A new year brings with it new beginnings, new opportunities, and new challenges. It can also provide us the opportunity to look at things with fresh eyes and make way for a fresh start. And one of those things requiring a little New Year’s TLC is your podcast. Everything in life needs a little pruning or sprucing every now and then in order to stay healthy and, most importantly, to grow. And your podcast is no different. From time to time, but especially as a new year begins, it’s a really good idea to take a step back and take an in-depth look at your podcast. And you may notice that a change is in order…

Perhaps some parts of your show are beginning to feel a little outdated or stale. Or perhaps, without you really realizing it, your goals may have shifted, your niche may have evolved, and you may find your show heading off in a different direction than when you first started out.

And that is a-okay!

But, it does mean that you may need to do some of that sprucing and pruning, or even a complete overhaul, if you want to keep your podcast up-to-date.

We’ve got some great tips to help you revamp your show, if it just needs some of that TLC, but if it does need “the works,” we’ve got you covered with some rebrand strategies.

Decide what’s right for you and your show, then jump to the relevant sections:

1. Easy Ways to Revamp Your Podcast

2. What About Rebranding? 

Easy Ways to Revamp Your Podcast 

After a bit of New Year evaluating, it may become apparent that your podcast needs a little revamp. Maybe it’s your artwork or intro music. Maybe you need a new segment or more guests. Whatever it is, hitting “refresh” on your podcast could be just what you need to do to take your show to the next level. 

1. Shake Up the Format

A simple step to revamping your podcast is shaking up your format. If you’ve grown a little tired of doing your show in the exact same way episode after episode, chances are, your audience may be a little bored with the “sameness” too. But by shaking up your segments, or experimenting with some changes to your format can be a great way to breathe some fresh life into your show. 

2. Repurpose Your Content

Another way to refresh what you’re doing on your show is to repurpose your content. You could get creative and turn some of your best quotes or insights into attention-grabbing, highly-shareable images to splash across your Instagram or Twitter feeds.These can help pique renewed interest in your show and grow your base of loyal listeners. But this is only one option! You could release bonus episodes which feature some of your favorite guests or best segments, or even bloopers or other behind-the-scenes fun. These allow your listeners to see more of your personality, and they add another level to your content.  

3. Implement Some Updates

There are a number of areas where you could implement some updates. The first is your podcast artwork. Perhaps this could do with a refresh. It doesn’t have to be a drastic change – remember you still want it to be identifiable as your show – but a new background color, or some other changes could give your podcast a fresh, new feel. You could also look at updating your intro music as an effective way of grabbing your listener’s attention all over and again. You could also record a new introduction, change your outro, or update your call-to-action. 

4. Expand Your Horizons

This could be anything from trying your hand at live podcast recordings, hosting some fun podcast events, or branching out into video podcasting. Not only will you be challenged in new ways, which can bring a whole new level of excitement to your podcast,  but it could also be a great new experience for you and your listeners to connect on a deeper level and strengthen those relationships with your podcast community. 

5. Redecorate Your Space

This is more of a personal revamp, but don’t underestimate the power of a spruced up space! Some simple updates to wherever you work on your podcast, be it some plants, a lick of actual paint, or just a great new artwork to inspire you, can do wonders to getting your excitement levels up, your creative juices flowing freely, and can give you an energy boost which you can then bring to your show. 

Related read: 10 Signs Your Podcast Needs a Refresh

What About Rebranding?

Now, what happens when, after you’ve done some evaluating, you realize that your show is heading in a different direction to when you first started out? What do you do when a podcast rebrand is in order? 

Whether it’s your podcast name that no longer accurately describes what your podcast is really about, or your niche has evolved to take a different course, it may be time for a podcast rebrand.

But just how do you undertake a podcast rebrand? Obviously, there is A LOT to consider, but the decision to rebrand your podcast boils down to three basic steps.

1. Decide on a Course of Action

There are two fundamental courses of action you can take when you need to rebrand your show. The first option is to rebrand your current podcast. This is a case of transitioning your current podcast to a new, on-brand name, introducing new artwork, and taking your podcast in it’s new direction. This is the course you will most likely take if the new direction you want to take with your show still serves the same core audience. This means that if you rebrand this way, you can often keep your old episodes, as the same audience will still be interested in the content. It’s also nice to have those old episodes as a representation of how far you’ve come on your podcasting journey.

If, after evaluating the state of your podcast, you realize that the new direction is also serving a new audience, then your course of action should most likely be starting an entirely new podcast. While starting again can be a little daunting, it’s also exciting heading up a new show, as you will now have heaps of knowledge and wisdom behind you from your first journey into podcasting.

2. Develop Your Rebrand Strategy

Once you have your course of action, it’s now time to develop your rebrand strategy. If you’re rebranding your current podcast, one of your first steps is to find a name that suits your new direction. You also need to create new artwork that matches your new niche. From a technical standpoint, rebranding your podcast requires you make the necessary changes to your metadata. You need to make sure that, wherever your RSS feed is hosted, the necessary changes are made so that podcast directories are able to process and accurately reflect all the changes you’ve made to your podcast. 

In terms of your podcast, your rebrand strategy should include determining your podcast’s new goals and objectives, much like you did when you were first starting out. Whether you’re rebranding your current show, or starting a new podcast altogether, your goals will be different than those from the beginning of your journey, so make sure you don’t neglect this important step!

Lastly, your rebrand strategy must also include the ways you will promote and get the message out about your new show. This could include marketing campaigns across all your social media channels and sending out newsletters to your email list. Think about your promotion strategy as if you were starting from the beginning to make sure you don’t miss reaching new listeners. 

3. Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!

But whatever course of action you choose to take with your podcast rebrand, the most important thing is to communicate clearly with your loyal listeners. If your rebrand strategy is to start a new podcast, then you should let your audience know that your current show is coming to an end. You could even consider recording a farewell episode to tie everything up nicely. Title this episode in such a way that it’s clear that it’s the last episode. Then, if new listeners do find your old show, they won’t be left wondering as to why there hasn’t been any new episodes in a while. You could also use that farewell episode as a way to direct new listeners to your new venture.

If your decision is to rebrand your current podcast, because it will still serve the same core audience, this should also be clearly communicated to your listeners. Let them know that things are changing, and that the podcast is soon going to look and sound different. That way, they won’t be left totally confused when your first episode of the rebranded podcast hits the airwaves. 

Clear communication is key to making any changeover happen as smoothly as possible. You’ve built up a relationship with your listeners over the course of your podcasting journey, and so if they feel that you are keeping them “in the loop,” they will likely keep following you, wherever your new path takes you.  

Related read: How To Revamp Your Podcast for the New Year

Closing Thoughts

Whether your podcast just needs the audio equivalent of a new lick of paint, or whether you need to do a complete overhaul, a podcast revamp or rebrand, although daunting, can also breath new life into your podcast, especially at the start of a new year. These changes, no matter how small, could be the next right step for you and your show, helping you take your podcast to the next level. It’s a great idea to periodically give your podcast a critical once (or twice!) over, and evaluate whether or not your show is still hitting all the right marks. If you find that a change is, indeed, in order, put these strategies into action, and your show will soon be back on form! Not only can these updates help you reach more of your target audience, but they will also make it possible for you to serve your loyal listeners and your podcast community better! Now that’s what we call a win-win!

If you want to learn more about rebranding your podcast, check out this great article from Buzzsprout.