Sara Whittaker 0:01
Your Podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business. But how do you manage it all bring in new listeners, and convert those listeners into customers. That's what this show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker, classroom teacher turn podcast manager. And I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators. Hey there and welcome back to another episode of podcasting for educators. Today, we're getting into a topic that lots of podcasters often grapple with batch planning and batch recording your podcast episodes. Getting on a schedule of being ahead and staying ahead with your podcast is something that most podcasters are constantly struggling with. People often ask me for the best podcast schedule. And the truth is, I cannot decide that for you. I could sit here and list off a million ways that you could batch your episodes, but it ultimately has to work for you. And to be totally honest, in my experience, it's going to change constantly based on what season of life you're in. I know this happens to me all the time I get in this groove of being on this grade recording schedule. And then you know, life happens and your schedule gets messed up. And then you have to create a new schedule. And it's just this constant tug of war trying to get back on a regular schedule. For me, I like to look at things at least six months in advance when it comes to my actual planning, like sitting down with my podcast content calendar, and mapping out my topics ahead of time. But I am not someone who sits down and batch outlines and Batch Records five or six episodes at a time. That's just never been what works for me. I know a lot of people do that. And I think it's amazing. I would love to do that. But that has not been my process. My episodes are due to my podcast manager at least two weeks before they air. And so I'm usually a bit further ahead than that with recording, I love to have a buffer of at least like three to four episodes in the lineup. And sometimes their seasons when I'm less ahead than that. And sometimes their seasons when I'm more ahead than that. I think when you can make it work batching in any capacity has so many benefits. And it really forces you to be more intentional with your content. We hear it everywhere in the online space to batch batch batch batch. But there are definitely some downsides to batching your podcast content that I want to discuss today. We hear about all the great things about batching. But we don't always hear about the bad things. And then if you're somebody who's who hears that you're supposed to be batching and you try to batch and you just can't make it work, you might feel like there's something wrong with the way that you're doing things. And that's what this episode is for if batching hasn't really worked for you in the past in the traditional sense of batching. Nothing is wrong with you. And I think that batching can come with some downsides. But before we jump into the pitfalls of podcast batching let's first acknowledge the benefits of batch planning. Let's first acknowledge the benefits. Being ahead in your podcast planning and recording. It really can be a total game changer. It gives you that cushion of time. It reduces the stress of looming deadlines, and it allows you for smoother content production. But as with many things in life, balance is key. And you can have too much of a good thing. So let's look at some of the pitfalls that come with podcast batching. And think about some solutions for them. Number one, in my experience batching can sometimes lead to a disconnect. It's good to be ahead in your podcast planning, but not too far ahead. Batch planning can sometimes lead to episodes that feel a little disconnected from the present moment. When you record too far in advance, you might miss out on current events, trends, seasonal topics that could really add value to your content. Listeners often appreciate timely and relevant discussions. So to strike a balance of this, you could consider a mix of evergreen content and timely episodes and you're planning to make sure that your podcast does stay fresh and engaging. The second pitfall that comes with podcast batching is that batching can really lock you into a really rigid schedule. I actually had a conversation with one of my clients about this recently she had sent me a Voxer message saying how she had just sat down through Kord a podcast episode, she pulled up her content calendar and saw the topic that she was supposed to talk about. And she just felt completely blogged about it. She didn't feel inspired to talk about that specific thing. So instead of powering through and recording it anyway, she just changed the topic. And she said that that felt so good to just give herself permission to do that. We don't have to be locked into our content calendar. I know I have been in that situation myself. And it sounds so simple. But seriously, you are in charge of your content. Even if you planned a topic six months ago, if you sit down to plan and record your episode out, and you feel totally uninspired, switch it up, lean into your mood in that exact moment, you can always do that other topic later on. When we focus on that content that isn't lighting us up. That's when we begin to lose steam with our shows. So I suggest always following your gut. If we were in person right now, I would be writing you a permission slip to keep by your computer for this exact situation. Give yourself the permission to switch things up when you need to. Sometimes you're just not feeling inspired or motivated to talk about what's on your content calendar. And that's okay, you don't have to be locked into a rigid schedule. You don't have to be afraid to pivot if a topic doesn't excite you or resonate with your current mindset in that moment. Switching up your enthusiasm and authenticity are so important when it comes to a successful podcast. So if you can stay flexible in your planning, that's going to lead to more genuine, engaging content, and your listeners are going to thank you for it because they're going to be able to feel and hear that enthusiasm. So let's talk about some solutions. Because maybe you do want to be somebody who batches in some way, but you just haven't found out how to make it work in a way that feels authentic to you. So how can we approach podcast planning in a way that balances the benefits of batch planning with that need for flexibility? Number one, one solution is to create a content calendar that's flexible. So in this kind of calendar, you can outline topics that you'd like to cover, so you can have a big brain dump list, but you don't have to lock them into specific dates. This way you can adapt to your current mood, your interest, news that may be going on in your niche. It gives you that freedom to choose the most engaging topic for your next episode while still having some kind of roadmap to follow. A second solution is to incorporate shorter bonus episodes. These bonus episodes can be used to address those timely topics or just to have some fun with your audience. Bonus episodes give you an opportunity to remain current without disrupting your regular batch planning schedule. And these bonus episodes, they don't even have to be on a regular schedule, you can just kind of sprinkle them in whenever you want, you make the rules. All in all, batch planning or podcast episodes can be a fantastic tool, but it's definitely not without its pitfalls. To make the most of it. Try and find a balance between staying ahead and staying flexible. Give yourself that permission to change topics consider using a flexible content calendar. This is going to help you create content that resonates with your audience and keeps you motivated. Here's to all of us creating content that lights us up. If you have ever sat down to record a plan to podcast topic and felt totally uninspired. It is your turn to write a review for this show. Head to Apple podcasts. Leave your rating and review to let me know that you're enjoying the show. It would mean so much to me to see your review pop up. This was a very short and sweet episode, but I hope it gave you that reminder that your podcast is your podcast and you get to decide how you want to structure things. You get to decide what content you're talking about. Be sure to come back here next week. I have an amazing guest episode for you that I'm so excited for you to hear. I'll see you then. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support and launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time.
