How to Save Time Podcasting
We all love listening to our favorite podcasts and when we listen to a 30-minute episode it’s easy to forget that it likely took hours to create that short episode. Or what seems short to us! However, it’s more than likely that hours have gone into it between recording and editing to add intros, outros, music, and more. Say the podcast includes multiple guests or hosts, editing may take longer. The more complex or the longer the episode the more hours it takes to produce. As Rachel Corbett states, “As a general rule, after personally overseeing the production of over 50 podcasts, I’d say a good average edit time for a 30-40 minute podcast is about 4-5 hours.”
This, more than likely, comes as a surprise to those who have yet to create a podcast or are new to the industry. As we often discuss, the time it takes to produce an episode, alone, can create burnout and lead to podfading. This is one of the many reasons that it is important to have good time management while producing a podcast. So what can be done to save time podcasting?
Managing Your Time
As mentioned, time management is incredibly important to save time in podcasting. Otherwise, time can easily slip away and before you know it it’s the day the episode is set to air and you’re fumbling to rush through editing and publishing. Not only does this habit quickly create burnout, but it is also likely to cause the quality of your show to decrease. Or at the very least not show it’s/your full potential. Some tips to help manage your time are:
Task prioritization: Being able to prioritize your tasks by what is most urgent and what, if can’t be done today, can be done later. We like to use a Trello board to keep track of due dates and unfinished tasks so that we always know what is needed of us. Personally, when I sit down to work I look over our Trello board and take note of due dates and the tasks that need to be done to complete work on time. I create a list of to-do’s for that work day and organize them by what to prioritize, a.k.a. I must complete the most urgent tasks first.
Time blocking: Prioritization is nothing if I don’t set time aside to complete tasks. Use time blocking to your advantage and organize it in a way that makes the most sense to you. You might:
Put one big time block to work uninterrupted - following your task list to be sure to prioritize what needs to be done the soonest. This may work if you like to complete one task at a time.
Block out time for recording, a separate block to edit, a separate block to upload, etc. Give yourself, say an hour to do each. This may help you refrain from getting stuck on one task. If you like to split up your work and make progress on multiple areas this may work well.
Block out time for breaks. Maybe you are a diligent worker who only gets distracted when you get burnt out and you’ll walk away from your work for hours. Blocking out breaks and setting a timer may help you avoid burnout and get your breaks in while setting a limit to how long you’re away from your work.
Stay organized: The most important to managing your time is staying organized. You can work for hours and hours and get your work completed but in order to save time podcasting organization is key. Using a system that helps you keep track of your work can make a world of difference when it comes to saving time podcasting. Again, for us, we use a Trello board to stay organized, especially when we are both working on a project. That way neither of us wastes time working on a task that the other is also working on. If you have more than one person producing your podcast, not being organized likely will become the biggest cause of wasting time.
Managing your time and using these tips to help you do so will encourage you to get tasks done and save time podcasting. That being said, managing your time and staying organized mainly help you know what to do and when. In order for this to help you need to also plan and organize your creative sessions.
Plan + Prepare
Planning your content and preparing beforehand can save time podcasting, maybe even hours! Most of us do not do our best work under pressure - even I like to think I can but it often takes more time than if I set myself up for success. For example, if I have a day before my episode is set to release and I haven’t done any research, recording, or editing I likely will miss key information, speed up my recording session, and do spotty editing at best. To avoid my procrastination mentality, it helps to do the following:
Create a content calendar: this way I refrain from forgetting I have an interview coming up that I need to prep for. I take into account the pre-production, the production, and the post-production as well as any social media teasers I want to do. It also allows me to have my episodes planned in advance so that I can:
Batch Content: Batching content means doing one task for multiple episodes in one sitting. I batch content for 3 episodes at a time. You can do as many episodes as you’d like. We batch by -
Researching/ prepping content one day
Recording the content the next day
Editing the content over the next 2 days
Putting finished touches and uploading the episodes.
Using a content calendar and batching content this way encourages me to save time podcasting by keeping my mind on one task at a time and completing said tasks for 3 episodes. Allowing me to create 3 episodes in one week. We suggest batching content before you publish your first episode so you are always ahead. And the worst-case scenario, something happens and you can’t create or edit for a week, you still have shows to publish.
Streamline your process
A cluttered space creates a cluttered mind - being disorganized and cluttered can affect productivity. The opposite of what we want when trying to save time podcasting. This goes for your surroundings as much as your organization surrounding your podcast. My favorite motto is “Work smarter, not harder”. So let’s set ourselves up for success and do what we can to save time podcasting, such as:
Setting up a dedicated recording space: having your equipment ready to go can save a lot of time on set up and allows you to focus on getting ‘in’, recording, and getting ‘out’. If your recording space is at home and is done in a multi-use space keep it all together and organized so set up is as swift and easy as possible.
Leverage templates and checklists: having a set of templates and checklists can help you stay on task and avoid having to re-think every step each time. Not only saves you time podcasting but also helps you avoid missing steps and making mistakes. Templates and checklists are great resources and you can always make additions or changes as needed for each show but having a base to start off with can create clarity and save hours of time each day.
Automate repetitive tasks: There are so many tasks that become repetitive when podcasting such as publishing, social media posts, scheduling interviews, etc. Save time podcasting by automating what you can!
Use a scheduling tool like Calendly to save back and forth between you and your guests or co-hosts.
Scheduling and publishing episode releases
Social media automation
Regularly assess + improve your workflow: take note of what is working and what may not be working and adjust accordingly!
Outsource
There is a lot that goes into podcasting and depending on your workload and if your show is your only job or not, there may not be enough time in the day to get your work done. Outsourcing is always an option! You can outsource certain tasks that take up your time that you could be spending elsewhere in order to save time podcasting. It likely will save you a headache by delegating tasks to your co-host or hiring a podcast producer to edit your show (or find guests, monetize, etc.).
When outsourcing production be sure to research podcast producers who fit your needs. It’s important to pair with producers who understand your niche and can edit and prioritize tasks in a way that fits your workflow. For more in-depth support on hiring support read our blog on “Hiring a Podcast Manager Stress-Free”.
Conclusion
When it comes to saving time podcasting it is important to find what works best for you! What we do may be a good starting point but you may find that the way we organize might not work well. Take time to plan and prepare, organize and manage your time, and streamline your processes in a way that fits your needs. Remember it is always okay to outsource, you can delegate tasks as small as creating and posting to social media or larger tasks such as editing.
Check out our site for ways we can help you save time podcasting!
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