More Podcasting Questions Answered

Class is back in session on our latest Audience episode! This week, we’re taking it back to our community.

Across our Facebook groups and in conversations with customers, we hear a lot of great questions. Some that we’ve never thought of and others that frequently stump newbie podcasters. In our latest episode, we brought in five questions that we think don’t get enough air time.

But first, some exciting announcements with our company and platform. The first is that we announced our sister company, Podcast Motor, is moving under the Castos umbrella to help power Castos Productions.

We’re also excited to introduce a new member of the Castos team, Matt Medeiros. Host of the Matt Report and long time member of the WordPress community, you’ll hear from him in our future Audience episodes.

Your Podcasting Questions Answered

Dipping into our community of podcasters to answer questions about their pain points is why we’re here. So we dove into our Facebook groups and customer inquiries for this latest set of burning podcast questions.

Do you recommend seasons for a podcast?

Seasons is a term that Apple introduced a few years back to group episodes together within a single RSS feed. Typically, the episodes makes sense together and follow a similar topic or storyline.

For podcasts that have a story arc, chronological time sequence, or follow a time-sensitive activity, seasons make sense. It’s a way to logically order episodes and give your audience a more seamless listening experience.

Another factor to consider is using seasons to build in a break. Having a logical end to a group of episodes offers an opportunity to take a break from publishing new episodes. While our advice typically is to consistently produce content to keep an audience engaged, seasons can help manage expectations. Remind listeners that the season is XYZ episodes long and to expect new content a few weeks after the final chapter is published.

Do you suggest recapping previous seasons before introducing a subsequent season?

What’s the first thing that happens when a new season of any TV show premieres? A montage of the drama and climaxes aires first to remind viewers what happened leading up to the first episode.

This tactic is perfect for podcast seasons too. Highlight the key players, bring people up to speed, and orient them on where you left off. It allows listeners to follow along more easily and have some background before diving into your latest episodes.

To create a recap intro, pull soundbites from episodes from the previous season. It can be repurposed for promotional materials to bring buzz to the upcoming season and entice new listeners to explore your back catalog.

Any advice on reaching out to celebrities or notable personas to share your show?

Whether your guests are minor or major celebrities (or not celebrities at all), our stance is that you need to provide value to the person you’re pitching. When an interesting article, YouTube video, or podcast episode catches our eye, the first instinct is to share it. Finding the niche value your content provides is where you can unlock virality.

When pitching someone, specifically call attention to the value the content provides. An unexpected quote that directly aligns to the person or a piece of data that supports their point of view are personal ways to grab their attention. Create beautiful assets and include them with your pitch t...