How long’s a piece of string?
So you want to start a podcast but you’re wondering if you have enough time?
There are lots of things that go into getting an episode from your head into people’s ears. And every step can impact how long it takes to put your show together.
Podcasting is definitely going to take longer than you think
People are always surprised to hear how long podcasting takes so let me start by saying a 30-minute episode does not take 30-minutes to put together.
The truth is, depending on how involved your content is, if you’re dedicating 8-10 hours of your week to each episode you’re probably giving your show the attention it requires.
I know. That’s a lot.
This time can include a bunch of things that vary depending on how involved your podcast is but it’s important to know (before you get started) that putting a show together is about more than just pressing record.
Preparing and planning your show
If you’re doing this right it can take up a huge amount of time.
But it’s essential because the more prepared you are before you press record the quicker and easier your record will be.
Preparation can involve booking guests (wrangling other people’s calendars takes a frightening amount of time), planning the rollout of your episodes, researching your topic, putting together interview questions, designing your show rundown so you know what you want to cover in each show, the list goes on.
What’s involved in this step will vary from podcast to podcast but it’s certainly not going to take five minutes.
Recording
Being as prepared as possible will help this part of the process run smoother and that includes making sure you’ve tested your equipment and ironed out any potential technical kinks.
The work you put in during your preparation stage is going to come in handy here too because if you don’t have a clear idea of where your episode is going it’s easy for record times to blow out.
You might think it’s fine to have an hour and a half worth of tape for a 20-minute episode but when it comes time to edit, you’ll be wishing you’d been more disciplined at this stage.
Editing
Editing takes a long time to get good at and just like anything, the more experience you have, the quicker you’ll smash it out.
But even with years of experience, editing takes much longer than you’d expect and will depend on a number of factors…
The length of your podcast
Generally, the longer your show, the more time it takes to edit because you’ve got more audio to get through.
If you’re editing your show properly it’s probably going to take you anywhere from 4 – 5 times the length of your recorded audio, which means it could be 5 hours out of your week.
That number surprises most people so it’s a good idea to practice before you get started so you know how much time it’s going to take you and factor that in.
It’s also a good reason to make sure your records are as close to the length of time you want your episode to be as possible (you don’t want to be trying to edit 2 hours of a record down to a 30 minute episode).
Technically, the shorter the length of your recording, the less time you’ll need to have your head stuck in audio editing software but it’s still a long process (if you’re doing it right).
How many people are on your podcast
The more people on your show the more complex the edit, so be mindful of this when you’re thinking about the kind of show you want to put together.
When you’re only editing one voice it still takes time but you don’t have to tackle things like overtalk or work out how to cut out random tangents while still ensuring the flow of the content still makes sense.
You also have much more control over your record and can do things that will make your edit easier like re-recording anything that doesn’t work in the moment without ruining the flow of conversation (because it’s just you talking to yourself).
Things get a lot more complicated with more voices so that’s something to keep in mind.
Your penchant for “bells and whistles”
Are you adding complex intros and outros? Is your show broken up into segments that require audio to be placed in between? Are you using sound effects, callers or complicated audio imagery?
All these additional elements add time to your edit so be mindful of how fancy you can get with the time you’ve got available.
Promoting your show
Sharing your show on social media is an important part of the process if you want to grow your audience. But the more creative you get the more time it’s going to take.
Are you planning to create images that feature pull quotes of your interviews? Do you want to use Soundcloud or Wavve to feature snippets of your episodes? Are you going to have elaborate show notes pages that you’ve optimised for search?
Making all this takes time and that’s before you’ve scheduled a single thing to your social media platforms.
Pick the promotional strategies that are right for you and try to streamline them as much as possible.
And remember, you can always start simply and change things up as you go along.
Engaging with your fans on social media
If you’re looking to build an online community around your show, engaging with your audience can take a huge amount of time and effort.
Because of this, it’s important to work out what social media platforms are essential (choose the ones your audience are most likely to be on) and focus on those rather than trying to be everywhere.
Practice so you know what you’re in for
Once you know what’s involved in your show practice putting everything together to get a realistic idea of how much time you’ll need to put aside each week.
The more you understand the realities BEFORE you get started, the more chance you’ve got of your show being a success.
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
Thank you do much Rachel for sharing your vast knowledge of Radio and Podcasting experience. Every time I listen to you I learn something that will make my Podcast better. This week I was in your group and learned 2 key things that made my Podcast better. 1. Talk to one person and 2. Editing. putting out the best product through editing. Thank you once again Rachel.
Thanks Armando!