As you podcast constantly, you may construct up a again catalog of episodes. However do you have to maintain all of these episodes accessible, or do you have to restrict what number of are in your podcast feed?
This topic was impressed by suggestions from my listener Marc Johanssen:
I am searching for an educational useful resource (aka a hyperlink) that I can ahead to a podcaster in an effort to “nudge” them to take motion(s) wanted in an effort to permit entry [to] ALL their earlier podcast episodes. At current, one can solely entry [the latest 50 episodes] by way of an app or by way of their web site ….
Listed here are some issues to think about!
1. Podcast feed versus web site archive
Take into consideration the primary two locations your episodes reside: in your podcast feed and in your web site (you do have an internet site on your podcast that has a separate webpage for every episode, RIGHT?).
Many publishing techniques will allow you to restrict what number of episodes are in your RSS feed (the most-common defaults are 10, 50, and 100), however such limits most certainly will not have an effect on your web site. If an episode is now not in your feed however nonetheless in your web site, it’s technically nonetheless on-line and accessible, nevertheless it’s now not very sensible as a result of it isn’t accessible in your viewers’s podcast apps. Except they’ve sensible instruments for transferring web site audio right into a podcast app, the one method your viewers might hear or watch that outdated episode is thru the webpage and their browser. That makes it troublesome on your viewers.
Thus, most of those issues will deal with what’s in your podcast RSS feed, however maintain your web site in thoughts, too!
2. Is your content material nonetheless priceless?
When your podcast episodes from months and even years in the past are nonetheless priceless and related at this time, you then’ve made timeless content material.
Timeless content material is extremely priceless for each you and your viewers. It provides you extra content material that you may promote, both by way of advertising or direct advice. For instance, I nonetheless ship folks to my episode from 2014 about whether or not episode numbers are actually crucial. Even after I thought-about reapproaching that content material (and finally made a very new episode about episode numbers in titles), I listened to that outdated episode and realized it was nonetheless simply as related at this time as again then.
Timeless content material additionally provides your viewers extra nice stuff to get pleasure from or be taught from—both for the primary time or to replay later!
The opposite type of content material is time-sensitive. It is when your podcast episodes have a type of “shelf life.” Think about a “finest if utilized by” date in your episodes. That is widespread for podcasts about present occasions (just like the information). Podcasts about present traits (akin to a TV present) are largely time-sensitive—as a result of most individuals will probably be solely when that pattern is present—however this will nonetheless have some timeless worth. Within the case of a simultaneous TV aftershow podcast, the worth may be harder as folks can extra simply binge the present and your episodes will probably be simply outdated. But when somebody will get your podcast whereas watching the present, because it was again when the present was reside, then they might expertise all of it the identical method, besides with out the direct engagement together with your podcast and group. Alternatively, a rewatch-style podcast (akin to Workplace Girls) weighs extra on the timeless facet as a result of such a podcast can focus on the present with out theorizing or worrying about spoilers, and it is designed usually for individuals who have already seen the present and never essentially watching it for the primary time.
Ask your self, “Will most of my episodes nonetheless be related in a yr?” If sure, you then in all probability have timeless content material and may take into account retaining your episodes accessible. But when not, it could in all probability be okay to restrict what number of episodes can be found.
3. Does your outdated content material have good search engine optimization?
Most podcast apps will search episode titles. So your episodes change into a portfolio that helps your podcast be discovered for all types of key phrases! As a substitute of making an attempt to stuff these search engine optimization phrases into your podcast title (and danger getting kicked out of podcast apps), make separate, well-titled episodes about these topics you need folks to seek for and discover your podcast. This helps in podcast apps, web sites, and social networks.
In case your outdated episodes have good search-engine optimization (search engine optimization), then I extremely advocate retaining them accessible, each in your web site and in your podcast feed. It will guarantee your podcast can nonetheless be discovered for these stuff you talked about and located wherever persons are trying.
4. Do you promote your again catalog?
A great way to monetize a well-liked and deeply participating podcast may be to restrict the variety of publicly accessible episodes (within the feed and on the web site) after which promote entry to the remainder.
There are a number of methods to promote entry to your outdated episodes:
- By means of a creator-support platform like Patreon, Glow.fm, or Supercast
- By means of your individual membership system, like with WordPress and MemberPress
- By bundling episodes collectively and promoting them as downloadable packages, like with WordPress and Straightforward Digital Downloads
- Utilizing podcast subscription platforms just like the Apple Podcasters Program and extra (and these may combine with Patreon, Glow.fm, Supercast, and the like)
This method works nice for podcasts that are not designed to promote one thing (like your individual services and products) aside from their very own inherent worth. And this solely works when the viewers will truly need these outdated episodes. I see this used most frequently for entertaining podcasts, like a comedy present the place your outdated episodes are simply as humorous as the brand new episodes, or the older seasons of a drama can be found just for sale whilst you maintain your present season free.
Should you promote your outdated episodes, please keep in mind to take away any promoting from them! And this might be the best state of affairs to restrict your feed and web site to solely your newest episodes.
5. What P.R.O.F.I.T. are you searching for together with your podcast?
I make “P.R.O.F.I.T.” stand for one thing! It is what each you and your viewers can acquire out of your podcast: recognition, relationships, alternatives, enjoyable, earnings, or tangibles.
In case your episodes usually assist construct your PROFIT, then it could in all probability be most worthwhile so that you can maintain them on-line so long as doable. If they’ve good search engine optimization, they will proceed attracting folks. And if they’ve good calls to motion or different PROFIT-building worth, then they will in all probability proceed returning that worth for so long as they keep on-line!
For instance, I nonetheless get a request every so often for me to design an internet site or podcast cowl artwork for somebody as a result of I had promoted these personalised companies again after I supplied them myself—years in the past! (I now refer that out, so you are still welcome to ask for my really helpful referrals!) And I proceed to obtain new subscribers to my electronic mail e-newsletter by way of previous episodes that promoted unique sources. I additionally proceed to obtain new members to My Podcast Opinions and clients to my different services and products due to how they have been relevantly promoted in timeless content material, even from years in the past!
If I took my outdated episodes offline, I might be dropping all these alternatives to construct my model, authority, and affect!
So in case your podcast itself is a type of advertising for one thing else you provide, you then would in all probability need to maintain the older episodes on-line.
6. Is your feed getting too massive?
A complication arises when you’ve gotten so many episodes and such giant notes for every episode that your podcast RSS feed grows to a number of megabytes (MB). With my very own article-style notes for every episode, multiplied by the lots of of episodes I’ve printed, I solely not too long ago realized my very own RSS feed was over 5 MB! I by no means actually observed as a result of I take advantage of Blubrry’s Podcast Mirror service as a proxy for my RSS feed, to maintain it quick and steady. But it surely was nonetheless so massive that some podcast apps and companies have been beginning to choke on it, even inflicting some outdated episodes to not show anymore.
I might have decreased the variety of episodes in my feed, however then that may have value me search engine optimization (#3) and PROFIT (#5). And till my proposal to assist notes in chapters is adopted into Podcasting 2.0, or PowerPress adjustments the way it generates podcast feeds from WordPress, I did not need to take away my full articles from my RSS feed. As a substitute, I enabled PowerPress’s “Feed Episode Maximizer,” which permits full content material on solely my newest 10 episodes, after which minimal content material (particularly omitting my prolonged articles) on all older episodes. This decreased my feed with almost 400 episodes from over 5 MB to the candy spot of underneath 1 MB.
I extremely advocate you take heed to or learn these previous three episodes/articles to be taught extra about feed limits and issues:
So take into account the complexity you may be introducing by permitting all of your episodes to stay in your feed, and search for optimization choices.
7. Consider carefully earlier than increasing your RSS feed
Should you’ve determined you need extra of your outdated episodes in your feed, you have to know what might occur if you happen to broaden the restrict.
First, there’s the dimensions to think about, as I addressed in #6.
There are additionally potential penalties for automations and the viewers expertise.
Most podcast apps observe every podcast episode by the episode’s globally distinctive identifier (GUID). That is an RSS tag you do not have to fret about except you are migrating internet hosting suppliers or publishing instruments—wherein case, fear rather a lot as a result of the GUIDs ought to by no means change! Some apps will keep in mind solely the GUIDs that also exist within the feed and overlook something now not within the feed. If you broaden the feed to incorporate extra outdated episodes, these outdated episodes may look fully new to podcast apps as a result of the apps have forgotten the GUIDs or they’ve by no means seen these episode GUIDs). Then, the app will in all probability obtain or redownload these outdated episodes, even when they have been already performed. At least, they may be displayed as new and unplayed, and thus confuse or frustrate your viewers.
Sadly, how these apps deal with your reappearing outdated episodes is outdoors your management. So take into account whether or not this “value” is value it to you and your viewers.
Alternatively, you might create a separate RSS feed to carry your older episodes, like 100 episodes at a time, every with its full-text content material. This could maintain these outdated episodes accessible (particularly if you happen to submit the archive feeds to podcast apps and directories), however their very own search engine optimization would construct the archive feed’s rating, not that of your lively feed. Should you make archive feeds, this might be a fantastic alternative to do two vital issues:
When outdated episodes reappear in your RSS feed, you may even have related troubles with some automation instruments. For instance, one thing that routinely tweets everytime you publish a brand new episode. However from my observations, most of those instruments search for solely what’s new on the prime of an RSS feed (the place new gadgets are) or solely episodes the have a date more moderen than the final time the automation ran. Thus, reappearing outdated episodes in all probability will not set off any automations, nevertheless it’s nonetheless doable, and also you may not even know till it occurs.
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This submit could include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I’ll obtain compensation out of your actions by way of such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
