Even if you’ve only been listening to a couple of different podcasts at a time, you’ll already be familiar with the fact that all podcasts sound and “feel” different — even when they deal with the same topics.
Of course, the differences in hosts’ and guests’ personalities are a big part of what makes each podcast unique, but a great deal of what makes a show stand out also lies in the podcast production quality and editing choices.
If you want to give your new podcast a professional polish that’s representative of your business ethics as well as of your personal flair, picking the right editing service for your specific needs is paramount.
With the right audio editing, concise episode length, and quirky production extras, you can ensure your podcast has all the production power it needs to grow and reach a wider, loyal audience in no time!
So, without further ado, here are the main features you should look for and the most important factors to consider when picking a podcast editing service:
Budget
First, you should figure out the budget you want to put in place for podcast editing and consider what services will accommodate it without having to make any sacrifices.
With several podcast editing services offering monthly subscriptions to businesses and brands, you are guaranteed to be able to find the perfect one to fit all your editing needs. You are likely not going to need much else but optimized audio quality, short edits, and perhaps a few extras for some special episodes, so shopping around for a good beginner’s deal is highly recommended!
Audio Editing
When first starting out with podcasting, audio editing is probably going to take a long time to master completely — especially if you’re not that tech-savvy to begin with.
A great-sounding podcast starts with the right microphone, recording space, and audio formatting, but you’re likely going to encounter many smaller hurdles along the way: guests with sub-par recording equipment, lines delivered quieter than expected, sudden coughs, loud laughing fits, brain freezes, and everything else in between!
All podcast editing services will help you take care of all the little and bigger cuts, audio quality adjustments, and recurring audio snippets. You’ll be able to focus on scripting quality content and booking the best guests for your chosen industry rather than spending days in the editing room.
Production Extras
Once the basics of audio editing are covered, you have the choice to look for a podcast editing service that will elevate your production quality beyond what’s normally expected of a business podcast.
Small extras like original artwork, music, and sound effects can make your podcast feel more engaging and unique, conveying your personality into all editing choices made.
Careful not to go overboard, however, as over-editing can easily affect the authenticity and personability of your podcast episodes!
Authenticity
The authenticity point definitely deserves its own section, as it is often one of the biggest obstacles to achieving audience loyalty and engagement.
Editing requires an almost perfect balance: You’ll want your podcast to be polished enough to convey professionalism but not so overly-edited that you lose your personal touch and authenticity.
You don’t have to get rid of all the little “uhms” and “aahs,” load each episode with pre-recorded snippets and music, or edit out the real moments that make a podcast feel special and personable.
Podcasting is more than just a great authority marketing medium and another platform to showcase your industry expertise. It is a unique opportunity to connect with your target audience more humanely and authentically, so don’t let all the production features available in today’s podcast production services distract you from the real magic of this platform.
More tech work and more editing don’t necessarily mean better quality, so figure out what’s necessary to have a professional yet easy and engaging content, and stick to that instead of overcomplicating the whole process!
Top 5 Podcast Editing Services for a High-Quality Podcast Production
Once you’ve identified what podcast editing features, you’ll need to achieve your vision. The next step should be figuring out what service will fit your needs best.
With the popularity of podcasting soaring all around the world, there are now quite a lot of excellent podcast editing services to choose from, so we’ve picked five of the most convenient on the market to help make the decision that much easier!
Castos
Castos Productions takes the hard work of podcast editing fully off your hands, providing an expert team of producers and audio engineers to edit your episodes just the way you like them.
For $150 per episode, you can send in your raw file and put the whole editing process on autopilot or take it easy with a $75 per episode fee covering all audio editing for a great-sounding show!
Scrubcast
Scrubcast prides itself on taking all frustration out of podcast editing and publishing, offering audio mastering and editing services that will make you sound like a pro without any of the tech expertise.
With the option of having original artwork done, transcriptions written up, and files uploaded, you can expect to pay $120 per episode or go for a monthly subscription of $440 to include up to four podcast episodes.
Podcast Press/ Barevalue
Barevalue, previously known as Podcast Press, focuses on making great podcast production accessible to all, offering a competitive rate of $97 per month for four episodes or $247 for a whopping twelve episodes a month.
As the most budget-friendly option on the market, Barevalue has everything you need to get started and launch a professional-sounding podcast in no time (they offer express turnaround time as well!).
Podcast FastTrack
Podcast FastTrack is another service that takes care of podcast production from top to bottom, using “record it and forget it” as the company’s attractive tagline.
On top of offering all audio editing services for your show, the Podcast FastTrack team can also provide back-end scheduling, publishing, artwork, lead magnets, SEO-optimized show notes, and production consulting.
Just getting professional audio edits taken care of, however, will set you back $150 per episode.
Pro Podcast Solutions
Pro Podcast Solutions has been around for longer than podcasts have been popular, and it’s still going strong by offering great tech consulting and smart editing at $127 per podcast episode.
If you’re looking to have a podcast with professional audio but still plenty of authentic grit, Pro Podcast Solutions can match you with the perfect editor and tech consultant for your needs.
Create a Professional Podcast for Your Business (Without Any of the Hassle)
Getting in touch with one of these production services is the number one way to save precious time and resources when launching or revamping a podcast.
If you’re pressed on time and not too keen on having to learn the ins and outs of audio tech and editing, outsourcing can leave you with plenty of extra time to refine your launch strategy, book authoritative guests, and market the latest podcast episode across all platforms.
At the same time, however, you should know that with a little research (and a lot of practice and motivation!), you can confidently learn how to edit podcasts on your own. You can purchase an editing tool or use the built-in editing features of your podcast hosting service of choice, so you can easily take care of the smaller editing tasks (cutting out dead air, adjusting audio levels, adding in intro and outro) while retaining full creative control — and save a great deal of money in the process!
Whatever option you choose to edit podcasts and get your podcast audio quality where it needs to be, we can offer plenty of insights for turning the final edited product into a resounding success.
Get in touch today to learn more about our consultation services, content marketing strategy services, and podcast hosting tips!
