Back in Action: Relaunching Your Podcast
Podcasting became very popular during the height of the pandemic. When a lot of people were forced to take a step back from their everyday tasks and had the time to take on a new venture. As we are all aware, life pushes back and most of us had to return to work once things started opening back up. For some, that meant taking a break from their podcast journey. Maybe that’s when you went on a hiatus or one of the million other reasons made you take a break. Such as topic exhaustion, starting a family, mental health, new jobs, etc. There’s millions of reasons why one may stop their podcast and a million more why you may want to relaunch your podcast.
For some there was always a plan to come back from the hiatus and for others, they may realize they miss podcasting and can’t remember why they stopped. If you’re reading this I’m sure you fall into the category, somewhere along the line, and are considering or have decided to relaunch your podcast. But how do you start?
It can be difficult to restart. Will your listeners come back? Do you stay with the same topic, vibe, etc. or do you switch it up? Is it too late?! These are just a few questions that may pop up. But according to Resound “44% of Podcasters stop creating after 3 episodes.” Taking a step back is common and not the end of the world. You can most definitely relaunch your podcast! Below we will discuss what you should do before relaunching your podcast.
Evaluate Your Previous Podcast
It will be most important to take a moment to reflect on why you stopped the podcast in the first place. Was it due to lack of time, having trouble planning, not knowing what to discuss? Was it an issue of your heart not being in it or did you just need a break? Whatever the reason, really take time to consider if it's going to come up again if you relaunch your podcast.
Now that you've taken time to think about the why and made your decision to relaunch. Take a step back and consider what worked and what didn't work with your previous podcast. This is much like reflecting on the why but will help you plan what you want to do differently, or the same when you relaunch your podcast.
Of course, while reflecting and reviewing your past work take the time to evaluate your content. Such as the format, production quality, audience engagement, and other factors that contributed to your podcast's success or failure in the past. Maybe production was flawless but your audience engagement was non-existent. Take the time to review this and brainstorm how to come back stronger. Use your mistakes to make your revamped podcast great!
Define Your Podcast Goals
You've reflected on your past mistakes and accomplishments. Considered what you need to do in order to relaunch your podcast and keep it going! Now it's time to think about and define your podcast goals. This is likely a step that you took before launching the first time so take a look at your past goals and clarify your reasons for relaunching your podcast. Maybe your goals are still the same or maybe they've changed completely.
Your goals will have a significant effect on who you want to reach and discuss. Therefore, it's crucial to also identify your target audience and how your podcast will serve them. Who would benefit from your podcast and continue listening? What will your podcast do for your audience? Once you've defined this you will have a much easier time planning the format of your podcast. It will also help you set measurable goals for your podcast. Such as audience size, engagement, revenue, or other metrics.
Creating measurable goals for yourself may just be one of the best ways to encourage yourself to continue your podcast journey after relaunching. Make them achievable and once you reach your goals - set new ones! Reaching your goals can renew excitement and continuing to increase your goals will give you something to strive for.
Remember:
Reflect
Identify Targets
Set Goals
Make a Plan to Relaunch Your Podcast
Okay okay, enough reflecting. Now you are ready to focus on relaunching your podcast! Deciding if you are keeping pieces of your past podcast or starting completely fresh will be important. Some of this you may be able to pull from what you created originally but also feel free to change things up!
Choose a new name, branding, and theme for your podcast
Decide on a format and structure for your episodes, including length, frequency, and segments
Decide on a format and structure for your episodes, including length, frequency, and segments
Upgrade your equipment and software if necessary
Create a marketing plan for your relaunch, including social media, email, and other channels
Create and Produce Your Episodes
Maybe this is where you found yourself struggling in the past. Planning and creating your episodes takes A LOT of work and can create topic exhaustion. In order to make relaunching your podcast worth it, we highly suggest you take the time to plan and create your episodes strategically. For some that may mean planning a week, a month, or even the full year. Do what is best for you but make sure to stay on top of it to avoid pod-fading. Consider the below priorities when planning:
Develop a content strategy that aligns with your podcast goals and target audience
Write and record your episodes, and edit them for clarity and quality
Schedule and publish your episodes on a consistent schedule
Remember a major part of relaunching your podcast will be growing and maintaining your audience so be sure to:
Engage with your audience and grow your podcast
Interact with your audience through social media, email, and other channels.
Encourage reviews, ratings, and subscriptions to grow your audience
Monitor your podcast metrics and adjust your strategy accordingly
Incorporate audience feedback and engagement into your episodes
This may seem like a lot, especially with engaging your audience and creating a social media plan. But if you take the time to plan and coordinate before you relaunch your podcast you can set time aside to stay on top of planning and different slots of time to engage your audience, post on social media, and reflect on feedback. Remember feedback is your best friend here: your audience will tell you what they love, hate, and want to see. Take their feedback and adjust your podcast, within your goals, to continue to make it better. That being said, take negative feedback with a grain of salt and make sure your changes reflect YOUR vision!
Conclusion
Relaunching your podcast isn't an easy task but it is more than doable! If you take the time to learn from your mistakes and go into this relaunch with a fresh pair of eyes, I'm sure you'll flourish! Remember, reflect on your past podcast and evaluate what went well and what went poorly, (re)define your goals, plan your relaunch, and create/schedule the production of your episodes. These steps will help you along the way.
You can relaunch your podcast!! Matter of fact, we encourage you to do so. It shows resilience and growth and no podcast is successful without those attributes. So take pride in your dreams and goals and relaunch your podcast today!
Don't forget, we are here to help! We have lots of packages from supporting the (re)launch of your podcast, planning/coordinating, and more! Reach out to us anytime here for a brief call to discuss your needs and how we can support you. Additional tools to support you in your relaunch:
Trello: Online Planner
Rumble: Guest-heavy podcast? Make interviews a breeze!
Check out our blogs for more resources and support such as Podcast Programs: Setting Up Software
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