Anyone can master how to start a podcast, but not everyone can effectively manage and sustain the pace. Successful podcasting requires thoroughness, and to be thorough, podcasters worth their salt know that it is essential to learn how to effectively manage their podcast.
Right after you are familiar with how to start a podcast, you need to have in mind a way to juggle several podcasting tasks without creating bottlenecks for yourself. Whether you find yourself podcasting as a hobby and you want to make it a career or podcasting is a side hustle where you intend to make money, a good management technique will take you from where you are to where you want to get to.
Organize your Podcast Workflow
Producing each episode of your podcast requires some steps that can make or mar your show. While learning how to start a podcast, you might fumble a bit with the workflow. However, as you create more and more episodes sticking to steps that work for you, you begin to gain momentum.
A podcast workflow includes all the activities needed for seamless podcast production. It is a detailed graphic representation of your podcasting process using a flowchart. A podcast workflow must give accurate descriptions from the planning stage to recording, editing, publishing, and even promoting your podcast.
Efficient podcasters create a personalized podcast workflow. Know that you do not have to copy other podcasters. Rather, use a system that works for you. More importantly, the quality of your content matters more than the system.
So, if a workflow affects your output negatively, discard it and try another until you get it right. Apart from serving as a reminder of what needs to be done, a podcasting workflow saves you time, keeps you on the right schedule, and allows you to automate certain processes.
Learn To Delegate Tasks
You can’t do it all by yourself; learn to delegate and outsource tasks. Organizing your workflow will give you a clear picture of what you should and should not delegate. Remember that inviting guests to your show, scheduling interviews, recording your show, and meeting with sponsors should never be delegated to anyone else. Yes, you are good at graphic designing, and of course, you can send your emails, but does it mean you have to do it?
Outsourcing certain aspects of your podcasting process can never be overstated. For instance, hiring a professional to edit your podcast will allow another pair of ears with a different perspective to give insight into your podcast. You might also want to use a social media manager who can oversee and run campaigns for your podcast on social media.
Designing your podcast cover art, website, and logo is also better done by a professional. Virtual assistants with experience in various tasks involved in podcasting, like writing show notes and website management, will be great additions to your team of one. Outsourcing and delegating aspects of podcasting to someone else will give you breathing space and allow you to give your utmost attention to the tasks you excel at. Just because you are the only host on your show does not mean you have to do all the work alone.
Connect with a Community of Fellow Podcasters
There is safety in numbers. Due to social media, forums, and other online communities, a podcaster can now join groups of like-minded podcasters. According to Forbes, the explosion of podcasting in 2021 brought about an increase in the number of podcast listeners to about 116 million. In turn, it is easy to find answers to questions that have to do with podcasts and podcasting online.
Take advantage of these online communities by following discussions and learning more about podcasting. Whether you want to know a great way to market your show or how to monetize your podcast, ask for help. There are podcasters with years of experience who have gone through what you are going through.
Look around Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; they have communities that offer advice, assistance, and the nitty-gritty of podcasting. You can post your request on these platforms or exchange ideas with fellow podcasters. One way to receive a quick response is to offer incentives for the help rendered. For instance, you can offer to carry out a task you find interesting in exchange for someone to help with a particularly tedious task.
Besides online communities, meet-ups and in-person networking also help build a strong network. You can reach out to other podcasters in your local communities to organize regular meet-ups where you can talk about issues each podcaster is facing and the best way to tackle them. A great way of networking is by attending conferences and seminars organized by podcasters and talking to genuinely interested people in your show.
Use Software That Makes Podcasting Easy
There are some apps and software designed to make podcast management seamless. You might want to automate some tasks or work with a fixed schedule; haphazardly dumping everything in your regular calendar might compound rather than simplify your problem.
Rather than using the traditional way of scheduling interviews through email, you can employ a scheduling app like Calendly or Acuity to book and manage guests’ appointments. You can also automatically reschedule an appointment with a guest after linking it with your other calendar apps like Google Calendar or Outlook.
Another important app you need to manage your podcast is Dropbox. Your computer can crash anytime and leave you stranded. All your thoroughly produced and edited episodes will be gone in a poof because you do not have a strong backup. You can store your episode in cloud storage such as Dropbox, for you and your team to access anytime.
Without a doubt, show notes boost SEO. You will want to convert your audio file into written texts you can post on your website for traffic. However, if you do not have accurate show notes, you lose some fans who will rather read than listen to your podcast. Upload your audio file to transcription software such as Go Transcript. You can also use Temi record and Transcribe App to get your show notes.
Avoid Burnout
If you work yourself to the bone trying to create the perfect show, you will lose interest in podcasting quickly. Managing your podcast should be stress-free. More importantly, it would help if you avoided burnout at all costs. Have fun while you work. See each process as a step towards a goal, yet, create an environment where you can replenish yourself and stay reinvigorated. You can avoid burnout if your podcast is scheduled for only some parts of the year. Creating a year-round show might seem like a good idea when you start a podcast, but the quality of the show will reduce due to burnout.
Use the half part of the year for your show and dedicate the other half to research and relaxation. You can only produce an excellent show if the condition of your body is top-notch.
Final Words
A lot goes on behind the scene in every successful podcast. You need to research the content of each episode, invite guests, record the show, write show notes, and edit, publish and market your podcast.
Podcasting can get tedious if you do not have a good management system. The preproduction process requires a lot of effort, but you do not have to carry out the production and post-production alone.
