Podcast Playbook (Part 4): How to Lock in Your Schedule, Format, and 50-Episode Plan for Long-Term Success

Podcast Playbook (Part 4): How to Lock in Your Schedule, Format, and 50-Episode Plan for Long-Term Success

Kelly Kennedy: Welcome to episode 255 of the Business Development Podcast, and in part four of Podcast Playbook. We're diving into your release strategy, episode formatting, and how to plan your first 50 episodes with purpose if you are ready to create a show that's consistent, structured, and built to last. This will be your roadmap.

Stick with us. You don't wanna miss this episode.

Intro: The Great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years. Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal. And we couldn't agree more. This is the Business Development podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and broadcasting to the world.

You'll get expert business development advice, tips, and experiences, and you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs. And business development reps. You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business, brought to you by Capital Business Development CapitalBD.ca. Let's do it. Welcome to The Business Development Podcast, and now your expert host.

Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly Kennedy: Hello. Welcome to episode 255 of the Business Development Podcast in part four of our podcast Playbook series. So far we've talked about considerations for starting a show. Equipment to make you sound incredible. Picking a show type based on your experience and passion, and how to lock down the best possible name, cover art, and intro and outro.

But today is about building a roadmap and strategy for you to live by. This is a crucial part of podcast success that most creators overlook, release strategy, episode planning, and the strategy. You need to stay in the game long enough to win it. A plan to succeed is the best way to make sure you don't fail by setting your show up for success from the start.

You stack the odds of success in your favor once we have a great name cover art. Show topic and vibe. It's time to lock down a release schedule for the show. A great name, cover, art and intro may get people to click your show and listen once, but a consistent release schedule and exceptional content will keep them coming back week over week.

In business development and in podcasting, consistency is key. Choosing a predictable and dependable release schedule will hold you accountable to your show and audience and create a day each week that your audience looks forward to. Podcast platforms like Apple Podcast and Spotify also reward podcasts that release consistently as consistency builds listener behavior, and algorithms love predictable patterns.

So you might be asking yourself what release schedule is best for me? Let's explore some of the typical options that you have available. Number one monthly, one episode a month. Good for deep dives, highly produced content, documentaries, case studies, et cetera. They are low frequency and tend to have a slower audience growth rate.

Only releasing one show a month guys is tough, right? You're releasing 12 shows a year. Gaining an audience who looks forward to that each time is harder and harder to get. So it really does fall down to those highly produced one-time. Listen things that are high quality and will keep people coming back.

Number two, biweekly every other week, one episode every two weeks. Great balance for busy creators, easier to sustain while still building a steady audience. This guys would probably be my minimum recommended release schedule for any shows that you choose to create. At least put out a show once every two weeks, especially if you're planning to be a consistent released show, not a seasonal or a limited series.

Number three. Weekly, one episode per week. This is the podcast industry standard. It's ideal for consistent growth, habit building and staying algorithm friendly, most popular among the business interview and educational shows. I would say guys like 99% of the business shows you see out there, they're a once a week release.

This is definitely the most common and probably the one that I would personally recommend for anybody getting started into podcasting. Number four, twice weekly. Yours truly the Business Development Podcast. This is the cadence we chose. The funny thing about the twice weekly cadence guys is it's worked out massively in my favor.

However, I picked it based on not having any knowledge of podcasting when I got into this. Thing I just looked at what my favorite shows were posting at and a couple of my favorite shows do release two episodes a week. I was like, oh, that's really nice. I think that's what I want to do. And that's how I ended up into this this podcasting standard of twice weekly.

It's worked out incredible for me guys, I have to say, the twice weekly cadence of the Business development podcast using the format we use, which is a hybrid format of solo and guest episodes, has worked out very well for me. But it's been challenging probably one of the most challenging cadences you can pick.

And so I would not recommend choosing a twice weekly show from the beginning. So twice weekly, very simple. It's what we do here on the Business Development Podcast. It's two episodes per week. It's great for mixing formats, solo and guests. So that's what I did from the beginning. It accelerates growth, and I can attest to that.

We've grown massively, 255 episodes, guys in a little over two and a half years. It accelerates growth but requires more planning and bandwidth. Number five, daily weekdays, or seven days a week, five to seven episodes per week. It's ideal for news tips or motivational content. It's incredibly demanding, but creates high engagement and can dominate chart rankings.

Yeah, I can attest to this guys. If you're releasing shows every single day and you have a great show and it's highly powerful, highly popular, it's going to dominate the rankings because it's gonna show a massive amount of downloads. I would say if you look at a lot of the top charted shows, they are typically releasing, a higher cadence schedule.

To try to capitalize on those download numbers, but there is a caveat to this. Many of these daily release shows, they are not full length podcasts. Many of them are running anywhere between about five and 20 minutes, as opposed to a typical podcast length of between 30 and 45 minutes. So they do tend to be shorter episodes.

Number six, seasonal. Eight to 12 episodes per season, and then the podcaster goes on a break. This allows for batching and creative resets, and it's best for narrative or thematic shows. Storytelling or investigative. Number seven, limited series. One time drop of six to 12 episodes. It's usually evergreen content and educational, and it works very well for course style content or branded projects.

The best release schedule for you personally can be determined by balancing three key factors. Number one, sustainability. Can you realistically stick to this schedule every week or month for at least the next six to 12 months without burning out? I always say, guys, if you're gonna launch a podcast, give yourself at least a year to be successful.

I really mean this. I've said it many times. Never start a show. With the idea of not committing to at least a full year of content release, it really takes that long. Guys. Podcasting is not an overnight success. It takes a long time to build an audience. It takes a while to get the train moving, and you have to commit to a certain period of time.

I always say commit yourself to a year, a hundred episodes, whatever. To give yourself enough runway to truly see the success of your efforts. Number two, consistency over time. Remember, a consistent, predictable rhythm is better than bursts of content followed by silence. If you commit to a cadence, guys once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, it's, it doesn't really matter what you commit to.

What matters most in the success of your show is that you keep showing up consistently. On that week, on that day, right? Every single week, every single second week, every single month, whatever you commit to, just commit to doing it. Make sure that come hell or high water, you release a great episode on that day and that you show up each and every time.

It's that consistency over time that is going to lead to your success. If you release weekly, it equals strong habit building and algorithm love. Algorithms love weekly releases. Guys, if you release biweekly and that works for you, don't worry about it. It's lower pressure, but still regular. If you release daily, remember only release daily if you have a strong system or a team to help you and you prefer short form content.

But if you release daily, it can absolutely help your show grow faster. But once again, it depends on the type of show you do. Number three, your creative flow and energy. Some creators thrive on regular content. I'm one of them. Others need breaks to stay fresh. Figure out who you are and where you fit in that system.

Remember, weekly releases gives you creative momentum without overwhelming you. Seasonal lets you work in focus sprints and pause in between. There are a lot of shows that I love, guys that are seasonal shows they release, let's say 12, 15 episodes a season. And then they take a little break. There's nothing wrong with that.

Just make sure that if you are releasing episodes in the season, you either drop 'em all at once or at least you're dropping them consistently for a little while so that people can look forward to it. And last but not least, hybrid. They do weekly main shows and every once in a while they do bonus drops of extra episodes.

This is awesome and it works well for experienced podcasters. Let's now break down the best schedules by podcast type, solo business experts can see success in weekly or biweekly shows. Motivational daily tip shows are great daily or twice weekly. Narrative storyteller shows are awesome with seasons or limited series.

Interview focus shows are also great, either weekly or hybrid entertainment shows succeed most in weekly or seasonal. Comedy shows work best weekly or twice weekly. Branded or course style content works best in a limited series, and new podcasters with limited time will find success in a biweekly or seasonal schedule.

Remember, the best schedule for you, regardless of your topic and content type is the one that you can show up for consistently. Without dreading it. That's the other side of this guys. You have to pick a schedule that you aren't like dreading the release each week. You have to enjoy doing this. If you can't enjoy the podcasting experience, it'll be incredibly hard for you to have long-term success with it.

Start out conservative and build up the habit, and then you can scale up later when you're ready for it. There's nothing wrong with starting off with a biweekly or monthly show and moving it to a weekly or twice weekly show down the line. So now that you've locked in a release schedule that fits your life, not just your ambition, whether that's weekly, biweekly, monthly, or even seasonal, you've made a commitment that you can actually stick to and trust me, long term.

That's the real win here. Consistency over chaos, routine over burnout. You're not trying to be everywhere. You're showing up where it counts. Once we have that locked down, it leads us to the next big question. What kind of show are you actually going to release? Because now that we know, when you're showing up, we need to decide how you're going to show up.

Is it just you at the Mic Solo? Are you bringing guests to the mix? Is it a conversation, education, entertainment, or a blend of it all? Let's break down the formats that work and help you pick the one that fits your voice, your goals, and the kind of impact you wanna make in the world. Number one, solo shows.

This is You, the Mic and Your Message Solo episodes are perfect for building authority, sharing insights, or telling stories that only you can tell. Great for thought leadership, personal branding, or tactical lessons For solo shows, shorter episodes tend to work best. Think 15 to 30 minutes. The challenge.

You've gotta bring the energy every time, and it's 100% on you. Number two, guest interviews, guests bring reach, fresh energy and new perspectives. If you are building a network or one to expose your audience to expert voices, this is your golden ticket. Use guest interviews to build audience through your guest's.

Audience guest episodes are easy to prep with a strong guest workflow. Watch for guest quality, repetitive formats, and over relying on others for content. This can absolutely burn you if you don't plan correctly. Number three, co-hosted shows. This is all about chemistry, guys, Authentic Hustle anyone? Co-host, spring balance banter and fun, but only if you're aligned.

This is absolute magic. Guys, I gotta shout out this. My co-host, Colin Harms, Vijayan Swaminathan of Authentic Hustle Honestly, guys, it is your co-hosts who make the show. You have to make sure that you vibe well with them, that you have great conversations, that you get along, and that you can work together.

The hosts of a show are absolutely everything and how they work together can make or break the show. Co-hosted shows work well for comedy, commentary, and opinion based formats. The upside, dynamic energy and shared workload, the catch. Consistency is now a team sport. You all have to show up every time, and it really does matter guys.

You have to show up. Number four, hybrid modes. Solo and guest. This is my personal favorite and what I use on the Business Development podcast. You get the best of both worlds guys. Solo episodes for depth and direction guest episodes for variety and reach. It allows you to mix styles and stay flexible.

Great for avoiding burnout and batching content ahead of time. Let me talk about how I do this for our show guys, in case it works for you. So my guest episodes, I just pretty much keep recording them consistently. At this point, my guest episodes are recorded all the way to about episode 340. Yes, this is episode 255.

Yes, I am guest recorded to episode 340. So we have batched. Literally nearly a full year ahead. But what does that mean for me, Kelly? It means that the only shows I really have to focus on creating are these, my solo episodes. So it allows me to release two episodes a week making the podcast grow exponentially faster, and I still only have to focus on showing up once per week to this show.

It's a win-win. So finding a hybrid format that works for you, I think is the most powerful for any solo podcasters out there who want to grow their reach quickly and still deliver a high quality show that mixes both guests and expert topics. When deciding which one to pick, you have to ask yourself, what comes easiest to me right now?

Is it teaching, interviewing, or riffing with other people? Am I trying to build a personal brand, grow a network, or create a community around a topic? Do I have enough bandwidth to handle guests or co-hosts, or do I need to keep it simple for now? And there's nothing wrong with that, guys. Remember, you can always evolve.

Many of the best shows started out one way, usually solo and shifted as the host grew. Your format isn't locked in forever. You can change it at any time. Next, let's talk about episode length. What episode lengths work? Best? Number one, solo episodes. Solo episodes work best at 15 to 30 minutes according to Buzzsprout short form.

Solo shows under 30 minutes, perform better in completion rates, and are more bingeable Listeners are more likely to finish the episode, which boosts your completion rate metrics, which is key for algorithm visibility. People also treat shorter episodes like quick wins or tactical bursts they can listen to on a commute or on a work break.

They're best for personal branding, insights and how to formats. Number two, guest interviews. 30 to 60 minutes. A 2024 Riverside FM report found that the sweet spot for an interview was between 45 and 60 minutes. Spotify listener data shows that 42 to 55 minutes is the most common range for the top 200 podcasts in the business category.

It gives enough time for depth without exhausting the audience too. Short equals surface level too long equals listener fatigue. It's best for storytelling, expert deep dives and trust building. Number three, co-hosted shows 20 to 45 minutes. Co-hosted or conversational shows tend to hold attention best when under 50 minutes.

Data from Pod News and Chartable suggested that listeners enjoy 30 to 45 minutes of banter, insights, or discussion before their attention wanes unless your chemistry is top tier or the topic is gripping. So that's the secret guys. Co-hosted shows 20 to 45 minutes. It's best for commentary, banter, and coaching.

Number four, daily slash tip space shows five to 15 minutes. Shows like the daily Stoic or marketing school thrive with micro content that's under 15 minutes. Edison research shows that completion rates drop off after 15 minutes for daily content unless it's narrative. It's ideal for audience habits like brushing teeth, walking the dog, or driving 10 minutes to work best for inspiration news and motivational daily hacks.

Now that we have our release schedule, cadence and format, what do we talk about Each week, let's build our 50 episode plan. Let's be real. 50 episodes sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's not about hitting 50 overnight. It's about starting with a vision, so you never run out of momentum. Step one, brain dump.

Grab a notepad and a pen, and let's get busy. And yes, guys, a notepad. There's something incredible about writing things down. Your brain just works better when you write things down. So trust me on this. Do the brain dump on your notepad. Write down everything you want to talk about. Don't judge it.

Just let it flow. Think about everything you can speak to. What are you an expert about? What are the various things you can speak to? And it doesn't just have to be about the one topic or the one thing your show's about. Just write everything down. There's a thousand different topics that are relevant to what you could speak to that would be valuable to your listeners.

Just start writing down various ideas, okay? Let it flow. Next, we want to group them by theme once we've written out a whole bunch of stuff. Sort your ideas into three to five core buckets. We call these content pillars. Example, mindset, strategy, tools, stories, guest ideas, whatever you want. These themes keep you structured and stop decision fatigue each week.

Step three, take all of those ideas. Hopefully we've gotten to let's say 50 or more ideas here. And I want you to map out your first 12. I want you to plan your first 12 episodes in a mini season mix solo guest, tactical, story-driven content. Keep a balance between what you think your audience wants and what you love to talk about.

Listen, it's your show. You talk about what you want, but there's gonna be certain things that you become known for. Make sure that you are constantly giving your audience what they want while also bringing your other ideas and things they might have not considered. Make sure you have a good balance. Why do 50 episode ideas matter?

Writing out 50 episode ideas upfront gives you momentum before the mic ever turns on. It removes the weekly stress of, what do I talk about? And replaces it with a ready made vault of content. Let me just stop right here, guys and let you know that I don't think I could have done the Business Development podcast as long as I have, had I not sat down every single January and did this exercise.

I sit down around December or January, usually when I'm on break, and what I'll do is I will start to riff out and plan the next 50 episodes or more for the Business Development Podcast this year. Remember, 50 solo episode topics for me equals 100 episodes by the time I factor in my guest shows. So writing out 50 episodes and being good with them and working with that, that gives me a full year of content and it really does take the guesswork out on Mondays and Tuesdays when it's time to plan my show.

I can tell you that it's really hard on the day to come up with an idea. However, if you can just go to a list of topics and say, oh, this week we're talking about CRM systems, or, oh, this week we're talking about motivation. That will make it so much easier for you to move forward with your show plan. So trust me, one of the biggest keys to success in podcasting for anybody out there is going to be having a list of topics that you can pull from on a dime.

Even if you only plan to release weekly or biweekly, you will have at least a year's worth of fuel to pull from, and that's how you stay consistent. The magic, you won't use all 50. Some ideas will evolve, some will combine, some will lead to something even better. But by capturing them now, you will always have something to talk about when it's time to record.

And I can't tell you how critically important that is. And there it is, guys, the first real map of your show, you've locked in your release schedule. You've picked a structure that fits your style, and now you have a 50 episode plan that will keep you consistent and confident every time you step up to the mic.

That is the difference between winging it and winning with it. Podcasting isn't about hitting record, it's about showing up with purpose week over week, month over month, year over year. And this right here, this is your launch fuel. Alright guys, that takes us to the end of Podcast Playbook, part four. Next week on Podcast Playbook part five, we are going to talk about where your podcast actually lives.

We're diving deep into hosting platforms, RSS feeds Apple and Spotify submissions, and we'll break it all down step by step to get you ready to go live. Until next time, keep building your plan. Keep trusting your voice, and remember that podcasting is a long game, but when you play it it can change everything.

If you are enjoying this series, I would love for you to come and check out my private community, the Catalyst Club. The Catalyst Club is for podcasters, business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, founders, business developers, and leaders of all types. It's a private community of peers just like you, people who get it, people who know the challenge, people who know the wins, the ups, the downs.

We have weekly events inside the Catalyst Club. We do four events a month, an event each week at the Catalyst Club. We have something for everybody, whether it's Unplugged q and a for monthly coaching, whether it's coffee with rock stars, to build community, whether it's one of our incredible catalyst workshops or an amazing catalyst session with experts from around the world.

The Catalyst Club has something for you. We are a private community. What happens in the Catalyst Club stays in the Catalyst Club. You can share your wins, your challenges, and receive nothing but support. I built the Catalyst Club for you. Come join us, www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub. We'll see you inside.

Shout outs this week. Chloe Wu, Tatsiana Zametalina, Daveed Henriquez, Vijayan Swaminathan, Kapil Kalra, Gary Noseworthy, Amy A, Sean Saligumba,Zach Rayani, Mike Hays, Shannon Smith, Kathleen Jean-Pierre, Lauren Graff, Colin Harms, and Susan Poseika. Until next time, you've been listening to the Business Development Podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.

Outro: This has been the Business Development Podcast with Kelly Kennedy. Kelly has 15 years in. Sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry, and founded his own business development firm in 2020. His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development.

The show is brought to you by. Capital Business Development, your business development specialists. For more, we invite you to the website @ www.capitalbd.ca. See you next time on the Business Development Podcast.