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As fun as it looks from the outside, recording and creating podcasts is about more than sitting around a table and chatting into a microphone with your friends. It takes a great deal of planning, organizing, and busy work to produce a successful podcast.
But not everyone has the luxury of podcasting as their full-time job. And even if you podcast full-time, it’s easy for the admin work to pile up. How do you cut down on monotonous, repetitive busy work so you have more time on what matters most?
We have the answer for you: podcast templates.
Why should you use templates for your podcast production?
Templates are a great way to bypass monotonous podcasting tasks by getting a head start on formatting and setup. You might have a template for every stage of your podcast, from planning and researching to writing a script to scheduling and design.
Some of the benefits of using a podcast template include:
- Consistency from episode to episode in format and style
- It’s easier to stay organized—especially as your team grows
- You’ll easily know what needs to be done and when
Once you choose the right template that works for you, you can duplicate it for each new episode and never have to start from scratch again.
Best podcast templates for every step of your production
Depending on your workflow and process, you might use templates for every step in the process—or you may prefer to mix and match templates to suit your unique workflow.
Below, we’ll show you some of the best free podcast templates available today for each production stage. You can also use these examples as guides for creating your own custom templates!
Podcast planning and research templates to try
1. Milanote Podcast Research template
Milanote is a visual note-taking tool that lets creatives of all industries research and plan projects. With this template, podcasters can display notes, images, audiovisual content, and links to other websites side-by-side in a visually pleasing way. You can also export your planning and research to a PDF and share the finished product with your team.
2. ClickUp Podcast Plan template
If you’re more of a granular planner, ClickUp’s endless customizability and multiple views could be a better fit for you. ClickUp is a work operating system (workOS) for teams of all types, and its robust free plan makes it a great choice for podcasters and other creatives who need to manage projects on a budget.
This template comes with several useful views, including a “Planning stage” Kanban board where you can see every upcoming podcast episode and where it’s at in the production process. You can also use the Topic Form, Getting Started Guide, Analytics, and Podcast Episodes views to keep your podcast information organized and easily accessible.
3. Monday.com Podcast Planning template
Like ClickUp, Monday.com is a work management platform that lets users organize and manage everything from tasks to projects to creative outputs. This template is an easy way to customize your podcast planning process and track each new episode from ideation to execution.
Podcast script templates
A podcast script is like a roadmap for your episode, and it can be as in-depth as you like, depending on your style and podcast format. Here are a few templates we created to help you map out a script based on your work style:
4. Word-for-word podcast script template
For structured podcasts, you might want a detailed script to read verbatim. These scripts work best for beginner podcasters or hosts of information-heavy shows. Use this template to get started:
- Introduction: Introduce yourself, your show, and any guests. Briefly summarize the episode. (Duration: _____ )
- [Sponsor message]
- [Theme music]
- Topic 1: _______________ (Duration: ___ )
- Point 1
- Point 2, etc.
- Data, quotes, or other info
- Segue (can be a phrase, musical clip, or sound effect)
- Topic 2: _______________ (Duration: ___ )
- Point 1
- Point 2, etc.
- Data, quotes, or other info
- [Sponsor message]
- Topic 3: _______________ (Duration: ___ )
- Point 1
- Point 2, etc.
- Data, quotes, or other info
- Outro: _____ (Duration: ____ )
- Recap
- Call to action
- [Closing theme music]
- [Sponsor message]
5. Interview podcast script template
For a more free-flowing, conversational episode, you may prefer a loose outline like this to keep yourself and your guest(s) on track:
- Introduction: Introduce yourself, your show, and any guests. Briefly summarize the episode. (Duration: _____ )
- [Sponsor message]
- [Theme music]
- Guest intro
- More in-depth guest bio (including their title, experience, and any relevant accomplishments).
- Welcome and thank them for joining.
- Question 1 (Duration: ____ )
- Question 2 (Duration: ____ )
- [Sponsor message]
- Question 3 (Duration: ____ )
- Outro: _____ (Duration: ____ )
- Recap
- Call to action
- [Closing theme music]
- [Sponsor message]
To learn more about creating an effective podcast script (and to see more templates), see our in-depth guide on podcast scripts.
Podcast schedule templates
Some podcasters simply use Google Calendar or their paper planner to map out publishing dates. But it might be better to have a dedicated space for scheduling your podcasts—especially as your show (and your team) grows.
Many project management and database tools let you view podcast episodes in multiple layouts, so you can get a birds-eye view of the calendar while also viewing upcoming episodes in lists or Kanban boards. You’ll also be able to create subtasks, assign team members, and customize your workflow so every episode is published on schedule.
6. Schedule podcasts in Trello [by Riverside]
Trello is a great app for visual planners who like to see episodes in both a Kanban view and a calendar layout. It’s easy to use, but it also packs a punch with plenty of advanced features like automation, file uploads, and multiple integrations with your favorite apps.
That’s why we created a Trello podcast scheduling template as a starting point for beginner and advanced podcasters alike. Use this template to design an editorial workflow that works for you and keeps you on schedule from week to week.
To learn more about podcast scheduling best practices, check out our article: How to Schedule a Podcast.
7. Podcast editorial calendar from Airtable
If you’re looking for granular, spreadsheet-like organization, check out this podcast schedule template from Airtable. Airtable is a popular database app that lets users organize important data and create custom workflows to get more done. While it has a steeper learning curve than Trello, it has more views and customizability for data-driven podcasters.
This template lets you organize episodes by season in the main list view, see each episode with its cover art in the Episode Creative view, and see each episode’s status in the Episode Stage view. You can also create new calendar or timeline views to track publication dates or other important deadlines.
Sources for podcast cover art templates
8. Canva cover art templates
Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design tool with plenty of templates for practically any design you could want. Users can access 1000+ podcast cover art templates, easily edit text and images, establish color schemes, and set brand fonts.
Especially if you already use Canva to create your podcast logo or other marketing materials, the platform is a free and easy way to create cover art from a template.
9. Adobe Express
Adobe is a household name for a reason; the suite of tools offers everything designers need to create beautiful images, edit photos and videos, and more. Adobe Express’s free plan offers thousands of editable templates—including 188 podcast cover templates—plus royalty-free stock photos, fonts, and advanced photo effects.
To learn more about creating an aesthetically pleasing cover art image that meets the specifications of major podcast directories, check out our article on how to make podcast cover art.
Podcast description templates
10. ClickUp podcast description
If you use ClickUp to plan your podcasts, you can add this simple template to your ClickUp workspace and apply it to each new episode item. The template inserts prompts into each item’s description, asking you to answer questions like “Who is the target audience?” and “What subjects or podcast topics will you cover?” to help you brainstorm descriptors for each episode.
To learn more, check out our article with podcast descriptions examples and templates.
How to use a podcast template: 3 Tips
Make it your own
If possible, choose a template and platform that lets you customize and save it for future use. For instance, it’ll get tedious to update the color palette to match your podcast’s color scheme each time you use your cover art template.
Instead, a custom template in Canva (for example) where your logo and colors are already pre-set makes it quick and easy to go in and create new cover art.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Not every tool is for you, and not every template format will match your workflow or style. Experiment with platforms and template designs to find the right one for you and your team.
After all, templates are meant to be a shortcut, so if you find yourself spending too much time navigating a confusing tool or skipping over irrelevant steps, that template probably isn’t the one for you.
Make sure your team is on the same page
Especially if you’re adapting a new tool like ClickUp or Trello into your workflow, make sure your entire production team is trained in how to use the tool and the specific template(s) you’re using. Templates should save your team time, but that won’t happen if some people overlook workflow checklists or don’t know how to navigate new apps.
Conclusion
A lot goes into creating a podcast, but the good news is that you don’t have to start from the drawing board with each new episode. Podcast templates are helpful stepping stones that let you skip over the busy work involved in planning, scripting, scheduling, and designing your podcast. You can reuse the templates suggested above repeatedly to reduce your production time and ensure consistent output quality.
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