58 // Are Short Podcast Episodes Bad for Growth? | Podcasting For Business

Have you ever heard a podcasting tip and immediately thought, "That sounds easier... maybe that's what I should be doing too?"

Lately, there's been a lot of conversation around shorter episodes and whether they're better for podcast growth. And while shorter content can absolutely have a place in your strategy, the bigger question might surprise you.

The truth is, there isn't a magic episode length that guarantees success in podcasting for business.

What actually drives growth is understanding the people you're creating content for and building a strategy around how they consume your content.

In this conversation, you'll hear why so many entrepreneurs start looking for shortcuts when podcasting begins to feel overwhelming, and why those shortcuts can sometimes slow down the very growth they're hoping to create. You'll also discover how listener behavior impacts everything from episode length to podcast marketing strategies, audience growth, and long-term business podcast growth.

You'll learn why a buyer-ready listener matters more than an ideal customer avatar, how seasonal changes can influence your content decisions, and why effective podcast business strategies should always be built around the needs of your audience—not internet trends.

Whether your goal is podcast monetization, podcast SEO, growing your authority, or learning how to grow your podcast in a way that supports real business growth, this conversation offers a refreshing reminder that there is no one-size-fits-all formula.

Because successful podcasting for business isn't about creating shorter episodes or longer episodes. It's about creating the right episodes for the right people at the right time.

When you stop chasing hacks and start paying attention to audience behavior, everything changes. That's where stronger podcast download growth happens. That's where podcast SEO strategies become more effective. And that's where podcasting for business starts creating meaningful momentum that supports both visibility and revenue.

If you're looking for a smarter way to approach podcasting for business, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

If you're ready to build a podcast that creates authority, visibility, and real business growth, come join me inside Podcasts That Convert at janditchfield.co/join.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

One of the fastest ways to stall the growth of your podcast is to start looking for shortcuts. And lately, I've been seeing the same question being asked online, which is, are short podcast episodes bad for growth? We're gonna talk about that. I'm Jan Ditchfield, an award-winning marketing strategist who left the corporate world, picked up a $25 microphone on Amazon, and built a half million dollar business powered by my podcast. Along the way, I learned that success online isn't about hustling 24-7. It's about building a business that works even when you're offline. I created Evergreen Marketing Simplified to give you simple, actionable, step-by-step strategies to help you build an Evergreen business through your offers, your content, and a podcast-driven system that sells for you. If you're a coach, consultant, or a course creator who wants to create consistent income without living online, so you can actually enjoy the life you're working so hard to build, you're in the right place. Let's get to work, my friend. A couple of episodes ago in episode 56, I was talking about how I'm approaching podcasting differently this summer and why I'm intentionally creating shorter episodes over the next couple of months. And one of the things that I've noticed since that episode went live is how easy it is to hear the advice and immediately think, awesome. Like short episodes are the answer. And I've been noticing this question popping up a lot on threads as well, because, like, let's be honest about it. Short episodes, they feel lighter. They take less time, they require way less energy from you. And when you're trying to run your business and serve your clients and take care of your home and somehow still keep creating content consistently, short episodes can sound incredibly appealing. But the more I've seen this question popping up, the more I've realized that this is exactly where a lot of women accidentally get themselves in trouble with podcasting. So I want to answer the question directly. Are short podcast episodes bad for growth? Because my answer might surprise you, and that is yes, they absolutely can be. And I know that sounds strange coming from someone who is literally releasing shorter episodes right now, but the reason behind why I'm doing it matters, and that's what I want to talk about today. Unfortunately, our industry, the podcasting industry, is full of shortcuts. And it's something I think is really tempting to listen to when you see it being released so commonly everywhere online. And I think why most of us probably see the advice and think, oh my gosh, this is so great. I'm gonna follow this. It's because those shortcuts often feel like a huge weight has been lifted when you're overwhelmed by your podcast. And at some point, podcasting will start to feel heavy to everybody, especially if you are creating episodes week to week without having a really clear strategy behind what you're doing. Because that always leads you into a place where you're constantly trying to figure out what you're going to talk about. So you end up recording at the last minute, and then you start trying to stay consistent because you get even more overwhelmed when you get even more behind. And then when we add in all the other realities of being a woman running a business, sales, marketing outside of just podcasting, client work, and then having to take care of your family and run your house on top of that. Of course, like we're all going to look for the fastest ways to keep the show alive. So that's when advice like just make shorter episodes starts sounding really attractive because it feels like relief. And like this is the answer you've been looking for. And maybe you finally found a way to make podcasting easier. But here's the problem with that advice content published simply to maintain a publishing schedule is not a growth strategy. It's activity. And activity and growth are not the same thing. And so when I say short episodes actually can hurt your growth, the real reason behind that, and actually the question that we should be asking is whether it's the right strategy for the audience you're trying to serve. Because that's the question that we should be answering to understand what's the right length of episodes for your podcast. One of the things that I teach inside of podcasts that convert is that we don't want to be building our podcast strategies around this idea of an ideal customer avatar, which is really common advice. And this is what often we sit down and hear when we're building a show is just take who it is that you serve in your work or some generic version version of a listener and create your content for them. And I instead say, let's move that to the side because it's very generic advice. And if we want a show to function as a true business asset, then we need to create our show around a buyer-ready listener. Because a buyer-ready listener is somebody who is already in a state of understanding that they need the help that you serve. And because they're coming in with a much different lens on the type of content they're going to consume, we need to understand that behavior in a very different way. And it's a much deeper way than we ever talk about it when we talk about an ideal listener. And it's a much deeper way than we, and it's a much deeper way than it ever is when we talk about an ideal customer avatar. So the question that I really want to talk about today. So what I really would encourage you to sit down and think about when you're asking yourself, how long should my episodes be? Is what is your listener going to consume? So inside a podcast at Convert, we spend a lot of time building out our avatars from that buyer-ready listener lens, which includes things like understanding what their behaviors look like during the day, what their patterns are like, what are they looking for when they press play? When do they listen? Why do they listen? Because those answers should dictate almost every strategic decision you make with your podcast, including how long your episode should be. And that's why I think a lot of the blanket podcast advice falls short, because it doesn't take into consideration the uniqueness of your podcast, your audience, and your business. And the truth is, there is no universal answer to this because there is no magical episode length and there's no perfect number of minutes that's automatically going to create growth for your show. Growth happens when your content fits naturally into the life of the person that you're trying to reach. So if that isn't happening, you can put out 60 million short episodes every single year, and you're still not going to see your show lift. Now, I talked about it earlier because I was again, it seems very weird that I'm sitting here saying, don't necessarily do short episodes. They might hurt you when I'm doing them. But the reason why I've shifted to shorter episodes for the summer actually has nothing to do with the algorithm. And it has everything to do with the listener behavior for my show. I know the women I serve deeply. And I know that you are extremely busy. I know you're running your business. I know most of you are also carrying the majority of family responsibilities during the summer months. And I know that means that your schedules and your routines and your listener behaviors all change. And because I understand that behavior of my audience, I can make strategic decisions to support them during that specific season. And here's the important part of that. That doesn't mean this becomes my forever strategy. I'm not going to be rolling out short episodes from here on in because come August and September, I'm going to return to my normal episode structure when school starts to go back in Canada and the States. Because again, my audience behavior will also change during that time. So my strategy will change with it. And that's very different than deciding that shorter episodes are the new answer and then just applying them indefinitely without any strategic thinking behind it. I think the easiest proof of this is that I recently launched a second podcast called Small Town Stories. And is a very, very different show than what this one is with Evergreen Marketing Simplified. And so when I look at that show, I'm launching it in June, typically during one of the times of the year when listenership is down. So you think immediately I'd be like, well, I'm going to do short episodes, but I'm not. I'm actually not using that strategy that I use here with EMS at all on the other show. The episodes are much longer, the experience is different, the pacing's different, the expectations are different. And that's because the listener's different. And that's really the lesson here that I'm trying to get into. I don't carry my strategies from one show to another because it's not a cookie-cutter strategy. And the same is universal for your show. There is a strategy that fits a specific audience, and that's the one that you need to follow. What's the strategy that works for your listeners, not for somebody else's? And once you understand that, you stop looking at the hacks and the shortcuts that are taught so commonly with the same lens. Because you stop asking, you know, what's everybody else doing in the space? And you start building a show around the people that you're actually trying to serve, that buyer-ready listener. And when you do that, then you're going to see significant growth happen. And you'll know are five-minute episodes the right thing for you, or should you be continuing to release ones that are 50? I would honestly rather see you go down to releasing less episodes a month, but longer ones if that's what your audience needs. Because that's the strategy that will see growth far more successfully than just pumping out those short five-minute episodes just because you need to get it off your plate. So circling back to the question are short podcast episodes bad for growth? Yes, they absolutely can be. And not because short episodes are bad and you can't get good value in them. That's not true. You can get a banger of a show out in five minutes. But what's bad about them is the shortcut thinking associated with them. What can be actually bad for your growth is the shortcut thinking that's usually associated with them. Like I said, if you're creating shorter episodes because they genuinely serve your audience better, then it's incredibly effective and do it all day long. But if you're creating shorter episodes because they feel easier, or you've never stopped to ask whether that's actually what your audience wants from you, then yes, they absolutely could hurt the growth of your show. The goal isn't to create shorter episodes. The goal certainly isn't to create longer episodes. The goal is to create the episodes that are the right length for the people you serve. And the only way you're going to know what that right length is, is by understanding the behavior of the people you're trying to reach. And that's where growth comes from. Not from the hacks and not from the shortcuts, and definitely not from the blanket advice that you see on the internet. It comes from building a podcast strategy that's based on your audience, your business, and your goals. And if you would like help doing that, then why don't you come hang out with me inside a podcast that convert and we'll put that in place for you and your show so it can continue to grow and you can serve the people that you're meant to serve without giving your life away to the internet. You can learn more about it at janditchfield.co forward slash join. All right, my friend, that's it for this one. Thank you for joining me for this conversation. And until next time, remember, let's keep it simple and let's keep it profitable. I'll talk to you in the next episode. Thanks so much for spending time with me today. If you know someone who's trying to grow their business in a way that actually feels sustainable, would you share this episode with them? It really does help more people find the show, and I'd be so grateful. And if you're loving what you're hearing, make sure you're following along on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review. I read every single one, and it helps me create more of what you actually want and need. All right, my friend, I'll see you in the next episode.