4 Reasons To Start A Second Podcast

We're answering the question of whether starting a second podcast is the right next step for you, or if it's just extra work that drains your time. We'll share four clear reasons to launch a second podcast, including real examples and a reminder to only expand when you have the bandwidth to enjoy it.

If you have questions about launching a second podcast, reach out to us on the Podcaster Success team by emailing support@buzzsprout.com.  

Keep podcasting!

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Welcome to Podcasting Q&A

Cara Pacetti 0:00

Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you by the people at Buzzsprout. I'm your host, Cara Pacetti, and I'm bringing you the best tips and strategies to keep you podcasting with confidence. If you've ever caught yourself wondering during your podcast production process, am I even doing this right? You are definitely not alone. If you have questions, please click the Send Us Fan mail link in the show notes. I would love to take your question and answer it on a future Podcasting Q&A episode. With that, let's go ahead and get into today's question. Today we're answering, should I start a second podcast? This is not only a great question, but a necessary one. Starting a second podcast can either be a really great next step in your overall podcast growth, or it can just be a lot of extra work. So you really want to evaluate this before investing in starting a second show. Today I'm going to share four reasons that adding a second podcast might just be your next move and some examples of what that might look like.

It's time to serve a new audience

Cara Pacetti 1:10

The first reason you might want to start a second podcast is if you find that you are actually speaking to two different audiences. So if you are busy scripting your episodes and as you're doing it, you're going, Who is my audience when I'm scripting these episodes? And that can really feel inconsistent for your listeners. It can feel confusing. So a second podcast would allow you to separate those audiences, and that way you can offer tailored content for your listeners. I want to offer an example here. Say you are hosting a motivational podcast. You are motivating your listeners for making changes in their lives, whether it be their health or maybe a career change or just getting motivated to start that thing that they've never done before. And in this motivational podcast, you offer a series on becoming an entrepreneur and maybe some of the ways that you can be motivated to start a new business. Well, in this, you really find that those are very popular episodes, but you find that your audience is really craving something that's more instructional. And so this would be that moment where that audience has shifted and you'd like to speak to that niche audience, but your motivational podcast is just not the place to do it. This is your telling sign. It is time to separate those concepts and create two different podcasts. So at the end of this, you will keep your main podcast that is focused on motivation in all areas, and you will offer your more niche podcast that is speaking directly to listeners who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship. Another pro tip is to add some dynamic content into those entrepreneurial episodes that you featured in your motivational podcast to let those listeners know that if this motivational content is really not what you're looking for, I've actually created this brand new podcast. Go subscribe over here. So that's the first reason why you might need to start a second podcast, is because your audience has shifted. So

Give a new podcast format a try

Cara Pacetti 3:16

keeping with the example that I mentioned for reason one, this motivational podcast is hosted by you. You are recording solo episodes based fully on motivation, but you're finding that you're getting a lot of engagement from your listeners. And you want a way to incorporate that into your podcast because these testimonies or these success stories are actually just what your audience needs to hear in order to remain motivated. So you can see here, we're still speaking to the same audience, but we now need to separate the two podcasts so that we can offer a different format. So we're going to keep our motivational podcast with shorter solo episodes. And we're actually going to offer a new podcast of listener testimonies. And so it's going to be an interview podcast. You're going to hear their side of the story. Separating these two podcasts, they're not creating a new message. You're just changing the delivery and getting this valuable content to your listeners. Because let's face it, everybody consumes and learns in different styles. So sometimes an interview podcast may be more entertaining than a solo podcast. Maybe you can dive a little bit deeper and you could just offer a whole new facet of this already successful podcast. The

A new podcast topic needs a place to live

Cara Pacetti 4:34

third reason you might want to start a second podcast is if you find that you are coming up with new content, but you have nowhere to put it. So this could be for a new audience. This could be for your existing audience. This could be in the same format, or this could be a new format. It really just depends. But the point is the content that you want to share just doesn't fit in your current podcast. So this can happen when you have a successful podcast that you've already overcome all those hurdles of learning how to podcast and edit and record episodes, and you're doing it well. You have a workflow that is smooth, and this podcast is a success and you're enjoying it, but you just keep going back to this topic that you want to cover. And so what do you do with that content? You stuff it back into your brain and you just let it go. And you continue on with your current podcast. And unfortunately, that content just goes to waste. Do not let that happen. If there is something on your mind and you are just itching to share about it, start the second podcast. So say you have a podcast and it's strictly for entertainment. So it is a scripted series, it's an audio drama, and you are telling a story, but your favorite artists are steadily releasing their new albums and you can't not talk about it. You are so excited to share about it, and you're just thinking to yourself, I have this audience, but I can't talk about my favorite artist on my audio drama podcast. It's just not the place where it belongs. That is your telling sign. Time to start a second podcast. So you can start that second podcast. It could be your same audience, or it could be a completely different audience, but it is a totally different type of show and you'll have double the fun. So it's a win-win, but I definitely think that is a telling sign. It's time to start that second podcast. And

New business opportunity means new podcast

Cara Pacetti 6:31

the fourth reason to start a second podcast is a little unique, a little outside of the box, but I think you might really like this example. If you are a podcaster who is producing a successful podcast as a hobby, so you love offering your content, you love producing your podcast, and you're really good at it. But your job is working at a marketing firm. That is what you do for your career. And you have a client that you think to yourself, you know, they actually would really benefit from having a podcast. I think that this would really fit within their niche. It would really create a connection for their company. I wonder if they'd go for it. So then you bring this podcast proposal to your client and you let them know, I really enjoy podcasting and I could actually really help you with this. Do you want to give it a try for your business? That is an excellent opportunity to start a second podcast. So you already love doing it as a hobby. You can shift to doing that type of work in your career. Again, that's a win-win. And a definite reason for giving a second podcast a shot. Just a quick review on the four reasons why you might want to start a second podcast. Either you're ready to serve a brand new audience with your second podcast. Maybe you're serving the same audience, but you want to go ahead and offer a different format of your podcast. You have content that you are just itching to share with the world, but you can't place it in your existing podcast. Go ahead and start a second one. Don't leave your listeners hanging. There are listeners out there that are just as excited to hear your content as you are to share it. And the fourth reason, make it a strategic business move. Go ahead and show off your skills to your client, to your employer, and let them know how fun podcasting is and how beneficial it can be for their business. Remember, when it comes to starting a second podcast, there's really no rush. There's no pressure to start more than one podcast. If you do not have the bandwidth to produce two podcasts while continuing to enjoy the process, that is your telling sign, you're not ready. I would hold off until there's a better time or until you've mastered your workflow or maybe recruited some help. In the end, you want to make this enjoyable. If you are ready to start a second podcast and you're hosted here with us on BuzzSprout, we actually offer multi-podcast plans so that you can keep all of your podcasts hosted under one subscription. I'll be sure to add some details about that in the show notes if that's something you are interested in. If you have questions about starting a second podcast, you can always reach out to us on the podcaster success team by emailing support at buzzsprout.com. We can help walk through your ideas or maybe offer some advice on how to get that second podcast going. I hope you've enjoyed this episode and it's helped get your wheels turning. Be sure to join us every Monday to kickstart your week. Thank you so much for listening. And as always, keep podcasting.