Why are my episodes not in the correct order?
Episode ordering is determined by several factors:
Episode publish dates
Show Format setting -- e.g. Episodic or Serial
Your chosen Episode Order in podcast apps
Transistor Dashboard - The Episodes page in your Transistor account will always be ordered by publish date, with the most recently created episode at the top of the list. This episode order does not change in the Transistor dashboard, even if you switch between episodic and serial format.
Podcast App - Episode order in podcast apps is determined by several things: publish dates, show format, and your own selected sorting order in the podcast app you are using. Take a look at the solutions below to fix the type of issue you are seeing.
This is due to your episode publish dates. If you have several episodes with the same publish date and time, they will be randomly ordered. Episodes should have a unique publish date and time so they can be ordered correctly.
Solution: In Transistor, go into each episode and adjust the publish dates so that Episode 1 has the oldest date and then each episode after has a slightly newer publish date.
This could be one of two things: either the Show Format setting, or the Episode Order of your chosen podcast app.
Solution: First, check your Show Format setting in the Settings tab of your podcast on Transistor. It should be either Episodic or Serial.
Episodic - This is the default setting for podcasts. It puts your newest episode at the top of the list and helps listeners get to your most recent content first. It's ideal for news shows and timely information that should be consumed close to release date. e.g. 5,4,3,2,1.
Serial - This puts your oldest episode first. This is ideal for content that needs to be consumed in a particular order, starting with Episode 1, like a story with chapters or training information. e.g. 1,2,3,4,5.
Changing this setting may fix the ordering issue that you are seeing. If the order you are seeing in a podcast app is still incorrect, you’ll need to check the Episode Order you have set in your own podcast app.
Apple Podcasts
In Apple Podcasts, go to Library > Shows > click on your Podcast > click the three dots menu … in the top right corner > Settings > In the Episode Order section select either Oldest to Newest (Serial) or Newest to Oldest (Episodic).
Spotify
In Spotify, go to Your Library > click on your Podcast > click on the Sort button > In the Sort By menu select either Oldest to Newest (Serial) or Newest to Oldest (Episodic).
This setting is specific to your own app, so it won’t alter how your subscribers order episodes on their own device.
If you are still experiencing issues with episode ordering, reach out to us on Live Chat or by email at support@transistor.fm
Episode publish dates
Show Format setting -- e.g. Episodic or Serial
Your chosen Episode Order in podcast apps
Where are you seeing this issue?
Transistor Dashboard - The Episodes page in your Transistor account will always be ordered by publish date, with the most recently created episode at the top of the list. This episode order does not change in the Transistor dashboard, even if you switch between episodic and serial format.
Podcast App - Episode order in podcast apps is determined by several things: publish dates, show format, and your own selected sorting order in the podcast app you are using. Take a look at the solutions below to fix the type of issue you are seeing.
What type of issue are you seeing?
Episodes are mixed up in a random order
This is due to your episode publish dates. If you have several episodes with the same publish date and time, they will be randomly ordered. Episodes should have a unique publish date and time so they can be ordered correctly.
Solution: In Transistor, go into each episode and adjust the publish dates so that Episode 1 has the oldest date and then each episode after has a slightly newer publish date.
Episodes are incorrectly going from Oldest to Newest or Newest to Oldest
This could be one of two things: either the Show Format setting, or the Episode Order of your chosen podcast app.
Solution: First, check your Show Format setting in the Settings tab of your podcast on Transistor. It should be either Episodic or Serial.
Episodic - This is the default setting for podcasts. It puts your newest episode at the top of the list and helps listeners get to your most recent content first. It's ideal for news shows and timely information that should be consumed close to release date. e.g. 5,4,3,2,1.
Serial - This puts your oldest episode first. This is ideal for content that needs to be consumed in a particular order, starting with Episode 1, like a story with chapters or training information. e.g. 1,2,3,4,5.
Changing this setting may fix the ordering issue that you are seeing. If the order you are seeing in a podcast app is still incorrect, you’ll need to check the Episode Order you have set in your own podcast app.
Apple Podcasts
In Apple Podcasts, go to Library > Shows > click on your Podcast > click the three dots menu … in the top right corner > Settings > In the Episode Order section select either Oldest to Newest (Serial) or Newest to Oldest (Episodic).
Spotify
In Spotify, go to Your Library > click on your Podcast > click on the Sort button > In the Sort By menu select either Oldest to Newest (Serial) or Newest to Oldest (Episodic).
This setting is specific to your own app, so it won’t alter how your subscribers order episodes on their own device.
If you are still experiencing issues with episode ordering, reach out to us on Live Chat or by email at support@transistor.fm
Updated on: 03/10/2024
Thank you!