Why is pizza similar to podcasts?

We think that podcasts with episodes, which are on average thirty minutes long, tend to be successful in the long run. Now, this may be a controversial statement, as the likes of Joe Rogan have podcast episodes, which last up to an hour or even more, but let us explain.

Imagine you buy the biggest pizza (for example, a twenty-inch pizza), from Pizza Hut. It is topped with all of your favourite toppings and you know that eating it will be a pleasurable experience!

Let us assume that you are fortunate enough to have them deliver this pizza once every two days. You, as a consumer, will eventually be bored and will probably feel physically sick, from regularly eating a huge pizza, despite you enjoying the pizza at the beginning.

Let's look at it from another angle. Rather than offering a twenty-inch, stuffed-crust pizza every two days, Pizza Hut offers you a slice of that same pizza, which is easy to eat and digest, every week. The time frame is wider, meaning you have more time to look forward to the pizza arriving and because it's enough for you to digest, it's just as enjoyable as it was the first time.

We think it is the same with podcasts. How can anyone expect listeners to enjoy a three-hour episode about history, for example? Of course, there are people who like history podcasts, but we highly doubt that they will consistently listen to a podcast episode lasting for three hours, let alone download such an episode.

We also think that when you edit a podcast episode, you should imagine that the listener has a very short attention span. If you are able to create an episode, which is five minutes, but the episode is captivating, alluring, and it keeps the listener hooked and anticipating the next episode, is that really bad? We think that it is better for a listener to want more content, than to get bored and therefore not listen anymore, or even worse, refuse to download the episode. Also bear in mind, the most popular podcasts have the most downloads, and of course, it is easier to download shorter episodes than longer ones, therefore if your podcast episodes are easy to download, you have a better chance of success with your podcast.

Let's look at The Eric Andre Show, for example. The show involves Eric Andre pulling pranks on naive celebrities and the public, as well as him being silly in and around the set. The episodes are no more than fifteen minutes and even better, on YouTube, the clips tend to only be two minutes long. This is clever editing, because the producers know that an hour-long programme, for example, would not work for the show, because it stops being funny if the episodes are too long because the jokes are likely to become repetitive and boring. No one wants to see someone goofing around and pulling pranks for an hour, even worse three! It will become boring, predictable, and annoying.

In conclusion, unless you are Joe Rogan or Beyonce, chances are that you will not be able to pull off a podcast, which contains episodes which last for more than one hour.  If you, however, take the time to edit content into smaller episodes, you are likely to have a successful podcast. Why? If you have a good amount of content, which you segment into smaller episodes, you can upload this content on a regular, consistent basis, and because the episodes are shorter, it will be easier for the listener to digest. Also, there is less pressure, to create more and more content, for continuity's sake.  Also, if you know each episode is edited to the highest standard, then you have the makings of a successful podcast.