A Summer Guide to Podcast Growth

Summer is creeping up on us, and that means a craving for sunshine, slow walks, and — let’s be real — a break from work. It’s the season to tune into our hobbies and tune out our bosses. There, we said it.

But that doesn’t mean your podcast has to flatline. In fact, summer’s the perfect time to level up. Your audience may be out of office, but they’re locked-in on their headphones. 

What if you could be tanning on the beach while new episodes roll out? What if summer didn’t mean burnout, but building momentum? 
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Scheduling content so you can take a break
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Summer should be about slowing down, not burning out. That’s where a smart content schedule comes in. By batching and scheduling your episodes in advance, you can take a proper break without leaving your audience in the lurch.

It’s not just practical — it's a good strategy. Releasing episodes on autopilot means your podcast keeps momentum while you recharge. Your audience expects new episode drops each week, so by keeping that promise, you reduce the risk of losing listeners.

And if you're tight on time? Re-releasing your most-loved episodes is a simple, effective way to stay present in your listeners’ feeds. Spotlight fan favorites, top shares, or those hidden gems that deserve another moment to shine.

If you need to refresh on scheduling episodes in your Acast dashboard, check out our guide to scheduling episodes. 
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Summer-themed content
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If you're short on ideas for what to bring your listeners this summer, here are a few to get your brain whirring.

Think travel diaries, festival recaps, and summer bucket lists. These themes aren’t just timely — they’re ideal for listeners craving inspiration or a peek behind the scenes of your summer plans.

Try building a limited series that taps into seasonal trends. Cover the highs and heartbreaks of major sporting events, review this year’s summer blockbusters, or spotlight cultural moments your audience cares about. A themed arc or miniseries can draw in new listeners and give your regulars something fresh to look forward to.

And don’t be afraid to get personal. Sharing your own summer stories — or listener-submitted ones — adds a level of relatability that strengthens your community. Whether it's planning a solo trip, navigating a summer fling, or ticking off that bucket list, these moments are ripe for storytelling.
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Give your podcast strategy a summer refresh
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Now we’ve got the content down, let’s talk strategy. Let’s finally clean out the closet, aka, update that show description. 

Step 1: Show and episode descriptions

Committing is hard these days, so we need a little cushion of information to help make our decision. By refreshing your show description to let new listeners know exactly what they can expect when they hit play, can give your SEO a much needed boost. When there’s more clarity, there’s more discoverability. 

Have a look at what the top shows in your genre (or outside) are doing with their episode descriptions. How are they selling each ep? What additional content or info are they providing their listeners with? Take note, and think about giving your descriptions a summer glow-up.

Step 2: Cover art

We know you have been tinkering with this idea for a long time. Sometimes, your cover art needs a makeover, and what better time than now to get it started. Though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, in podcasting we definitely do. So let’s make that cover art stand out from the crowd. Make it pop. 

Ask yourselves questions like: does it capture the tone of the show? Is it funny, comforting, intense, scary? Try to bring your show to life in that little small square.

Step 3: Data

Look at what episodes got the most traction? Why? What guests were most liked? What was the most shared episode?  These questions can help you as a podcaster reflect on what you could bring to the forefront in the next upcoming months and second half of the year. 

After getting a good grasp of your podcast stats, it’s time to get into analyzing. Think of yourself as a detective. What could you integrate into the second half of the year to increase viewership and engagement? 
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Think audience engagement
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‘Engagement’ gets tossed around a lot, so let’s get to the bottom of it. It’s not always about likes or comments, it’s about community and making the listeners feel like they are part of something. So, how could we intertwine your audience with summer? 

Run a summer-themed contest on socials.
Ask listeners to share a photo of where they’re listening from — rooftop, hammock, pool floatie — and tag your podcast. Offer a small prize (gift card, shoutout, custom merch). This will help increase visibility from your social to podcast listeners and vice versa. Social media can be a game changer for growing your podcast. 

Summer advice hot-line
We know the stories get juicy with warm weather. Why not try adding a hotline, where people could upload their voice note asking a question or piece of advice from a scenario. This will engage your audience to submit things, and will actively activate and increase viewership. 

Ask for user-generated content.
Encourage fans to send in voice notes or DMs about their favorite episode or how your podcast fits into their summer routine. Feature their stories in an upcoming episode, an  instant community-builder.

So, with all that said, remember to enjoy your summer and most importantly, work smarter not harder.