How to Make Podcast Batching Easier With a Strategic Plan

Welcome to Podcasting Problem Solver: Strategic Podcast Batching Made Simple

Leah Bryant [00:00:00 - 00:01:16]: [00:00:00] Foreign. [00:00:04] Welcome back to the Podcasting Problem Solver. [00:00:07] I am Leah Bryant, your go to Podcast growth Strategist, here to coach you to podcast strategically with more clarity and better results. [00:00:18] So, can we talk about something for a second? [00:00:22] Have you ever opened your calendar, thought you had a quote-unquote quick recording day, and suddenly realized you spent the last 45 minutes rearranging sticky notes, rewriting episode ideas, and wondering why batching feels like preparing for a cross-country road trip? [00:00:42] Yes, well, same friend and I do this for a living. [00:00:46] But here's what I want you to remember. [00:00:49] Batch recording isn't hard because you're, quote unquote, bad at planning. [00:00:55] No, batch recording is hard because your planning isn't aligned with your business strategy. [00:01:03] Today, we are getting you out of that cycle with a batch approach that not only saves time, but it will cut your stress and it really supports your business goals and not just your podcast workflow.

How to Create a Strategic Podcast Plan—even with a Busy Schedule

Leah Bryant [00:01:17 - 00:02:19]: [00:01:17] So stick around so that you can walk away knowing exactly how to create a strategic plan and and batch record, even when your schedule looks like a game of Jenga. [00:01:26] All right, so most podcasters try to plan episodes based on whatever idea pops into their head that day or what they think their listeners want. [00:01:38] And sometimes it's the I quote unquote, should talk about this pressure that creeps in around 9 o' clock at night. [00:01:45] Right? [00:01:46] But here's what nobody tells you. [00:01:48] If your episodes don't connect to your business strategy, no amount of batching will feel smooth. [00:01:55] It's like trying to meal prep without knowing what you're cooking for the week. [00:01:59] You'll spend more time staring into the fridge than actually making anything for the week. [00:02:05] So by the end of this episode, you're going to know how to plan episodes that directly support your offers, how to create a batching system that actually fits your life, and how to record more efficiently without sacrificing quality.

The Seamless Podcast Framework: Align Podcast Episodes with Your Business Strategy

Leah Bryant [00:02:20 - 00:02:45]: [00:02:20] And this is all strategy phase stuff from my seamless podcast framework. [00:02:24] Because without a strategic alignment. [00:02:27] Yep. [00:02:27] The rest gets real messy, real fast. [00:02:29] Okay, Step number one is to start with your business goals and not your podcast ideas. [00:02:37] I know, I know. [00:02:39] Groundbreaking stuff, right? [00:02:41] But most people really do skip this. [00:02:44] So here's what I want you to do.

Step 1: Start Podcast Planning with Your Business Goals

Leah Bryant [00:02:45 - 00:03:39]: [00:02:45] I want you to ask, what am I selling this quarter? [00:02:50] What conversations lead naturally to that offer? [00:02:54] What will my audience need to believe, understand, or fix before they're ready to say yes? [00:03:01] Okay, so this is your strategic filter. [00:03:04] Everything you batch should flow from it. [00:03:07] Next up is step number two, which is create your quarterly content. [00:03:12] Next up is step number two, which is create your quarterly content. [00:03:17] We'll call it a spine because we want to think of this like the backbone of your next six to 12 episodes. [00:03:23] You only need four things, okay? [00:03:26] Number one is one core theme. [00:03:30] Number two, you're going to need three to four supporting topics. [00:03:34] Number three, a quick story or example attached to each of those topics.

Step 2: Build a Quarterly Content Spine for Podcast Batching

Leah Bryant [00:03:39 - 00:04:17]: [00:03:39] Number four is a clear link to your offer. [00:03:44] Okay? [00:03:44] This is what makes batching so much easier, because you're not starting from scratch every single time you sit down. [00:03:51] Then there's step number three, which is record in blocks and not marathons. [00:03:57] And this is a hill that I will die on. [00:04:00] Hear me when I say this. [00:04:02] If you try to record four episodes back to back in one day, your voice is going to betray you. [00:04:09] No amount of water is going to help you with that. [00:04:12] What I want you to do instead is I want you to break your batching into blocks.

Step 3: Efficient Podcast Batch Recording—Work in Blocks, Not Marathons

Leah Bryant [00:04:17 - 00:04:51]: [00:04:17] So think about it like this. [00:04:18] Block number one, you're going to outline. [00:04:21] Block number two, you're going to script or bullet point, whatever is your jam. [00:04:26] Block number three is where you're going to record. [00:04:28] And then block number four, that's going to be like your wrap up, your admin, your post production, all the things. [00:04:33] Each block can be done on a different day, but still feel seamless. [00:04:38] See what I did there? [00:04:41] One of my clients, Melissa, came to me convinced she was just bad at batching. [00:04:47] But when we dug in, her episodes were all over the place.

Case Study: Transforming Podcast Batching for Better Results

Leah Bryant [00:04:52 - 00:05:51]: [00:04:52] One week she was talking about mindset, the next week, business systems, then Instagram strategy, and none of them really pointed back to the offers that she was selling. [00:05:01] So, of course, batching felt overwhelming because nothing was connected. [00:05:06] And what we did was reworked her strategy phase first so that we aligned her upcoming episodes with her Q1 program, clarified her narrative, and rebuilt how she planned her content. [00:05:21] And once we fixed this strategy, she batch recorded six episodes in a single week, easily no tears. [00:05:28] Her focus shifted from what I should talk about to how do I guide my listener to the next step? [00:05:34] And that, my friend, is the power of aligned planning. [00:05:38] And then here's the big one. [00:05:39] Step number four, give every episode a job. [00:05:44] So if your episodes are just quote, unquote content, batching will always feel like a chore.

Step 4: Give Every Podcast Episode a Strategic Job

Leah Bryant [00:05:51 - 00:06:28]: [00:05:51] It's true. [00:05:52] But when they each have a purpose, you're going to know exactly what to say. [00:05:57] So here's what I want you to do. [00:05:58] I want you to ask these questions of every episode you plan. [00:06:03] Is this building trust? [00:06:06] Is it teaching a strategic belief shift? [00:06:09] Or is it preparing someone for the next step with me? [00:06:13] If it's doing none of these, then guess what? [00:06:17] It doesn't make the cut. [00:06:19] Because all of this sits squarely in the strategy phase. [00:06:21] As I mentioned before, because you're aligning your business goals with your podcast goals. [00:06:25] You're planning content with intention.

Batch Recording for Podcasts: Your Strategy and Next Steps

Leah Bryant [00:06:28 - 00:07:37]: [00:06:28] You're creating a repeatable, easy to maintain system, and you're building episodes that naturally lead to your offer. [00:06:37] So when your strategy is clear, batching becomes, well, seamless. [00:06:43] I couldn't help myself. [00:06:45] And here's your quick win for the day. [00:06:48] Before you try to batch anything, I want you to spend 10 minutes outlining your next four episodes with one question in mind. [00:06:57] How does this episode support where I'm taking my business? [00:07:02] And if you can answer that clearly, then guess what? [00:07:05] You're already halfway to easier batching days, right? [00:07:08] And if you want help building a strategic plan that makes batching easier, faster, and actually aligned with your business goals, well, you're in luck. [00:07:16] That's exactly what we do inside my Seamless Sprint, which is my 90 day coaching container where we will rebuild your podcast from the inside out so that it finally works for your business. [00:07:29] Okay, if your planning and batching needs a cleanup, a strategy boost, or a total reset, I'd love to support you with this.

Podcasting Resources and Next Steps

Leah Bryant [00:07:37 - 00:08:05]: [00:07:37] The link is in the show notes and if this episode helped you rethink batching, I want you to hit follow so you don't miss any future episodes. [00:07:46] And if you want weekly tips to make your podcast more strategic, more aligns, and a whole lot easier to run. [00:07:52] Yep, you know what to do. [00:07:53] Subscribe to my newsletter. [00:07:54] It's free. [00:07:55] It's where I share all my best stuff. [00:07:57] Until next time, keep your podcast purposeful, your batching and planning strategic. [00:08:02] But above all else, keep it seamless and I'll see you next time.