Are Podcasts Getting Too Long

  Too often, a people's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. That maxim relates to organizations, industries, and nations. For example, people who are results-oriented can also create win-lose situations and be unnecessarily demanding. In business, Kodak's skill in boosting sales in existing markets overwhelmed its inability to recognize the potential of new digital markets. 

In podcasting, a podcast's lack of time restriction -- unlike a time-limited radio or TV program -- is a strength because it enables the narrative to expand or shrink depending on the content in a specific episode.

However, that strength becomes a weakness when podcasts use that time flexibility to expand the running time of the podcast episode without a compelling reason to do so. A back-of-the-envelope calculation of the top 10 podcasts reveals that the time of the average episode has increased by 14 percent in the last year.

Interview podcasts have increased in length the most, driven primarily by celebrity podcasts, where the sense that "less is more" is close to editorial blasphemy. 

Political podcasts have also increased in length, as axe-grinding and demonizing the "other side" is a never-ending process. 

Listener surveys reveal that 26 percent of podcast fans speed up their podcast to finish an episode.

"Many podcast fans are involved in a routine activity like commuting, cleaning, or working while listening," says podcast consultant George Witt. "Therefore, the time restriction may not be a concern for the podcaster, but it is for the listener, who has limited time to consume an episode."

In fact, a company has devised its own solution to the podcast length issue. Snippet·fm  now offers a service where every show is less than twenty minutes. The network includes software that removes pauses, “ums and ers” and other filler words, to respect audiences’ time. The network’s CEO, Tyler Russell McCusker, previously worked in radio for thirteen years.

Snippet does not shorten existing programs like other services.  Instead, "we aim to create compelling listening experiences that get straight to the point from the moment you press play," Snippet claims.

Some popular podcasts keep their episodes within a manageable time range. Podcasts such as 99% Invisible and Twenty Thousand Hertz tend to maintain a 30-40 minute running time range. 

"That steady time range per episode helps loyal listeners budget time for their favorite podcasts," notes George Witt. "They know how much time they'll need to listen to an episode."

Still, there are listeners who enjoy being immersed in a podcast with a long running time. Joe Rogan hosts one of the most popular podcasts week-in and week-out, and its running time is often two to four hours. 

So how does a podcaster determine length for their podcast?

"It depends on your podcast," says George Witt. "Interview podcasts tend to be longer than single-topic podcasts like the Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts."

The key seems to be that podcast length is determined by your topic, the type of podcast (interview, informational, true-crime) and the expectations of your listener. 

Of course, longer run times for podcasts does usually translate into more ads and consequently more revenue for the podcaster or the podcast network.

So what's the appropriate length of a podcast?

False Facts podcaster Dave Stenhouse says, "It depends on the type of podcast you're producing and the profile of your listeners."

Stenhouse's podcast about urban myths, things your mom told you, things you heard as a child, facts that people quote repeatedly, distortions that once started as facts and  “alternative facts” tops out at 15 minutes.

"I think my topic captures listener's attention span for about that time frame," Stenhouse admits. "Any more than that ignores what my listeners expect."

So, after all this: Are podcasts too long?

Fact: Podcasts are growing in overall run time.

Fact: 26 percent of listeners play their podcast at 1.5X speed.

Fact: There is a service -- Snippet.fm that now markets shorter, more concise podcasts.

In conclusion, there is evidence that listeners are coping with longer podcasts in several ways. The increased length of podcasts does not appear to be a serious industry-wide issue at this time. There is some evidence that swollen podcast lengths are affecting some listeners.

I must confess that one of my favorite podcasts is about two minutes long. It is the Word Of The Day podcast from Dictionary.com.