What are the best productivity tips for podcasters?

Podcasting is like running a circus minus the elephants! You're the ringleader, organizing acts with precision. But watch out for microphone mishaps—no seals honking, please! Batch recording is cramming all acts into one ring, hoping the trapeze doesn't clash with the tightrope! Automate tasks like a magician's wand—poof, the tedious stuff vanishes! Just don't let productivity clown around too much, or you might end up in a pie-throwing contest with your deadlines!

It's better to be proactive than reactive. What can you do today (whether for 1 minute or 1 hour) that can set you and your podcast up for success tomorrow? Make it a purposeful part of your daily routine, and you'll see it getting easier and better over time.

In my experience pick a day in the week that you’ll line out the program and put elements together. Overall story arch, accompanied sounds and scripts. Plan it all, even if you don’t use it, you have a plan. Also look at previous episodes to see where you’ve been and would like to go.

Know what you want to release and work in that direction. Just having a schedule with no content ready is the sure shot way to fail. You got build the team for your show. Let them know the goals and set the consistency in place. It is all about using the right resources because the cost will be an investment for you all. Keep it flexible as it won't get overwhelming.

Many podcast hosts think they can just wing every episode. But without a clear purpose, and your topics going in every direction, your podcast will be buried in the dead sea of podcasts sooner.

I co-host a daily podcast with Ned Donovan. It sounds like a lot of work. And it's not nothing. But we choose a day, block off two hours, and record everything for a month's worth of content. We change shirts between takes and make sure everything we say makes sense by carefully writing scripts and sharing cues. But it's been great so far!

I have set days of the week for pre-interview chats, and recording respectively. I also set limits for how many chats/recordings I will have in a day - this allows me to turn up as my best self and engage fully with my guests.

Batching my tasks has improved my podcasting productivity and efficiency. It means doing similar or related activities in one session, not switching between different tasks. Batching saves time, energy, focus, and improves quality. Some best practices are: -Plan and create a content calendar -Outline episodes and prepare scripts, questions, research -Use the right tools and equipment for recording and editing -Automate or outsource some tasks -Track progress and results -I've built a tool to help in this process Batching is a game-changer for podcasters. Do you batch your tasks? Let me know.

It's true - batching tasks can really help. Think of the time you spend setting things up when you work. Only having to go through that process once saves a lot of time.

If you’re able to, batch your recording sessions. Whether you’re a solo podcaster or someone who has guests on, life happens and some weeks you won’t be able to record. Honestly, I don’t even think you need to do it in the same day. But if you have a weekly show and there’s a week where you can get 2-3 episodes recorded, do it. Future you will be glad that you did.

Maximize productivity by utilizing online tools for organizing, scheduling, and automating tasks. Delegate when needed, and ensure follow-through on execution. Though challenging initially, establishing a streamlined process and workflow eventually makes it second nature.

Automate! A few awesome tools to help you: Bardeen.ai makes web scraping available for anyone. PRMonkey lets you plug in someone's LinkedIn and you can see all of the articles / podcasts they've been featured in. Tools like Opus & Descript help w/ post-production stuff.

In the long run, it makes sense to develop a good team which can handle the audio editing, video editing, thumbnails, uploading, scheduling, sourcing, curation, video shoot and audio recording for you so that you as a podcaster can concentrate on the content. In the beginning, using some awesome tools like Streamyard for live podcasts, Figma, and Adobe Suite can be life savers.

I have found that creating podcast episode templates in Premiere Pro to be a huge time saver. It automates repetitive tasks that are the same for every episode, eg video format, intro/outro music etc.

Setting boundaries is vital for podcasters. It means communicating your expectations, limits, and preferences for your podcasting work, and respecting your own needs, such as health, rest, hobbies, and relationships. This way, you can avoid burnout and frustration, and keep a healthy work-life balance. I balance my podcasting work and personal life by having a fixed schedule, setting realistic goals, taking regular breaks, and seeking support and feedback from others. How do you balance your podcasting work and personal life? What are the challenges and benefits of setting boundaries as a podcaster? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Lots of us are guilty of this - perfection. If you don't know what "timeblocking" is, google it rn. It's one of the critical things that's enabled me to build startups while having a normal life - effectively, this is how it works: You set a certain amt of time for a task & when that time slot is up, you consider the task "done" or put it down to move on to something else

Managing your expectations is one of the most important things when it comes to starting, launching, and maintaining consistency with your podcast for years to come. Most podcasts take years to gain noticeable traction and become a valuable media assets, so it's crucial to clearly define the purpose and reason for the show alongside your long-term vision. Quite often, podcast hosts have conflicting goals for the show, leading to frustration, burnout, and eventually abandoning the podcast. for example : possible to make more money within a very specific niche than with a run-of-the-mill sports or pop culture podcast, even if the show has a much small audience.

As far as productivity, the best "boundary" you can have is a limitation on how long you record. Nobody needs (or wants) another four-hour episode—we want helpful information. Having a limit on the length you record will help make sure this information is focused and you deliver on what you promise.

Approach podcasting with curiosity - I have learnt so much by simply listening to other podcasts, fielding feedback and listening to my older episodes. This helps me get new ideas on new techniques/formats to try and identify specific areas for improvement. It is such a great feeling to look back and see your progress. It is also really fun to try new things out - it is all an experiment after all. It's not about being perfect, it's about having fun and creating a podcast that brings you joy.

Just staying with one format is Harakiri in podcasts. Experiment with solo, single guests, multiple guests, long format, short format and very long format to keep things interesting! It also keeps interesting for the host.

There are a couple ways to approach this. One is to keep learning about the subject you’re talking about, which helps make your content better. And the other is to keep learning on the technical side. Getting more familiar with the tools you use can help elevate your podcast to that next level.

Building a community around podcasts is a no-brainer! Getting feedback from the community about what they loved or not can be vital! Feedback suggesting improvements in the YouTube comments helped me solve the issue and get better. Also, it is a source of many ideas you might miss out on. Please just keep your eyes open for comments. Period.

Having fun while recording a podcast makes it more engaging and authentic. When you're passionate and enjoying the process, your energy shines through, attracting listeners who resonate with your enthusiasm. This connection fosters loyalty, which eventually leads to increased numbers and followers organically. Authenticity and passion are magnetic, drawing in an audience who enjoys what you're creating.

Have defined process. Use a project management tool to help make sure your process is lined up in the right way. Get your show notes made before you decide to go hunting for videos, find your quotes when you're listening to write the notes. Putting everything in an order that you follow EVERY time from start to finish is key. Always happy to share my processes, so if you're reading this, reach out!

As you move through your process, remember to give yourself grace. Audio storytelling can be a lot of work and life can get unmanageable complicated more quickly than we realize. As much as you can, break down your process into small tasks so that you can make incremental process toward your audacious goals.

Sound matters. Get the BEST sound that you can. This does not need to be expensive but does need to be a major focus. Edit out mistakes and unwanted noises and get the levels right. This is not live broadcasting. Understand your niche. What is your USP? There are so many podcasts, what is different about yours?