Should You Relaunch Your Old Podcast or Start Over? Here’s How to Decide (+ a Free Checklist)

If you’ve ever started a podcast, let it go dormant, and still feel that pull to relaunch your old podcast… this one’s for you!

I hear this all the time from coaches and service providers. They’ll say something like “Okay, I have to confess. I actually already have a podcast. But I stopped. I never really got it going the way I wanted and now I want to start again.“

And then the big question comes…

“Do I restart the old podcast or start from scratch?”

And I love this question because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Not to mention I’ve asked myself this same question more than once.

I started my first podcast in October 2024 in a completely different niche (intuition development and connecting people with their loved ones who had passed, if you were wondering). Since then, my podcast has evolved. A LOT. My niche has developed, my title has changed, my podcast art has changed… more times than I can count.

But through all of it, I kept the “same” podcast. Just deleted episodes and recorded new ones LOL.

I brought my audience along for the ride. But again, what’s best for me may not be what’s best for you so let’s get into it.

These are the exact questions I’d ask my clients to help them decide whether to optimize their dead podcast or start a new podcast:

Question 1: Do You Still Have Access to Your Old Podcast?

This sounds basic, but it’s a real sticking point. If you cannot log in or, worse, cannot remember where the account was hosted, we’re not going on a treasure hunt. Just start fresh.

Question 2: Do You Have Written Reviews?

Not just stars, but actual written reviews in Apple Podcasts. Did someone take the time to type out something about you or your show? And was it more than just your mom? (Your mom will leave a new review. It’s fine.)

Written reviews hold a lot of worth in the podcasting world. They build trust and credibility in a way that star ratings alone just don’t. People actually read them. So if you have written reviews on your old podcast, this is an asset even if the show has been dormant for 1, 2, or 3 years.

If written reviews exist in Apple Podcasts, I would strongly recommend you relaunch your old podcast.

Question 3: Where Is Your Podcast Hosted?

This is the big one because it’s not a simple yes or no like the others.

A lot of podcasters begin on free hosts like Spotify for Creators, which is a totally fine place to begin. However, when you come for podcast marketing support and want your podcast to become a real, long-term asset that makes you money, we need to talk about your foundation.

I host my podcast on Podbean (this affiliate link gives you a free month!). It distributes my episodes automatically: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and all other major platforms. I upload once and it handles the rest.

Can you migrate from a free podcast host to a paid podcast host later? Yes.

Is it impossible? No.

Does it take time and effort and headache? Yes.

So if you’re already in the energy of starting over, it can feel a lot cleaner to just build in the right home from the beginning rather than rebuilding on a platform you already feel disconnected from, only to migrate later anyways.

A Quick Clarification

These 3 questions are specifically for dormant podcasts or shows that have been a ghost town for a year or more. If you’re already posting consistently and just not seeing growth, that’s a completely different conversation. In that case, we’d talk about optimizing your podcast, rather than restarting.

So, Should You Restart Your Old Podcast or Start Fresh?

Here’s the simple breakdown:

Keep and relaunch your old podcast if:

• You can access it
• You have written reviews
• You feel good about the podcast host

Just optimize it. Update the title if you need, optimize the cover art, and bring it back to life. It’s more than doable!

Start fresh with a new podcast if:

• You can’t access it
• You have no written reviews
• Your hosting setup isn’t built for long-term growth and scaling

Ready to Build a Podcast That Markets You More Than You Market It?

Gone are the days you run to social media to remind everyone your show still exists!

If you’ve been nodding along and thinking okay, yes, that’s exactly where I’m at, that’s exactly what we work on inside the SEO Podcast Bootcamp!

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