Digital technology has continuously spawned new means of communicating, among them, podcasts. The new ways have also led to the creation of new posts, such as a podcast editor.
Just like on radio, a podcast is also a series of spoken audio episodes. However, the audio, in this case, is available online on subscription. Podcasts focus on a particular topic or theme and this makes them applicable in a wide range of situations. The podcast editor is in charge of recording, editing, and sometimes publishing each episode.
While podcasting came alive with the advent of internet technology, it has roots back in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the term podcasting was first used by journalist Ben Hammersly, in 2004, to describe the potential of a boom in amateur radio.
There are now over 4.7 billion people now using mobile devices. Podcasting is utilizing these numbers and is now enjoying explosive growth. However, leveraging these audio files will require you to produce the best quality.
Thus, when making a podcast, it is advisable to seek the input of a podcast editor. These technical professionals will refine your audio and help you achieve your objectives.
Ready to harness the power of podcasts? This guide explores the benefits of podcasting and the invaluable input of a podcast editor. Keep reading.
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Benefits of Podcasting
Today, with half of the world’s population now online, competition among content creators is higher than ever before. From businesses, influencers, news outlets, governments, not-for-profit organizations to individual creators, everyone has something to say. The struggle to capture the attention of internet users is quite intense.
Whether you are an online retailer, a restaurant owner, or a work-from-home mum, you need a unique way to pass across messages to your target audience. A podcast is, therefore, an innovative yet simple and affordable technique to give your message to your audience.
Here are some benefits of podcasting:
- Expanding market reach: Businesses now leverage podcasts to reach out to their audiences.
- Brand awareness/visibility: Podcasts are potent tools for brand awareness and building visibility,
- Customer relationships: A podcast is essential for building lasting relationships with the target audience.
- Boosting site traffic: You can drive traffic to your site by creating fresh, relevant, and high-quality podcasts. Audio narrations are famous for increasing the popularity of your project, be it marketing or educational.
- Boosting engagement levels: Podcasts are a welcome break from the monotony of marketing ads. The audio format allows you to send the message in a highly interactive way. You will find it hard achieving the same effect with written content.
- Simple public speaking/voice acting tool: These audios are easy to create; many people now use them to improve their civic-speaking skills. If you want to hone your voice acting skills, try creating podcasts and playing them back to assess your voice quality.
- In education: Educators now use podcasts in the classroom to build students’ reading confidence, present an array of narrative styles, help students focus, and much more.
- Portability: Most people love podcasts because they are easy to download and portable in most digital devices.
- Podcasts for social media: Podcasts can help you grow your social media following by sharing high-quality content.
The versatile nature of podcasts makes them applicable in multiple ways. Whether you are a marketer, educator, trainer, blogger, or you need a time-efficient mode of communication, podcasting is the way to go.
Podcast Editing
One of the advantages of podcasting is the ease in production. Anyone can make a podcast and upload it on their online platform. Be warned; you should not be in a rush to share your podcast before editing the audio. Hence, podcast editing is a must before any official release.
Podcast editing is an integral part of the medium as a whole. It can make the difference between a highly rated podcast and one that has limited or no audience following. Although the internet is an easy way to share content, the standard of presentation required is also very high.
If you want to woo the target audience into subscribing and listening, your podcasts need to stand out from the rest.
For some, the production part is natural. But then again, the editing tends to be difficult if you don’t have the expertise and tools for the project.
Why You Need a Podcast Editor
Using a podcast editor is a smart strategy for producing awesome podcasts. Without it, it is common to add lots of content that won’t meet the standards of the podcast.
Basic editing entails eliminating filler words such as ums, uh, stammers, and stutters. It also involves removing false starts, coughs, noise, and long pauses. Otherwise, these disturbances will distract or disrupt your audience from a delightful listening experience
So the editor’s work is to refine the product and ensure it meets your standards. If you want to use your podcasts as an educational or marketing tool, there’s no room for error. As such, you’ll have to invest heavily in the production process to get the best quality podcast.
Here are other reasons to hire a podcast editor for your podcast:
1. Better Overall Results
Investing in the expertise and experience of an editor gives an edge to your podcast. If you are marketing your brand or specific products, edited audio will provide you with better results.
Whatever your objectives, having a high-quality podcast for your audience is the primary basis.
2. Shareable File
You must have come across viral podcasts and wondered how the creators do it. Well, most of them did not rush to create and upload their podcast without having an expert look it over.
Consequently, an editor helps make your podcast sharable by eliminating long pauses and other embarrassing errors that might turn off your listeners.
3. Eliminate Trial And Error
Going through a podcast and eliminating all problems can be a daunting task. Additionally, some producers lack the prerequisite skills required for the job. Their editing job is thus a trial and error thing that might ruin an otherwise remarkable podcast.
Using an editor not only saves you from such mishaps, but it also gives you peace of mind knowing an expert is editing your media file.
Additionally, you will get quality and consistency when you use a professional podcast editor. Your audience will also come to expect a certain standard of content once you partner with an editor expert.
4. Invaluable Podcasting Advice
A professional editor will not only identify and eliminate errors in your podcast but also offer advice on other aspects of the production.
From the intros to the quality of audio, accompanying music, and outros to the pitch, a podcast editor, is well versed to guide you on most aspects of the final production. By the time they finish working on your audio file, it will be neater, more compressed, and splendid to listen to.
5. First Impressions Matter
when it comes to audio and visual content, internet users are spoilt for choice. There’s much content going around. If you want to reach your target audience with your podcast, you must impress them first.
Therefore, if you ignore editing, there will be obvious problems in your podcast that can turn off the listener. For this reason, you need to work with an experienced podcast editor to create an exciting intro to captivate the listener.
6. Objective Input
Before you share your podcast with the world, it is advisable to have a new set of ears listen to the audio. The best suited for the job would be a professional audio editor.
These experts listen objectively to your podcast and give a professional opinion. They help you eliminate all errors for the final recording.
A good editor will offer suggestions on how to improve your audio to meet your objectives.
7. Enjoy Comprehensive Podcast Packages
Some podcast editors offer packaged podcast solutions. These services include
- podcast planning
- production
- consulting and DIY podcast education
- podcast editing
- promotion
- show notes and transcriptions
- podcast performance tracking
- graphic design
- among other things
By partnering with a professional editor who offers all these services in-house, you will save a lot of time and money.
Hiring the Best Podcast Editor
Now that you appreciate the importance of an editor for your production, it is vital to hire the best.
When hiring your podcast editor, here are some questions to ask:
- What roles do they play in the production? Look for an editor who offers more than editing, including tagging the MP3 files, uploading the file to your site/hosting service, writing show notes and transcripts.
- What’s your editing style? Look for a sample of the best podcasts in your industry and ask your editor if they match the quality of work. The best editor will have a solid creative direction in the editing.
- What’s your experience in this industry? Ask for sample works from potential editors and ask how long they have worked on podcasts. How well do they know about mastering and mixing? Do they have the right tools such as headphones made for mixing, or studio monitors?
- What programs do you use? There are many professional tools available for audio editing. The best editor will use premium services. Furthermore, they can explain their decision to choose specific tools over others.
- How much do you charge? You need to agree on all terms of payment before commencing the project. There are no standard rates for podcast editing but you can expect to pay from $500 to $1,000 per month for weekly episode editing. The cost will go up if you need other services such as consultation and admin tasks — a full production service can range from $1,200 to $4,000+ per month. You can also work with freelancers who can charge between $8-25/hour.
- What’s your turnaround? It is essential to agree on the timeline from the moment you give the editor your files to the time you get a completed audio ready for publishing. The schedule should also include any revisions needed.
- What’s your work system? You should agree on how to share files. Some of the best file sharing tools include Dropbox and Google Drive.
Final Thoughts
By the time a podcast editor starts mastering your file, you can expect all the errors will be no more. These experts have exposure to many podcasts, and they know how to create the best final product.
Working with a professional audio editor guarantees the best results for your podcast which helps meet your objectives. It is a smart strategy to save time, money, and improve the quality of your podcast.
