Unlike traditional broadcasting, there are no "show clocks," scheduled ad breaks, or rigid time slots for podcasts. So should you care about publishing episodes of different lengths?

While I think episodes don't have to be the same length, there are some considerations.

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/consistentlength

1. What does your audience expect?

2. Don't force a length

3. Should you mention the difference in length?

Community Corner

 * Thanks for the streaming support from Randy Black!
 * I'll be speaking at Podcast Movement 2025 in Dallas, TX! Join my session "What You Need to Know About Podcasting 2.0."

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

Send questions and feedback

 * Call (903) 231-2221
 * Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com
 * Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity
 * Mailing address: The Audacity to Podcast, PO Box 739, Burlington, KY 41005

401. Should Podcast Episodes Have a Consistent Length?

This fundamental question that has been challenged and even abused: what is a podcast anymore? There's plenty of misinformation and disinformation out there about what a podcast is. My efforts to help set the definition straight may be fruitless, but there's more to consider here than only the meaning of the word.

This is my 400th episode of The Audacity to Podcast, to to commemorate this milestone, I want to jump back to this fundamental question because how we answer it will affect the future of our content and even of the whole podcasting industry.

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/definition

The definition of a "podcast"

 * https://whatsapodcast.com

Other attempted definitions of a "podcast"

What's wrong with redefining what a "podcast" is?

True podcast distribution and consumption are unique

Strict definition versus usage description

Is the definition a "gatekeeper"?

Should you really call your content a "podcast"?

 * More about calling your content a "podcast" vs. a "show": https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/are-you-really-a-podcaster-and-should-you-really-be-podcasting-tap182/

Community corner

 * Thanks to Bryan Entzminger, Dreb Scott, and Steve Webb for streaming support to The Audacity to Podcast totaling about 4,500 satoshis!
 * Support The Audacity to Podcast through your modern Podcasting 2.0 app or at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/giveback

———

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

Send questions and feedback

 * Call (903) 231-2221
 * Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com
 * Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity
 * Mailing address: The Audacity to Podcast, PO Box 739, Burlington, KY 41005

400. What’s a Podcast Anymore?

Podcasting guesting is consistently the #1 way to grow your own podcast. This works because it gives you the opportunity to get in front of more ideal listeners, provide value and demonstrate your knowledge, and it's easy for them to follow you over to your podcast.

But how do you find the first shows you should try getting on?

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/firstguesting

Understand how in-app podcast recommendations usually work

 * Podcasting 2.0's "podroll" spec: https://podcasting2.org/tags/podroll
 * How to Add Podcast Recommendations with Podroll: https://podcasting2.org/docs/guides/how-to-add-podcast-recommendations-with-podroll

Look at your podcast's "outgoing" recommendations section

Bonus: check Podgagement's "incoming" networking list

 * https://podgagement.com

Check the recommendations sections for other podcasts you think have your ideal audience

How to approach these guest opportunities

 * Example prompt with Gemini 2.5 Flash in Magai [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai]: https://app.magai.co/public/1752980668283x821243579549614100
 * Join Magai [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai] for the best AI toolbox (I earn through this link): https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai

This is only the first place to look!

 * Be sure to join Podgagement to help you discover your podcast networking opportunities! https://podgagement.com

Community corner

 * Thanks to Bryan Entzminger from https://TopTierAudio.com for streaming 411 satoshis
 * Thanks to Cameron Stack from https://PodLabs.org for interviewing me for his upcoming miniseries on podcast awards!

———

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

Send questions and feedback

 * Call (903) 231-2221
 * Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com
 * Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity
 * Mailing address: The Audacity to Podcast, PO Box 739, Burlington, KY 41005

399. Where to Find Your First Podcast-Guesting Opportunities

I see podcasters often think that their podcast might grow faster if they switch podcast hosting providers, like from Blueberry to Captivate [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate] or vice versa. But is this true? Short answer, no. Now, of course, I'm going to give you more details about that.

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/hostinggrow

Short answer: no

1. Podcast stats may be measured differently

 * Do IAB-Certified Stats Really Matter for Your Podcast? https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/do-iab-certified-stats-matter-for-your-podcast/

2. Included podcasting tools may be different

 * Get the networking feature in Podgagement: https://podgagement.com/
 * How many podcasts are currently in Apple Podcasts: https://podcastindustryinsights.com/apple

3. Look at podcast-hosting providers as toolboxes

4. My 2025 recommendations for podcast-hosting providers

 * Blubrry [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry] (WordPress-focused workflow): https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry
 * Buzzsprout [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout] (easiest to use): https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout
 * Captivate [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate] (everything else / powerhouse of tools): https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate

Community corner

 * 101§ + 47§ from Randy Black
 * Thanks to Lyndsay Phillips for interviewing me on her show Leverage Your Podcast, talking about Podgagement and how to engage your audience: https://www.smoothbusinessgrowth.com/category/podcast/

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

Send questions and feedback

 * Call (903) 231-2221
 * Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com
 * Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity
 * Mailing address: The Audacity to Podcast, PO Box 739, Burlington, KY 41005

398. Will Changing Hosting Providers Grow Your Podcast?

Intentional growth requires regular evaluation and adjustment. That applies to so many areas of life and business, and your podcast is no different. I've put together five things I suggest you evaluate about your podcast every year so that you can make the changes necessary to keep growing your podcast.

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/evaluateyearly

 * Why You Should Put Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. First [episode 388] :https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-you-should-put-podcasting-profit-first/

1. Your podcasting goals and PROFIT

2. Your episode structure and flow

 * How Long Should Your Episode Closing Be? https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-long-should-your-episode-closing-be-episode-396/

3. Your podcasting workflow

 * Magai [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai], the powerful AI toolbox I use (affiliate link): https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai

4. A podcast trailer

 * 15 Regrets from 15 Years of Professional Podcasting [episode 394]: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/15-regrets-from-15-years-of-professional-podcasting-episode-394/

5. Your podcast description

 * Magai [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai],: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/magai

value4value Community Corner

 * 150§ and 64§ from Randy Black
 * 356§ from Bryan Entzminger
 * A couple of 5-star ratings on my episodes in Goodpods from "Barnabas"

If you love the Audacity to Podcast, would you consider giving back in value what you feel the show is worth to you? https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/giveback

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

Send questions and feedback

 * Call (903) 231-2221
 * Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com
 * Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity
 * Mailing address: The Audacity to Podcast, PO Box 739, Burlington, KY 41005

397. Top 5 Podcasting Things to Evaluate Yearly

How long should your episode closing be? While your episode openings should be as short as possible, the length of your episode closings can be a bit more dynamic. The answer is actually a little different this time: as simple as possible.

Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/simpleclosing

Answer: as simple as possible

Spread out your calls to action

Give your audience a reason to stay until the end

Lead with value, leave with value™

value4value community corner

 * 406§ from Bryan Entzminger

———

Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Supercharge your audience engagement and grow your podcast! https://podgagement.com/

FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com Send a message or voicemail through https://podcastfeedback.com/audacity

MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

396. How Long Should Your Episode Closing Be?

What is the first thing your audience hears when they play your latest episode? Are your providing value in your opening, or just keeping your audience from what they came to hear?

Although the terms “intro”/”introduction” and “opening” are often used interchangeably, I'm going to be more specific to call the “opening” everything your audience hears before your episode's unique content. I would consider the “intro” to be a smaller piece of that. For example, an intro could be for the podcast as a whole, or the introduction for your guest, or how you lead into your topic.

Answer: as short as possible

Yes, I'm actually leading with the answer—just like how you should lead with great content!

People come to your podcast to hear the content, not your introduction of the content. And they especially don't come to your show to hear you explain the premise of your whole podcast.

It may seem impressively professional to have a high-production opening with custom music; dramatic sound effects; and a professional voiceover explaining who you are, who the podcast is for, and what the podcast promises. But I challenge you to consider that your audience will be impressed not by the production quality of your opening, but by the quality of your content and how quickly and how well you fulfill your promises.

Have you ever searched the Internet for a recipe? Searching DuckDuckGo for “cinnamon toast recipe,” [https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cinnamon+toast+recipe&t=h_&ia=web] I picked the current top result: “The Best Cinnamon Toast Ever!” [https://southernbite.com/the-best-cinnamon-toast-ever/]

This should be one of the simplest recipes on the Internet! Instead, that top webpage contained 14 paragraphs and 2 subheadings before getting to the actual recipe! (In case you're wondering, it's 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and they recommend a pinch of salt. Though I personally prefer 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon.)

Don't let your podcast be like those recipe webpages unless your audience is coming for the story and explanation because you've promised that to them from your podcast description.

So specifically, how short should your podcast opening be? I recommend keeping it shorter than 10 seconds before you get into at least the unique content intro (but maybe your content doesn't need much of an intro)!

What about audio branding?

I'm definitely a fan of audio branding! And the best audio branding can be done in seconds!

The Audacity to Podcast‘s complete opening used to be longer than a minute. But then I restructured it and now the music is only about 6 seconds! And when I made that change, it actually felt really good to have a short music clip that was still unique to my show, and is actually from the same music I've used for 15 years—but now much shorter so you get the content sooner!

What about welcoming your new audience?

Podcast consumption is different from broadcast TV and radio, and it's even different from YouTube consumption.

On traditional broadcast media, you might tune in right in the middle of the content, or you don't know what you're actually tuned into at all. And people frequently come and go with little to no context about the content.

And on YouTube, people will bounce from video to video, often falling down a recommendation rabbit hole that includes other channels they've never seen before but that offer attractively relevant content.

But podcasting is different.

People don't usually stumble upon or accidentally start playing a

395. How Long Should Your Episode Opening Be?

As The Audacity to Podcast celebrates 15 years of professional podcasting, I invite you to take a critical look back at the biggest mistakes I've made and things I wish I did differently with my show. My hope is that this will inspire you to either fix these things early for yourself, or avoid them altogether!

Even though I published the first episode of The Audacity to Podcast 15 years ago on June 17, 2010, I've actually been podcasting longer than that. I published my first-ever episode in April 2007. But I consider The Audacity to Podcast to be when I really took podcasting seriously and even “professionally.”

Besides the first and last items on this list, the following regrets in no other particular order. To keep this episode “shorter,” I'll let you figure out how to apply each of these yourself, but please let me know if you'd like more information about any of these in a future episode!

Regret #1: Hiatuses

This is my biggest regret about my podcast: the embarrassingly long hiatuses I've taken. It started in late 2017 when I suddenly disappeared due to a devastating family emergency. And the long times away since then have been multiple shockwaves from having my world turned upside down.

But here's what's difficult to confess: I could have returned to the mic sooner if not for my own “head junk.” It was a mix of “imposter syndrome,” self-doubt, unnecessary distractions, some level of “perfectionism,” self-criticism, and even some fear and laziness.

It cost me a lot of opportunities, audience, influence, authority, and even income.

And even though I mention income, please hear me clearly that I am not bringing back The Audacity to Podcast for money. Instead, I'm finally taking the steps against my negative “head junk” and stepping back into a burning passion to continue educating and inspiring you!

Regret #2: Not building an email list sooner

You probably hear this one so often from entrepreneurs that you're sick of it.

But email lists aren't only for marketers!

Even if you podcast only for the fun of it, there are plenty of great ways you can use an email list no matter why you're podcasting! [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/13-ways-to-use-an-email-list-for-your-podcast-tap198/] For example, you can use an email list to provide actionable information from your podcast episodes to your audience, get more personal with your audience, solicit feedback you can share in your podcast, get to know your audience, and—yes—even promote things to your audience.

Regret #3: Not promoting my episodes via email

Speaking of email, I actually recommend against using an email list only to promote your latest episodes. But my regret is that I didn't promote my latest episodes in my emails at all! I often think about creating an additional email list solely for the sake of providing my full notes and links to you so you can easily take action on anything even after you delete the podcast episode from your podcast app. But I've not even been good at simply including an auto-updating widget in any of my emails—nothing from my email list or personal emails. Granted, part of this is because my email service provider, ActiveCampaign [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/activecampaign], used an outdated RSS validator that would choke on valid podcast RSS feeds—at least the last time I tested it.

I actually still haven't corrected this, either. But please let me know if you would be interested in receiving my episode notes via email automatically af

394. 15 Regrets from 15 Years of Professional Podcasting

Whether by choice or beyond your control, your podcast might have to go on a hiatus—and it could so long that the podcast seems dead! How do you come back from that and get back into your rhythm? It will take some work, but here are my recommendations (and what I'm practicing myself, too!).

1. Review your podcasting goals (your “why”)

Why do you really do your podcast? What P.R.O.F.I.T. (popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or tangibles) are you after for yourself? What about for your audience?

As you resurrect your podcast, you might need to consider adjusting your purpose and goals for your podcast. It's okay to go from business to fun, or fun to business! But what's most important is that you know why you're podcasting so that you can set appropriate goals, and then take the right steps toward those goals.

2. Treat your podcast return like a launch

Think about everything you had and did when you first started your podcast.

No matter how much you've lost due to your hiatus, you probably still have much more than when you first launched. You have more skills, more knowledge, more relationships, more tools (and probably higher quality, too), more resources, and yes, you even have more audience (you had zero when you first started)! Some people will keep your RSS feed for years, holding onto hope that you'll someday return. That's what I did with the Ask a Ninja video podcast (more about that later)!

Imagine if you had all the resources you have now but years ago! So you can treat your return almost like a launch with the same kind of enthusiasm, “media” blitz, promotion, sharing, asking friends and what audience you have to help, and more. But this time, you have a whole lot more of everything than you had before!

3. Use a podcast trailer to promote the return

If it fits into your timing—and maybe don't delay your return just for this—try to publish a “trailer” to promote the return of your podcast. Make it 1–3 minutes long, like a trailer, and make sure you actually set it as a “trailer” episode type in your podcast publishing tool. As a trailer, either don't use an episode number, or set its episode number to be the same as your next episode will be so that some apps can treat it as a trailer for that upcoming episode. And soon after you get into publishing again, you can remove the trailer from your podcast feed.

Instead of making the trailer about the past by apologizing for being gone or talking about what's happened during that time, focus on the present and—more importantly—the future. Why are you excited to resurrect the podcast? What are you eager to share in upcoming episodes? What might you be doing differently that your audience will appreciate?

You could even take this opportunity to adapt this trailer into your regular whole-show trailer that can be featured in podcast apps!

4. Lower your expectations

This one is a reality check; you'll need to lower your expectations.

Lower your expectations of your podcast's influence.

Lower your expectations of your audience's response.

And even lower your expectations of yourself.

Yes, you have a lot more knowledge and experience than before, but that doesn't mean you can just jump right back in and have all the same popularity, influence, audience, and even strengths and abilities as you did before. But you haven't lost everything!

Although Ask a Ninja did not return as a video podcast (so I can finally delete that RSS feed from my podcast app!), it did return!

Am I angry with Ask a Ninja for being gone for so long? No. Do I need to know what happened

393. How to Revive Your Dormant Podcast

Redirects come in multiple types. When misused, they can cause some major problems, as even happened to me recently. Here are some warnings to watch for whenever you use redirects.

Check out my past episode and article, “Redirects and How to Use Them in Podcasting” [https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/redirects-and-how-to-use-them-in-podcasting-tap280/] to learn more about how redirects work and the different options there are.

(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases through some—but not all—of the following links. But I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.)

Caution #1: 301 redirects are “permanent” and cached

In podcasting, we throw around the term “301 redirect” or “permanent redirect” often without realizing what that actually means: it is (or at least it's assumed to be) permanent!

I often use the physical mail or US Post Office metaphor when explaining redirects. Think of a permanent redirect as a “change of address” notice sent back to everyone who mails you something.

A 301 redirect is permanent and is essentially telling apps, “This thing has moved to over there. Please stop looking here and always look there instead. So don't look at me again.”

This is great when you actually made a permanent move—or at least intend for it to be permanent. Like when you permanently move homes and change your address!

But if you ever change your mind or—even worse—make a mistake in the redirect, that redirect will be followed and the old URL will stop being checked. So if you make a “/feedback” page that 301-permanently redirects somewhere else, then even if you change where “/feedback” goes, any app that previously loaded “/feedback” will bypass it altogether and go straight to the destination it has saved in its cache.

That cache is sometimes cleared, but you should assume it never will be! (However, this doesn't apply for anyone visiting your redirect for the first time.)

So if you get your 301 permanent redirect wrong and you don't fix it immediately—like within a few minutes—the best thing to do is to also redirect that incorrect destination to the correct one. And, unfortunately, that's not always possible. Thus, I recommend that, if possible, you make your redirect a 307 or 302 temporary redirect first, test it over a few days, and then change it to a 301 permanent redirect.

Caution #2: Your redirect destinations might change or disappear

Contrary to the Stanley cup craze of spring 2024, my favorite water thermos has been a Contigo Ashland Chill Autospout Water Bottle with Flip Straw, Stainless Steel Thermal Drinking Bottle,Leakproof,Grey, BLue, 590 ml [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W5GRCZB?tag=theaudacitytopodcast-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1] (I earn from qualifying purchases through that link) that I've had since 2019. But I recently lost it—I think at a mall while my son and I were waiting for my broken-down car to be towed.

I thought I could simply re-order it for close to the original $10 price I paid, but no! That specific bottle has a new version I don't like as much, and the original bottle was listed for $

6 Cautions When Using Redirects in Podcasting (plus best practices)

Giving you the guts and teaching you the tools to start and grow your own podcast for passion or PROFIT!