How to Batch Create Catholic Content (Without Burning Out)
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” – Anonymous
You know you need something for Facebook this week. The bulletin deadline is tomorrow. The parish website hasn't been updated lately. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you're wondering what feast days are coming up.
Creating parish content one piece at a time can feel never-ending. That's where batching can help.
What Is Batching?
Batching simply means grouping similar tasks together and doing them at the same time. So instead of sitting down three different times this week to create three Facebook posts, for example, you sit down once and create all three. Or better yet, you create several weeks' worth at once.
The same idea works for bulletin content, website updates, graphics, videos, and other parish communications.
It isn't about producing more content. It's about making better use of the time you already have.
Step 1 – Plan What You'll Create
Before you start batching, you need to know what you're going to create. That's why I recommend starting with a monthly content calendar. Look at the month ahead and identify the important Sundays, saints, feast days, parish events, and other opportunities you want to highlight. Then decide what actually deserves your attention.
You don't need to create something for every feast day on the calendar. Choose content that will help your parish
Inspire
Teach
Pray
Connect
Invite
Once you know what you want to share, creating it becomes much easier.
Step 2 – Batch One Type of Content at a Time
Here's where batching really starts to save time. Rather than bouncing between a bulletin announcement, Facebook graphic, and website update, work on one type of content at a time.
For example, you might spend an hour creating your Facebook posts for the next two weeks. During another session, you could prepare upcoming bulletin content.
Why? Because every time you switch tasks, you have to switch the way you're thinking too. Staying with one kind of task makes it much easier to keep going.
Set aside a block of time, even an hour is a good place to start, and treat it like an appointment. Close your email. Silence your phone if you can. Open your content calendar and get to work.
Let the Tools Help You
You don't have to create everything from scratch.
Canva can help you create several graphics using the same template. AI can help you brainstorm headlines, draft several captions at once or turn a longer article into a short bulletin piece. Scheduling tools can take care of publishing posts after you've created them.
The important thing is to use these tools to make your plan easier to carry out—not to let the tools decide what your parish should be sharing.
Create Once. Use It More Than Once.
While you're batching, look for opportunities to get more than one piece of content from the work you're already doing.
Suppose you're preparing something for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. That same idea might become a social media post, a short bulletin item and a reminder about your parish's Blessing of Animals. Or perhaps you've written a longer website article. Could part of it become a Facebook post? Could you pull out a short quote for a graphic? Could you create a condensed version for the bulletin?
You don't have to use every idea everywhere. The point is simply to ask, “Where else could we use this?”
Step 3 – Schedule and Save
Once your content is ready, schedule what you can. Facebook and other social platforms allow you to prepare posts ahead of time. Website updates can sometimes be scheduled too. Bulletin pieces can be placed in a folder according to the Sunday they're intended for.
Don't forget to give your files clear names and organize them in a way that will make sense when you need them again. A graphic called St Francis Quote Oct 4 will be much easier to find next year than final-pink-graphic-3. The goal is simple: don't leave finished content sitting somewhere waiting for you to remember it. Put it where it needs to go, or make it obvious when it needs to be used.
Want to give batching a try?
Download the free Parish Content Batching Checklist
to guide you through your next batching session.
Batching Gets Easier When the Thinking Is Done
Batching can save a tremendous amount of time, but there's a catch. It works best when you already know what you want to say. If you sit down for your batching session and spend the first 45 minutes wondering what you should post, you haven't solved the real problem.
That's why planning comes first. Know what's coming. Decide what matters. Then sit down and create several pieces at once.
That's also the thinking behind Creative Catholic Content. We look at the month ahead, identify the opportunities worth sharing and provide ready-to-use content to help parishes share the Catholic faith more intentionally.
Whether you're creating everything yourself or starting with content that's already been prepared for you, batching can help you get ahead—and stay there.
And wouldn't it be nice to reach Friday without suddenly wondering: “What on earth are we going to post today?”
