23 – Editing Your Podcast: When to DIY vs. Outsource

Hello there and welcome to PodcasterPlus, the podcast offering tips and tricks to simplify and automate your podcast. You can find all the other episodes at podcasterplus.com/show.

Now let’s talk about the editing wall. You know the one. You’ve just finished a fantastic recording. The guest was fabulous. The insights were flowing. You hit stop and you feel like a million dollars. And then you look at the audio file. Suddenly that one hour conversation looks a lot like a four hour mountain of work. You’ve got the ums and the ahs to cut. There’s a siren that went off in the background at some point, and there was an awkward moment, where you tripped over your intro. That kind of thing. This is where every podcaster faces the big question, do I roll up my sleeves and do it myself? Or is it finally time to hand the keys to a professional?

Today we’re going to have a bit of a deep dive into the real trade offs between DIY editing and outsourcing. We’ll look at the costs, the hidden time sinks, and I’ll give you a simple framework to help you decide which path is right for your show.

As always, we’re going to chunk it into different sections, and the first section is the DIY reality, skills versus task.

So let’s start with the DIY route. I’m gonna be honest, I’ve spent thousands, literally thousands, of hours in the editing chair. For many of us, especially in the early days editing is how we learn our craft. You hear your own verbal tics, you learn how to pace a conversation, and you’ve got complete and utter control. The obvious pro, it’s free, if you don’t value your time at an hourly rate. You can use brilliant, free tools like Audacity, GarageBand, or perhaps a text-based editor like Descript, which frankly has changed the game for many solo creators.

But here’s the thing, editing isn’t just a task. It’s a bit of a skill, and it’s a time intensive one. In a recent post on the PodcasterPlus blog, we looked at what is actually eating up podcasters time, and editing was the undisputed champion of this black hole category. Typically it takes about three to four hours to edit one hour of raw audio. Let that sink in.

If you enjoy the process and you are still in the learning and tinkering phase, well DIY editing can be fantastic. But if you’re finding that the editing is the reason your episodes are coming out late, or dare I say it, not at all, this is a bit of a red flag.

Okay, let’s move on. So now the case for outsourcing, buying back your focus. Let’s look at the other side of the fence, outsourcing. When you hire an editor, you aren’t just paying for someone to cut out silences, you are buying back your focus. Imagine what you could do with the six hours that you often spend editing. You could be researching for the next five guests, refining your marketing strategy, or dare I say it, actually living a life outside of your digital audio workstation, or indeed podcast.

Professional editors bring a level of polish that will be hard to replicate. They’ve got ears for the EQ, they’ve got the tools for noise reduction, and they’ve got the experience to make the pacing feel tight and professional. Yes, there is a cost. You are looking at anywhere between $50 and $250 per episode for a good freelancer, or quite a lot more for a full service agency. But as we often say at PodcasterPlus, your podcast is a business asset. If paying an editor frees you up to land one new client or sponsor, the ROI is a bit of a no brainer.

Next section, the decision framework and hiring checklist. So, how to decide. I like to use a simple time versus growth framework. Ask yourself this, is my time better spent producing the audio or growing the audience? If you’re a hobbyist, DIY is usually the way. If you are using a podcast to build a brand or a business, you need to be the visionary, not the technician.

If you are ready to hire, here’s my quick checklist for finding the right partner.

Number one, check their samples, not just their CV. Ask for a before and after of an episode that they’ve recently edited.

Number two, read some reviews. Look for mentions of consistency and communication. You want someone who hits deadlines every single time.

Number three, set clear expectations. Do you want every single, um, removed or just the big ones? Do they provide the show notes too? Get all of it down in writing? Perhaps even a contract?

So in summary, a closing call to action if you like. Whether you are sticking with the DIY approach or looking to outsource, the goal is the same, consistency and quality. If you want to deeper dive into the specific tools that I have used, check out episode 22 of this podcast, which was called Editing Your Podcast, the Complete Guide to Tools and Workflows.

And remember, while PodcasterPlus doesn’t do the editing for you, we do help you reclaim your time by automating everything else, from guest bookings, to displaying those beautifully edited episodes on your website. So go and check that out at podcasterplus.com.

So there you go. That’s what I’ve got for you this time around. Thank you so much for tuning into the PodcasterPlus Podcast. You can find it at podcasterplus.com/show. And we will see you next time for some more tips and tricks to and automate your podcast.