As a podcaster, you know how many moving parts there are when creating a podcast and how many hours it takes to make it all come together. While you love creating quality content that your audience enjoys, you also don’t want to do extra work when you don’t have to.
On yesterday’s episode, Venese Lau shared some great advice on how to repurpose your podcast, which saves you a ton of time by creating assets for multiple channels from one podcast episode. Today, I’m sharing some other productivity hacks that I have learned since starting my own podcasting journey to save you hours of time. Let’s dive in!
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1 – Batch Recording
If you’ve been listening to this podcast or following me on Instagram for any amount of time, you know how much I love batch recording. When I record, I usually do four or five episodes in one day, especially when recording solo episodes. The reason is that it takes me time and energy to get into the zone, so when I find myself there, I want to capitalize on that energy space.
When I’m in the right space energetically, it’s so much easier for me to get my setup ready, press record, and knock out several episodes all at once. I can record a month’s worth of solo episodes in two hours by batch recording. An added bonus is that I don’t have to think about what I’m going to talk about each week. Batch recording is super productive with my time and it gives me a lot of freedom.
2 – Create a structure for your podcast
Producing podcasts is so much easier when you have structure. For me, this looks like working in seasons. Even if your podcast doesn’t take seasonal breaks, you can cut it up into chunks of 10 or 20 episodes to work on at a time. This gives you an “end” date so that the tasks don’t feel endless.
When I started this podcast, I had doubts about launching because it felt like such a massive commitment. I thought once I start recording, I have to do it every week. Every week, I need to record, edit, write show notes, create promo graphics, schedule, etc etc etc. So I decided to work in seasons and batch my process. By setting up a system and batching my processes, I saved myself a ton of time and overwhelm.
3 – Keep it simple
Don’t overcomplicate things. You don’t need to know all your next steps and all your next moves. I do think that it’s important that you have an idea where you want to go with your podcast, but if you don’t know the exact steps that you’re going to take, that’s fine. Done is better than perfect and you will improve as you go.
Even if you have been podcasting for a while, you can still be overcomplicating things. For example, some podcasters edit as they record as a way of saving time. Sometimes that works really well, but if you work with an editor, you don’t have to do that because you have hired someone to do this for you. You’re making it more complicated for yourself by doing extra work.
Another thing that makes podcasting more complicated is by using video. I have nothing against video and it is an awesome next step for an established podcast. But adding the visual component adds a lot more “complications.” What does the lighting look like? Is your background appealing? Do you need to change your clothes or put on makeup? If you’re just starting out, focus on getting your content out there, growing your podcast for a while, and then adding video to it once you have your systems in place. Don’t overcomplicate things unnecessarily.
4 – Focus on your strengths
Do what you’re good at and outsource the rest. I know this can be easier said than done. When you start podcasting, you don’t typically have the budget to hire people to help you with the aspects of production that you’re not good at. You have to do what you have to do, but once you hit this point that you can outsource, don’t wait too long. If you keep doing what you’re not good at, it will drain your energy and creativity. There is someone out there who is really good at the things that you are not good at so by not outsourcing, you’re holding yourself back.
Ready to reclaim your time?
It’s important to have time to spend on money-generating activities and to take a well-deserved vacation. This is exactly why I started offering podcast management services again. I have a team of amazing women who help me with the things that I’m not good at, including producing this podcast, and now I’m making that available to you!
If you’re ready to start outsourcing the post-production of your podcast, The Podcast Babes is here to take that extra work off your plate! You record an episode, drop it into a Google Drive folder, and we’ll take it from there. Editing, creating show notes, social media graphics, and scheduling your podcast. Everything will be done for you. Stress free.
I know how much work podcasting is and I want to make these services affordable so you can keep producing amazing content. Click here to learn more about our services and prices.