5 Reasons to Produce Your Podcast in Seasons (or Podfade! It’s The Reason for the Season!)

Written by Lindsay Harris-Friel, content writer at The Podcast Host

Whether you’re launching your first podcast, or looking to improve a podcast you’ve produced for a while, “How much work am I getting into?” will always be top of mind. While consistency over time makes your podcast into your audience’s favorite habit, you don't have to grind out new episodes forever.

Next thing you know, you’re tired and disillusioned, and podfade sets in. Television shows, sports teams, and ballet companies all work in seasons, to take advantage of economic cycles related to weather and climate. Podcasters aren’t subject to these pressures, but they can benefit from a seasonal production schedule.

Let me show you how producing your podcast in seasons can improve your show’s overall quality, grow your audience, and reduce your stress. 

1. Quality Control

Planning a podcast season in advance, with a set number of episodes, reduces decision fatigue. You can choose an overall topic for the whole season, and make episodes that explore the sub-topics in detail.

For example, if you have a fly fishing podcast, you could have one season about great fishing locations, with episodes about fly fishing in Montana, West Virginia, Alaska, and so on. You won’t have to scrape for ideas, because you’ll have your shows planned out in advance. 

When you podcast in seasons, it’s easier to take advantage of batch processing which helps you focus on one production stage at a time. Plan a set number of episodes, then record them, edit them, and schedule them for release.

Then, promote each episode according to your preferred schedule. This helps you get into a flow state as you work. Batching also helps you practice individual podcasting tasks, and improve your skill with the details. You’ll still make mistakes, but comparing the results of specific tasks across episodes will help you see what you can do better and how to improve.

Even if you don’t set themes for your seasons or use batch processing, awareness that this season has a finite number of episodes helps you feel like you’re working toward a destination, rather than just working. You’ll be more motivated, and that shows through in your tone of voice. 

2. Audience Growth

Podcasting in seasons helps you whet your audience’s appetite. You can hype up the final episode of the season, and/or the first episode of the new season. When certain episodes are a special occasion, your audience is more likely to tune in. 

If you organize your podcast’s ideas by season, your audience can find what they want on your show more easily. This will also make it easier for your fans to recommend your episodes.

How many times have you heard someone say that the second season of a TV show was better than the first, or that a particular season for a sports team is unparalleled? If your podcast solves problems and offers guidance, themed seasons make it easy for your audience to remember how to find specific content and recommend it to others. 

As time passes, working in seasons helps you link up your content with other events or activities in the larger world. For example, The Euro Trip releases new episodes during Eurovision season. The aforementioned fly-fishing podcast could have episodes about packing and preparation in the winter, or live podcast events from great fishing resorts in mid-summer. Think about what elements of your podcast match up with different times of the year, and imagine the possibilities. 

3. Content Repurposing

It may sound highly technical, but content repurposing is simple. Remember when television shows used to come out on DVD in seasons? Good times. And then, if you were a real superfan, you could get the box set of many seasons. You can do the same when you produce your podcast content in seasons (maybe not with DVDs, though).

When your podcast episodes have a common theme, it makes it easier to repurpose them into e-books, courses, and so on. In fact, if you sell episodes of your podcast on Bandcamp, your audience can buy it on vinyl. 

Capsho also makes it super simple to repurpose your audio and video content into short-form videos, blog posts, articles and social media content. Grab your free 14-day trial here.

4. Breaks 

Most obviously, producing your podcast in seasons allows you to take breaks. Podcasting shouldn't be an endless march.

Decide in advance how many episodes you want to make in your upcoming season, and plan your schedule accordingly. Some people re-publish old episodes in their podcast feed while they take breaks, others simply tell their audience they’re taking some time off to prepare for the next season.

Then, when they start publishing again, they double down on promotion to generate excitement. Whatever you prefer, you should plan and take breaks from your podcast. Producing in seasons makes it easier to do that.  You’ll feel more motivated while you work, and your breaks will feel more rewarding.

Make Time For Your Podcast With Seasonal Boundaries

Most podcasts seem to be relaxed, extemporaneous conversations. But even the most laid-back podcast involves careful planning and hard work. And, like all great art, your podcast deserves a good frame. When you podcast in seasons, you have more control over the balance between your podcasting work, and your time to recharge. 

Finally, for some great real-world examples of indie podcasters setting themselves up for success with sustainable workflows, be sure to check out Season 20 of Podcraft. It’s packed with anecdotes, actionable tips, and encouraging advice about podcasting consistency and longevity. It’s a must-listen for podcasters of every experience level!