Should You Rebrand Your Podcast?

Hey Podcast Fam!

I’m wishing you a very happy new year and tons of success and happiness.

It seems like this past year FLEW by…

But if your podcast is still going strong…or even if it’s hanging on by just a thread, I want to give you a pat on the back and say that you’re doing good work.

Podcasting can be a very lonely and sometimes a depressing journey because of how isolating it is. Podcasts are also one of the weird platforms where creators don’t really have a direct connection or method to interact with their audience.

Unlike other social platforms, it's difficult for listeners to show their appreciation for a podcast episode or provide feedback on it. This makes it harder for creators to know if they're on the right track. While some platforms, such as Goodpods and Spreaker, do allow for this type of interaction, it is not yet mainstream.

Until there is more widespread interaction and feedback on podcasting platforms, it's important for creators to find other ways to engage with their listeners. This can be as simple as sending emails or organizing in-person meetups. It's crucial to connect with your listeners to ensure that you're on the right track and to continue growing your audience.

But anyways…

That’s not the topic for today.

The question for today's newsletter is: Should you rebrand your podcast?

It’s interesting because I’ve been asked this question a few times over the last several days, and I’ve also been considering rebanding my show. But rebranding can mean different things, such as updating a few elements or completely overhauling your podcast.

Should You Change Your Cover Art and/or Audio Assets?

Many podcasters start by creating cover art on Canva and using music that they think sounds good. While this is acceptable at the beginning, as your podcast grows, you may find that this approach holds you back. New listeners, who don't have a preexisting relationship with you, have certain expectations about how a show should look and sound. These listeners may judge a podcast by its cover, so it's important to make sure your cover art is easy to read and attracts your ideal listeners.

In addition, it's important to ensure that your audio assets accurately represent the quality of your show. Elements like musical intros, jingles, and recorded outros can enhance the listening experience and make your show sound more professional and polished. These elements can add emotion to your episodes and help to break up monotony, keeping your listeners engaged.

Should You Update Your Show Format?

Updating your show format or publishing schedule can also be an effective way to bring new energy to your podcast. You don't have to switch formats completely, but you could try adding different segments or experimenting with different episode formats.

For instance, if you host an interview show, you could include solo segments to introduce your guests or insert segments throughout the episode for ad spots or to further engage with your audience. Matt Drinkhahn, the host of ‘The Eternal Optimist’ inserts fun, short segments that inject a bit of his personality (and also brevity) into a show that is otherwise focused primarily on the guest.

Alternatively, if your show is more narrative-based or like a “rantcast” where it’s just you talking into the mic, you could try changing the length of your episodes, covering different topics, or adding audio or musical elements to enhance the listener experience.

Should You Update Your Release Schedule?

The other thing you might consider is updating your release schedule. Many podcasters feel pressure to release new episodes every week or twice a week, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution for podcast release scheduling.

If you feel like your show isn't growing as fast as you'd like, you might try adding another episode to your schedule. For example, you could go from once a week to twice a week or even release three episodes every two weeks.

On the other hand, if you feel overwhelmed and like you can't keep up, you might consider slowing down your release schedule. For instance, if you currently publish once a week, you could switch to once every two weeks or even once a month. Releasing fewer episodes can make production easier, but it also allows you more time to market and promote each episode more effectively.

Should You Rebrand Your Entire Podcast?

Whether or not to rebrand your podcast is ultimately up to you. However, it's important to love what you're doing, as it's easy to give up if you're not passionate about it. When you don't have a boss or deadline holding you accountable, it can be easy to let insecurities and doubts surface and make excuses.

Compared to other social platforms, dodcasting also doesn’t give you a ton of public affirmation or recognition. This can make it difficult to know if a particular episode is successful or whether or not your show is even resonating. That's why it's important to be self-motivated and support each other as podcasters.

If you're not passionate about your podcast's topic anymore, you should seriously consider rebranding your show or even starting over completely. If you’ve been fortunate enough to build up a significant audience and already established your brand, then you might just have a real conversation with your listeners about why you’re changing directions. Most of the time, your audience is interested in you and will follow you to new topics. It's okay if some listeners part ways, as it's important to be passionate about what you're creating and to make it worthwhile for both yourself and your listeners.

If you decide to rebrand your podcast, you have two options. You can keep your current feed and simply update the information, which will preserve your subscribers, reviews, and episode archive. This option is best if some of your listeners may be interested in the new topics. Alternatively, you can start fresh with a new feed if the shows and audiences are distinct and it makes more sense to start from scratch. Both of these options are easy to implement.

Well that’s enough for today! If you’ve got questions for future editions, please send them in!

See you next time!

• Hector Santiesteban

P.s… We’ve had a lot of people ask about our next Virtual Podcast Mixer, and the answer is, “I don’t know! ???? ” But if you want to be the first to find out when we do, get on our update list! YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE <<?