How long should my podcast be?
By Cliff Dumas
One of the questions we are frequently asked is, “how long should my podcast be?” We believe great content dictates length, however we can lean on the research as a guide. Back in 2019 our friends at Pacific Content found the average podcast length, based on nearly 19 million episodes from more than 600,000 podcasts, was just a little over 41 minutes. That number has decreased over the last couple of years but the sweet spot remains around the 40 minute mark. Still, 40 minutes is a long time. Competition for attention is fierce. We are frequently attracted to the latest Tic Tok challenge, back to back Zoom calls or a seemingly endless buffet of new streaming apps. Any content choice must bring a creative A game to survive.
Entertainment choices are vast and are multiplying exponentially. There are over 600 million blogs available, over 500 hours of content is uploaded to Youtube every minute, 4.48 billion people currently use, share and create content for social media platforms. By comparison the podcast ecosystem is much smaller with approximately only 2 million podcasts available. This makes podcasting even more attractive as a powerful choice for your content or brand message.
Podcasting can help brands create a connection with their audience, enhance the conversation around brand values, interests and expertise. A recent study by the BBC discovered podcasts engage their audience more effectively and efficiently than other forms of media.
Wistia, a leader in the marketing software space, conducted a study that proved only 20% of audiences read an entire blog article. The same study also found that videos around the 2-minute mark receive a 70% engagement rate but dramatically drop at the 6-minute mark to 50% and below 50% as it exceeds 10 minutes. Although 70% is a good consumption rate, the length of content that is able to maintain user attention is minimal. Podcasting has proven to be an exceptional medium to reach and engage audiences with on demand, mobile centric content.
The success of any podcast strategy is dependent on the quality of the storytelling and value to the audience. Using the ‘content dictates length’ scenario, a compelling podcast could be any length but it is a good rule of thumb to respect the audience's time pressures which will translate to increased sampling and consumption.
A successful podcast strategy must be driven by an “audience first” narrative that delivers valuable content they want to hear. There is no sustainable audience for a podcast that is simply an infomercial.
So, how long should your podcast be? It's not a black or white answer. Tell a fantastic story with compelling audio design and you will inspire your audience to seek you out and engage with your content. Remember, respecting the audience’s time is key to increase time spent listening, but no one ever looks at the clock when the story is mesmerizing.