What does a podcast editing service do, and is it enough?
If editing is the part of podcasting you dread, handing it over is a sensible first step. The risk is assuming that "editing" means "the episode is finished and live". It rarely does. Here is what a podcast editing service normally covers, what it leaves behind, and how to judge whether editing alone will be enough for your show.
What do podcast audio editing services do?
At its core, audio editing turns a raw recording into something pleasant to hear. Typically that means:
- Balancing the volume between voices and reducing background noise.
- Cutting false starts, long pauses, coughs and the occasional stumble.
- Trimming tangents you have agreed to remove.
- Adding your intro, outro and music.
- Delivering a finished audio file, often with a quick round of revisions.
It is skilled work, and a good editor makes a conversation sound natural rather than chopped about. It is also the cheapest slice of production, which is why it is the usual starting point; see How much does podcast production cost?
What about podcast video editing services?
Video is a second edit, not an extra button. Someone has to choose camera angles, keep the picture in step with the sound, correct colour, add titles and make a thumbnail. If you plan to publish on YouTube, which is now a major place people listen, read Is YouTube the biggest podcast platform now? and ask any editor to show a finished video episode, not only audio samples.
What does editing leave out?
An editor can only work with what you give them, so the rest of the episode usually stays with you:
- Choosing the guest and preparing the questions.
- Recording, including a quiet room and decent microphones.
- Show notes, chapters and an edited transcript; see Do podcast transcripts help you get found on Google?
- Uploading to your host and checking it meets each platform's rules. Apple publishes its own podcast requirements and audio requirements.
- Promotion: clips, a newsletter note, a page on your website.
Searchers also look for "podcast publishing services" and "podcast recording and editing services". Those phrases describe packages that add some of this surrounding work, which is exactly where services differ most.
How much does a podcast editing company charge?
Prices depend on length, how much clean-up your recording needs and whether video is involved. One industry guide from the podcast research firm Rephonic puts editing at roughly $50 to $500 per episode, a wide range that shows why you should compare line by line. Our own published prices are higher because they cover far more than editing: see our pricing.
When is an editor enough, and when do you need a producer?
Editing alone fits you if:
- You enjoy planning and recording and have time for the rest.
- Your show is a hobby or a side project, not a way of finding clients or readers.
- You already have a person who publishes and promotes each episode.
You probably need a producer if the show supports a business, a practice or a book, if you want every episode to reach the same set of platforms the same day, or if the weekly routine is what you keep failing at. Spotify's guide to hiring a podcast producer explains the difference well, and we describe a producer's week in What does a podcast producer do?
How to choose the best podcast editing service
Lists of "top" and "best" services are mostly written by the services themselves, so judge by evidence you can check:
- Ask for before-and-after samples of an episode like yours.
- Ask exactly what is included per episode, in writing.
- Ask who owns the files, the hosting account and the feed. It should be you.
- Ask how many revision rounds are included and how quickly episodes come back.
- Ask whether they will publish, or only hand over a file.
Where Bay House fits
The Annapolis Podcast Studio is a producer, not an editing-only shop, because the shows we work with exist to serve something bigger. Editing, show notes, transcripts, publishing to every platform and a page for each episode on your own site are part of the same monthly service. Show Starter begins at $5,000 and ongoing production at $2,000 a month for four episodes, as set out on our pricing page.
Common questions
What is the difference between a podcast editor and a podcast producer?
An editor works on the recording itself. A producer looks after the whole episode: planning, recording support, editing, show notes, publishing and promotion. See what a producer does for the longer list.
Does a podcast editing service also publish the episode?
Some do and many do not. Ask whether the price includes uploading to your hosting account, writing the title and description, and delivering to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Should I pick audio editing or video editing?
If you will publish on YouTube, you will need a video edit as well as an audio one. They are different crafts, so check that the service does both and ask to see a filmed episode.
