Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to help produce podcast episodes for Boomer Consulting, Inc, The Boomer Briefing. But, the podcast has been around for two years! In that time, over 100 episodes have been recorded and released. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s also been a lot of fun.
Here are ten lessons I’ve learned along the way that will be helpful for anyone who is launching a podcast.
Bulk plan episodes
Don’t try to come up with a new idea every week. It’s much easier (and more fun) to bulk-plan episodes. This way, you can sit down and map out a bunch of topics at once and then have the freedom to record them as you have time.
Block two to three hours at a time to work on the podcast
Planning, scheduling hosts and guests, recording, and editing all take time. So does writing show notes, social media and uploading the episode to your podcast platform. If you try to do bits and pieces when you have time, you’ll quickly get overwhelmed and fall behind. That’s why it’s essential to block out some time each week to work on your podcast. Then, you’ll be able to make consistent progress without feeling like it’s taking over your life.
Pick a schedule and stick with it
Once you’ve bulk-planned your episodes, it’s important to pick a launch day and stick to it. This will help you build momentum and keep your listeners coming back for more. For us, we decided to release an episode every Tuesday. But you could just as easily launch bi-weekly or monthly depending on your preferences.
Record more than one episode at a time
If you have the opportunity, record two or three episodes at a time so you can batch the process and save yourself some time down the road. Just ensure you’re not overloading yourself with too much content at once, or you’ll run into quality control issues further down the line.
Keep episodes short
Our episodes are between 10 to 20 minutes long, which seems to be the sweet spot for most listeners and allows us to record several episodes within a few hours. However, there is no hard and fast rule here, so experiment with different lengths and see what works best for your audience.
Give yourself time between release dates
Build extra calendar time between the recording and the release dates in case things need to be rescheduled. Life happens, people get sick and things come up! Building in that extra time ensures you’re not scrambling to get an episode released on time.
Use a workflow tool to stay on top of due dates
Asana is our go-to tool for keeping track of deadlines and assigned tasks related to our podcast production workflow. Each episode has its own task list with subtasks for everything from recording and editing to writing show notes and promoting the episode on social media. This helps us stay organized and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Pre-design graphics for social media
We use Canva to design social media graphics for each new episode. Since we know the topic well ahead of time, we can batch design several months’ worth of graphics at once. This saves us a ton of time when promoting an episode across various channels.
Preschedule episode releases and social media
We preschedule out each episode release as well as all associated social media promotions well in advance of the episode release date. This also takes a lot of pressure off when things get busy.
Pick one host to start out
Jon Hubbard has been our main host from the beginning, but we bring in other team members or special guests depending on the topic. Having one primary host when we started helped keep the tone consistent and helps listeners get to know and like the host, which keeps them coming back for more.
Podcasting can be a lot of work, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and an excellent opportunity to grow your brand. I hope these tips will help you if you’re thinking about launching a podcast or are already in the midst of production.
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As a Marketing Coordinator for Boomer Consulting, Inc., Emilie is excited to complement her social media content creation skills and learn more about other aspects of marketing. Her primary focus is managing the company’s website, collaborating with the sales team on marketing campaigns, and assisting with webinars, video content and design work to represent the company’s brand and services.
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