Our last post showed a wide range of Podcast lengths. The peak in the distribution was around 1,200 words, but some Podcasts were much shorter and some much longer.
When we examine Sonibyte's data by feed, we find that our feeds divide into three groups. A group of shorter posts that are mostly quick tips and comments peaks at around 600 words. Feeds that are based on weekly columns and stories center around 1,200 words. Commentaries, reviews, and opinions seem to stretch over longer time periods, and peak at 2,000 words. Here are charts showing the distribution of lengths for one feed from each of these categories:
Notice that the Tips and Comments type of material sometimes "runs long." A subscriber for these feeds will sometimes find that a normal three to five minute Podcast is stretching out to 10 or 20 minutes. However, most of the feeds in this category are personality-driven--often with the writer doing his or her own voiceover conversion. Most subscribers to this type of feed should welcome a few more words on a particular topic, from someone they feel they know and like.
The column-driven and commentary-driven Podcasts are more closely tied to the corresponding types of print articles. Weekly columns tend to have a rigid length limit, and are not allowed by the publisher to vary much from their target length. Commentaries, interviews, and other longer articles also tend to have a pre-specified length.
To keep subscribers happy, publishers should probably set upper and lower limits on the number of words in each feed. Most writers will stay within those limits as part of their normal editing cycle. If a writer has ocassional longer articles, a publisher might consider making those into a separate Podcast--perhaps with a related title (to make it easy for subscribers to find). This separation will keep listeners from having to adjust their time schedules to suit the length of the publisher's feed.
Comments