How To Binge A Podcast: Strategies & Solutions

 The concept of bingeing (binging is also correct) a TV show only became a pop culture during the Streaming TV era. Netflix, of course, made it popular and integrated it into the lexicon of romantic encounters,

While the term "binge-watch" was first used in 2003, it was Netflix's decision to release entire seasons of shows at once, starting with House of Cards in 2013, that truly popularized the practice. This shift from weekly episode releases to on-demand, all-at-once content delivery marked a new era in how people consumed television. 

As newer streaming services have come online -- Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max (Or whatever it is called this week), Hulu, Amazon Prime, Tubi, Pluto -- the binge model of releasing all the episodes of the show for that season at once has fallen out of favor with Streamers because viewers watched the show in a few or one sitting and then canceled the streaming service until the show returned the next season.

Therefore, most streaming services release shows weekly, hoping to build continuity, brand loyalty, and malaise due to habit so that churn is reduced.

Let's turn now to bingeing a podcast you just found. First, it's evident that bingeing a podcast is such a distinct experience from bingeing a TV show. TV shows typically have a smaller catalog than podcasts. Suits on Netflix has 134 shows to release, and Paramount+ has 22 seasons of NCIS to deliver to viewers. Most steaming shows, however, offer 10, or at most, 13 episodes per season. So, if you're caught up on seasons, you can breeze through a season in a weekend.

Podcasts can have over 1,000 episodes, like the WhiskyCast, which has over 1,000 episodes. Grammar Girl may have reached the 1,000 mark by the time this article is published. Everything Everywhere Daily has close to 1,900 episodes.

Unlike TV shows, podcasting offers a more diverse and plentiful variety of content. Podcast discoverability is akin to finding that needle inside the haystack. But when you do find an ear-worthy podcast that is new to you, the thought that you have all their evergreen episodes to listen to may be one of those rare moments of unadulterated joy.  

So, how can you binge a podcast you just discovered and love? It's the audio version of love at first sight, which is love at first sound. Possibly unknown to many listeners, there are several strategies for bingeing a podcast you just discovered. 

Let me give you two examples. First, I found No Such Thing As a Fish, which is a British comedy podcast hosted by the writers of QI, and explores unusual and interesting facts, often playing on the idea that the world is full of things we don't fully understand, like the definition of "fish." 

The format is simple, straightforward, and endlessly fascinating. Each week, the presenters share their favorite facts, often bizarre or obscure, that they've encountered during their research. The results of that information sharing is much like wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar territory but enjoy being lost.

This podcast has been around for more than 11 years and has over 700 episodes in its archives. Do I start from the end, listening to the newest episodes first and the oldest episodes last? 

The benefit of starting with the newest episodes is that you'll be listening to the show in the format in which you discovered it. The newest episodes typically have the same host or co-hosts, the same format, and the same treatment. That was the case with 

No Such Thing As a Fish. The episodes from the last calendar year were understandably similar to the first two shows I listened to that attracted me to this wonderfully funny podcast. 

Listening to older, evergreen episodes enabled me to see the transitions and changes in the podcast. For example, in a February 2023 podcast, the four co-hosts discussed Anna Ptaszynski's final day before maternity leave. She, Dan, James and Andrew then told some salacious stories from the last nine years and listened to some of Anna's best bits.  

Listening to even older episodes gave me a much different vibe. That's one of the benefits of bingeing a podcast from the first episode, then forward in chronological order. How many podcasts, especially indie podcasts, are identical to their first few episodes? 

Often, podcasts will change intro and outro music, add chaptering to its interview segments, add features like games, contests, and trivia to its show.

More often than not, the biggest and most common change is the musical chairs played in the hosting or co-hosting positions. Here's an example, a superb indie podcast, Stuck in The '80s podcast. The show has been on for 18 years with close to 800 episodes. In that time, the biggest change has been in the co-host chairs. Currently, Steve Spears and Brad Williams are the co-hosts. 

Here's creator/co-host Steve Spears: "We created Stuck in the '80s as a work project so that the St. Petersburg Times (today called the Tampa Bay Times) could learn how to do a podcast. We figured we'd last maybe three or four episodes, so we figured we were on borrowed time and tried a bunch of different ideas. My original co-host, Gina Vivinetto, left the newspaper after a dozen episodes, so two other Times colleagues joined me: Sean Daly and Cathy Wos. And from time to time, we'd bring in other work colleagues to see how well they fit in."

Spears continues: "When I left the Times in late 2012, I continued the podcast without the newspaper's support and recruited a longtime listener - Brad Williams - to join me. The idea of doing a show by myself was just too intimidating."

 

One point to make here before we move on to the climax of this debate: new to old or old to new when bingeing a podcast. The best and brightest indie podcasters do not forsake their archived or evergreen episodes. 

The best advice I've read is by Danny Brown of One Minute Podcast Tips. Danny, who is podcast wise beyond his years and can be compared to the Gandolf of podcasting, has counseled that indie podcasters should look at the popularity of their evergreen episodes and replay them with a new intro to reward loyal listeners who obviously loved the show and entice new listeners who may subscribe to the show. 

There are several, business-wise, indie podcasters who add new intros to the most downloaded evergreen episodes and re-release them. They also re-brand them as "classics." 

When going new to old, you may experience co-host, format, thematic, and sound design changes before they are explained as they would be in an old to new binge order. 

The other "neat" part of starting with the oldest episodes is that you are an observer of the maturation of the podcast. I've listened to the first few episodes of shows with sketchy sound, a shaky host, and a jumbled structure. Lo and behold, these indie podcast entrepreneurs have "McGyvered" their show so that the sound is crisp and lush, the structure is organized, and the host's voice booms with confidence. 

 

To me, it's like a baby bird takes its first flight. 

 

To conclude, when you discover a new podcast that tickles your ears and floods you with oxytocin, don't forget to extend that enjoyment and listen to the archived episodes. New to old, or old to new, it's your choice. As you listen, keep in mind that you are essentially listening to the life cycle of a podcast and the podcaster (s). 

 

To paraphrase a well-known parenting quote:  "Watching an indie podcast grow is like chasing time's elusive shadow."