Do you remember when you first got hooked on podcasting (or consuming podcasts)?
While the majority of us are familiar with podcasts today, according to Edison Research this wasn’t always the case. In 2006, less than a quarter of US adults even knew what the term “podcasting” meant!
Podcasting has gone through the roof in the last fifteen years!
Why is that? Listening to podcasts is one of the easiest ways to consume content today.
For starters, it lets your audience multitask better than other content formats. You can listen to a show while you’re commuting in your car—or you can pop in headphones and tune in while you take care of errands around the house.
What was once known as “audio blogging” is now a HUGE business opportunity. In fact, some top podcasters earn multiple six figures in revenue streams from their podcasts alone!
Since the growth of podcasting has attracted businesses and creatives alike to produce engaging shows for their audiences, the need for hiring podcast production help has skyrocketed as well.
Just think about it… Most people launch a podcast because they want to share a message with the world, right?
While we wish producing a podcast meant simply pressing the record button and talking into a microphone, the truth is there are tons of moving parts happening behind the scenes. At the end of the day, producing a podcast can become a time consuming task for business owners.
But you knew that already, don’t you?!
If you’ve reached the stage where you’re looking to hire a Podcast Producer, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ll walk you through what goes into building a podcast production team, including what to look for in a producer and how much it typically costs to hire one.
Let’s take a closer look!
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Who can I hire to help with a podcast?
Podcasts require a lot of planning and coordinating to make the show come to life. Without a Podcast Producer on your side, it’s easy to become tied down with all of the steps that go into publishing each episode.
However, a producer’s role ultimately depends on the complexity of the podcast.
Sometimes the producer is one person overseeing the process of publishing a new episode from start to finish. With a simple show, this might include everything from setup and recording to audio editing and episode promotion.
For more elaborate podcasts, it may take a team of people to carry out your vision.
Let’s say you interview guests on your show each week. One producer might step in and take care of any guest communication, like scheduling, preparing questions, and managing the calendar.
In this scenario, you might have a second producer on your team that only handles audio engineering. This person’s role could include editing the audio files and uploading them to your podcast hosting site.
You might even hire someone to promote your podcast. After all, the bigger your audience becomes, the bigger the opportunity becomes to generate more revenue from your show.
Hiring another team member to take care of marketing can help spread the word about your podcast much faster. This role typically involves tasks such as promoting content via social media, repurposing content (podcast episodes can create 15+ pieces of content!), and running ads.
Phew! It’s a lot to handle, huh?
What to look for in a Podcast Producer
The good news is there are plenty of Podcast Producers and business owners you can partner with to take your show’s production off your hands.
Podcast Producers offer a wide range of skill sets and can take on different roles depending on the needs of your podcast production team. Whether you’re looking to bring on a full-time team member or hire a freelancer for the tasks you’d like to outsource, here are some roles to consider for the job.
Find a podcast project manager
Attention to detail matters in podcast production! With so many moving parts during the pre-production and post-production of an episode, hiring a podcast project manager is essential.
Not only is the project manager a leader who’s responsible for motivating your team, but they also make sure that work stays on track according to schedule. An effective project manager stays on top of things — they know how to delegate tasks and what it takes to carry out a project from pre-production to publication.
Consider guest outreach
If you’re an avid podcast fan, you probably already know that the most common type of podcasts is in the interview format (especially in the business genre). This is where the guest outreach role comes in.
This person is responsible for collaborating with the podcast host/client as well as guests. Depending on how you decide to invite guests on your show, this role might include prospecting for new podcast guests as well.
Either way, you’ll want to look for someone with excellent communication skills. Even if your outreach team member isn’t prospecting, they’ll need to coordinate back and forth with guests about scheduling, preparation, and post-production follow up.
Hire a podcast editor
Creating a podcast that keeps your subscribers coming back for more starts with investing in excellent audio production. Audiences demand quality content these days, which makes podcast editing the most important part of producing a show.
In other words, this is where the process gets technical. The Podcast Producer responsible for editing should have a strong working knowledge of each step of the audio setup, recording, and editing, as well as the ability to direct the process flawlessly.
A knack for storytelling is also a necessary skill for an editor. Audio editing is all about refining your story, cutting out unwanted segments, and laying out an episode in a way that’s engaging to your audience.
Invest in promoting your podcast
With more than a million shows out there, there’s no shortage of competition in the podcasting space.
Want to increase the number of listeners tuning in to your show? Then you’ll want to dial up your marketing strategy!
Bringing on a marketing professional will help attract new subscribers to your show and get the most mileage out of the content you’re spending time on producing.
They’ll be handling tasks like creating social media posts and repurposing episodes into original content—meaning this person should be well-versed in all things social media and online content creation.
What goes into hiring someone to set up a podcast?
There are a few approaches you can take when it comes to hiring a Podcast Producer to set up a podcast.
Since you’re already podcasting, you can potentially reach out to your network and find someone reputable through one of your own contacts, or you can post a job online.
Whichever route you decide to take, there are a few things to look for on your applicant’s portfolio.
Evaluate each candidate for experience in podcast production specifically, including knowledge of the steps we covered above. You might choose to hire specialized experts for each role — or you might be looking for someone who ticks all of the boxes as a full-service Podcast Producer.
Did you know we offer a free service for podcasters? When you’re ready to start growing your team, we can connect you with our pool of qualified Podcast Production School graduates.
Here’s how it works:
–> All you have to do is fill out a quick form.
–> Once we receive your form, we’ll share your request with our graduates, and interested applicants will contact you to apply for the role. Then you can interview the top applicants to find the best fit!
How much does it cost to hire a Podcast Producer?
In reality, there is no one-size-fits-all price for podcast production.
Podcast Producer rates can vary based on many factors like the production value and size of your show, included responsibilities, and experience of the producer.
If you need your producer to head up other projects like marketing and guest relations, you’ll likely be paying more for those services.
In general, you can expect to pay an hourly wage in the range of $25 to $45 per hour for freelance Podcast Producers (they generally work with multiple clients at a time). While the national average for a full-time Podcast Producer’s salary is $64,370, you’ll want to ask prospective hires about their salary expectations upfront.
In the end, the cost to hire a Podcast Producer will depend on your specific needs.
But the best part? Hiring a Podcast Producer is an opportunity to outsource your entire production process.
Building a production team frees you up to focus on the big-picture plans for your show. That could look like adding an additional revenue stream, developing new products, or finding new ways to get your message out into the world.
Investing in a Podcast Producer can help you grow your podcast faster than if you did it all by yourself, so if you’re on the fence about it, you can do some independent research or reach out to us with any questions you have.
Wanna learn more about becoming a Podcast Producer? Check out Podcast Production School!
