how to batch newsletters with google docs

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Email Sound Booth with Liz Wilcox

Episode: How to Batch Newsletters with Google Docs
Host: Liz Wilcox
Release Date: May 12, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 132 of The Email Sound Booth with Liz Wilcox, Liz delves into the practical strategies for batching newsletters using Google Docs. Responding to a query from her active Facebook group, Liz shares her personal workflow and offers actionable tips to help online business owners streamline their email marketing efforts, ensuring they can maintain consistency without the daily grind of content creation.

Setting the Stage for Batching

Liz begins by recounting her recent experience planning a writing retreat in Michigan. While her initial intent was to engage in creative fiction writing, unforeseen circumstances led her to focus on her business instead. This shift sparked her to develop a system for batching summer newsletter content, aiming to take a well-deserved break while maintaining her email marketing momentum.

“I had no idea what I was gonna record for this episode... but I was just in our email sound booth Facebook group, and someone was asking all about how to batch their newsletters.” (00:00)

Organizing with Google Drive

Liz introduces the foundational step of using Google Drive to organize newsletter content. She collaborates with Patricia, who meticulously structures a dedicated drive labeled “2025 Emails,” segmented by each month from January to December.

“Patricia, right? So that makes it a little easier. So what she does at the beginning of the year... she has a drive labeled 2025, like a folder in Google Drive.” (00:45)

Each month within the drive contains separate Google Docs for different aspects of email communication, such as newsletters and affiliate emails. This clear organization ensures that all content is systematically arranged and easily accessible.

Integrating the Calendar

A critical component of Liz’s batching process involves her calendar. She cross-references the Google Docs with her calendar to identify upcoming promotions and key dates, which are then incorporated into the newsletter drafts.

“She puts, you know, on the date, like let's say I promise to promote your bundle coming up. So I promise to promote that on Tuesday the 13th...” (04:20)

By mapping out specific promotion dates, Liz ensures that each newsletter aligns with her business activities and promotional schedules. This alignment not only enhances the relevance of her content but also helps in maintaining a consistent communication flow with her audience.

Step-by-Step Batching Process

Liz outlines her step-by-step approach to batching newsletters, emphasizing the importance of planning and organization:

1. Create a Master Drive: Set up a Google Drive folder for the year, with subfolders for each month.
2. Use Separate Google Docs: Within each month's folder, create separate documents for newsletters and affiliate emails.
3. Reference the Calendar: Regularly consult the calendar to identify key dates and promotions that need to be highlighted in the newsletters.
4. Draft Content: In the Google Docs, note down specific events or promotions next to the corresponding dates.

“I just start taking notes like that right under the newsletter. Anything I see in the calendar that I want to promote, I need to promote or I need to write down in the Google Doc so I don't forget.” (06:15)

This method ensures that all necessary content is accounted for and prioritized appropriately, allowing Liz to efficiently draft multiple newsletters in one sitting.

Tools and Alternatives

While Liz demonstrates her method using Google Docs and Calendar, she acknowledges that different tools can be adapted to this system. Whether utilizing digital platforms or traditional pen and paper, the core principles of organization and planning remain the same.

“You can do this on pen and paper. I do this on pen and paper as well sometimes.” (10:30)

Additionally, Liz highlights alternative methods suggested by community members, such as combining her templates with ChatGPT to further enhance the batching process.

“I saw someone... she said she to batch her content, she just uses Liz's templates and chat GPT. That's another great way you can use or you can batch content.” (12:00)

Best Practices and Tips

Liz shares several best practices to maximize the effectiveness of batching newsletters:

• Consistency is Key: Regularly update the Google Drive and calendar to reflect any changes in promotions or business activities.
• Prioritize Content: Order the newsletter topics based on their importance and the dates they need to be sent out.
• Leverage Templates: Utilize templates to streamline the writing process and maintain a cohesive voice across all communications.
• Stay Flexible: While batching requires planning, remain adaptable to accommodate any unexpected changes or new opportunities.

“There is a strategy behind it is what I was trying say... if you can't tell by my voice, it's better to be clear than clever.” (14:25)

Addressing Common Challenges

Acknowledging that many struggle with consistent email marketing, Liz emphasizes the importance of having a structured approach. By batching content, business owners can alleviate the daily pressure of creating fresh content, allowing for more strategic and thoughtful communication with their audience.

“If you don't have much to say to your email list or you struggle with just getting started, I'd love for you to join email marketing membership.” (16:00)

Conclusion and Additional Resources

Liz wraps up the episode by directing listeners to additional resources for visual learners. She encourages them to visit her website and YouTube channel for a visual walkthrough of the batching process, ensuring they have all the tools needed to implement the strategies discussed.

“If you're just listening to the podcast, don't forget you can always check out watch Liz.com that'll take you directly to my YouTube channel and this will be under Videos for you.” (17:30)

Key Takeaways

• Organize Content: Use Google Drive to systematically store and categorize newsletters and affiliate emails.
• Plan with a Calendar: Align newsletter content with key business promotions and dates.
• Batch Efficiently: Draft multiple newsletters in one session to save time and ensure consistency.
• Utilize Tools and Templates: Leverage available tools and templates to streamline the content creation process.
• Stay Flexible and Adaptable: Be prepared to adjust your plan as needed to accommodate changes.

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By implementing Liz Wilcox’s batching techniques, online business owners can enhance their email marketing efficiency, maintain consistent communication with their audience, and ultimately drive more revenue while enjoying a more manageable workload.

Transcript

[Liz Wilcox]

Yo, yo, yo. Liz Wilcox here. This is episode 132 of the Email sound booth podcast. I'm just recording this really quick before I go to yoga, because, honestly, I had no idea what I was gonna record for this episode. But I was just in our email sound booth Facebook group, and someone was asking all about how to batch their newsletters. So over the weekend, I actually flew to Michigan from Florida to do a writing retreat. And I was gonna write some fiction, like, some creative fiction, just to kind of get my juices flowing. But what I actually ended up doing is working. So. And what I was working on and what I put in the Facebook group was, I'm gonna batch a bunch of content for summer because I want to take some time off in the summer, right? So someone was asking Liz, how do you. How do you batch? I'd love to batch newsletters, but I don't know what I'm doing. So if you're watching on YouTube, I'm gonna share my screen. I'm sorry. I keep hitting a button on my desk. So I'm so sorry about that annoying sound. I will stop touching my sweater. Okay, so what we do is. Is. And I have Patricia, right? So that makes it a little easier. So what she does at the beginning of the year, and I mean, you can do it right now, is she just has a drive labeled 2025, like a folder in Google Drive, and she puts, you know, January, February, all the way to December. And when I click on it, this is the wrong drive. Hang on. This is what I get for doing it on the fly. I have drives for this for the email marketing membership, and then I have drives for my own thing. So hang on. This is what we get. Is this it? Okay, so. So this is it. So the drive is called 2025 emails. That makes more sense. 2025 emails. And so we have a Google Doc for every month. And when you click on the month, what I do, what I start out with, is I just write down the words newsletter and the words affiliate emails, because I have a newsletter. And then sometimes I send emails to my affiliates. And then what I do is come over to my calendar, and I look over the next four weeks, like, let's say I'm writing emails for May. I look at May, and I say, okay, what do I need to promote what are we working on in May that I need to talk about in my newsletter? And something that Patricia does really well, but you can do for yourself. She does this because I used to do this for myself is on the calendar. And again, if you're watching on Google Drive, she will put, you know, on the date, like let's say I promise to promote your bundle coming up. So I promise to promote that on Tuesday the 13th, she will put that in the calendar, like promoting Lakeisha's bundle. Right. So. So that when I'm in this Google Drive drafting up, batching my newsletters, I can come over here. As I'm looking through the calendar, I can see, oh, Tuesday the 13th, I'm supposed to promote Leisha's bundle. So I'll come over here and I'll write that down in the newsletter section. Remember, I. On my blank Google Doc, I wrote newsletter. So. So I'll say, you know, and you can hear me typing, Tuesday the 13th, I need to be promoting Lakisha. And I just start taking notes like that right under the newsletter. Anything I see in the calendar that I want to promote, I need to promote or I need to write down in the Google Doc so I don't forget. Okay. And then I just create the emails so I just. And you can see me scrolling February. Then I just write, you know, in the doc, like, Newsletter, February or February 4th. Newsletter, February 11th. Newsletter, February 19th. And then I come, you know, back again up to my notes. Okay, what do I need to do for the 4th, for the 13th? Whatever dates I just listed out. You can do this on pen and paper. I do this on pen and paper as well sometimes. It's just a great way to figure out, okay, this month I'm looking at promoting these things. Okay, let me type those up. Let me write those down. Okay, now I know. Or now I can put them in order of importance, in order of dates. Right? Right. Like, for example, I've got to promote leisha on the 13th. Right. So that's going to go out in the 13th or the newsletter on the 13th. Right. So that is how I batch my content for my newsletter. Of course, I do the exact same thing for email marketing membership. As you could see. I, you know, I look at last month's templates. What did I send out? How can I create, you know, this month's templates? So they go well with last month's, but they also stand out themselves. So I just kind of map it out in a Google Doc or on paper and then I go from there. So if you're having trouble batching your content, there you go. That's how I do it. I saw someone, I think it was Sadie Smiley in our Facebook group. She said she. To batch her content, she just uses Liz's templates and chat GPT. That's another great way you can use or you can batch content. Of course I'm doing all all this that I just showed you doing for my business. I also do for the email marketing membership templates. So there is a reason to my rhyme so to speak. Is that the saying a rhyme to my reason? I don't know. Anyway, there is a strategy behind it is what I was trying say but I was trying to be clever and it's early in the morning. If you can't tell by my voice, it's better to be clear than clever. Always right Copywriting side note. So anyway, hope this helps if you are still struggling. If you don't have much to say to your email list or you struggle with just getting started, I'd love for you to join email marketing membership. It's only $9 a month. It's only always open the link of course is going to be in the show notes you already know but I hope this was helpful. And if you need a visualization of this and you're just listening to the podcast, don't forget you can always check out watch Liz.com that'll take you directly to my YouTube channel and this will be under Videos for you. As always, I'm Liz Wilcox. You are awesome and I'll see you on the next episode.