When Is a Good Time of the Year to Launch a Podcast?

As a producer, it pains me to say this, but there are times of the year when nobody cares about a podcast, not even yours.

Picking the Right Time to Launch Your Podcast Does Matter

So the first and most important consideration for when you’re launching a podcast is when does it work for your business? When does it work for you personally to have the time to prep and do all of the work that goes into starting, when you have the time to get the editing done and do promotion around it, and actually get it out into the world in a way that works with all of the other work that you have to do in a year.

So before I say anything else, understand that this is consideration one. And if the best time to launch for you ends up being something that is not what I’m about to tell you, don’t worry about it. Launch when it makes sense. But that being said, we have noticed over the years that we have been producing podcasts that there are times when launches go better and there are times when launches go worse.

One of the best times to launch a new podcast is at the beginning of the year. New me, new year, new show. The energy is really good and a lot of shows launch at that time. A lot of listeners are looking for something new to inspire them, to help them achieve their goals. It’s a great time to podcast.

If you want to launch in January, hopefully you started back in November or December, but if you didn’t, that’s okay, because basically the whole first half of the year really is pretty good for launching podcast.

The next most popular time after the January/February/New year is going to be the end of the school break for Western countries, so it’s going to be when school lets out.

It’s May or June depending on where you live. And suddenly a lot of people have a lot more time. And that’s awesome. There’s that kind of the freedom, the excitement around schools being out. Even as we’re grown up, we still have that energy. That’s a really good time to launch a show. We have seen a lot of shows launch and that kind of April/May/June time slot.

Less good is over the summer. August, July. It’s hot. People are bored. People are going on vacation. It can be hard to book with guests. Everyone’s got stuff going on. Not the best time of year to launch a new show.

September? Same deal as in the spring. Back to school. Energy. It’s a great time to start a podcast. There’s so much going on, so exciting. And the idea of something new at that time of the year just feels appropriate.

As we move towards the end of the year – that’s when I start telling people absolutely no go. I really do not like to see anybody launch a podcast between the end of November and the new year. People are busy. It’s the holidays. There’s just too much going on. It’s not a great time to launch.

Now, not every podcast needs to have a big popular launch that a lot of people are paying attention to. And if that is you, if it’s not really important that a lot of people are going to be involved in your launch – you launch whenever you like. And as I said at the beginning, whenever works for you best personally is better than no launch at all.

So if you’ve got the option – pick January, the spring or September. If you don’t need that kind of attention on your lunch – whatever works for you.

Watch: When Is a Good Time of the Year to Launch a Podcast?

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