What does full-service podcast production include?
Full-service podcast production should cover everything except the talking. The host prepares, turns up and has a good conversation. The production team handles the rest: planning, guests, recording, editing, video, publishing, promotion and reporting.
That phrase is used loosely, though, so here is what a genuinely full service includes, stage by stage, and what to check in any proposal. For the role itself, see What does a podcast producer do?
Before the first episode
A full service starts well before anything is recorded:
- Show strategy. Who the show is for, what it is for, the format, the length and how often it comes out.
- Name, artwork and description, made to each platform's specifications.
- Accounts set up in your name: hosting, the RSS feed, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and a YouTube channel.
- Recording set-up for where you will actually record, whether a studio, your home or office, or remote guests.
- A trailer and the first few episodes, so the show launches with something to listen to.
For every episode
This is the core of the work, and it repeats every time:
- Planning. Topic, outline and research.
- Guests. Finding, booking and briefing them, and sending them what they need to sound good.
- Recording. Running the session, watching levels and backing everything up.
- Editing. Removing false starts and long pauses, balancing voices, adding the intro and outro.
- Video. Editing the filmed episode, with a title card and a thumbnail.
- Show notes and transcript. A summary, links and a full transcript. Apple now shows transcripts on Apple Podcasts, and a text version also gives search engines something to read.
- Publishing. Uploading to the host so the RSS feed meets Apple's feed requirements, and publishing on YouTube, which can also take a show by RSS feed delivery.
- Approval. You hear and see the episode before it goes live.
Promotion
A show nobody hears has not been finished. Full service usually includes short clips for social media, an email to your list, a page for each episode on your website and help getting guests to share their episode. For why video now matters so much, see Is YouTube the biggest podcast platform now?
Reporting
You should get a regular, plain report: downloads and views, which episodes did well, where listeners come from, and what the team suggests changing. A good producer uses it to improve the next month, not just to fill a slide.
Full service at a glance
| Stage | Should be included |
|---|---|
| Launch | Strategy, artwork, accounts in your name, trailer, first episodes |
| Each episode | Planning, guests, recording, audio and video edit, notes, transcript, publishing |
| Promotion | Clips, email, website page, guest sharing |
| Reporting | A regular report with recommendations |
| Ownership | Every account and file in your name |
What to check in a proposal
- Is video filmed for watching, or a still image over the audio?
- How many episodes a month, and what happens if you skip one?
- Who books guests, and who writes the outlines?
- How many rounds of changes do you get on each edit?
- Is the price fixed per month, and what exactly does it cover?
- Is everything in your name from day one?
Where Bay House fits
The Annapolis Podcast Studio offers exactly this kind of service for people whose show serves something bigger: a practice, a book, a cause. We record at your home or office or with remote guests. Show Starter, from $5,000, sets the show up on every platform including YouTube with your first three episodes and a one-page website. Show Production starts from $2,000 a month for four episodes, and Full Studio, from $4,500 a month, adds filmed video and marketing. For a closer look at the numbers, see How much does podcast production cost? or our pricing.
Common questions
What is the difference between podcast editing and full-service production?
Editing covers the audio or video file you hand over. Full-service production covers the show around it: planning, guests, recording, publishing, video, promotion and reporting.
Does full-service podcast production include video?
It should, if you want the show on YouTube as something people watch. Check whether video means filmed episodes with proper cameras or a still image over the audio.
Who owns the podcast in a full-service arrangement?
You should. The hosting account, RSS feed, YouTube channel, artwork and recordings should all be in your name, so the show stays yours if you change producers.
