3 Reasons Why Podcasting Schedules Break Down (And How to Avoid It!) with Janice Cook [Ep. 152]

 
 

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Here’s what to expect from this episode:

Welcome to our second guest takeover episode! If you don't already know, I am out on maternity leave, and one of the things I set up for my leave is guest takeover episodes. These episodes will be sprinkled in over the next few months and feature some of my favorite experts in the online space. 

Janice Cook, today's guest takeover host, and returning guest, is here to share why the podcast schedules we spend so much time creating sometimes break down, leaving us feeling a little scattered and often leading to inconsistencies over time. Better yet, Janice shares how to overcome or avoid these potholes so that you can stay on track with your podcast schedule and keep showing up for your audience. 

Having a predictable podcast schedule means our show becomes a predictable part of the regularly scheduled programming our listener consumes during the week. But if your podcast schedule breaks down (or fails to swerve one of those potholes), you create an opportunity for listeners to find another show to fill that slot. And we don't want that to happen! 

Think of it this way: if you've ever driven in New England, you've probably had to dodge a pothole or two (or even ten!). And just like with your car, there are only so many times your show can hit a 'podcast pothole' before you don't want to repeat the path that got you there the first time.

If you need support with your podcast systems and want templates for things like guest booking, production checklists, and more, definitely come join us over in the Podcasting for Educators Prep School. I will set you up with everything you need to be consistent and successful as a podcaster.

Topics Covered:

  • Why you should aim for a predictable podcast schedule 

  • Scheduling guest interviews in advance

  • Content planning tips to maintain a large bank of ideas

  • Aligning your goals to your podcast episode topics

MEET Janice:

Janice Cook is a TPT seller turned online business manager who helps make systems tidy so the workweek is peaceful and productive. She's passionate about helping TPTers spend their time on the tasks they love because she believes that's a key factor in creating high-quality resources that impact teachers and students.

Connect with Janice:

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Connect with Sara:

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  • Sara Whittaker 0:00

    Hey there and welcome back to another episode of podcasting for educators. If you don't already know at the time that this episode airs, I am out on maternity leave. One of the things I set up for my leave our guest takeover episodes, where some of my favorite experts in the online space will be taking over this podcast for the week. These episodes will be sprinkled in over the next few months and today is guest takeover. Number two with Janice cook. Janice Cook is a TPT seller turn online business manager who helps make systems tidy so the workweek is peaceful and productive. She's passionate about helping to be to spend their time on the tasks they love, because she believes that's a key factor in creating high quality resources that impact teachers and students. Janice was originally a guest on Episode 87, where we talked about what to know before hiring in your teacher business. Today she's back with a different topic. And I know that it's one that so many of you will be interested in and probably have firsthand experience with. She's talking about why those podcast schedules that we spend so much time creating sometimes break down, leaving us feeling a little scattered, which often leads to inconsistencies over time. Better yet, she'll share how to overcome or avoid these things so that you can stay on track with your podcast schedule, and keep showing up for your audience. Let's get started. Your Podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business. But how do you manage it all bring in new listeners and convert those listeners into customers. That's what this show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker classroom teacher turn podcast manager. And I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators.

    Janice Cook 1:42

    Hey, teacher business owners. My name is Janice cook, I am a graduate of all of Sarah's incredible podcasting courses. And I'm also a podcast manager here in the teacher business space. I'm also an avid podcast listener, and today's content topic is near and dear to my heart as a listener, we try our best to have a predictable publishing schedule as a podcaster. We want our show to become a predictable part of the regularly scheduled programming that our listener consumes during the week. We want them to predict when our next episode is coming out. We want them to know approximately how long it's going to be. We want them to know how it's going to make them feel so they can put it in the right part of their week. And we want to encourage them to habit stack and chain this together with a regular reoccurring part of their week. So I have certain podcasts that I listen to in the carpool pickup line. I have other podcasts that I pair with my morning laundry folding, I have certain podcasts that I like to listen to on the weekend. Those are usually the longer shows that are over an hour long. And I have certain serious topics that I prefer to save for maybe lunchtime or coffee time during the workweek. But once a podcaster misses a week of their episode, I'm kind of stuck, an object in motion stays in motion. And if my Monday morning laundry folding podcast doesn't put out an episode, I have to go find another show for that time slot. And even if I loved the ad show, it might be a little while before I remember to circle back to it. Because I might really fall in love with the new show that I had to put in that spot. So if we know that an object in motion stays in motion, if you are in a listeners weekly timeslot, and they are consistently tuning in, we want to try really hard to keep that predictable programming schedule. Of course, life happens, you can't be recording a podcast if you don't have power, or you don't have a voice, or many schools of thought about how far to batch ahead and how to make sure you have some emergency episodes on deck for when life happens. That's not really what we're talking about today. Today, we're gonna talk about systems and workflows and really thinking about reasons that podcasters sometimes skip that first episode, and reflecting on our workflows to see how we can avoid having that problem in our own show. I'm recording today's episode from New England, New England is a beautiful place to live because we get to experience all four seasons. No, who doesn't like experiencing all four seasons, our roads, our roads in New England are terrible. All of the moist air and the rapidly changing temperatures means our roads crack and get potholes all the time. So as someone who was born and raised in New England, I learned to drive with two eyes open and two hands on the wheel. Because those roads are ever changing from day to day and potholes pop up when I least expect them. Certainly I can swerve to avoid them but by some point in the winter season there Are Some roads that I just don't go down at all. Because there's only so many times your car can jump into a big pothole before you just don't want to repeat the path that got you there the first time. And I reflect on that today as we have this conversation about podcasting systems and workflows. Because there are three reasons that I see podcasters get themselves into a pickle with their publishing schedule. And I don't want that to happen to you. So I'm sharing these podcasts or potholes with you today, hoping that you can reflect on your systems and workflows and avoid them for yourself. podcaster pothole number one has to do with guest scheduling. So many podcasters have their schedule mapped out. They have themes, they have episode topics, they have the perfect balance of solo and guest episodes. And they see a spot on their content calendar, where it would be perfect to invite a guest expert into the conversation. And they plan for this episode. But they forget to tell the guest. So guests may or may not want to be on our show. They might say yes, they might say no, you might have to find a backup guest that can fit into your content plan. And you want to know that well in advance. A guest might be interested in being on your show, but they may have their own preferred timing. They might have a cart opening or a new offer or product launching, they might have an upcoming medical leave or travel. And they might have a spa on their calendar that's a busy season or a slower season when they are open to these types of visibility opportunities. So having the guest planned on your side is very different from starting a conversation with the guest. As early as possible. start those conversations with guests as early as you can. Hey, I'd love to have you on the podcast some day. See if they're receptive to that and open to it. Get curious, ask what their calendar looks like, ask what their lunch schedule looks like. And if there's a great timing for them. What if you can find a win win on your calendar that also is really beneficial for the guest. That's going to be a more exciting conversation for both of you to sit down and add to your calendar. So make sure your guests scheduling plans don't stay private until the very end. Nobody wants to say Hey, can you be on my podcast? I need you to meet with me on Tuesday because I published an episode on Wednesday that doesn't feel professional. And it doesn't feel like the Win Win warm and fuzzies that we're going for start these conversations early with guests to make sure if they're a yes or no first, and then get curious about their business to try to time things like a win win on both calendars. Also consider batching out your guest episodes. Whether you are looking at your content for the whole quarter or the whole school year. If you can look ahead to see that you have a handful of guests that you really like to have on the show in the next season or the next year or the next quarter. Why not just invite them all at once. Take your candy mail that you probably already have saved in Gmail, and go ahead and just invite all of them, get a yes, get to know start those conversations, batch out those social moments all at once for yourself, and then put them into your content calendar and play in your solo episodes around that. So consider adding a recurring task to your schedule that reminds you periodically to reach out to the next group of guests, you can always record a guest conversation in advance, bank it and then start to build your solo episodes around it. All right, that's my only tip that's involving guests. So if guests aren't part of your show, I've got your back podcast or pothole number two is about banking content ideas, I really like to see podcasters have three to six months of solid content ideas that they're excited about in their planning document at all times. We don't want to sit down to script and outline the next batch of episodes to find out that there are no topics in our content bank, that is the worst feeling and then all of a sudden having to plan episodes and get another spot in your calendar. To do that deep focus brainstorming work against a deadline that does not feel good. And that's not a path to the high quality strategic content that you're looking for on your show. So really keep your eyes on your content brainstorming list and make sure that you don't run out at the last moment. Reflect on how you like to add to this. Are you popping in and out of your content bank all the time and adding fresh, new exciting ideas? Or do you need to kind of schedule those brainstorming sprints? Do you need to schedule one maybe every two weeks or the first and 15th of the month do you need To set a timer for 15 minutes, and kind of take some fresh ideas out of your brain and dump them into the content plan. Do you need a change of scenery? Do you need to go for a long walk? or head to a coffee shop and schedule a deep focused brainstorming session to fill your content bank back up? Or do you plan best with a thought partner? Do you need to reach out to a business bestie or maybe your podcast manager to hop on a zoom and talk out the strategic direction your business is going in the types of episodes that your data says your audience is loving. And maybe some frequently asked questions you're getting from your audience to see how you can turn that into the next batch of content ideas. I really want you to reflect on your systems and your workflows. And think about some supportive recurring tasks you can add into your schedule, so that you have a rhythm and a flow for brainstorming. And you know what type of brainstorming session works best for you. And you can get it on the schedule, because I've worked with podcasters who suddenly run out of content. And I don't want that to happen to you. It is not a good feeling. Podcasts are pothole number three is related. It's about aligning your content to your business goals. I never want your podcast to feel like just another thing on your to do list. Your Podcast is a super valuable marketing tool. And it should save you time if all of the pieces of your business are working harmoniously together. So reflect on when you set your business goals. Are you an annual goals person? Are you a quarterly goals person? Or are you a monthly goals person, a couple of days after your goal setting session comes up on your CEO calendar. That's a great time to be checking in on your podcast content plan. Make sure that the episodes you have planned and the ad segments that you're leveraging relate to the results you're trying to achieve in your business during the same time period. Your Podcast isn't an extra thing to do. Your Podcast is a tool to reach those business goals. I don't want to see you sitting down to script podcast episodes on topic a, and then write social media content on topic two. And then think of things to write for your email marketing on topic three, I want you to think of your customers path from a curious listener to a paying customer. And I want you to think about their pain points and how you can care for them and take them on that journey and serve them at a deeper level over time. I want that podcast episode that you create as long form content to be a gift to you, I want you to see many talking points that are exactly what your audience needs, so that you can pull them out and repurpose them as short form content. So they're exactly what your audience needs to hear about in emails. And so that they are strategic episodes that help your listener get ready to take the next action you want them to take. You're thinking about your call to action, and you're thinking, what knowledge gap does my audience have before they're going to be ready to act on that offer. So I don't want your podcast this year to be just another to do when we feel that way about our show. We get really tempted to skip a week and take a break. But when we're excited about our business goals, and we see our podcast as a useful tool to help us achieve our goals, then we're excited to sit down and record more episodes. And not everybody's a badger. But I think the more aligned your business goals are to your podcast planning topics, the more batched ahead, you're going to be because you're going to be excited to reach out to guests and get them on the calendar. Because you understand how they're aligned to your goals. You're going to be excited to solve problems for your audience and fill up that content bank because you know that once your audience has the answers to those problems, they're going to be more ready to buy and ready to move down your funnel and work with you on a deeper level. So these podcaster potholes might resonate with you today more strongly one than the other. But they all work together. Your podcast is such an important tool in your business. And when you're part of someone's weekly, regularly scheduled programming, that's such a show of love. They know like and trust you they're making you part of their day and their week. And it's such a special relationship. I want to care for that relationship and take that responsibility really seriously. And so I want you to gain that spot in your listeners week. And then I want your weekly content to continue on consistently over time so that you get to stay in that spot in their schedule, week after week after A week, I share these podcaster potholes today so that you can swerve to avoid them when you see them coming, but so that you can also reflect on your systems and your workflows and your schedule, so that you can choose a road that has as few potholes as possible. Think about how you work and how your brain works and what your systems are right now. And think about if you might be in danger of driving towards one of these potholes. You might be a few supportive recurring tasks away from a much more consistent podcasting schedule. You can find me on Instagram at teacher Janice VA, I love to chat all things podcasting in the DMS. Any time, I'm wishing you a consistent year of podcasting.

    Sara Whittaker 15:45

    Thank you again to Janice for taking over the podcast this week. If you need support with your podcast systems, and you want templates for things like guest booking production checklists, and more, definitely come join us over in the podcasting for educators prep school, I will set you up with everything you need to be consistent and be successful as a podcaster. I'll leave the link for that in the show notes. And with that, have a fantastic week. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support and launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time.

More about Podcasting for Educators:

Podcasting for Educators is the podcast for TpT authors and other online educators. It's a show that will help you get your podcast in front of those who need it most - teachers, counselors, literacy specialists, SLPs, parents, and more! Each week, Sara Whittaker and her guests will share top tips and actionable strategies that you will need in order to launch, manage, and grow your podcast. You’ll learn how to leverage your show to build long-lasting relationships with your audience and promote your TpT resources, courses, and memberships, all while providing valuable and accessible content!

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Sara Whittaker