Podcasting Q&A

When should you pivot your podcast's subject?

• Buzzsprout

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Greg from Substitute Teachers Lounge asks, "When is it a good idea to pivot the subject matter of your podcast?"

TL;DR
There are several reasons you may consider changing the focus or subject of your podcast. Perhaps your topic was relevant for a certain period of time, you ran out of ideas of things to talk about, or your interests have shifted to something different.

In this episode, we'll dig into several reasons why changing your podcast's subject can be a good idea and provide some guidelines for how to do it well.

If your podcast pivot includes changing the name of your podcast, be sure to check out our episode on how to rebrand your podcast without losing any of your listeners.

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Badr:

In today's episode, you'll learn when it's time to pivot your podcast subject. Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, where you're learning the best tips and strategies to launch grow and monetize your show. Today's question comes from Greg.

Greg:

Yes, this is Greg Collins, I have the podcast substitute teachers lounge with you guys. It's it's done pretty well, I've recorded about 80 episodes, as you can expect, it is very much a niche market. And at times, it has been so popular enough to get 100 downloads a day, it's been ranked as high as number 15 in education for kids and apple. But as you might expect, right now, it's struggling more because as more and more schools are on virtual learning fewer substitute teachers are needed. So my question is this, should I change my title? Should I just, you know, hang in there until the worst of this is over? A lot of my advice is for teachers to but teachers is very much more saturated. So what would you your advice be for a niche podcast that is currently struggling? Should I hang on? Or what are some of the things I could try?

Badr:

Thanks for your question, Greg. For most podcasters, and listeners, the subject of your podcast is synonymous of the identity of your podcast, which makes sense since most podcasts revolve around a central theme or subject but what happens when you're ready to change the subject of your podcast? In today's video, we'll talk about the reasons why you would want to pivot your podcast subject and the strategies to do it successfully. For starters, you could find yourself in a similar position to Greg's where you find that your podcast subject has undergone major industry changes that has impacted your ability to produce effective and relevant content. Or maybe your podcast subject is something topical or time sensitive. Or maybe your favorite Netflix show that you were playing to launch an awesome podcast just got cancelled after season one. I mean, can you believe the audacity of Netflix to cancel it after season one, if your reasons aren't related to relevancy or industry changes? Maybe you've just gotten a point in your podcast journey where your passion for the subject just isn't what it used to be. As someone who's been podcasting since 2013. About comic books, my passion for the subject has definitely wane. I've also considered altering my podcast subject to something different. If you're at this point in your journey, maybe it's a good time for you to consider pivoting your podcast subject to something that aligns closer to your current passions. Now, before you go pivoting your podcast subject, consider making a plan to stick with it for another six months, who's to say that things in your industry or your subject won't change and your download numbers won't bounce back. Not only that, but if you're feeling this way, who's to say that other podcasters in your subject or niche are also thinking about these things. If you can persevere, you could potentially become the go to podcast for your specific niche or topic. Changing the focus of your podcast is definitely something that you can do pretty easily. But keep in mind, it's not something that you want to constantly be doing. constantly changing the subject or focus of your podcast could easily confuse your listeners. So make sure that you communicate any plans to change the subject of your podcast and ensure that you're comfortable, knowledgeable and passionate about the pivot.

Gilon:

Thanks for listening to Podcasting Q&A. If you have a question that you would like us to answer on a future episode of the show, just go to speakpipe. om/Buzzsprout or click the lin in the show notes to leave u a brief audio message. Make su e you're subscribed to the Buz sprout YouTube channel to watc future episodes of Podcast ng Q&A, or subscribe to the pod ast and your favorite podcast listening app. That's it for tod y. Thanks for listening and as lways keep podcasting