Podcast Workflow Suggestions | Creating One that Works Best for You
Having a podcast workflow can make or break your podcast. When you have a podcast, you need to plan out your content and make sure that what you are creating will serve a purpose. Not to scare you or anything, but jumping into podcasting without a consistent plan can easily lead to “podfading”, when a podcast dies out and stops producing content.
Podcast Workflow Suggestions | Creating One that Works Best for You
Podcast workflows come in all shapes and sizes depending on what your goals are for your podcast. If your podcast is your content strategy, then you will need to show up consistently. The best way to stick to your plan is to have a workflow that works for you.
Podcast Workflow Basics
What is a Podcast Workflow?
A podcast workflow is basically taking each show from idea to promotion. It’s the list of phases and tasks needed to get your podcast episode out into the world on a regular basis.
There are obviously a ton of different ways you can get this done, which is why I’ll go over the three most common podcast workflows to get you started.
Why is a Podcast Workflow Important?
Creating a successful podcast can simply ride on how consistently you show up on your podcast with quality content. Also, if you want to improve your productivity (I mean, don’t we all!), having a workflow will keep you on task and less distracted with all the things that want to grab your attention.
You can look through each of these podcast workflow suggestions and tweak them to fit your specific needs.
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Outsourced Podcast Workflow Suggestion
So, what’s the simplest way to do this?
I’ll walk you through this step-by-step so you don’t feel too overwhelmed. This podcast workflow suggestion is great for those who want to have a podcast but feel overwhelmed by everything that goes into producing a successful podcast.
Phase 1: Plan and Create the Content
I always recommend you plan out your podcast content three months at a time. This will give you plenty of time to book guests that are relevant to topics or do any research needed for episodes.
Next, you’ll schedule time on your calendar or with your guest to record the episode.
Record the content and pre-roll (content before your intro that pulls the audience in to the content) all in one sitting.
Upload your episode audio and pre-roll to the cloud ie. Google Drive or Dropbox. This part is important because it will keep you from losing anything if your computer were to crash.
Phase 2: Let your podcast manager know that it’s ready for post-production
Your podcast manager will be able to take it from there with any of the post-production. If you work with a full-service podcast management company then they will handle EVERYTHING all the way to promotion.
This is literally the easiest way to get your podcast out into the world.
Done-With-You Podcast Workflow Suggestion
What if I want to have some control over the podcast workflow?
I get it. I’m an Enneagram 1 so I always want to have some control over the process. I’ll walk you through this next podcast workflow suggestion step-by-step so you don’t feel too overwhelmed when it comes to hiring out only a few of the tasks. This podcast workflow suggestion is great for those who want to have more control over their podcast workflow but still need some help along the way.
Phase 1: Plan and Create the Content
It is encouraged that you plan out your podcast content three months at a time. This will give you plenty of time to book guests that are relevant to topics or do any research needed for episodes.
Next, you’ll schedule time on your calendar or with your guest to record the episode.
Record the content and pre-roll (content before your intro that pulls the audience in to the content) all in one sitting.
Upload your episode audio and pre-roll to the cloud i.e. Google Drive or Dropbox. This part is important because it will keep you from losing anything if your computer were to crash.
Phase 2: Outsource your Editing
Editing is the number one thing that podcasters outsource first, so it’s no surprise that this is the done-with-you workflow suggestion.
Your editor would then edit the episode, integrate the pre-roll, intro, outro, and ad (if applicable).
They would export the audio file as an mp3 and share it with you in the predetermined cloud sharing folder.
Phase 3: Have your Virtual Assistant Write the Copy for the Show
You’ll want to make sure your VA (virtual assistant) is writing out the show notes with SEO in mind so you can show up better on Google searches.
They can pull social copy from the show notes and quotes for your social graphics.
They can run your episode through a transcription service to ensure your podcast content is accessible to those who might be hard of hearing or may want to read along while they listen.
Upload all written copy to your cloud.
Phase 4: Have your VA or Graphic Designer create the Graphics
You’ll want at least one standard graphic that shows your podcast cover art and one quote graphic from the episode per platform.
For example: If you are active on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, you would only create graphics for those platforms. One standard graphic and one quote graphic would mean two for each platform or six in total for this example.
They would then upload all graphics to the cloud.
Phase 5: Upload all Content to your Podcast Host and Website
This is something you can easily have your VA do to keep the tasks lighter.
These are the steps for the podcast host:
- Upload audio file
- Add show notes
- Add SEO tags
- Schedule episode for date and time
These are the steps for uploading to your website:
- Create a new post
- Add show notes or blog post, quotes, and link to transcription
- Insert embed code for hosting player
- Check for SEO driven title, url, and long-tail keywords
- Schedule post for the same date and time as episode
Phase 6: Promote your Episode to the World
Schedule your graphics and copy onto the social media platforms.
Schedule pins to Pinterest and all applicable boards.
After the episode goes live, do an IG story and/or IGTV talking about the new episode.
Do-It-Yourself Podcast Workflow Suggestion
But that’s great for someone who is ready to outsource. What about the solopreneur who wants to do it themselves?
I’ll walk you through this last podcast workflow suggestion step-by-step so you don’t feel too overwhelmed in doing it yourself. This podcast workflow suggestion is great for those who want to bootstrap their podcast production but still want to make sure they do the things necessary for their show to be successful.
Phase 1: Plan and Create the Content
Plan out your podcast content in a way that works best for you.
Next, schedule time on your calendar or with your guest(s) to record the episode.
Record the content and pre-roll (content before your intro that pulls the audience in to the content) all in one sitting.
Upload your episode audio and pre-roll to the cloud ie. Google Drive or Dropbox. This part is important because it will keep you from losing anything if your computer were to crash.
Phase 2: Edit your Show
Upload your audio to your editing program.
Edit the episode for anything you’d like to take out.
Integrate your pre-roll, intro, outro, and ad (if applicable).
Export your audio as an mp3.
Upload audio mp3 to the cloud.
Phase 3: Write all the Copy for the Show
Here you’ll want to write out the show notes with SEO in mind so you can show up better on Google searches.
Pull social copy from the show notes and quotes for your social graphics.
Transcribe the episode to ensure your podcast content is accessible to those who might be hard of hearing or may want to read along while they listen.
Take your transcription (or written episode if you read something already pre-written) and turn that into a readable blog post or extended show notes.
Upload all written copy to your cloud.
Phase 4: Create the Graphics
You’ll want to create at least one standard graphic that shows your podcast cover art and one quote graphic from the episode per platform.
For example: If you are active on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, you would only create graphics for those platforms. One standard graphic and one quote graphic would mean a minimum two for each platform or six in total for this example.
Create an audiogram graphic. I usually like to create 1 square size and 1 Story Size
Then upload all graphics to the cloud.
Phase 5: Upload all Content to your Podcast Host and Website
Since you’ve already spent the time organizing the content for this phase, it shouldn’t take you too long to copy and upload to your podcast host and website.
These are the steps for uploading to your podcast host:
- Upload audio file
- Add show notes
- Add SEO tags
- Schedule episode for date and time
These are the steps for uploading to your website:
- Create a new post
- Add show notes or blog post, quotes, and link to transcription
- Insert embed code for hosting player
- Check for seo driven title, url, and long-tail keywords
- Schedule post for the same date and time as episode
Phase 6: Market and Promote your Show
Schedule your graphics and copy onto the social media platforms.
Schedule pins to Pinterest and all applicable boards.
After the episode goes live, do an IG story and/or IGTV talking about the new episode.
And that’s all for the do-it-yourself workflow.
As you can see, there are quite a few podcast workflow suggestions you can pick from.
BUT…
Don’t let the options keep you from picking a workflow that works best for you. And don’t forget that you can change things based on your specific needs. As long as you do tasks within each phase, you will be able to produce your show regularly.
