The rise of daily podcast shows continues and not just in news.
The New York Times The Daily podcast became a global leader in news shows when it launched, focusing on single current affairs topic in twenty minutes or so.
And it led the way in showing that there was a listener appetite for daily updates from their favourite podcasts.
Why wait a week if you can get your fix every single day?
The weekly show is nearly an anachronism these days.
People are becoming hooked on their podcast show feeds as much as their social media feeds and it’s a handy comparative example to make when pitching or producing shows for clients.
How many times do you check in on your social media feed during the day? How many times would a podcast follower like to check in on their podcast show feed if they could get new content from it?
With daily shows only running to 20 minutes or so, and with radio shows only expanding their podcast offering more and more, once a day or more is the obvious answer.
Just look at the appetite for rugby podcasts during the Rugby World Cup. The Left Wing, which LastCast Media produces for Mediahuis Ireland, along with the BBC, RTE and Off the Ball produced daily or nearly daily content whilst Ireland’s run in the World Cup continued.
And the public’s response? Each of these rugby shows were generally in the Top 10 not just of the sports charts but of the overall Apple and/or Spotify podcast charts as well.
With Ireland’s exit at the hands of New Zealand in the quarter-finals, Irish sports fans have moved on, but podcast publishers have not.
The horrific Ashling Murphy murder and its subsequent trial which started this week has seen the release of The Trial from Mail Metro Media and All Rise from Newstalk, daily podcasts focused on each’s day events from the courtroom and these podcasts are in the Top 10 of the overall podcast charts.
Then you also have the success of The Stand with Eamon Dunphy and Crimeworld with Nicola Tallant, that release episodes nearly every single day.
Podcasts are not radio though. They are more like specialist publishers, delving deep into the topics that have captured people’s attentions which require us to keep coming back for more.
Podcasts have become so immersed in our daily lives that weekly shows don’t cut it any more. The podcast feed has become akin to a social media one and the more you can keep people coming back, the more your show will keep riding high in the charts - factored as they are on momentum amongst other things - and the more your listeners will turn into fans.
It’s time to rethink your podcast feed and see how you can tweak and develop new content to be released beyond just your normal weekly broadcast date.