Podcast Editing Workflows: Perspectives From Other Podcast Hosts
What is the time commitment to producing podcast media? There is a difference between launching a podcast and running one. Maintaining consistency is a product of the podcast editing workflow you have in place. Is it repeatable? Do you know how much time it will take?
I’ve been podcasting since 2019 when I co-hosted Hinge Marketing’s Visible Expert podcast with Kelly Waffle. Since then, I’ve hosted AND produced hundreds of podcast episodes. Today, I host two podcasts: Breaking BizDev and Podcasting in Professional Services. In this article, I share my own podcast editing workflow, as well as perspectives from other business podcasters about what happens behind the scenes of their shows.
Podcast Editing Workflow Example
I’ve gone through many different iterations of my own podcast editing workflow. Today, I run a one-person business, so I need to create content efficiently for my podcast. Recently, I’ve designed a workflow that fits my needs and target audience, illustrated below.
Sample podcast editing workflow John Tyreman uses for his podcast.
Here is a brief overview of how each kind of content asset is produced within this podcast editing workflow:
Video Content
Interviews are recorded on Riverside. I will arrange the video feeds to fit the frame, typically in a 16:9 format, and export the full-length raw MP4 file. Then, I upload to Descript—such a wonderful tool, as you can see by its place at the center of my workflow. In Descript, I will use the transcript editor to take out dead air, filler words and unnecessary sections. I add an intro scene to orient the viewers at the start of the video, along with subtle, chill background music to set the vibe.
Within the long-form video asset in Descript, I’m able to create shorter clips to share on social media platforms like LinkedIn and X. These clips are pulled from Descript and stored in Google Drive. I use a Monday.com board to manage my social calendar to keep track of different channels, like my LinkedIn showcase page.
Audio Content
I used to export raw audio from Riverside and load it directly in Garageband. Now, I take more of a video-first approach to my podcast editing workflow to get more output for the time I spend producing content. Once the full video is edited in Descript, I will export a WAV file, upload it into Garageband, where I will record an intro segment and add my intro/outro sequences.
Once the final episode is produced, I export a MP3 file to upload to Wysper to get a jump start on the episode description. I’ll also export a WAV file for upload to Buzzsprout, which will push the podcast audio to platforms like Apple and Spotify.
Text-Based Content
I turn each episode of Podcasting in Professional Services into a blog post with the help of Wysper (for an AI blog draft) and Descript (for quotes from the transcript). Compared to starting from scratch, this approach takes about half the time to produce a 1,000-word article. Within these blog posts, I will embed an audio player in case users want to listen to the full episode, as well as embed the YouTube video in case folks want to watch.
Podcast Editing Workflow Examples in Professional Services
The workflow I described above was influenced heavily by perspectives shared by guests on my show. Below are some short video clips isolating their perspective on podcast editing workflows.
The Business of Architecture: A Mature Podcast Editing Workflow
Recently, Rion Willard shared a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most popular podcasts in all of professional services. In the video below, Rion shares how he manages guests, prep work, and production of The Business of Architecture podcast. My biggest takeaway is the team that supports the show, and how effortless it has become to produce a weekly show consistently for nearly 10 years. Read, watch, or listen to the full interview.
Unbillable Hours: Minimum Viable Podcast Editing Workflows
Now that we’ve seen what a high-production operation looks like, let’s take a look at what a scrappy, low-budget podcast might look like. Florian Heinrichs, co-host of the unbillable hours podcast, joined the show as a guest. I asked Florian about his podcast editing workflow. He said, “You can make it a super, duper, over-produced thing of beauty, or you can run it like we do with unbillable hours which is just take note of the questions and discussions you have in your day-to-day and turn that into a show.” He elaborates on his process in the video clip below. Read, watch, or listen to the full conversation.
Architecting: Tips for Monologue Podcast Editing Workflows
Perhaps your podcast has monologue episodes, otherwise known as “solo-casts.” How does that impact a business podcast editing workflow? Angela Mazzi, host of the Architecting podcast with over 200+ episodes, shared some words of wisdom. About 20% of her episodes are interviews, which means most of her content is just her behind a microphone. In this video clip, Angela explains why you never press ‘stop’ when you’re recording a monologue. Read, watch, or listen to my full conversation with Angela.
Podcast Distribution Workflow Examples in Professional Services
Publishing an episode is not the finish line, it’s only just the beginning. Just like any piece of content, you need to promote it to the right audience. But how? What are other podcasters doing to distribute their content?
Amplify: Creating Content Flywheels Around Seasons
Katie Tolin is a rotating host on Amplify, a podcast by the Association for Accounting Marketing. Katie’s focus within the association is to provide content to help other accounting marketers, and the podcast is a main source of that content. After seven years of running the Amplify podcast, Katie sees the potential for repurposing podcast content. The audio is valuable, but with transcription software, there can be many different ways to repurpose podcast content.
“There's a boatload of content,” said Katie. “Not every member listens. Not everyone in the accounting industry listens. How do we get this out to more people in a format? We're actually talking as an association on how do we turn this into something else, a checklist, a guide, an ebook or whatever, now that we have all this great content to get it in the hands of other people. And I think that's what's incredibly great about the podcast.” Read, watch, or listen to my full conversation with Katie.
Create Like the Greats: Deriving Signals from Podcast Data to Direct Content Investments
I’m a big fan of Ross Simmonds. Naturally, I was excited to have a great conversation with him about his podcast, Create Like the Greats, and how he lives his mantra, “Create once, distribute forever.” In the clip below, I asked Ross about his distribution workflow—everything that happens after a podcast episode is published. My big takeaway was how he uses signals from podcast audio data to influence further investments into a particular topic, theme, or idea. Read, listen, or watch more from my conversation with Ross.
How will you improve your podcast editing workflow?
Podcasts evolve. So can your workflows. Hopefully this article gave you inspiration and exposure to other podcast editing workflows so yours can evolve, too. If you found this article valuable, you might like these other resources, too:
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