Creating a podcast is a lot of work and is often more time-consuming than you expect. When you need to make podcasting more convenient for you, consider podcast batching.

WHAT IS PODCAST BATCHING?

Podcast batching is an odd phrase that means creating podcast content in advance. Batching is defined as creating multiple things at one time. The time frame can be whether you want it to be; a day, a week, etc. So podcast batching is creating a lot of podcast content in a fixed amount of time.

For example, if you edit five podcast episodes in a week, then you were podcast batching. If you create the show notes for a couple of podcast episodes in a day, you were podcast batching.

These examples are important because podcast batching is not referring to recording content (although when people say they are batching podcasts they are often referring to recording content). You may batch edit, batch upload, batch book guests, etc. As mentioned above, batching simply means to work on multiple things at one time so batching can be whatever tasks you need to be completed at the time.

PODCAST BATCHING OFFERS FLEXIBILITY

Podcasting is not the most flexible hobby, especially when your podcast is new or before you have an established team to work with. Flexibility is one of the most important reasons for podcast batching because anything that allows a podcast creator to have more time is a great thing.

As long as your podcast content is not time-sensitive or mentions specific dates or seasons, your podcast audience will never know when the content was recorded or that it may be batched. Or you could batch record recurring aspects of your podcast then include the unique aspects as needed. Podcast batching allows you to create content when you want and take breaks as you wish.

THE PURPOSE OF PODCAST BATCHING

The purpose of podcast batching is not very obvious, because podcast batching is useful for whatever you need it for. If you have travel plans in a couple of months, you could batch record podcast episodes to release the content while you are away. If you need a break from your podcast, you could batch edit and schedule your podcast content, so that you can have a couple of weeks away from these tasks. Lastly, if you have periods of creativity, then you could batch all of your podcast tasks during your most creative moments and coast for the rest of the time.

Whatever you need, you can batch those tasks to complete them at one time then get a break from them. Podcast batching allows you to be in control of your podcast, instead of feeling like your podcast is a burden.

DIFFICULTIES WITH PODCAST BATCHING

One difficult aspect of podcast batching is being excited about your batched content. If you have an interview-based show, recording too far in advance could cause podcast guests to lose some of their initial excitement about being on your podcast. If you have a sports, politics, or current events podcast, much of your recorded content cannot be batched, so you will rely on other aspects of podcast production to be batched (editing, scheduling, etc.).

Whether you record in advance or edit and schedule content in advance, you will have to take the time to re-listen to your content and remember how excited you were about it when you created the content. Take that excitement and put it into the social media posts, emails, and whatever other promoting that you complete for the podcast. This potentially difficult aspect of podcast batching is overshadowed by the benefits of podcast batching.

WHY I ENJOY PODCAST BATCHING

I had not heard of the phrase ‘podcast batching' until May 2021. I was in a Clubhouse room and was completely lost when the moderators began discussing this topic. It wasn’t until some examples were shared that I realized that my podcast exists because of podcast batching. Let me explain a little more.

I created my podcast when I was six months pregnant with my first child. The excitement of being pregnant combined with the stress of learning to record content was A LOT. I did not want to cancel the podcast once my child arrived, so I immediately began to record in advance. I will admit that I had five podcast episodes recorded before I even attempted to edit the recordings. I was terrified of learning to edit the recordings and how much work that would involve.

By the time my daughter arrived, I had edited and scheduled three episodes which gave me a good cushion of time while I learned how to be a parent. So podcast batching was extremely beneficial for me, even before I knew what it was and how to use it.

GIVE PODCAST BATCHING A TRY

If podcasting is not your full time job, podcast batching will be your best friend. Creating content can take a toll on your energy and podcast batching provides flexibility and allows you to work ahead, if that’s important to you. Podcast batching can be exhausting, convenient, and efficient all at once, but it is exhausting, convenient, and efficient for a fixed amount of time. Then you can continue working ahead, or sit back and appreciate your hard work.

The What, How and Why of Podcast Batching