress to create something of the ‘highest’ caliber, but it allowed companies to connect more with their client base on a more personal level that can easily go missing in the often cerebral space of podcasting.

A great example of this is the ‘recorded while I’m driving’ rants you see every once and a while on Youtube. If you are in your office waiting for the next meeting to pop up and you have some thoughts that might benefit your audience, why not record a quick note on your phone and deliver just that added bit of value. Your audience will love you for it, and you don’t have to squeeze in time to sit in the audio booth. 

Revisited topics

Another way to avoid podfade is to follow Dave Ramsey and the other at Dave Ramsey Solutions are great examples of this. Listen to the Tennessee based team’s podcasts for any measurable length of time and you will quickly discover that they talk about the same things. Over and over again. The message isn’t new, their idioms and methods or relaying the information aren’t diverse, but the content of which they speak to people is unique. They simply apply and re-apply the same formula ad nauseam but relate it to the variety of people they have called into their show. Now, this is not a diss on the financial gurus, just the opposite. They have condensed their message down to such a point, that they can time and time again impacts their audience and gain new followers. Not to mention you will never find such a devoted fan base at the Dave Ramsey fans, just an awesome community. 

In a similar fashion, one of the many tools that LaunchPod Media, to avoid podfade, as well as other major agencies, use to increase content authority is revisiting content repeatedly. Don’t think that you have to continuously find new things and topics to talk about. While some topics may be currently in vogue, or generally important for you to address, don’t be afraid to rehash a concept you have talked about previously. One of our favorite ways to rehash content is to find an episode that has historically done well and simply ‘continue the conversation.’ In other words, think about where you would take the conversation had you had more time, or if you were to improve upon it. This gives content creators a great springboard to make something more. 

Placeholders

Sometimes, getting an episode out just isn’t going to happen. Try as you might, it just isn’t going to work. While Apple’s algorithm is often extremely unforgiving, there are ways that you can still slide in by making a filler episode. This type of content can be as short as 1-2 minutes and as simple as explaining that there will be no episode this week. Just posting at the same time and making sure content is included is a great way to continue to grow your audience. While it may not exactly match the other key elements of your show, such as length and content it is a great way of actually letting your audience know that you are there and though things may arise, you are going to continue to produce content. Just one more way to cut down on the chance of your podcast dying out to podfade.

Best hits episodes

As mentioned in our previous article on how to release more content sometimes there is no reason to record new content, but simply take the content that you do have and remix it into something like off of Ask Mojo. Taking the content that you do have and reusing as a remix, collaboration, or compilation can give you that bandwidth to make something new. These types of episodes require more insight and sound design from the audio team, but if you have a killer team behind you, you can really make something memorable. This type of content also can show your audience and fans the high caliber of the production value of your show. Simple ‘cheats’ like this 

While there are a number of ways to get more content out there, it’s never a bad idea to make it easier on yourself and your company. LaunchPod Media is all about making not just the audio editing and production go smoothly but helping you target your audience and grow your podcast. Avoiding podfade all together. We are a business-oriented company that specializes in analytics and content strategy, which means we can keep the pulse of your audience.