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Experimenting with Your Podcast Format During the Holiday Season · Your Mic

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  Should you or should you not record new podcast content during the holiday season?
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  We're going to talk about that on this episode of your mic
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  My name is Freddie Cruz founder of speak podcasting and if you want to chat pod, hit me up
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  Freddie with a why and speak podcasting.com now back to the question that many a creator
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  Asked themselves this time of year
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  Should I go dark during the holiday season when we all know statistically speaking
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  Podcast listenership like in the summer goes down because of schedule changes everybody's hanging out with their family and their friends
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  Out at parties out at holiday events
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  Shopping if you will and of course on the big holidays Christmas Christmas Eve New Year's New Year's
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  New Year's Eve New Year's Day
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  Everyone's tapped out. There's no consuming content. There's no one to learn about the ins and outs of somebody's business or
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  Learn about why they should do X when
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  They're doing the wire whatever the case may be and so I would like to
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  posit a somewhat contrarian take on this that while listenership is in fact down
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  This would be the perfect opportunity for you the podcaster no matter if you are new or if you're
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  Past episode 25 or if you're a grizzled veteran who's been doing this for more than a hundred episodes
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  There is no reason why you should not take this opportunity to experiment
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  Let's say for instance
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  You have got a solo show and
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  Maybe just maybe you have been wanting to toy around with an interview format
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  Now is the chance when there is statistically fewer listeners
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  Consuming your content why not experiment with something that's not gonna turn off the majority of your listenership
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  If they're not used to that sort of a format
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  And then the people that are tuning in are like wow
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  Freddy's doing something quite different. I like it
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  Then you can
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  When you are promoting your episode on social media or with your newsletter and
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  I like to think that you are I may or may not be talking to myself when I clear my throat
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  But when you are promoting your episode asking for that feedback
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  Hey this week we are gonna be experimenting with
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  This kind of a new format that you're not used to listening to or watching
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  What do you think would you like to see or hear more of that in 2026
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  This is the perfect breeding ground
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  And maybe if you do an interview format
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  And with everybody's schedules being out of whack and Lord knows as the owner of a company that produces
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  podcasts for 13 different clients
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  Scheduling guests is a lot like hurting cats no offense to cats that need to be heard it it is
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  super hard
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  To get everybody in line and scheduled and oh I'm gonna sign on oh well you know what I had something come up
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  Oh well
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  I thought I had it on my calendar, but it's not and if it's not in the calendar it doesn't exist
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  So maybe if you host an interview format podcast go solo
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  It's a lot easier to coordinate anyway
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  If there's something that you've been wanting to get off your chest and you just haven't
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  Because you're used to having a an interview format
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  Now is the time especially if it's a hot take
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  Especially if it's a hot take this is the time to experiment with different formats
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  Maybe you are a mixture and I've talked to different podcast hosts who do this
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  I am also an example where it's a mixture of solo episodes and interview formats
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  But if you are a business owner or an executive
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  Team member of a nonprofit or what have you and there let's just say you've got more than just a couple of teammates
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  Why not do a co-hosted
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  Interview a co-hosted episode
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  One in which you and your colleagues are just kind of shooting
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  Shooting the breeze back and forth talking about oh well, this is going on in the industry and I have a feeling
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  It's going to have a cataclysmic event a cataclysmic
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  effect in
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  2026 oh really why is that because I don't see it that way well
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  Let me break it down down to you like this so on and so forth
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  co-hosted
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  formats are
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  so underrated so under appreciated and
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  Like with solo episodes are gonna be way easier to coordinate than a guest interview where you are completely beholden to
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  the guests availability
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  especially if they are not in your time zone
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  So what do we do come holiday season if you want to go dark and
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  And you're used to publishing new episodes every week or every other week or if you're like one of our flagship clients
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  The rows who are producing episodes two times a week
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  If you're considering going dark do that
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  Also let the audience know what you're doing
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  Maybe it's just a quick hit like hey holidays are coming up and everyone's taken some time off and we're gonna do the same
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  Of course you would think of a more artful way of conveying that to your listenership
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  But it's as easy as that letting them know that you're not just completely falling off the map
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  But if you want to get
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  If you want to get a little a little sexy you want it you're feeling cute do some experimenting
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  Whether it's a solo if you're an interview format whether it's co-hosted if you are a solo
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  Format or if you want to try your hand at an interview do that as well
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  the holiday season
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  Again like the summertime season
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  listener habits change
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  And if you've been wanting to experiment with how you're executing your show or maybe talking over a different topic
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  now's the time
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  Now is the time to go all-in on
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  Experimenting your with your show that way you set yourself up for for victory in
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  2026 and if you have any questions about this quick hit still a rant on
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  Experimenting during the holiday season
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  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me freddy with a wide speak podcasting.com
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  We got tons of free free resources as well for you on our website speak podcasting.com slash free
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  Resources
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  Thanks for listening