Should Podcasts be Short or Long?
I’ve heard votes for both short a long podcasts. Some argue that they just want to enjoy a 30-60 minute show because that’s what they’re used to with TV or radio programs. Others say a podcast longer than 10 minutes can’t hold their attention.
It’s often the case that you have 30-60 minutes of downtime where you might want to listen to a podcast. It’s easier to listen to one podcast that fits that timeframe rather than a bunch of short ones. Downloading and syncing, or even just pressing the play button for a 5 minute podcast may not even be worth the effort.
But, you can usually get a lot more info by listening to a variety of short podcasts. I listen to both 30 minute shows and 5-10 minute shows. The short ones, like CBC Hourly, defiantly give me much higher quality info, and overall they provide a much more productive use of my time. I’d even argue that I get both higher levels of quality and quantity out of a 5 minute show than I do a 30 minute show.
What about when the objective isn’t to get educated but simply to get entertained? 30-60 minutes give a podcaster more time to make you laugh, make you cry, make you bop you head on the bus… But I’d still argue that a good short podcast like Podington Bear gives me a higher quality bopping experience per minute than any long show out there.
I’d say the argument for longer podcasts is not so much about a preference for longer shows, but its about the fact that longer shows fit better into the time people have for podcasts. If it were easier to consume a bunch of shorties in that time I think we’d see the short niche podcasts topping the charts.
I’ve touched on what I think are a couple of the biggest arguments for either side. What other opinions are there?
