Podcast Editing: How To Produce A Standout Show

I tell all of our podcast production service clients:

Podcasting is simultaneously easier than you think it's going to be and so much harder than you realize.

Most aspiring podcasters worry about podcast editing, what equipment to buy, and how to get the thing up on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the rest.

But a great podcast producer can make all of that easy for you.

Your job—and the hard part—is creating exceptional podcast content. I've written before about the nuts & bolts of crafting your podcast premise, interviewing techniques, and writing engaging & effective scripts for your show.

So today, I want to talk about production. I'll demystify how working with a production team (podcast producer, production assistant, and podcast editor) can help you create a standout podcast. And I'll also give you some ideas for how to lean on your production team to save you time and make your show better.

So what does a podcast producer do?

A great podcast producer is sort of a content strategist, project manager, and storyteller rolled into one. They not only help you make the thing happen, but they help your show stand out and support your business goals. They're a thought partner as much as they are a get-things-done kind of team member.

This is a good time to differentiate between a podcast producer and a podcaster editor. A producer, as I mentioned, wears a bunch of different hats—sometimes one of those hats is the editor. A podcast editor is the person who turns your raw audio files into polished mp3s ready to add to your podcast feed. This can get confusing because sometimes editors call themselves producers—so it's a good idea to understand the scope of the work a producer does before you hire them.

At YellowHouse.Media, our podcast production services include almost all aspects of podcast production—development, content strategy, script advising, project management, editing, and distribution. Each podcast we produce has a team of 3—a production coordinator, a production assistant, and a podcast editor—so that we can support our podcasters from every angle and take everything off their plates that isn't talking into a mic or writing scripts!

We believe strongly that your producer should help you craft the best podcast you can possibly make, which is why we go beyond podcast editing services to become a partner to the podcasters we work with.

How much does it cost to hire a podcast producer or podcast editor?

Podcasts have been around for quite a while, but the industry that's grown around them is still fairly young. That means that the cost of hiring a producer, podcast editor, or production team can vary wildly.

Independent podcast editors typically charge somewhere between $100-200 per episode, depending on the scope of work. Very simple production—preparing an interview for distribution and only removing the most egregious mistakes—is going to be on the lower end. Narrative, NPR-style production is going to be on the higher end (likely $400-700 per episode).

There are also podcast production services that include things like show notes with their podcast editing package, and the fees for those services are going to be a little higher—typically about $400-1000 per month depending on release frequency. That said, you often get a bit better deal by using a retainer service like this over a contractor working on an episode-by-episode basis.

Finally, there are full-service production services and podcast studios, like YellowHouse.Media. These services don't just get the work done for you. They help you make a better show. For us, that means monthly strategy & content planning sessions, hands-on project management of the whole production process, guest management, and even creating promotional assets, in addition to the services I mentioned above. These services typically start around $1000 per month (for 2 episodes per month) and go up from there.

Surprisingly, these full-service podcast production services can actually save you money at the same time they save you time because few podcasters only hire an editor. They hire a podcast editor, a virtual assistant, and maybe even a writer. When you factor in a per-hour salary of $20-75 or more, you can start to see how it adds up.

But that's not the only cost to consider. When you hire a full-service production team, you also eliminate your need to manage the project. You're not the one wrangling all of the different pieces of each episode into a cohesive whole. Your production team is doing it for you. So that's potentially hours of high-value time saved.

Is it worth it to hire a podcast producer or editor?

Look, I'm biased, but the answer is yes. Unless you're super passionate about producing and not just creating content, as well as have the time to devote 6-10 hours to every episode, hiring a podcast producer is unequivocally worth it.

But how do you justify the cost of hiring a podcast production service?

If you're a small business owner, the answer is pretty easy. Your podcast should make you money. It's an incredible channel for talking directly to your most engaged followers, building stronger relationships, and selling your offers. And at the same time that your podcast is making you money, you're saving boatloads of time by taking the vast majority of the podcasting workflow off of your plate.

If you're a coach, consultant, or done-for-you services business, your podcast can be profitable even if it only brings you 1 client every month or two. Your lifetime client value might be $2000, $5000, $10k, or more.

If you sell physical or digital products, it'll take more sales to make a profit from your show, but it should still easily balance out in your books.

Just note that it will take time to see this investment create a significant return. Podcasting is not a short-term moneymaking scheme.

So how does outsourcing your podcast production work?

And how do you get the most from your investment?

It's really true: you can hire a producer or production company to do the vast majority of podcasting work for you, so you are free to focus on hosting your show.

Every podcast production company is going to be a little different but at YellowHouse.Media, we start by establishing the premise of the show and the business goals you're targeting. We dig into your brand, your customers, and the kind of content you want to produce.

We talk it all through together and offer ideas for what kind of content to produce and how we can work together to make it stand out—and effectively promote your business.

From there, we create a shared editorial calendar for your podcast and build out the tasks for each episode in our project management software.

At that point, it's a matter of finding your rhythm with your podcast producer or editor. It might sound silly, but it's easy to lose sight of the fact that you're always juggling a new episode or working on a few at a time.

The more you stay in communication with your producer or editor, the more likely you are to stay on track.

Unlike other contractors you might be outsourcing to (or producers you've used in the past), our production team isn't waiting for you to tell us what to do—we're working together to create something exceptional.

Here are some tips for making sure your relationship with your podcast producer is a successful one:

Make your podcast producer an integral part of your team. Keep them in the loop about your marketing strategy, new offers, or insights about your customers or brand. This helps them help you strategically.

Observe deadlines and boundaries. Working on a podcast might be the first time you've worked ahead on your content marketing. That can be a challenge, but the benefit is so worth it. Your producer establishes the deadlines for a reason—it takes time and coordination to make a great show. At YellowHouse.Media, our production deadline is 2 weeks before the air date, and our clients are often working on episodes 4-8 weeks in advance.

Fight your perfectionism! Making a podcast ends up being a much more vulnerable process than folks think it will be. You start to notice all your speech patterns and vocal ticks. You have to listen to the sound of your own voice more than you ever expected to. And interviewing? Well, that's probably a brand-new skill for you. So don't be afraid to mess up. You can say anything over again, and just about anything can be cut out. Don't let perfectionism come between you and finishing an episode.

Avoid reactivity, but do communicate when there's an urgent need. Podcasting is not a very reactive medium. Except for the name-brand daily news podcasts, the production cycle on most shows is much longer than a news cycle. We want to create timely, relevant content—but we also want that content to work later on most of the time. Most of the time, when you're worried that you need to respond to something in your industry, in the news, or in your business on your very next podcast episode (or release an extra), you don't. Of course, there are times when things are legitimately urgent, and a good producer wants to know about it so they can help if they can.

In the end, your producer's goal is to help you make a great show and save you time. This is key since "just" hosting the show is a lot of work in and of itself. Whoever you hire, talk to them about how they like to work, ways that they can help you that you might not have expected, and how your show can evolve.

Looking for a podcast production service?

At YellowHouse.Media, we offer full-service production services. The podcasters we work with are creating standout shows that offer incredible value to their listeners while also growing the businesses they serve.

We'd love to talk with you about your show—existing or just an idea—and how we can help with development, content strategy, guest management, project management, podcast editing, and more. Click here to find out more about our podcast product services, and get in touch!

And if full-service production isn't right for you right now, check out the Standout Podcast Club, where we share all of our resources for developing, producing, and distributing your own show and offer guidance on how to make it stand out!