🎧 Prefer to listen? Click here to listen to this episode on your favorite podcast player.
Have you heard that no one listens to podcasts in the summer? This narrative has been around in the podcasting world for as long as I can remember. And every year, I see podcasters asking the same question: “Should I take the summer off?“
Before you decide to put away your equipment and take the whole summer off, I’ll share what the data actually shows and what I’ve seen from working with podcasters for over a decade.
The Myth: No One Listens in Summer
I saw this come up again recently in a Facebook group. Someone asked if they should stop publishing during the summer because “no one listens.”
This statement gets passed around as gospel. But using absolutes like “no one listens” just isn’t backed by reality.
Here’s why.
The Reality: People DO Listen in Summer
Let me start with two quick examples from my own life.
Example 1: Me!Â
Our busy season at PodAssist runs from April through early June. By late June, I’m finally coming up for air. And you know what I’m doing? I’m on my deck, reading books and listening to MORE podcasts, including new ones that I’ve newly discovered.
Summer is when I have time to actually enjoy more podcast episodes, not less.
Example 2: Teachers
Teachers have summers off. They finally have time after a busy school year. Do you think they’re listening to more podcasts or less? My guess is they too would fall in the camp of more!Â
The Data Backs This Up
I came across a study from SiriusXM Media that looked at podcast listening habits in the summer. Here’s what they found:
Podcast listening shifts to more flexible, on-the-go consumption in the summer. Yes, there’s a slight dip in weekday morning commute listening (people are on vacation or working different hours). But that’s balanced by an increase in leisure time listening.
And here’s the number that really jumped out at me:
86% of listeners report that they listen to podcasts about the same or even more during the summer months.
So while some podcasters may experience a “summer slump,” or feel that this is happening, the data shows that most listeners aren’t going anywhere during the warm and sunny months.
What I’ve Seen in Our Clients’ Dashboards
Before recording this episode, I took a look at the dashboards of our long-running client podcasts, the ones that have been publishing for multiple years and keep going through the summer.
Here’s what I found: No decrease in downloads per episode. In fact, I saw a slight uptick in a lot of cases for the summer.
Your listeners are still there. They’re just listening in different contexts, like maybe on a road trip, at the beach, on a walk, or during a drive to the cottage.
What Happens If You Take the Whole Summer Off?
Before I go further, let me be clear: I fully support taking breaks to recharge. Your podcast has to be sustainable (if you’ve listened to any of my episodes or we’ve chatted before, you’d know this is a core principle for me when it comes to podcasting)! If you’re grinding and need time off, absolutely take it and don’t feel guilty about doing this at all.
But here’s what could happen if you take the whole summer off:
- You lose momentum. It’s harder to get back into the habit of recording.
- Your audience forgets about you (a bit, at least). You’ve been out of sight, out of mind.
- It’s harder to start back up in the fall. I’ve seen this happen with multiple clients, and before you know it, they’re approaching a year of no new episodes released (and they have built-in audiences waiting for them and what they have to share).
- New listeners can’t find you. If you’re not publishing fresh content, you’re not showing up in search or recommendations as often, which should be at least considered when considering your podcast plans for the summer.
Your Summer Strategy Options
The key is to be intentional. Don’t wait until June to figure this out. Plan now!
Here are some strategies that work:
Option 1: Keep Your Regular Schedule
If it’s sustainable and you’ve got your systems down, just keep going. That’s what I’m doing and plan to continue on this bi-weekly schedule as it just works for me..
Option 2: Reduce Frequency Temporarily
Go from weekly to bi-weekly. Or if you usually record long episodes, do shorter “quick tips” episodes that are easier to produce.
Option 3: Batch Ahead
Record multiple episodes in May. Then enjoy the summer without going dark. This is my go-to strategy – when I have the motivation to record, I do my best to strike while the iron is hot and do a few episodes at once so I’m ahead.
Option 4: Run Replay Episodes
If you have a big enough back catalog, run “best of” episodes during the summer. Your subscribers will still get notified of new content, but you’re not recording fresh episodes.
You could even record a short intro with your current thoughts on that past episode to make it feel fresh.
(Note: I can’t do this yet since I’m only 11 episodes in. But established podcasters can and it’s something I’ll probably do once I’ve had my podcast running for a longer period of time).
Option 5: Repurpose Past Content
Summer could be a great time to turn past episodes into blog posts, share clips on social media, or start a new content strategy around your existing catalog.
Option 6: Guest on Other Shows
If you’re taking a break from your own show, use that time to guest on other podcasts. You stay active in the podcasting space, get in front of new audiences, and it’s way less work than producing your own episodes (note: with the host’s permission, you could even combine this strategy with Option 4, Replay Shows, and air the episode to your listeners).
Option 7: Communicate Your Plan
If you ARE taking a break, don’t just ghost your listeners.
Put out a short final episode letting them know the plan and when you’ll be back. It’s a courtesy, and it shows respect for your audience.
Here’s how I think about it:
If you had a standing appointment with a friend every Thursday at a coffee shop, and you’d been doing that for years, and then you just didn’t show up one Thursday, and then didn’t show up for the rest of the summer, I don’t think that friend would keep coming back.
You’re not going to lose all your subscribers if you take the summer off. But it’s good practice to let them know what’s going on so they’re not wondering where you went.
Your Permission Slip
Get your summer strategy in place before summer hits.
Be intentional, but also be flexible. You can pivot and switch things up if needed.
And if you take one thing from this episode, it’s this: Don’t buy into the notion that no one is listening to podcasts during the summer. The data says otherwise.
Communicate your plan. Set a date to come back if you’re taking a break!
A Call to Current Podcasters
If you’ve found yourself in this situation, maybe you’re not quite sure what to do for the summer, or you need help keeping things running during the season, reach out to us.
Editing and post-production is the main part of our business. We work with established shows to help with their regular workflow so they can focus on what they do best.
You can book a call with me at podassist.com or email me at podcast@podassist.com.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope it’s an enjoyable and productive summer for your podcast and your business, and I appreciate you reading this and tuning into the show!
Remember—it’s YOUR show and there are NO RULES!