Table of Contents

Want 5 quick ways to improve as a podcast host or guest?

Quick Wins For Podcasters
remove stress in podcasting

How to Remove The Stress in Podcasting While Consistently Releasing Episodes On Time

Table of Contents

How are you doing in podcasting as a guest, host, or both?
Take the quiz to find out

Do you ever feel like your podcast content suffers because you don’t have the time to keep up with your production schedule? We’ve all been there: up until 2 am working on an episode that is supposed to go live in just a few hours. What if it didn’t have to be that way? In this post, Kate Erickson explains how she breaks down the exact system you need to create consistent content for your podcast.

SELECT WHERE TO LISTEN 🎵 AND PLEASE REVIEW THIS EPISODE ⭐

WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION OF THIS BLOG POST/PODCAST EPISODE:

 

Read the Blog Post: How to Create Consistent Content For Your Podcast Stress-Free

Ever feel like your podcast content suffers because you do not have time to keep up with your production schedule?

Maybe you often catch yourself staying up until 2:00 am to finish an episode that’s supposed to go live in a few hours.

We’ve all been there.

But what if it did not have to be this way?

I want to share with you a simple five-step process for creating consistent content for your podcast.

This way, you can finally free yourself from overwhelm and stop feeling like you are constantly falling behind.

Step One: Set a Schedule and Stick To It

Block out time in your calendar and hold yourself accountable to show up for yourself and your podcast.

If you have an interview-style show, that might mean creating a scheduling link that you can send to potential guests. That way, they can reserve a time to record their interview on your schedule, not their own.

If you have a topic-based show, this means creating blocks of time for each of your production tasks. This way you can get more done in less time.

We will talk about how to accomplish this through batching later below.

Step Two: Know and Prepare For What you Are Going To Talk About

Now that you have blocked off the time to do the work, you need to figure out what you are going to talk about.

podcast host thinking hard struggling to come with topic ideas for their show
For an interview-based show, your topic will likely have to do with the subject in which your guest is an expert.

So make sure you do your due diligence.

Research the guest’s background. Then figure out the best questions to get the most out of your time with them.

With a topic-based show, it’s not always easy to know what to talk about

That’s why you need to keep a running list of topics that you can go back and again.

I use a tool called WorkFlowy, a very simple online note-taking system.

But you can use anything that suits you.

That way, when you want to record an episode or write the outline, you have a whole list of topics to choose from.

Now you may be wondering:

How do I create this list of ideas?

Personally, I turn to my emails and social media. Here I talk to my listeners to find out what questions they are asking.

What I look for are recurring themes in the conversations I see on social media

If a listener approaches me with a question, I know that’s probably a good topic for a future episode.

If one of my listeners has that question, there’s a good chance that many of my listeners will ask the same question

Other places you can find topic ideas are social media conversations, industry-specific groups, conferences, mixers, and meetups.

podcast host doing social listening (paying attention to the conversation people are having on his industry and specialty)
All of these are great places to engage in conversation with people and ask them what their biggest struggles are right now.

Another little hack I like to use is to sign up for Google Alerts. I get a Google alert every morning for podcast-related news.

That way I know what others in the industry are talking about.

I know that if Forbes, Entrepreneur, or any other well-known publication in the podcasting space is writing about it, there’s a good chance they are writing about it for a reason.

That could also be a great topic for my list.

Another little tip if you have a topic-based podcast

I like to create seasons around my content. That way I can put together a series of 8 to 10 episodes, which makes it way easier to create the content and share it with your listeners.

For example, I did a whole season just creating systems in your organization.

Now, when someone in my audience comes to me and asks me about systems, I can send them to a central place where they can go in-depth about how to create systems.

 

So you might also consider creating seasons for your content.

Step Three: Create an Outline and Overall Format

Now that you have taken the time and know what you are going to talk about, it’s time to set yourself up for success with some proper preparation.

If you have an interview-style show, this might mean creating an interview flow, maybe even a set of questions you will ask each interviewee.

If you prefer to keep things a little more flexible, that’s perfectly fine.

But it’s still very helpful for you to create at the very least a basic outline that you can follow every time you hop on the podcast.

For example, introduce your guest, then ask them a question, lead the conversation, and wrap it up with your call to action and goodbye to your listeners.

It may seem overly simplistic that you have an outline that does not really contain much, but I can promise you that this will be incredibly helpful in keeping you on track

If you have a topic-based show, it’s incredibly helpful to create an outline, have bullet points, or even script out your episode so you can go over the content.

In the first point, I mentioned batching. This is where batching can really make all the difference. Batching means that you do a lot of tasks in a set amount of time, rather than spreading them out over several days or different times.

 

This prevents you from context switching because it allows you to really get into the zone, gain momentum, and work more efficiently.

Let us look at an example

I believe that you should be at least a month ahead with your content. If you have a weekly podcast, you should always have at least four episodes uploaded and scheduled to release at any given time. That’s why these steps and this process are so critical to keep you on track.

The Importance of Batching

If you have a show that is interview-based, instead of scheduling an interview on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, schedule all of them on the same day instead.

While it would have taken you three separate days to set up your equipment, get ready, and step in front of the mic, you now do all that in a single time slot.

The same is true for a topic-based show. You can sit down and create three outlines instead of just one.

Then you have a block of time to record, so when you step up to the mic, you can record all three episodes at a go.

Now all you have to figure out which time blocks and what kind of schedule works best for you. But I promise you if you batch your content creation, your consistency, efficiency, and ability to break free from overwhelm will increase very quickly.

Step Four: Write Down Your Post-production Workflow

We have taken our time, we have got our outline and workflow to help guide us along, and we have hit record.

Now what?

It’s very important that you write down each step of the post-production process.
Image showing recording episodes on three different days (bad) compared to recording all three episodes on one day, i.e. batching (good)

This will serve as a reference. Remember that no step is too small to document

Let us look at an example. After you stop your recording, there are a number of steps you can take, such as saving the file. Perhaps name your file with underscore edit at the end so you know it’s been recorded but not yet edited.

That means saving your file is an important part of the process. . After that, you will edit that episode as well as create a follow-up email letting the guest know when the episode goes live.

Once you are done editing, you’ll probably tag it, upload it, and schedule it in your media host.

As I said, some of these things seem like little things. But they can be a big time saver

Keep in mind that every process is different. Everyone’s show is different. Everyone has a different approach when they want their episode to appear.

So as you create this list, make sure you follow your process. Imagine that you have just recorded an episode and start to create an outline of what your post-production steps might look like

This will at least give you a starting point for when you hit record the next time. You will have this list with you and can fill in any blanks.

Step Five: Repeat Steps One Through Four

The most powerful part of a system is that it is repeatable. If you implement these steps and let the process work for you, you will shed the overwhelm and get ahead of your production schedule.

When you repeat these steps, you keep the flow of episodes going all the time. In this way, you create consistency. You hold yourself account block off that time, create a list of guests and topics, and have an outline and flow that you follow

Conclusion

There you have it! Five simple steps to create consistent content for your podcast without feeling overwhelmed and actually being ahead of schedule. Have fun podcasting

About Kate Erickson

Kate Erickson is the heartbeat at Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award-winning podcast where John Lee Dumas interviews inspiring entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE. She is also the co-author of The Podcast Journal: Idea to Launch in 50 Days and the host of 3 podcasts of her own. Her goal: to help entrepreneurs achieve financial and lifestyle freedom through the use of smart systems.