Tracy and Tom Hazzard discuss podcasting activity during the summer. They challenge the industry perception that listener interest drops in summer, arguing instead that fewer downloads reflect reduced episode production and fewer show launches. They recommend continuing to record and even starting new shows in summer because there is less competition (less noise) and sustained or increased listener demand.
Here's the thing. Summer is typically very slow at the beginning. It picks up in August to September. Tom and I have been doing this long enough that we know this isn't an anomaly. It. It is what it is. It is this same exact way every time. And so what we see is a lot of hosts stop recording in the summer.
Here's the thing. There's a lot more listeners in the summer.
You're missing out.
That's the thing. I agree. We do see in the summer a decline in downloads, and it's not because people aren't listening. It's not because people don't want to listen. It's because podcasters are not putting out as much content in the summer.
Right. So overall, the industry has set this perception that there's less interest in podcasting in the summer, and it's false. It's a false narrative. It's false because there are less downloads, because there are less new shows, new episodes to download, and less people launch in the summer. They wait for September, and then there's a flood of people. It is way better for you to be recording in the summer, to be submitting consistently, and for you to start a new show in the summer. That is the smarter play, because there's less noise and there's more demand.
