Lesson 5: Podcast Organization Systems

Because chaos isn’t a good archival strategy

Hey Besties,

We’re officially at Lesson 5 of Podcast Curious to Podcast Pro in Just Six Months! Look at us go! We’re making serious moves toward becoming seasoned podcasters and/or auditing our podcast workflows.

Missed a step along the way? Find all the previous lessons right here:

Lesson 1: Developing Your Podcast Concept

Lesson 2: Comps—Understanding the Market

Lesson 3: Content Planning

Lesson 4: Podcast Budgeting

Today let’s talk organization. I know, I know—it’s not the sexiest part of podcasting, but trust me, having a solid system in place will save you so much stress (and prevent that 2 a.m. panic when you’re crafting a last-minute episode description).

Whether you’re a one-person show or wrangling a whole team, an organization system will keep your ideas, scripts, and episode pipeline running smoothly. And the best part? You don’t need anything fancy—just a system that actually works for you.

📂 My go-to tools (aka how I maintain my sanity)

There are a million options out there: Notion, Airtable, Trello, Asana… the list goes on and on. But I’m a big fan of the KISS method—keep it simple, stupid. Here’s what I actually use in my workflow:

• Notes app – For quick ideas and interview questions.

• Google Docs – For show rundowns, scripting, post-scripting, editing notes, and all my miscellaneous brainstorming.

• Google Sheets – Each of my shows has its own master spreadsheet for tracking editorial calendars with guest bookings, release dates, sponsorships, episode status, etc.

• Google Drive – My holy grail for file archiving. Everything from raw audio to final edits lives here, neatly tucked away in properly labeled folders.

I also save all my old Descript projects, and Mike saves Pro Tools sessions, so it’s easy to recycle content.

📦 Archive everything (Your future self will thank you)

Speaking of Google Drive, have an archiving system from the beginning. You think you’ll remember where everything is… until you don’t. Name your files clearly and keep naming conventions consistent; organize them in folders by season/episode, and for the love of podcasting, record backups of your audio.

Pro tip: Create an “Episodes” folder with a separate folder for each episode and keep everything there. You never know when you’ll need to repurpose content or revisit an old episode for a throwback.

⏳ Managing deadlines & your episode pipeline

My various podcasts are basically a never-ending content machine, so having a workflow for managing deadlines is crucial. I break it down like this:

✅ Pre-production: For guest outreach, I use Calendly to save me a ton of time. I send guests calendar invites with all recording details. I also have templated processes for research and show rundowns.
🎙️ Recording & editing: Self-explanatory—but schedule buffer time! Aside from timely exceptions, I like to batch and bank content months in advance, so I’m never stuck in a bind. I also like to batch my editing whenever possible. When you work ahead, you can bask in your unrushed podcasting glory, which is a game-changer.
📢 Marketing & promo: I try to brainstorm episode titles ahead of time and keep a working title in the spreadsheet. Drafting short episode descriptions is typically a day-before endeavor. I’m able to automate Twitter/X posts for each episode of

The Bleeders

through Spreaker. Once an episode is finalized, I prep a newsletter to run later that week for The Bleeders
🚀 Launch day: Generally I schedule episodes at least one day prior to release. I use Podpage for

Private Parts Unknown

, which I can set to notify my guest when the episode drops.

A Trello board or Airtable database can help track where each episode is in the process. Or if you’re a spreadsheet person, like me, a simple Google Sheet does the trick.

🎧 Ultimately, find what works for you

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Hell, you could use Dropbox and a notebook—whatever works for you! The key is consistency. Once you have a system in place, stick with it. Your future self (and your podcasting career) will thank you for staying organized!

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I’m teaching some upcoming workshops you might be interested in:

• Start a Newsletter to Supercharge Your Platform, Network and Business (THIS IS SUNDAY!)

• Land Big Bylines by Writing for Columns

• The Multi-Passionate Writer’s Life

• How to Build a “Platform” for Writers Who Shudder at the Thought

• Podcasting for Writers: How to Start, Sustain & Grow Your Podcast

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So… ROLL CALL! 🗣

Got a favorite podcast organization hack? Comment below and spill! I love geeking out over this stuff.