Do you have a podcast you’d love to restart? No matter how long it’s been since your last episode was published, bringing it back now can help build your brand. Follow along as we share our journey of getting one of Voices’ most popular podcasts up and running after a 6-year hiatus.
So, you want to relaunch an old podcast? Here are 5 things you should do before reviving a show.
In this article
- 1 – Have a Good Think
- 2 – Assemble Your Team
- 3 – Create a Sustainable Schedule
- 4 – Make a Promo and Share it Widely
- 5 – Release Your “First” Episode on Time
- How About You?
1 – Have a Good Think
What was your original purpose? Why did people listen? What made it special? Is there a hunger for it to return?
If you’ve been getting questions from fans about when the show is coming back or if it will be updated again, that’s a good sign that there is still demand for what you had created.
Considering the variety of podcasts available, it is an honor to have someone wanting more of yours. When something adds value to our life, we want more of it!
Listening to a podcast is a personal experience and builds relationships between the host and listeners.
Depending on how long ago it was that you stopped podcasting, rebuilding your audience may be a challenge.
The last time we published an episode of Vox Talk was over six years ago on May 29, 2015. Our podcast is very niche, with specific content that appeals to a highly defined segment of the entertainment industry, mainly being voice actors and audio producers. The podcast was a lifeline between Voices and our customers, and when the podcast was discontinued we quickly realized that many missed it – myself included.
Remembering why you recorded your show in the first place combined with encouraging words over the years from your audience should relight your fire and give you the confidence to try again.
2 – Assemble Your Team
Not everyone flies solo when they podcast, especially if their podcast includes other teammates and brand promotion.
Host a meeting where roles and responsibilities are confirmed so that there are no surprises. Although many of these roles can be filled by the same person, remember that all of them need to get done.
Take a look and see which boxes you can tick:
- Podcast Host
- Researcher
- Writer
- Editor
- Recording Engineer
- Audio Producer
- Music Producer
- Executive Producer
- Imaging Voice Talent (optional)
- Publisher
- Marketer
- Community Manager
You’ll also want to identify realistic goals for the podcast and set metrics for tracking your progress.
Set aside time on a weekly basis to review how the podcast is performing including any feedback received in order to make the show even better.
Make sure you have the proper resources to support the podcast and an appropriate amount of time dedicated to rebuilding the audience. This will take longer than you think as success can take time. The period of time for reestablishing a podcast typically ranges between six months to a year.
3 – Create a Sustainable Schedule
Once the roles and responsibilities are outlined, create a schedule to keep everyone on track.
Need some inspiration? Below is the weekly Vox Talk schedule that the Voices team uses:
Monday – Scan for interesting stories that relate to our listener and add each to the main Run Sheet. Pro tip: Include URLs to include in your show notes!
Tuesday – Finish gathering news stories and begin writing the current week’s script.
Wednesday – Finalize the script and share with the rest of the Voices team.
Thursday – Recording day! I start recording Vox Talk in the morning and our Audio Producer edits the episode in the afternoon. We also use this time to shoot social media footage. After recording, I prepare the Run Sheet for next week’s episode.
Friday – Vox Talk is published every Friday morning. Once the episode is live, our Community Manager promotes it on all of our social media channels throughout the day.
While the schedule above looks pretty rigid, here are a couple things to keep in mind:
* Gathering stories is a 24/7 sort of thing when you have a show that reports on news. If something catches my eye on a weekend or after hours, I’ll email myself the link and add it to the Run Sheet during my prep time.
* Creativity can happen at any time! Create a schedule that works for you, based on other commitments you have each week.
4 – Make a Promo and Share it Widely
Do you still have an active podcast feed and blog? Take advantage of your subscriber list by creating a campaign announcing the relaunch of your podcast. Create even more excitement by releasing a teaser episode announcing the relaunch one week prior to your first episode going live.
The promo should include the following information:
- Who you are
- The name of your podcast and what it is about
- How often you will release episodes and when
- Where people can find your podcast
- What your audience can look forward to
- Ways the audience can get involved
Keep the promo short and sweet. The promo promoting Vox Talk’s return was 41 seconds long.
5 – Release Your “First” Episode on Time
Now that you’ve built up anticipation a week ahead of your return episode, make sure that you are set up to deliver!
Treat the re-release of the podcast the same as you would a product launch to give your show the best chance of retaining current listeners while also gaining new ones.
Before releasing new episodes, make sure you are equipped to track your efforts and capture those results in a spreadsheet, or by using a podcast hosting platform. Monitor and track statistics, such as subscribers, before the promo launches, right after the promo is released and then again after your first show back. Some of the key numbers we track include subscribers, downloads and social media engagement.
On Friday October 8, we relaunched Vox Talk after taking a six year break. While it’s still early days, we look forward to diving into the analytics and most of all, hearing from our fans!
How About You?
Do you have a podcast that you’ve brought back from hiatus? How did you do it, and what were your results?
Lastly, if you’re looking for some audio production help or what the addition of voice over in your podcast opener, sign up for a Voices account to connect with the voice actors and audio production talent that’ll help get your relaunch blasting off!
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