
In this episode of Social Media Decoded, Michelle Thames reveals her step-by-step method for batching a week’s worth of content in under 90 minutes. If you’re overwhelmed by content creation or constantly feel behind, Michelle shares the exact system she uses—including how she leverages ChatGPT—to save time, reduce stress, and stay visible across platforms. This episode is packed with practical tips, time-saving hacks, and content planning advice for busy entrepreneurs who want to market smarter, not harder.
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Michelle Thames
Podcast but batching, on the other hand, saves you hours each week, gives you space to focus on other areas of your business, and helps you stay consistent and strategic. So according to coschedule, marketers who document and batch their content are 313% more likely to report success hey hey. Welcome to the Social Media Decoded Podcast, the Go to podcast for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to grow their brand, increase visibility, and make more money without the overwhelm. I'm your host, Michelle Thames, marketing strategist, business coach, and the person who's here to give you the real no fluff strategies to help you succeed online. Each week I bring you expert insights, actionable tips, and real talk about what's actually working in social media and digital marketing. Whether you're just starting or scaling the six figures, you're in the right place. So grab your coffee or Matcha if you're like me. And let's dive into today's episode. Hey bestie, if you've ever said, I don't think that I have time to create content, this episode is your sign to stop the scroll and tune all the way in. Because I'm about to show you exactly how I batch my content for the week in under 90 minutes. No burnout, no overwhelm, no staring at a blank screen wondering what to post. Just a system that works. And yes, ChatGPT is part of that magic. So whether you're running a business, juggling a 9 to 5, raising a whole family, or doing all three, you don't need to spend your entire life on Canva or Instagram to grow your brand. Let's make content creation simple, strategic, and, dare I say, fun. So you already know the drill. Grab your pens and notepads and let's dive in. Now, first, let's talk about why batching is a Game Changer Batching content is your best friend. When you create content in real time every day, it eats up your mental energy, leads to inconsistent posting, and makes your strategy reactive instead of proactive. I've been there, sometimes I'm still there, and that's okay. But batching, on the other hand, saves you hours each week, gives you space to focus on other areas of your business, and helps you stay consistent and strategic. So according to CoSchedule, marketers who document and batch their content are 313% more likely to report success. What? Michelle yes, you heard that right. So now that you know why batching matters, here's exactly how to do it in 90 minutes or less. You ready? All right, here's my step by step content batching process plan. 20 minutes okay, before I create anything, I start with my weekly content focus. What am I promoting this week? What's the goal? Is it leads? Is it sales? Is it brand awareness? What does my audience need to hear from me right now? Then I outlined three to five content themes. One valuable tip, one personal story, and one authority building post. One post that has definitely call to actions, and one fun and engaging post. Here's a tip. Plug this into the content calendar or Google Docs so that you have a bird's eye view. I also like to use ClickUp. The second step is to write it out with ChatGPT for 30 minutes. Once I have my themes, I head over to my trusty, dusty chatgpt. I feed it my topics and my prompts and it helps me draft strong captions, hooks, and also post ideas.
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Michelle Thames
But here's the key friend. Listen up. Open up your ears. ChatGPT is your assistant, not your voice. I tweak, edit and add my flavor to every piece of content that it helps me create. Here's a prompt example. Write an Instagram caption about why batching content saves time for online business owners. Make it witty and call to action and make it sound like Michelle Thames. Okay, I usually get three to five posts drafted in about 30 minutes. Boom. The third step. Record. Now this may take 30 to 40 minutes when it's time for reels or video content. Okay, since I already know what I'm saying, I set up my phone record in batches, knock all those videos out in one time. Okay? All at once. I might change outfits or mix it up, use trending sounds, maybe if it's relevant and record maybe five short form videos in a single session. Don't overthink it. I am not aiming to be perfect. I'm aiming for done and impactful. Step four is schedule and post. This is five to ten minutes. Lastly, I love using schedules like later or Meta Business suite to upload my content, to write captions that are already done, add hashtags and then go ahead and schedule it. I also leave space for real time content like my stories, but the heavy lifting is done. I usually start with my podcast episodes and then that leads to the emails I'm going to write and then that leads to whatever I'm going to post on social media. And just like that, content is done for the week, friend. Done. Okay, done. So let's recap. I plan my week with intention. Okay? I draft with ChatGPT, batch, record my video content and schedule out the post. That's it. Under 90 minutes once a week and I'm visible every single day. And you can be visible every single day like this as well, friend. You don't need more time, you just need a system. And I'll be honest, this is something that I have been consistent with. But I fell off too. I recently fell off and I'm recording this episode to get my booty back on track too with posting. So we've all been there. Okay, I've been there, I'm still there. But I wanted to share this to help somebody. Okay, we do not need more time. We just need strategic systems and if this episode helped you, you already know the drill. Go ahead and buy me a Matcha or coffee at my Buy me a Coffee link in the Show Notes to help keep this podcast thriving. And be sure to follow me Michelle lthames on all platforms. I'm over on LinkedIn, Michelle Thames Facebook Michelle Themes YouTube Michelle Themes for all the behind the scenes visibility and tips that you can actually use. Now friend, go ahead and batch that content like a boss. You got this. All right, that's today's episode. I hope you got some valuable insights and real strategies you can apply to your business right now. If you enjoyed this episode, I love for you to do two quick things. First, first, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram and tag me Michelle L. Thanes so we can keep the conversation going. Second, if you found value in this podcast, it would mean the world to me if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps this show reach more entrepreneurs just like you. Oh, and if you want to support the show and fuel my Matcha obsession, you can always buy me a coffee at the link in the Show Notes. Thank you for tuning in. Until next time, keep showing up, keep growing and I'll talk to y'all in the next one. Peace.
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Social Media Decoded: Episode Summary
Episode Title: How I Batch Content in Under 90 Minutes a Week (Yes, Really)
Host: Michelle Thames
Release Date: April 18, 2025
In this insightful episode of Social Media Decoded, host Michelle Thames delves into the art of content batching, a strategy that promises to streamline your content creation process, save precious time, and enhance the consistency and effectiveness of your social media presence. Geared towards entrepreneurs, creators, and business owners, Michelle shares her proven system to batch content efficiently within 90 minutes a week, making it accessible even for those juggling multiple responsibilities.
Michelle begins by highlighting the significant benefits of batching content. She explains that creating content in real-time daily can be draining, leading to inconsistent posting and a reactive rather than strategic approach. Batching, on the other hand, offers a proactive solution that conserves mental energy and ensures a steady flow of content.
"Batching content is your best friend. It saves you hours each week, gives you space to focus on other areas of your business, and helps you stay consistent and strategic." [00:43]
Supporting her claims, Michelle references a study by CoSchedule, revealing that marketers who document and batch their content are 313% more likely to report success. This staggering statistic underscores the effectiveness of batching in achieving marketing goals.
"Marketers who document and batch their content are 313% more likely to report success." [00:43]
Michelle outlines her four-step content batching process, designed to be both efficient and manageable within a 90-minute weekly timeframe.
Michelle emphasizes the importance of intentional planning. She begins by defining the weekly content focus, determining what to promote and setting clear goals—be it generating leads, increasing sales, or boosting brand awareness. Understanding what the audience needs ensures that the content is both relevant and impactful.
"What am I promoting this week? What's the goal? Is it leads? Is it sales? Is it brand awareness? What does my audience need to hear from me right now?" [00:43]
She recommends outlining three to five content themes, including:
These themes provide a balanced mix that caters to various aspects of audience engagement.
In the second step, Michelle leverages the power of ChatGPT to generate content ideas and draft captions. By feeding the outlined topics and specific prompts into ChatGPT, she efficiently creates compelling captions, hooks, and post ideas.
"ChatGPT is your assistant, not your voice. I tweak, edit and add my flavor to every piece of content that it helps me create." [05:46]
Michelle shares a sample prompt:
"Write an Instagram caption about why batching content saves time for online business owners. Make it witty and call to action and make it sound like Michelle Thames." [05:46]
This approach allows her to produce three to five drafts in about 30 minutes, setting a solid foundation for her content.
With the written content ready, Michelle moves on to the recording phase. This step is particularly focused on reels or video content, which she can accomplish in a single session by:
"I am not aiming to be perfect. I'm aiming for done and impactful." [05:46]
This method ensures that her video content is ready without the need for perfection, prioritizing efficiency and effectiveness.
The final step involves scheduling the pre-created content using tools like Later or Meta Business Suite. Michelle uploads her content, inserts the previously drafted captions, adds relevant hashtags, and schedules the posts for the week.
"I love using schedules like Later or Meta Business Suite to upload my content, to write captions that are already done, add hashtags and then go ahead and schedule it." [05:46]
By setting aside just a few minutes, she ensures that her content is consistently posted without daily manual intervention.
Michelle wraps up the episode by recapping her streamlined 90-minute batching system:
"We do not need more time. We just need strategic systems." [09:34]
She acknowledges that maintaining consistency can be challenging, sharing her personal experience of occasionally falling off track. However, her recommitment to batching serves as a motivational reminder that anyone can regain their momentum with the right system in place.
Michelle encourages listeners to adopt her batching method to achieve daily visibility without the overwhelm, emphasizing that it's about working smarter, not harder.
"Go ahead and batch that content like a boss. You got this." [09:34]
Connect with Michelle Thames:
Support the Show:
"Go ahead and buy me a Matcha or coffee at my Buy me a Coffee link in the Show Notes to help keep this podcast thriving." [09:34]
By implementing Michelle's batching strategy, entrepreneurs and creators can reclaim their time, enhance their content quality, and achieve consistent growth without the associated burnout.