What’s the Best Day of the Week to Release a Podcast Episode?

Whether you publish new episodes of your podcast weekly, fortnightly, or even monthly, having a regular release schedule is always a good thing – for you and your listeners.

And this is because;

A. It keeps you accountable and consistent by having a regular routine with how you produce your show, and

B. Listeners like to know when they can expect a new episode to drop.

In the same way that we all like to know that our favourite TV show airs at the same time every week, it’s not unreasonable for listeners to expect you to stick to a new episode schedule.

If you’re thinking, “But what if my podcast is a mini-series?” Of course, there are plenty of exceptions. And yes, being able to listen on demand is part of what makes podcasts so popular.

But when we’re talking about new, fresh content (not serialised podcasts), the desire to hear your favourite show fresh off the press (mic) certainly still exists. 

So here’s the million-dollar question: What’s the best day of the week to release a new episode? 

To find an answer, I did two things: I dug into some of the most popular podcasts in the world right now and got some anecdotal input from seasoned podcasters to see if there was any consensus about what day works best and why. 

Best Day of the Week: According to the Podcast Top 20

A couple of weeks ago, I analysed the top 20 shows in the US charts for an article on the perfect podcast intro formula. While doing this, I took note of a few extra details about these popular podcasts, including each show’s release schedule. I had a feeling this info might come in handy at some point – and here we are.

Here’s what I noticed about the release schedules of the top 20 podcasts:

• Mondays are the most popular release day – 13/20 (65%) of the shows I looked at published on Mondays. Of all the shows that had a regular schedule, there was only one that didn’t release on a Monday.
• Every show that posted twice weekly released episodes on Mondays and Thursdays 
• A fair amount of shows (7/20 or 35%) released episodes almost every day (some only weekdays) even when they didn’t market themselves as dailies
• 6/20 (30%) of the top shows had no detectable schedule at all

As a side note, don’t be intimidated by how content-heavy the release schedules are for the top 20 podcasts. Any show that makes it into the charts will likely generate a decent income from their show, so it’s probably their full-time job, too. These hosts can ‘afford’ (time is money!) to release episodes every day. In most cases, this just won’t be possible for indies.

So if you were to hold a gun to my head and say I had to choose a ‘best day of the week’ for releasing podcast episodes, I guess the charts would suggest a Monday. 

But why are Mondays so popular? Unsurprisingly, it depends on who you ask. I caught up with a few podcasters to find out why some days work better to release new episodes than others.

Best Day of the Week: According to Podcasters

When I started speaking to podcasters and industry folk about which day of the week was best to release new episodes, it all became very nuanced and anecdotal. Which is absolutely fair, and indicative of a lot of what we see in podcasting; that best-of-anything advice often varies depending on your show type and audience.

For example, when I spoke to Rob from Libsyn, Mondays even didn’t enter the conversation:

Rob Walch

VP of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn

Main takeaway: The best day depends on who your audience are

“At Libsyn, we see Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the biggest days for downloads.

If you are doing a business podcast – or one whose audience is going to commute to work – then Tuesday or Wednesday early mornings are the best days/times. Reason for that is there are less holidays during the year on those days. Additionally, many people take long weekends with Mondays or Fridays off. 

If your podcast is more focused on 21-35 year olds and/or pop culture spin, then Thursday afternoons are best. Reason for that is, for that group of people, the weekend (going out) starts on Thursday and you can give those people something to talk about with their friends over the weekend. This is why Rosanne Barr releases on Thursdays.  

For all others – just release on the day /time that fits best in your schedule.”

Colin Gray 

Founder of Alitu and host of Podcraft

Main takeaway: Which day doesn’t matter, as long as you pick one and stick with it

“I think it’s really powerful to stick to a schedule. There’s no doubt in my mind that even if listeners don’t know exactly when a show comes out, they do notice if it regularly misses a week or two, and the habit of listening can be broken. But, if you miss a week, it wont kill you. Just get back on the horse and try to hit the next month or two without a break.”

Shannah Game

Host of Everyone’s Talkin’ Money podcast

Main Takeaway: Earlier in the week is better

“I’ve found Monday to be the best day to release a money-focused podcast episode. Early in the week, people are in a “fresh start” mindset, ready to set goals and tackle their finances. It’s when listeners are most motivated to take action, making them more likely to engage with content about building wealth, budgeting, or money tips.

Releasing episodes earlier in the week has consistently led to more downloads and better listener engagement because it aligns with that proactive energy people feel at the start of their week.”

Brian Thompson

Creator and host of Whatever Happened to Pizza At McDonald’s 

Main takeaway: Earlier in the week is better

“I release my show roughly once a week, but the days of the week aren’t consistent. However, I’ve found episodes that come out Monday-Wednesday tend to get more immediate attention. Mainly, when I try to release shows on the weekend, they don’t perform as well since people seem to be more tuned out of social media promotion.”

Matthew McLean 

Host of Podcraft

Main takeaway: Dig into your data to find out what your best day is

“I don’t think the day of the week matters for most podcasters, though there are exceptions – for example, a podcast reporting on the weekend’s sporting events would want to release on a Monday at the latest.

The most important thing is consistency, and as podcasting is on-demand, listeners will get to your new episode when they’re ready.

However, if you’re an “optimise at all costs” person, one tip I’d offer is to check out your show on Rephonic’s 3D audience graph tool. Here, you can find the podcasts your audience also listens to. A bit of additional research might show that most of them release new episodes on a Wednesday, in which case, you could opt to drop new content earlier or later in the week to spread it out. That could make your episode more noticeable, or less likely to be consumed at 3x speed. But don’t get too in the weeds with this stuff at the expense of just getting behind the mic and making really good content.“

So, all things considered, what is the best day of the week to release a new podcast episode? The answer is a resounding… “It depends.”

Remember, releasing a podcast episode isn’t like releasing a YouTube video, where the algorithm will decide its fate based on views in the first few hours. Make consistency your primary goal, and whichever day you regularly release on will be the perfect one for you!