Most of us are governed by the clock. We get up by the clock, get to work by the clock, and leave for home by the clock. We eat by the clock, watch the clock, and when we retire we might be given a clock. (Have you read Harlan Ellison’s Repent Harlequin, said the Ticktockman?)
So governed are we by the clock that it is no surprise that someone writes to ask what time of day they should release their podcast to a waiting world. Thankfully, there’s an easy answer. Publish it when it’s ready – you have a global audience living in their own time zone.
The days of ‘appointment viewing’ (and listening) are long gone. On one side the family doesn’t have to gather at a certain time to watch a TV show (which some argue has upset traditional family time). On the other; play on demand means we can all consume what we want when we want.
Podcasts are the audio-world’s Netflix. You can stream or download them whenever you want.
So what’s the best time to release a podcast? There is no ideal time. Although there is. Friends in email marketing tell me they send out emails to members of their databases on either a Thursday or Friday at between 1 and 3pm. It’s the end of the week; people are starting to wind down and are looking for things to do at the weekend.
What are we to take from this? You can release your podcast when you like; but if the vast majority of your listeners live in your time zone then there is no harm in publishing on a Thursday or Friday afternoon.
In other news
I was among those who was surprised to read in The Guardian the words “Regulation” and “Podcasts” in the same sentence.
The introduction to Jack Seale’s feature on 27 November 2019 referred to ‘Bedroom broadcasters’ as if recording in one’s bedroom made it a lesser product than one recorded in an expensive studio owned by a corporation. I really thought those days were behind us.
But in the penultimate paragraph of the feature he talked of regulation. This has to be called out quickly and firmly.
We need to be cautious and suspicious of such language. We need to kick back on this at every turn. More regulation is not required. There are more than enough laws already to covering libel, defamation, contempt of court and copyright etc. More regulation is the last thing that’s needed.
Do not take comments such as these lying down. Be like Harlan Ellison’s Harlequin.