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1. 

   Angela
   Member

   I'm starting to get involved with creating podcasts and would like to know the maximum and minimum number of minutes for a podcast. I think an hour or 30 minutes is too long, but that's just me Thanks.

   Posted 3 years ago #
2. 

   Amandah Blackwell
   Moderator

   I wouldn't go over 15 or 20 minutes for a podcast. Some people do record 60 or 72 minute podcasts but that's way too long, just my opinion. I find that I skip ahead straining to listen for the valuable piece of information that was promised. Unfortunately, it's at the end or non-existent. Make sure you stay on topic when you do a podcast. If you're using a podcast to sell something that's fine, just be honest about it...just my opinion.

   Posted 3 years ago #
3. 

   irishfireside
   Member

   The length of a podcast really depends on content, audience and your production time.

   There are some very compelling podcasts that only run 60 seconds an episode. Meanwhile, shows like This Week in Travel run almost an hour.

   Format and length will shape the audience you draw... is it a podcast they will play on a quick break at the office, while walking the dog, driving to work, working out at the gym? Or is it more of an advertisement... should it follow standard advertising times... how long do you need to get your message across?

   That said, 5-10 minutes is a safe length to test the waters

   I recommend including detailed show notes on your blog that include the time stamp for each topic... that way the people who "skip" know when to stop and listen... and it makes your content searchable.

   You might find Donna Popacosta's Trafcom News Podcast a helpful resource in the basics of podcasting.

   Posted 3 years ago #
4. 

   Trisha Miller
   Administrator

   Hi Irishfireside - welcome!

   Excellent tips and resources - and I totally agree - there are definitely some podcasts that run an hour or longer that I am a devoted listener of, including "This Week in Travel", so it really is more about the content than the length.....the more valuable and interesting the content is, then longer the podcast can be and still attract and keep listeners.

   And I love the idea of including time-stamps to help people, and also adding chapter markers to help people keep their place if they have to listen to a longer podcast in short segments - I know GarageBand (for Mac) will do this, and I'm sure there is Windows software that will do this too.

   Posted 3 years ago #

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