Preventing Podfade: 8 Tips For Your First 8 Episodes

Whether it’s a much-repeated myth or an actual stat, you’ll hear it said that most podcasts “podfade” at the seven-episode mark.

To be honest, I think it’s probably less than seven. But if we discount all the “hey, is this thing on” test shows on free hosting platforms, there will be a good few podcasters who intended to keep on going, but didn’t make it to that mythical eighth episode.

People give up and podfade for all sorts of reasons, and not all of them are negative. In some cases, they’ll have realised that their topic wasn’t as good a fit as they’d hoped. Or, that podcasting wasn’t the right medium for them.

But it’s a shame when creators podfade even though they really want to keep on going. Some reasons for this include:

• Lack of planning
• Unrealistic expectations
• Over-complication
• Focus on the wrong areas

So, if you’ve published your first handful of episodes and already feel your momentum, motivation, and inspiration slipping away, then here are eight pieces of advice to help you turn things around.

Foundations of Preventing Podfade

Before we dive in, I’ll make a couple of big assumptions here, and they’re more important than any of the following tips.

Firstly, in order to keep on publishing consistent, quality content far into the future, you need to know why you’re podcasting about your topic. Your podcast purpose or “Why” is a North Star to keep you on track. If you don’t have that figured out already, check out the guide I’ve linked to, as well as our step-by-step How to Start a Podcast guide.

Secondly, you must also know who you want to reach and why. You might do this by building a “podcast avatar“—your ideal audience persona. The point is that each time you get behind the mic, you know who you’re talking to and what they’re listening for.

So long as you’ve built your podcast on these foundations, there’s no reason the show can’t go on to have a long and fruitful life. So, let’s get into these eight tips to prevent podfade.

1. Write a List of 10 Potential Future Episodes

It’s easy to put off recording new episodes when you don’t know what you’re going to talk about.

Getting behind the mic with no plan is almost as bad as not recording at all, and even if you do manage to throw something acceptable together, you won’t keep it up for long.

So put yourself in the shoes (earbuds!) of your ideal listener and imagine them opening their podcast app. What ten episode titles might they see that would really compel them to binge your show?

This all comes back to the nuances of your podcast topic and knowing your audience’s needs or wants. But if you’re struggling, an AI tool can help give you a starting point to build off of. Check out the Alitu Showplanner or our Best ChatGPT Prompts for Podcasters guide for more help on this front.

2. Make Your Podcast Sustainable

To avoid podfade, it’s essential to know how much time you can dedicate to your podcast. That doesn’t just mean recording and editing, but everything else, too.

Much of this comes down to your podcast format and release frequency. If you already feel like one of these is demanding more time than you have, then there’s no shame in adjusting it.

Choose a release frequency that’s sustainable for you in the long run. It might be weekly or bi-weekly, or you might even want to consider Podcasting in Seasons.

As for formats, maybe you’re finding it hard to sync up for regular long-form interviews, so maybe shorter, sharper solo episodes could be worth experimenting with.

We have a full guide on how much time it takes to run a podcast. But this is such an open-ended question, and your mileage will vary. After releasing a few episodes, though, you should already have a feel for how long everything takes.

Another of our guides deals with finding the time to podcast. But rather than looking at best-case scenarios, be realistic about how much time you probably have.

If you can block out the same day and time each week or fortnight, that’s great. But as long as it’s a set amount of time for each episode, you’ll always have the opportunity to get your stuff done.

3. Make Your Setup Easy & Accessible

We live in the golden age of audio equipment. There are some amazing pieces of kit out there. But the more links in the chain, the more complexity you risk adding in.

Most podcasters record in an ordinary room in their home. If you’re the same, the chances are that you can’t leave your podcast kit set up when you’re not using it.

If recording an episode involves spending time pulling gear out of drawers, plugging it all in, and then taking it back down again, you risk losing your motivation.

There’s also the fact that, the more gear in your recording chain, the more risk there is of not connecting something, or not switching it on properly. A failed recording is a surefire way to put doubts in your mind about this whole podcasting malarkey.

So, if you’re starting out, take a minimalist approach with your equipment. You don’t need much gear to run a podcast, and simplicity trumps complexity every day of the week.

4. Don’t Get Bogged Down By Editing

Editing can make your podcast flow better, as well as make it sound more polished and professional.

However, editing shouldn’t be used as a crutch. If you’re more mindful of the structure and focus of your episodes before and during the recording session, then you won’t need to rely heavily on editing.

As a host, treating your recording sessions as if they’re live will hone and tighten up your presentation skills.

On the other hand, recording long, meandering episodes with the expectation that you can tidy them up in the editing process adds hours of unnecessary work to your schedule.

So ask yourself how much editing I should do in my podcast, and check out our Minimum Effective Editing approach for a handy guide on saving time without sacrificing quality or professionalism.

A final word on editing is that you might be getting tied in knots with the software. If that’s the case, then a dedicated ‘podcast maker’ tool like Alitu can be a lifesaver!

5. Look For Content Everywhere

It doesn’t matter what you podcast about or what kind of style or delivery you present with. Essentially, you’re still a storyteller.

When you communicate one-on-one with someone via audio, you often don’t have any visuals to accompany your message. This is an opportunity to get creative with conveying the topics you break down on your show.

If your topic involves teaching or relaying information, repeating or reading ‘dry’ data risks boring or losing your listener.

Instead, find examples and metaphors in visually relatable scenarios. That thing that happened to you in the shop yesterday, or the scene in the film you watched last week.

These little anecdotes help to pull the listener in and engage them. They also make planning and presenting the show much more enjoyable for you and can go a long way towards keeping you podcasting well after your first seven episodes.

6. Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

There’s an assumption that, as a podcaster, you’re expected to become a one-person media company.

There’s a lot of hype about video podcasts these days. And whilst video can work well in its own right, it adds a whole new layer of complexity to your setup and workflow.

There are also numerous social media platforms you’ll feel compelled to spend time on and build hype for your show. But you don’t need to use social media at all to grow a podcast, and you don’t need to do video, either.

Of course, that isn’t to say you shouldn’t use social media or do video. But only introduce these additions once you’re able to guarantee the time needed to put together a quality audio podcast on a consistent basis.

Further down the line, you can make everything work together using Daren Lake’s content stacking approach. This well-oiled machine of a system can be effective – but that doesn’t mean it’s quick or easy.

7. Be More Specific With Your CTAs

Ask almost any podcaster, and they’ll say they struggle with engagement and feedback.

A big part of this is that it takes time to build an audience. And even when you have one, there’s no single place for them to communicate with you or one another.

However, one of the biggest barriers is how podcasters ask their audience to reach out. “Leave us a comment,” “Give us feedback,” and “Tell us what you think” are vague requests that are unlikely to drive action.

So try being more specific with your questions. If you have a guest who’s argued a certain point, ask your audience if they agree. Or, if you’ve just told a funny holiday story, ask them for theirs. You might direct them to a specific ‘contact’ page on your website that lists all the ways they can reach out, too. Don’t leave them to figure things out for themselves.

You can even run voice feedback ‘question of the month’ style episodes or polls on Spotify. Just remember that whatever you want your audience to do—especially when it comes to engaging—make it as clear and easy for them as possible.

8. Don’t Pay Too Much Attention to the Numbers

I’ll admit that I know almost nothing about TikTok. But I’ve heard that some creators there will have seemingly random videos “blow up” and go viral.

Virality has always been a part of social media because of its short-form nature. It has never been a part of podcasting, however, because this is a deeper and much longer-form medium.

Podcast download numbers can also seem painfully low because we’re used to seeing metrics like follower counts, likes, and views. But think of the time and attention needed to hit ‘follow’ or ‘like’ compared to listening to a 45-minute discussion.

You only need 28 (twenty-eight!) downloads per episode to put you in the top 50% of podcasts by audience performance. That’s an encouraging number, but even then, comparing your download stats to any other podcast is pointless.

If you want to gauge your success based on downloads, compare them only to your own. If you’re like almost any other podcaster, that will be slow but steady growth over a long period of time.

And, download stats are only part of the story. There are other ways to measure your podcast’s performance, from listen time and engagement, to ratings and reviews. Above all, though, just make sure you’re enjoying it, expressing your creativity, and having fun.

Podfade Doesn’t Mean the End

There’s no shame in giving up on your show if the topic isn’t holding your attention like you thought it would. Many a successful podcaster will tell you it was their second or third show that they stuck with, rather than the one they felt they “should” be running.

If you feel like quitting, it could be the case of right medium, wrong message. Or, there’s a chance that podcasting simply isn’t a good fit for you. And that’s fine, too.

But if you’re struggling in any of these areas with a podcast you are desperate to make work, then hopefully this piece has given you a few tips, ideas, and strategies to put in place.

In the Podcraft Academy, you’ll find many more resources designed to prevent podfade, from weekly live Q&A sessions to downloadable checklists. There’s also an entire course focused on growth and marketing. It’s a brilliant place to stay motivated, unstuck, and accountable!