How to batch record your podcast

Recording your podcast, whether it's in audio or video format takes time. This is often the reason why some podcasters give up before they reach the seventh episode, as they have not figured out a productive way to manage this time-consuming task. How can one make sure that they have enough episodes to maintain a consistent publishing schedule? The answer is batch recording.

Batch recording is an efficient way of recording your episodes whereby you plan out multiple episodes at once and record them in one session in a day instead of doing them individually over the course of many days.

The main benefit of this method is that it makes the podcasting process less stressful as you will be more organised. Sometimes, life happens! Unexpected commitments or events can catch you unaware and this can throw off your recording and publishing schedules which could negatively impact your podcast and its success. But with batch recording, you are essentially preparing for these unknown circumstances. For instance, if you fall sick for a couple of weeks and you are unable to record, if you had two months' worth of content, this small setback would not affect your podcast or your listeners.

How can I go about batch-recording my podcast? I will provide you with some helpful tips below;

1. Plan ahead - Sit down and write out notes and pointers for each episode that you want to record in your batch session. This will help you to have a good flow when recording and avoid taking too many breaks to ‘figure’ things out
2. Batch record - Set aside a day where your only commitment is to record your episodes. You can make this a habit by picking a set time in the month, whether it’s one Saturday morning or bi-monthly to perform this task. If this becomes a routine, it will feel less like a chore.
3. Edit your episodes  - Just as you batch recorded, you should also batch edit. Ideally, this would work best if the time between recording and editing is as short as possible. That way, the ideas are still fresh in your mind and you’ll be more efficient.
4. Schedule your episodes - You have finished the episodes. Why not go ahead and schedule your publishing? Some hosting platforms, such as Afripods allow you to schedule your publishing. You will therefore be able to set a future time and date when you would like your episode to go live. How amazing would it be to just sit back and relax and have your episodes drop automatically for a month? Super exciting!
5. Batch promo - You’ve already put in so much work with the batch sessions. It only makes sense to also batch produce your promotional content for social media and add them to your content calendar. If possible, of course.

The idea of batch recording may seem daunting at first, however, you need to try it first and that’s when you’ll realise all the benefits.