A question that often comes up among podcasters is, what’s the ideal length for a podcast? It depends. There isn’t actually a right answer to this, but there are common practices you can look at. According to one study, the average length for all podcasts is around 43 minutes. However, the average can vary quite a bit depending on the topic. Podcasts about pop culture interests like TV, film, music, and video games, tend to fall around the 50-70 minute range. Podcasts on education, business and government tend to be in the 20-30 minute range.
There are some podcasts that stick to a 60-minute format (This American Life), because they also air on radio and the show fits more neatly on the schedule that way. However, one of the most popular podcasts in the world, The Joe Rogan Experience, regularly stretches 2-3 hours long. On the other end of the spectrum, another popular podcast, Song Exploder, tends to be very concise with the editing and typically runs 10-15 minutes.
If it’s helpful to you, create a “target” time to shoot for so that you can prepare for approximately the correct level of depth you feel is right for your audience. This doesn’t have to be a set in stone number but it might help your listeners if they have a ballpark idea of what to expect. It might also be helpful for your guests and co-hosts to know how much information or stories to prepare for when it’s time to record.
In short, make your podcast as long as it needs to be to say what you need to say but never let it get boring!
We hope this has been helpful to you. If you are looking for some royalty free music for your podcast (at no cost to you), check out the Arches Audio Music Library. If you’re willing to spend a little, we can also create custom theme music just for you.
Also, if you’re looking to start a podcast, check out our Podcast Launch Package, which gives you everything you’ll need to get started: the equipment, an eBook course, a 1-hour consultation, editing and production for your pilot episode, custom artwork, and more.