Why should you consider republishing an older episode of your podcast? In today’s episode, I’m sharing why to republish, how to determine which episodes to re-air, and best practices for strategic success with your republished episodes.
Clocking In with Haylee Gaffin is produced by Gaffin Creative, a podcast production company for creative entrepreneurs. Learn more about our services at Gaffincreative.com, plus you’ll also find resources, show notes, and more for the Clocking In Podcast.
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Why Repurpose Podcast Episodes?
Republishing old episodes can be a lifesaver in several situations. Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider it:
1. Taking Time Off: Life happens—maternity leave, holidays, or good old summer vacations. The time and energy required to create fresh content can be overwhelming. Instead of doubling your workload to cover time off, consider spacing out new content with republished episodes.
2. When You’re Running Behind: Imagine arranging an important guest interview only for them to reschedule at the last minute. Or the recording schedule simply falls behind. Spare yourself the stress and use a republished episode to fill the gap seamlessly.
3. Growing Your Audience: With audience growth, many listeners might have missed older episodes. Republishing allows these new fans to discover content they might otherwise never find. For instance, when Call Her Daddy expanded from Spotify exclusivity to broader platforms, the host republished older episodes as “Flashback Fridays,” engaging a wider audience.
Determining Which Episodes to Republish
Not every episode is prime for republishing. Here’s how to determine the best ones:
1. Identify Truly High-Value Episodes: Don’t be misled by the most downloaded episodes. Instead, focus on those with the highest completion rates and those that received positive feedback and shares from your audience.
2. Give Your Episodes Plenty of Air Time: Republish episodes that are at least six or more months old. This ensures that the content feels fresh, even if it’s being revisited, and it’s far enough back that many listeners might have forgotten or missed it.
3. Timeliness: Ensure enough time has passed since the episode originally aired—at least six months. This ensures that the content feels fresh to even your most loyal listeners.
4. Relevance: Make sure the content is still relevant today. Avoid republishing episodes with outdated strategies or resources that are no longer available.
How to Republish Your Old Podcast Episodes Effectively
Once you’ve decided which episodes to republish, here are the best practices to follow:
1. Title, Numbering, and Labels: Decide if it will be a numbered episode or labeled as a bonus. If numbering, consider whether to reuse the old title or come up with a new one. Recently, the strategy has shifted to placing “Replay” or equivalent notations at the end of the title, to maintain listener engagement.
2. New Intro for Old Content: Recording a fresh intro contextualizes the old content, making it relevant to today’s listeners. Explain why you’re republishing the episode and highlight key takeaways they should look forward to.
3. Optimize Your Blog Posts: Avoid duplicating blog content to prevent SEO issues. Create a new post or update the original with fresh insights and a link to the republished episode.
Successfully Republished
In my own podcast, I republished a favorite episode for International Women’s Day. I recorded a new intro and kept the numbering consistent, indicating the replay only in the introduction. This approach helped a lot, considering it was a full two years since the episode first aired.
Republishing old podcast episodes can be a strategic move for your content schedule, audience engagement, and overall podcast growth. Just make sure to do it right!
Time-stamps:
Why would you want to republish an older episode? (1:43)
Which episodes you should republish (7:01)
Episodes to avoid republishing (9:26)
How to republish (12:17)
Mentioned in This Episode:
Episode 092: Cheering You On for International Women’s Day
Episode 134: Accessibility In Podcasting with Myrna Daramy
Episode 136 – not yet released
