Content calendars can save you a lot of time and frustration by allowing you to manage your time, your guests, your core messages, and more. They turn giant to-do lists into manageable tasks. They’re an organizational tool that also helps with accountability.
So, how do you make one?
The first rule of content calendars is there are no rules for content calendars! The most important thing is to make one that works for you, just like your show.
A lot of people use spreadsheets. You could use Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or any other spreadsheet application out there.
Here are some columns you could add:
- Series and episode number
- Date of episode release
- Episode title
- Guest name
- Guest contact details
- Location episode recorded
- Checklist of social media you’ll do for each episode after you have created it
- Notes about what to cover in the episode
Our recommendation is to plan ahead at least 10 episodes. We don’t mean make 10 episodes before you release any. We just mean prepare for 10.
By doing this you’ll be setting a roadmap for what you’ll be doing over the next 3 months.
As you release each episode you’ll learn so much. So don’t think of this as a plan that is fixed in stone. Adapt as you learn, but keep a goal of a minimum of 10 episodes in mind.
Let’s get those ideas we were working on earlier in the course into the rows for now. We can always adjust the order later.
Next to each item, make notes about how you can give the most value in these episodes. Ask yourself, what will people be asking about this? Who could I talk to about it? What do I want to say about it?
Which of these shows should go first? When people discover your show in the future, they’ll often go back and listen to the first episode. So what will you put in your first 1-3 episodes to ensure they react with, “wow, this sounds like the show for me”? What topic will really sum up who you are and what you want to say?
If you’re not sure, ask yourself, “What would I want to hear in those first shows? What would make me say wow?”
Thinking about the next shows in the list, is there a story arc across your series or a clear sequence of episodes that you need to follow for it to make sense to your audience? Or are you going to jump around and gradually cover the topic like filling in the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle?
In your spreadsheet, juggle the rows around a bit until they make sense.
While it might seem like a distant goal, aiming for 10 episodes is a great starting point for your podcast.
The reality is that many podcasters quit before reaching their 10th episode, just as they’re about to hit their stride and create something amazing. Let’s face it, those first few episodes are not likely to be your best. After all, you’re still finding your footing! Every podcaster looks back on their initial episodes and wishes they had known more, so if you feel that way, you’re not alone.
By sticking with it for 10 episodes, you’ll not only outlast 90% of your peers who quit, potentially gaining their audience, but you’ll also start figuring out what people want, leading to your show’s growth.
But don’t stop there. Once you’ve hit the 10-episode mark, set your sights on 20 episodes, then 30, and so on. Having produced more than 103 episodes for my current show, I can confirm that I continue to learn with each episode I create. So keep pushing forward and keep improving, and you’ll see your podcast thrive.
Imagine you walked into an old-style book shop and looked at the shelves. Most of the books are lined up with only the spine of the book showing. On those spines are titles. You can’t really make out any cover art.
Which book do you pick up from the rows of books in there, and why?
Almost certainly, you pick the book with a title that appeals to you. But why did it appeal to you?
It probably hinted at a topic you were interested in. Let’s say you like archeology and the book has the word “ancient” in the title. Or maybe you’re interested in life coaching and the title has the words “better you” in it.
It also probably hinted at what type of result you would get by reading the book.
It might be as blunt as “How to be an archeologist?” or it might be “The Archeologist Mindset.” Each of these titles tells you that you will learn something about archeologists.
The title that grabs you the most will be the one that appears to offer a solution to what you are looking for in that topic area at the moment. That is the book you’ll pick up.
But what if it’s a fiction podcast? Exactly the same applies. Why do we read fiction? Maybe it’s to escape or to smile, or laugh? A fiction book needs a title that hints at that value. For example, “How to train your dog to be a neuroscientist.”. You already know this is going to be an entertaining book!
Titles matter.
And what do we do after we see the title?
We pull the book out right? But, do we instantly read the whole book?
No, we look at the back cover for a summary.
That summary needs to grab our attention too. We’re interested, but we’re not sold yet.
That description tells us why we should read the book. Or, in our case, click play.
Very few people listen to a podcast without knowing what it’s about. There are millions of podcasts out there. There aren’t many people who go through podcasts randomly to see what they might like.
They choose based on the title, description, and artwork.
You may have the best podcast on earth, but if no one clicks play they’ll never find out.
The easiest approach in titling your podcast (or individual episodes) is to say exactly what you’re going to do.
Podcast titles:
“Learning archeology”
“Public speaking for beginners”
“Investing for beginners”
This also works extremely well for SEO, because these are the sort of phrases people enter in search engines to find answers to their questions.
You might want to use learning words at the start of your individual episode titles, such as:
“Learn how to…”
“Why you should…”
“Is it really possible to…”
If your podcast is more conversational or fiction, think about what the episode will mean to someone who listens. For example, say you make a podcast about fantasy fiction, and your goal is to draw people into a rich world. Maybe this week’s title is, “Escaping into another world.”
Do you have a well-known guest? Put their name in the title, too.
Try to keep titles as short as possible as well. Many podcast apps will only show the first few words.
One of the easiest ways to write a description is to imagine you’re talking to a friend (ideally imagine a friend who would be a listener of your show). Tell them what the show’s about and why they should listen to it.
Once you have that written down, give some thought to SEO (search engine optimization). Think about keywords. If your podcast is about knitting, make sure you say “knitting” a few times. Don’t stuff the description with keywords or add them only at the end; use them naturally as part of your description.
You may also want to take our Intro to SEO course.
There are different schools of thought on this. Many podcast platforms allow you to enter the series and episode number. Some platforms will show this in front of your title automatically, and others won’t.
There is no perfect answer here. The question to ask is, is it important for the audience to know? If so, go ahead and include them.
For additional information on content calendars, you can also check out the Refining your content calendar lesson in the Intro to Blogging course. There’s a lot of overlap between planning a blog and planning a podcast.
Are you ready to start turning all these ideas into something people will love?
Awesome!
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