In this episode of the Delaware Blogger Podcast, I discussed the benefits of batch recording podcast episodes. Along with the previous week’s Gift of Gab show, and this being the holiday season it seemed timely.
I am sure that if you are a baker you have begun baking a few batches of holiday cookies or cupcakes, but if not, you soon will be and you will definitely be baking more than one or two of each, you will be baking a batch. So think of creating a podcast show by batching episodes as there are plenty of benefits in doing so.
If you’re planning on releasing a podcast episode every week you’ll need to have a 4-week plan in place. Consistency is REALLY important in podcasting if you want your show to be a success but dropping episodes weekly is A LOT of work. Batch recording is an easy way to get and stay on top of your schedule so you don’t have anxiety attacks every time a new release date rolls around.
Benefits of batch recording your podcast – Life Happens
It’s inevitable that at some point during the course of your show you’ll get sick, have a family emergency, be too busy at work or just too tired to concentrate on the show and you’ll definitely just need or should want to take some time off to rest. So if you’ve batch recorded episodes, your podcast can continue even when you’re not able nor want to.
Batch recording also prevents you from ending up having a melt down before the next show thinking “what the heck am I going to talk about on tomorrow’s show”?
Even if major life disasters don’t happen, batch recording helps you maintain a manageable pace and get your episodes out consistently and on time.
Since consistency is one of the most important keys in podcast success, batch recording can help you stay on target with your release schedule and keep your podcast growing.
What is Batch Recording?
Batch recording is the process of recording several episodes at a time so you can bank weeks of content in advance rather than recording one episode at a time.
Perhaps Saturday morning is your recording day, so you should record 2-4 episodes every Saturday morning. For me, it’s Tuesdays because I also conduct my interviews for Out & About with Antionette and it’s a scheduled day on my calendar.
Batching that way will give you four weeks of content you can prepare for if a “life happens” situation, you will still have plenty of episodes in the bucket so that the show doesn’t have to stop, even if you do. Worse case scenario you can put out an “encore” show, but you want to be fresh with your content – especially if it a niche show.
One of the best things about batch recording is you can do as many or as few as you like, but the more you batch the better it will be.
If you’re really short on time, even if you just do two episodes that means you’re recording twice per month rather than once per week and even that beats a blank and it will help you especially in the beginning of your journey.
Batch recording also keeps your enthusiasm up, because when planning ahead you can see what’s coming up and promote your episodes so your audience gets something different every week. You might want to tease your listeners if you have content ready for the next week to go.
By planning episodes in advance and batch recording, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare a better mix of content and this will give your listeners a much better experience. Oh, and you’ll also have more time for editing which is really important if you want your show to sound its best, including finding new music and sponsors!
One drawback to batch recording would be for those whose show contains time sensitive content like newly released movies, television shows or news cycle content that makes “breaking news” batch recording difficult. However, if you have a show with a specific niche with general themes or evergreen content, then it’s okay. Just remember with interviews just let your guests know when the show is scheduled to air as they may be presenting content that will have already happened by the time the show drops.
Most podcasts love to batch record interviews because scheduling guests can be a nightmare, so getting ahead of yourself will make your job so much easier and that is why, I only conduct podcast interviews on Tuesdays.
How to batch record episodes
Make sure to set aside time to record each week and put it on your calendar, make no excuses unless it’s an emergency. Plan your content ahead of time, do your research, record and print out your notes or create bullet points and try to get as far ahead of yourself as possible.
That doesn’t mean you have to record all your episodes all at once, but if you’ve planned everything out you’ll know what’s coming up and you can break up the recording into smaller batches so it’s manageable. This should also include editing the show because you definitely don’t want to put that off to a later date/time as it is time consuming.
Stay disciplined
Stay focused and disciplined so that you have a clear goal in mind which is the success of your podcast. This may sound hard, but once you get into the rhythm and realize just how much less stress podcast recording can be, it will be a no-brainer to keep this as a regular task in your podcasting schedule.
If you found anything of interest in today’s show or if you have any questions send me an email, info@ablakeenterprises.com . Do you want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Send an email to request my “7-Step Podcast Checklist” or sign up for in-person or online podcasting coaching sessions.
