There’s a particular sound in podcasting that’s worse than bad audio or an awkward guest. It’s silence—the kind that follows an enthusiastic launch and then… nothing. No new episodes, no updates, just digital tumbleweeds and a dusty “last updated 6 months ago” banner on your Spotify listing. Friends, we need to talk about premature pod death.
Most podcasters start with enthusiasm. They launch with a trailer, a logo, a media kit, all their social media pages, and send links to friends and family. They record the first few episodes with all the joy of a new parent. Then comes editing, scheduling, promoting, and, heaven forbid, planning ahead. Suddenly, that biweekly release schedule turns into “whenever I feel like it,” and soon, the podcast is on an extended hiatus. Indefinitely.
Welcome to the podfade graveyard. It’s crowded. You won’t be alone, but do you really want to be there with everyone else and their good intentions?
We’ve been in the game long enough and asked enough questions to know what kills a podcast and what keeps it going, even when motivation is low, energy is scarce, and life insists on being life. Here’s how to avoid the fade and stay consistent—without needing a vision board or a TED Talk.
Decide You Have a Podcast—Not Just a Project
If you treat your podcast like a short-term experiment, it will behave like one. On our podcast, we made a decision early on: while technically the show is a hobby, it’s a part of who we are. It gets scheduled, discussed, edited, and published—whether we’re fresh off a vacation or crawling through a week that felt like a decade. If your podcast is optional, it’ll opt out. Do we take breaks? Yes. Do we freak out if we miss a week? Absolutely not. But we are committed to continuing to brighten folks days and working hard to be consistent.
Record More Than You Publish
The best way to stay motivated is to stay ahead. We record episodes a week in advance. This allows room for surprise illnesses, spontaneous travel, and occasional “I cannot do this today” moments. Having a buffer means you’re not operating in a constant state of content panic. We have so many in the can that when we need to travel or have an emergency, we can at least drop a clip or two to keep our audience engaged on social media and YouTube.
Don’t Wait to Feel Inspired—Use a System
Have you ever heard that motivation is like a cat? It shows up when it feels like it and disappears when you need it most. Systems, on the other hand, show up even when you don’t feel like it. Use a content calendar. Recycle segments. Set deadlines. We’ve turned Q&A Sunday into a routine that gives us fresh content without starting from scratch. It’s not always sexy, but it’s sustainable.
Lower the Bar (Yes, Really)
You don’t need to reinvent the podcasting wheel every episode. Sometimes, a simple chat is enough. If you’ve got a topic, a mic, and a pulse, you’ve got an episode. We have even set the mic up without getting out of bed before. Perfection is the enemy of done. And done is the friend of still having a podcast three seasons later.
Remember Why You Started (Then Say It Out Loud During Recording)
This isn’t just for your audience—it’s for you. Reminding yourself why you love what you do, why you started, or even just why you’re still here ON THE MIC helps reinforce your purpose. On the Chat and Bother Podcast, we regularly reference how much fun we have together. It’s honest, a little self-serving, and exactly the kind of thing that keeps us going when the world is loud and attention is short.
Podcasting is a long game. It’s not always glamorous. Sometimes it’s just two tired people in front of a mic, figuring it out mid-sentence. But consistency builds community, and showing up—week after week—is what separates the “we had a podcast” crowd from the ones still growing, episode by episode.
You’ve got this.
