Don’t lose your audience over the festive period with these 6 tips
The Christmas period is notoriously hard for podcasters. On one hand, people are getting new devices around the festive period and looking for new shows, and on the other… you run the risk of being bumped off the feed for a brand new and shiny pod. Here are some ideas to consider to keep your podcast in listeners’ ears over the holidays:
1. HOST HOLIDAY SPECIALS
If you have a chat show or an interview pod, creating themed episodes might just be the easiest way to go. Discuss holiday traditions or family history of different celebrations, and experience the joy of all the festivities with your listeners. You can also include your audience by asking them to contribute with their own stories or questions for your guests and make them the stars of your holiday specials.
2. STAY IN TOUCH
For those staying home over the holidays – why not put together a virtual hangout? It might seem like a strange time to do it, but the holidays can also be a bit lonely. If you don’t have family swarming you, hanging out with your favourite podcast via a Zoom chat might be a nice 30 minutes of your time.
3. POST, POST, POST
Don’t neglect your socials over the festive break. Make sure to plan ahead and keep your audience listening to you beyond your podcast feed. You can include all kinds of surveys, contests and fun visuals to keep your listeners interested in your show.
4. COLLAB WITH OTHERS
Christmas period might be the perfect time to organise some feed swaps or even work on collaborative holiday specials with similar sized podcasts. If the boat has already sailed for this idea, there is no time like the present to start planning feed swaps with your favourite shows in early January. Don’t wait until it is too late – get moving to plan the year ahead!
5. SPLASH OUT ON MERCH
If you ever wanted to put out any merchandise for your show – the time of giving is probably the best period to do it. Hardcore fans will love a little self-care treat, and nothing says ‘I really get you’ if you can gift someone merch from their favourite podcast.
6. REFLECT ON THE YEAR
If you are still looking to fill the holiday void on your feed, a ‘best of’ episode would be the ideal marketing tool. Not only will this make the perfect award entry for your show later in the year, but it also doubles as content that you don’t have to make from scratch. A highlight reel and an episode of bloopers give you two whole episodes to bridge the festive gap.
Finally, the biggest question for everyone is: do I take a Christmas break from my pod? And of course we want to tell you to take care of yourself first, but realistically… we would advise to just plan ahead. Plan, plan, plan and schedule everything ahead of time so you don’t have to take that break. Consistency is key in podcasting – and we want your podcast to remain in your listener’s feed once everyone is back to their regular listening habits.
So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Podcast Discovery team! We wish for your year ahead to be doubly as successful as this one.