WHAT’S THIS EPISODE ABOUT?
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Bonus Podcast Episodes, What Are They?
“No really, what are bonus podcast episodes?” People ask me this all the time. So, for those of you wondering, I thought I’d give you my personal definition.
These are episodes you post on your show that don’t have to follow the rules.”
For example, if you normally publish your podcast episodes on a Wednesday, but there’s a special message you want to share with your audience on Friday – a bonus episode makes the most sense to make that happen.
When Do You Use Bonus Podcast Episodes?
There are 3 main reasons why you’d use bonus content and I want to break each of them down.
1. When a podcast episode you want to create doesn’t follow the normal show format, length, or day of the week.
Show format meaning you normally publish solo episodes, but you decide to throw in a bonus interview episode. Show length can mean you usually publish 15-minute episodes, but you wanted to have a 45-min interview episode. And the day of the week could mean you decide to publish an extra episode one week, but don’t want to commit to publishing twice a week in the future.
2. You have a special event, program, or opportunity for your audience.
There are promotional opportunities throughout the year where I’ve considered adding in extra episodes simply because I wanted to make sure what I was promoting had the audience’s full attention. These don’t happen often, but when it’s an important event – you want to make sure people pay attention. The most important part of this is that the message you’re sharing is time-sensitive.
3. You need to spice things up a bit.
If you’re feeling like things have stalled out or gone a little stale, then adding a bonus podcast episode to spice things up a bit can be exactly what you need. I’ve hit this place in my own podcast – more than once – where the content felt a little “meh”. So, I started spicing things up. You can easily test out new ideas, new content, and formats with your bonus podcast episodes.
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How Do You Label Bonus Podcast Episodes?
There are a few ways to label/title/name bonus podcast episodes, but my favorite way to do it is to literally add the word “Bonus” in front of the title. It’s simple, straightforward, and lets my audience know something special is coming.
One important note that I definitely want to make here is:
I DO NOT do extended show notes for bonus content.
Meaning, you won’t find any URLs like “KrystalProffitt.com/episodebonus” for any of my bonus episodes. I simply don’t do them. (You’re welcome for that gift of permission to not do them either.)
The other thing to do – or consider doing – is labeling your episode as a “Bonus” episode in Buzzsprout. Watch the video below for a quick tutorial.
As you go into planning your new year, new month, or just jazzing up your podcast content calendar, I encourage you to think about how you can use bonus podcast episodes. Use them to change things up. Surprise and delight your audience from time to time. I promise it’s totally worth it!
RECAP: Bonus Podcast Episodes, What You Need to Know
- What are Bonus Podcast Episodes?
- When Do You Use Them?
- How Do You Label Them?
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Links Mentioned in This Episode:
- TheBestPodcastBook.com
- The Ultimate Podcast Checklist
- 9 Ways to Brainstorm Podcast Ideas
- The Poddy Report
- 500+ Podcast Ideas for Any Industry
- Proffitt Podcast Online Community Facebook Group
- Proffitt Podcasting Course
- Podcast YouTube Channel
- 5-Day Podcast Bootcamp
[…] you haven’t already listened to it, make sure you check out the episode we recently did here: “Bonus Podcast Episodes, What You Need to Know” You’ll have a better understanding of how and when to use bonus podcast content in your show […]