---
aliases: ["Podcast Episodes Per Month"]
Is A: Measure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-podcast]]"
Unit: "episodes"
---
# Podcast Episodes Per Month

Podcast episodes per month tracks the production output cadence for [[responsibility-podcast]]. Like [[measure-articles-per-week]] for the newsletter, publishing consistency is the foundation of audience habit formation. Listeners need to know when to expect new episodes, and irregular publishing erodes the routine that drives loyal listenership and [[measure-podcast-downloads]] growth.

This metric ensures that the podcast maintains a sustainable rhythm without compromising the production quality that [[person-paco-furiani]] and the team have established.

## How it's tracked

Counted as the number of podcast episodes published in a given calendar month. Both full-length episodes and bonus/short episodes count. Recorded episodes that are not yet published do not count. Logged in the monthly tracking spreadsheet and reviewed as part of [[procedure-podcast-analytics]].

## Targets

- **During active seasons**: 3-4 episodes per month (roughly weekly cadence). This was the pace for [[24q1-podcast-season-1]] and [[24q3-podcast-season-2]].
- **Between seasons**: 0-1 episodes per month. Breaks between seasons are intentional to avoid burnout and allow for guest booking and content planning.
- **Annual target**: 20-25 episodes across the year, distributed across 2-3 seasons.

## Notes

- The seasonal model (8-12 episode seasons with breaks in between) works well for this format. It prevents podcast fatigue for both the host and listeners.
- Production bottleneck is typically guest scheduling, not editing. [[person-paco-furiani]] handles editing and post-production efficiently, usually within 48 hours of receiving raw audio.
- During active seasons, batching 2-3 recordings in a single week and releasing them weekly is the most efficient approach. This reduces context-switching costs.
- If the cadence drops below 2 episodes per month during an active season, assess whether the issue is guest pipeline, recording time, or editorial direction.
- Coordinate season launches with the newsletter calendar to maximize cross-promotion. The first episode of a season should coincide with a newsletter feature.
