From brainstorming concepts to reserving company and outlining present matters, there’s a variety of work concerned with planning a podcast episode. Podcast planning templates might help you retain monitor of sponsors, handle your enhancing and manufacturing course of, and even map out promotional content material as soon as your episodes go dwell.
These are a few of my favourite free choices for freshmen, seasoned hosts, and everybody in between.
monday.com: A podcast planning template for easy manufacturing
monday.com is one in all my favourite challenge administration instruments available on the market. It’s a good way to plan your podcast as a result of it has every part you should keep organized and guarantee none of your manufacturing duties slip by means of the cracks.
It additionally has an excellent cell app, permitting you to handle podcast planning from the palm of your hand.
You’ll be able to join monday.com’s free plan to unlock entry to 200+ templates, as much as three challenge boards, eight customized column sorts, and seats for 2 collaborators. It’s an excellent place to begin or attempt it out however most groups will seemingly have to improve to a paid plan somewhat rapidly.
Extra on monday.com: monday.com Evaluation | monday.com vs Wrike | monday.com vs Airtable.
I actually like how the manufacturing movement is about up with this template. As an alternative of a single card for every episode that shows its standing, each episode has its personal checklist of devoted duties.
For instance, the preparation section might embrace duties associated to making ready questions for company and outlining the episode construction. It’s also possible to have a post-production section for issues like enhancing clips to be promoted on social media earlier than the ultimate episode is polished and able to dwell.
This type of setup allows you to get as granular as you’d like with out cluttering every part up.
The template additionally allows you to estimate how a lot time every activity ought to take. From there, you’ll be able to enter the actuals and evaluate the distinction.
Total, monday.com and this template are stable choices for any podcaster, whether or not you’re working by your self or with a full staff. It’s simple to make use of, and the truth that you’re getting the total energy of monday.com’s challenge administration platform is a bonus that may’t be neglected.
ClickUp: Podcast planning templates for any sort of present
ClickUp is one other all-in-one challenge administration and staff collaboration platform. Whereas this may look like overkill for podcast planning, there’s a free eternally plan that’s excellent for organizing nearly every part.
Every template beneath is extra superior than the one earlier than it.
The precise one for you is determined by how a lot you need to lean on the device, how many individuals you’re working with, and the way granular you need to be with post-production monitoring.
Extra on ClickUp: ClickUp Evaluation | ClickUp vs monday.com | ClickUp vs Notion.
Template 1: A beginner-friendly choice for planning episodes
This template is nice for newer podcast hosts who simply want one thing easy to plan upcoming episodes.
It comes with all the fundamentals you should keep organized. You’ll be able to create a backlog of episode concepts, categorize episodes, add audio information, and fix hyperlinks to dwell episodes so every part’s centralized in a single place.
My favourite half about this podcast planning template is its simplicity.
It’s organized into 4 sections that observe a linear movement — deliberate episodes, recorded episodes, exhibits which have been edited, and exhibits which have been printed.
Due to its simplicity, you gained’t must spend a ton of time determining the way it works. It’s only a matter of signing up and including your whole concepts. Inside minutes you’ll be extra organized and have way more perception into the place every part stands in your manufacturing movement.
The most important draw back is that it’s lacking performance for brainstorming, managing post-production duties, and scaling past a single channel.
This isn’t essentially a nasty factor, particularly for newer exhibits. However greater manufacturing groups will seemingly have to go along with one of many different templates beneath.
Template 2: Added options for managing various kinds of podcasts
This ClickUp template follows the identical core idea of the earlier one within the sense that every one episodes are organized by stage within the manufacturing course of.
Nevertheless it takes it up a notch in order for you extra granular particulars about every episode.
You’ll see the progress standing of every episode up to date in real-time as you or your staff completes duties required to get it dwell.
This template comes pre loaded with 17 customized attributes that you should utilize tag episodes and keep organized.
These vary from matter classes to listens, subscriber info, and extra.
You’ll additionally have the ability to categorize every merchandise by sort. For every sort, you’ll be able to outline a set construction that’s utilized once you add a brand new episode, so that you don’t have to stipulate all of the steps each single time you add one thing new.
Say you’re planning an episode that features a visitor. In case you tag that episode with this attribute, you’ll be able to have your interview notes and questions obtainable by default on that individual card.
I additionally love the visible components of this template. If you wish to have a broad vary of matters in your present, the color-coded matter column clearly signifies whether or not you have got mixture of concepts or too many episodes in a single class.
Whereas you should utilize it to handle some post-production duties, like your social media marketing plans, it’s a bit extra restricted for this use in comparison with the template beneath.
Template 3: Essentially the most superior choice for managing all pre and post-production duties
If in case you have a well-established present with a full staff working collaboratively to document, edit, and promote your present, this template has every part you’ll want to remain organized earlier than, throughout, and after manufacturing.
I don’t suggest it for solo podcasters and easy exhibits or in the event you’re publishing lower than an episode per week. You’ll find yourself losing time filling in particulars that don’t matter but.
However for groups producing episodes at scale, this template is a no brainer.
You’ll be able to arrange a number of boards for various elements of the manufacturing movement. By default, there’s a brainstorming board, backlog of matter lists, and even a spot to prepare requests out of your listeners.
As soon as exhibits go dwell, you’ll be able to pull in analytics to see which matters are performing one of the best so you’ll be able to replicate that success with future episodes.
From managing visitor outreach and relationships with earlier company to planning social media posts and placing all episode property in a single card, this template has all of it.
There are a number of views, built-in statuses, collaborative paperwork, and a spot to retailer your whole attachments.
Your producers, editors, social staff, and designers will have the ability to preserve monitor of all their work in a single place, giving managers and supervisors every part they should monitor progress and repair points earlier than they develop into bigger issues.
Though ClickUp’s free plan is ok to begin, you’ll have to improve to a paid plan to make one of the best use of all of the superior capabilities of this template.
Coda: Extremely customizable podcast planning templates
Coda is a relational database and doc creation resolution with in-built challenge administration options. In contrast to challenge administration instruments, Coda is a clean slate that allows you to construct various kinds of programs to match your wants.
As your wants change, you’ll be able to replace it to match your new workflows or add on to attach extra items of your corporation.
The free plan is superb, particularly in the event you’re working by your self. However one of the best half is Coda’s reasonably priced pricing construction that solely makes you pay for doc creators. In case you’re the one particular person creating and constructing paperwork, you solely must pay for one person. All editors and viewers are utterly free.
Extra on Coda: Coda Evaluation | Coda vs Notion.
Template 1: A full suite of templates to standardize your processes
Coda’s structure is nicely suited to bringing dispersed information collectively in distinctive and artistic methods. Due to that, one in all its finest practices is separating your programs into a number of areas and connecting them collectively as wanted.
That’s precisely what this suite of templates helps you do.
Quite than making an attempt to cram each aspect of podcast planning and manufacturing into one dashboard, you’ll have separate areas for every section.
It comes with sections for brand new concepts, episode planning, managing manufacturing flows, monitoring launched episodes, and extra. There’s even an area for preserving visitor info organized.
One of many included templates makes it simple to create SOPs that outline standardized components for every stage of your manufacturing course of. This ensures that hosts, editors, social media managers, and everybody in between has clear directions each step of the best way.
If somebody is sick or leaves, anybody can leap in and observe the identical SOPs to add a brand new episode to YouTube.
This additionally acts as a guidelines to make sure consistency for each episode — it serves as a reminder for issues like including the constant intro and outro music to every present.
From there, you’ll be able to brainstorm new concepts, select and plan episodes, monitor manufacturing duties, and see a operating checklist of dwell episodes. There’s a full content material calendar and a spot to maintain monitor of manufacturing duties by section. You’ll even have the ability to add present notes and interview questions so every part’s able to go.
The weakest a part of this template is the precise manufacturing movement monitoring. It covers fundamental activity monitoring, nevertheless it’s fundamental compared to others.
Nevertheless, you’ll be able to construct out extra granularity in the event you want it.
Template 2: A collaborative template that turns artistic concepts into new episodes
Much like the primary choice, this free podcast planning template from Coda combines a number of instruments and assets right into a single area. It comes with dozens of templates, together with a content material calendar, a spot to prepare dwell episodes, an space for sponsor info, and far more.
However what actually makes this template distinctive is the best way it’s arrange for brainstorming.
New concepts can come from wherever, together with when you’re out on a stroll, different teammates, your company, your listeners, and even different departments in your corporation.
With this template, everybody has a devoted area to take notes. On prime of that, anybody can pitch concepts and work collaboratively to nail down these concepts earlier than transferring ahead to the manufacturing course of.
It allows you to arrange your personal inner approvals course of for episode concepts, and even pull suggestions out of your viewers submitted by way of social media.
By default, the template comes with a guidelines of 20 duties for every episode. Whoever completes a activity can merely mark it as accomplished, and your complete staff will see it up to date in real-time.
If the default checklist doesn’t be just right for you, you’ll be able to simply replace it by including, eradicating, or enhancing present gadgets based mostly in your processes. When you’ve up to date it, all new episodes can have your new checklist included mechanically.
The most important draw back is that this template doesn’t have a lot of a project-tracking aspect past this guidelines and an editorial calendar.
You could want to make use of one other template or construct it out additional to have a full end-to-end resolution for planning, producing, and publishing episodes.
Stackby: A whole editorial calendar for podcasting planning and monitoring income
Stackby is a no-code work platform that mixes spreadsheets and databases right into a single device. When you might not mechanically affiliate one of these software program with podcast planning, it’s truly a good way to plan episodes. Particularly in the event you begin with a template.
It’s free for as much as 5 customers per workspace, making it an excellent selection for smaller groups with no funds or bigger groups needing a versatile platform to work with.
This template features a full editorial calendar that has all the key info you want, together with the host, thought, episode quantity, standing, launch date, and extra.
You’ll be able to change between month, day, and week views, permitting you to zoom in and plan granular duties or zoom out to see a excessive degree launch schedule for the month. The calendar is clear and nicely designed, particularly in comparison with different instruments which have fundamental calendar views.
SEE: Uncover extra free editorial calendar templates for various platforms.
This template additionally contains different challenge views, together with checklist, pipeline, and Kanban for getting work accomplished.
One of many main standout options of this template is the power to trace income from completely different sponsors. You’ll be able to simply preserve monitor of your agreements, tag every episode with which sponsors are included, and import listener information to calculate how a lot income you’re getting.
Say one sponsor’s CPM pays $25 for a 30-second advert. The template mechanically calculates the overall income based mostly on the variety of listens.
That is notably useful in the event you’re operating quite a few adverts from completely different sponsors, all with completely different phrases.
The most important draw back of utilizing Stackby is that it limits file add sizes. Many episodes can be too massive, so that you’ll have to preserve these information elsewhere and hyperlink to the supply as an alternative.
Podcast planning templates for Excel, Google Sheets, Microsoft Phrase, and PDF
Easy manufacturing schedules or solo customers might not want superior software program to remain organized.
In case you choose to maintain issues easy, there’s nothing mistaken with utilizing a spreadsheet or doc as an alternative. These work notably nicely in the event you don’t have to collaborate with lots of people or care about aesthetically pleasing views of all of your episodes.
Template 1: A fundamental calendar to handle recording and publishing dates
Smartsheet is a robust app builder. It’s just like Coda and monday.com however constructed extra for energy customers. It doesn’t have a free plan, nevertheless it does frequently publish free spreadsheets you should utilize in Google Sheets or Excel.
They don’t provide podcast particular templates, however there are a number of generic choices you’ll be able to simply adapt to work in your wants.
My favourite Smartsheet template for podcasts is a basic content material calendar template that works for publishing any sort of content material, together with podcast episodes. It’s fully free and suitable with Excel, Phrase, Google Sheets, and as a printable or digital PDF file.
It’s an excellent choice in the event you don’t want a lot except for visualizing your publishing schedule and planning at a excessive degree.
Whereas most content material calendars are for monitoring publish dates, you’ll be able to simply use in-built shade coded tags to schedule recording dates and even social media posts to advertise printed episodes as nicely.
The primary draw back of this template is that it’ll finally begin to really feel cluttered, particularly in the event you begin including a ton of things.
It additionally doesn’t have any activity monitoring capabilities for managing manufacturing work.
Nevertheless, it’s place to begin in the event you don’t publish usually.
Template 2: A printer-friendly choice for jotting present notes
This template, additionally from Smartsheet, provides a easy option to arrange handwritten present notes to make use of throughout recording. You’ll be able to open it with Microsoft Phrase or Google Docs and print out as many copies as you’d like.
There are a variety of methods you should utilize this template, from mapping out content material pillars to noting completely different speaking factors for various segments of your present.
You might additionally write down questions, plan episode construction, sponsorship info, or key factors you don’t need to neglect. Positive, it’s extremely easy. However that’s what makes it so versatile for individuals who get pleasure from writing issues by hand.
It may also be tremendous useful throughout recording because you gained’t want a pc.
How you can create your personal podcast planning template
In case you can’t discover something that matches precisely what you’re searching for, you’ll be able to modify an present template or create your personal. Relying on how detailed you need to get, there are dozens of components you may think about including.
At a minimal, I like to recommend the next.
An space for brainstorming
New concepts can come up any time. It’s vital to have a straightforward option to be aware them down and preserve monitor of them with out an excessive amount of trouble.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to have some option to flip these into full plans so you’ll be able to monitor every thought by means of to completion, mark them for later, or write them off as concepts you aren’t going to document for some purpose or one other.
Episode particulars
Every episode seemingly has a ton of particular info you should preserve monitor of, together with the subject, audio system, questions, construction, sponsors, backtracks, and extra.
Ideally, your template has an space to maintain monitor of every part. This needs to be hyper-specific to the sorts of info you care about. For instance, you might need to even have a area for the season or theme in the event you arrange that means.
Lastly, you’ll be able to arrange an inventory of duties, a top level view, or different notes for various episode constructions so that you don’t have to begin every one from scratch.
Manufacturing workflow
Except for episode info, it’s useful to know the place every episode is in manufacturing. That is notably vital in the event you’re working with a staff, however even solo customers have quite a bit to achieve from staying organized like this.
Your setup may be as easy or advanced as you’d like. For some, a easy movement with a backlog, in progress, recorded, enhancing, and printed is greater than sufficient.
Others might want extra in-depth challenge administration capabilities like due dates, activity assignments, progress monitoring, and extra.
Monetization and sponsorship particulars
Whether or not operating adverts, mentioning sponsors, or promoting your personal services and products, it’s a good suggestion to resolve this up entrance earlier than you begin recording.
You might additionally plan to pre-record snippets and add them in throughout enhancing. Nevertheless you resolve to do it, preserving monitor of all these particulars alongside your episodes and different information might help preserve every part organized.
Publish-production advertising and marketing
What occurs as soon as an episode airs? Do you publish a number of social media posts, ship out an e mail, or submit about it in your weblog?
Publishing these sorts of content material isn’t any completely different than publishing a podcast so it shouldn’t be too difficult to determine the right way to preserve monitor of different components in the identical place. You might do the identical in the event you publish the identical episode on a number of platforms.
Podcast planning finest practices
Planning a podcast is quite a bit simpler mentioned than accomplished.
Listed below are some professional ideas to bear in mind in the event you’re struggling, working by means of your first few episodes, or searching for a little bit of steerage:
- Keep organized and constant.
- Don’t overcomplicate the artistic course of.
- Brainstorm as many matters as potential.
- Get snug throwing out concepts you don’t like.
- Define the movement of an episode, however don’t write a script.
- Resolve on episode size earlier than you begin.
- Schedule company prematurely and all the time have a backup.
- Give your self loads of time for enhancing and post-production.
- Doc every part.
The primary objective is staying organized and preserving monitor of all of the transferring items. If you are able to do that, you’ll study the remaining as you go.
Your first 20+ episodes gained’t be excellent and you might really feel utterly scattered — each are fully regular. Over time, you’ll discover important enhancements in your supply, banter, concepts, sponsorship plugs, workflows, and enhancing capabilities.