How long does it take to create a podcast episode? | Rachel Corbett (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to produce a podcast episode? ›

As a general rule, after personally overseeing the production of over 50 podcasts, I'd say a good average edit time for a 30-40 minute podcast is about 4-5 hours. That's a number that 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.

Thorough Podcast Editing & Production

Later on, this long interview will need a full listen-through, which can take double its time. As a ballpark, a one-hour recording will need two hours of editing.

It can take five to six months (or even longer) to increase podcast downloads. There's no shortcut to fame. It takes time and persistence. In fact, your numbers may go up and down for each episode, but if you keep publishing great content, they will trend upward over time.

Some companies offer various numbers of episodes a month, directly influencing the cost per month. Some companies may offer their highest tier of podcast production for as little as 3k a month, but some may be as high as 6k. However, many premium services offer a combination of: Episode production.

Summary: Podcast Episode Length

But the general theory of podcast episode lengths is simple. If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 1 hour, then it's too long. If If you have 40 minutes of good, on-topic content, and your episode lasts 20 minutes, then it's too short.

You may want to produce a podcast for everyone, but shows with mass appeal are extremely hard to grow. In fact, if you look at some of the popular podcasts that appeal to everyone, you'll notice that the hosts or producers already had a big audience before starting their shows.

No, it can't be too short. There is no definitive time which a podcast has to reach. Shorter podcasts leave you less time to deliver information, engage and entertain, but can work well if you have a lot of useful tips to share.

For that reason, editing audio is one of the most critical processes in podcasting. It's also one of the most challenging. Luckily, with some podcast editing tips, you can make your life a lot easier and create great audio.

One more question: how long should your first episode be? Regardless of how long your regular episodes are, your intro episode doesn't need to be that long. I usually recommend keeping it to 15-20 minutes at max, but it could be even shorter. (Even a 5-10 minute intro episode is perfect!)

5,000 listeners per episode almost guarantees a successful monetization. This is where a lot of interesting things start happening. Having more than 5,000 listeners per episode makes a podcast over 29 times more likely to be monetized successfully.

How do I get 1000 listeners for my podcast? ›

Use actionable language that accurately reflects the content of your episode, and be sure to include relevant keywords that will help your podcast rank in search engines. Keep your episodes updated regularly, and promote new ones across your social media channels and website to help drive traffic and build an audience.

Publish 3 to 5 episodes when you first launch.

From our research, the very minimum number of episodes to have at launch is three. In general, the more the merrier. We had seven interviews complete before we launched our podcast, with three episodes planned for launch day and two apiece for the following two weeks.

We hear the question “How much money can podcasters make” all the time. As you can see, there's a big range. While most podcasters make very little in the beginning, podcast and can be a lucrative career if you stick with it, engage your audience, and consistently create quality content.

Because podcasts are a more intimate medium, they can be a powerful way to sell your product or service. If you don't have a specific product or service you'd like to sell, you may eventually be able to monetize your podcast by playing sponsored advertisem*nts and earn money that way. You want to build your network.

Podcasts can be a highly effective revenue stream, but how much podcasters make varies widely across the industry. While many successful podcasters make thousands or even millions of dollars, smaller-scale creators might only earn a few hundred.

There is a 50 percent chance that your podcast is going to podfade. With more than half a million podcasts churned out yearly, only 20 percent survives, the question of why podcasts fail deserves answers.

Longform. Ad load doesn't change dramatically for 60-minute podcasts. Four seems to be the minimum number of ad breaks that many networks will include, while the maximum stretches closer to eight.

The length of your podcast also depends on your subject, industry or genre. It could be that around 15-20 minutes perfect for your listeners. But maybe your specific audience wants more in-depth, exploratory information; in which case, 45-90 minutes would provide more value.

Getting Started. One of the most difficult common challenges podcasters face is getting started. The distance between your initial inspired idea and recording your first episode seems too far and too long to travel. You may be overwhelmed by the many steps involved in making your podcast a success.

Tracking the duration of a listen is the most accurate way to find out how many people finish an episode. The average completion rate is 60%. It means that if you have 100 listeners, only 60 of them will finish the episode. The number can be lower for some shows and higher for others.

What percent of podcasts make money? ›

Just keep in mind, that 0.002% of all 750,000 podcasts that are out there are making any decent money on Patreon.

The average podcast lifespan of 174 days is based on shows that were indexable in November 2018.

Monthly. If you're considering releasing a podcast with episodes averaging 60-90 minutes in length, then you should consider releasing podcast episodes on a monthly basis. Monthly episodes often have several hosts, featured guests, and dive deep into hot topics and deeply reported stories.

Because how long a podcast is depends on numerous factors (format, niche, overall information delivery, etc.). Some top performing podcasts range from just a few minutes to a couple of hours and more.

A Podcast Editor in your area makes on average $29 per hour, or $3.34 (13%) more than the national average hourly salary of $25.83. ranks number 1 out of 50 states nationwide for Podcast Editor salaries.

Another element to consider is that although the podcasting market does look oversaturated in just about every category, most podcasts flame out quickly.

There is no correct answer, but most podcasters release between six and thirteen episodes per season. This gives you enough content to keep listeners engaged without overwhelming them or burning out your creative ideas.

What time should I release my podcast? When it comes to a specific time to publish a new podcast episode, early mornings (and we mean early) are the most effective. Posting between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM increases the chances your podcast will be the first shown in your listener's daily feed on their app of choice.

Potential audience sizes are totally dependent on show topics. There's no single podcast download numbers gauge here. However, statistically, if you get over 30 downloads for a new episode in the first week of its release, you're in the top 50% of all podcasters.

How many times a week should you post a podcast? ›

Now, ideally, for a very generalized audience speaking in very broad general terms here, once a week is a good release schedule. just about anybody can find time to listen to one podcast episode per week. And it keeps you in their mind fresh every week.

Holding your audience's attention is essential to a successful podcast episode. Most listeners are multitasking while tuning into a podcast, so their attention span is much less. Because of this, it's necessary to keep things concise and entertaining.

How many downloads do I need to start monetizing my podcast? There's no hard rule here. Generally gathering 400-500 downloads per episode is a great time to starting monetizing a podcast but this is a guideline.

Checking a podcast's social media accounts can tell you something about their listenership figures and how engaged their listeners are. Usually you can go to the podcast's official website (listed in most podcast listening apps) to find links to their social accounts. Check out their Instagram feed or TikTok account.

However, for most hosts, the best day to release podcast episodes is during weekdays or workdays. This is because people commute to work during these days. Megaphone pinpoints that the day that garners the most downloads is Tuesday. Wednesday is the second most popular publishing time slot alongside Thursday.

There is a significant correlation between podcasting success and the number of published episodes. 74% of higher-income podcasters have published more than 100 episodes. Out of lower-income podcasters, only 10% have published over 100 episodes.

Respect Your Listeners' Time

A significant podcast best practice is to consider how long your episodes are. While the average podcast episode length is around 42 minutes, the time spent listening to podcasts is only 22 minutes (and that's for those listeners who commit beyond the first five minutes). Be organized.

According to Charlamagne Tha God, the podcaster personalities who have the most lucrative operation are Million Dollaz Worth of Game hosts Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267, a claim he shared during a recent appearance on their show.

It has also launched Premium sponsorships, selling host-read credits on podcasters' behalf. Professional podcasters on Spotify make $10,000 to $15,000 per month from affiliate sales, course sales, ads and Patreon support. Iconic podcasters like Joe Rogan is making $100,000 per podcast.

The most common revenue stream is through sponsorships. Here, sponsors pay to advertise their company to a podcaster's audience. It's a win-win for both parties: the sponsor increases brand awareness, and the podcaster gets a regular income.

Do podcasters pay their guests? ›

Typically, podcasts do not pay their guests. Their “Payment” comes from exposure to the audience as well as highlights to their services, e-books, products, etc. Even if a podcast is small now, there is an assumption by host and guests that the show will grow, and the exposure will increase.

So is it even possible for new podcasts to make money? The answer is yes. By setting up a few automated revenue streams, new podcasters can accrue passive income that grows alongside their audience, giving them time back to focus on podcasting.

However, to ensure that your podcast is legally compliant, you'll need to access music licenses for the music used in any podcast episode. Music licensing allows creators to use copyrighted songs without facing legal repercussions. This ensures that all intellectual property rights are respected and royalties paid.

You can absolutely start a podcast with no audience! While you might think you need a big following or established audience to start a podcast, the truth is a podcast is a brilliant tool to grow your audience from nothing. You can start a podcast even if you have an audience of zero.

Podcasters charge for ads based on the number of people who have listened to the episode. This is known as cost per thousand impressions or CPM, which can range from $20 CPM to $100 CPM usually calculated at a dollar per 1,000 listeners.

It can take 'up to 5 business days' for Apple to process the submission, in our experience. If a few days have passed and your podcast still is not active in Apple Podcasts Connect, then you should contact Apple. We have observed significant delays in Apple's processing of podcasts—as long as 10 days.

The length of your podcast also depends on your subject, industry or genre. It could be that around 15-20 minutes perfect for your listeners. But maybe your specific audience wants more in-depth, exploratory information; in which case, 45-90 minutes would provide more value.

Time Spent Editing

On average, a podcast episode is about 60 minutes. For a 60-minute recording, cleanup and mixing usually takes around 90 minutes, the actual editing takes about 60 minutes, and finalizing the MP3 file takes about 30 minutes.

With Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, you receive 70% of the subscription price at each billing cycle, minus applicable taxes. After a subscriber accumulates one year of paid service, your net revenue increases to 85% of the subscription price, minus applicable taxes.

How many downloads does the average podcast episode get? ›

Podcast industry statistics show that an episode with 9,000 downloads across multiple streaming platforms earns a place in the top 5% of podcasts. To make it into the top 10% of podcasts, an episode should gain approximately 3,400 downloads. The average podcast, however, earns 141 downloads in the first month.

5,000 listeners per episode almost guarantees a successful monetization. This is where a lot of interesting things start happening. Having more than 5,000 listeners per episode makes a podcast over 29 times more likely to be monetized successfully.

There is a significant correlation between podcasting success and the number of published episodes. 74% of higher-income podcasters have published more than 100 episodes. Out of lower-income podcasters, only 10% have published over 100 episodes.

For that reason, editing audio is one of the most critical processes in podcasting. It's also one of the most challenging. Luckily, with some podcast editing tips, you can make your life a lot easier and create great audio. If you've ever wondered how to edit a podcast, you're in the right place.

Note that freelance podcast editing rates vary mostly depending on location, experience, and expertise. In our experience, new freelancers will probably charge from $1 to $20 per audio hour. Mid-level freelancers usually bill their clients around $30 to $50 per audio hour.

Expect to pay between $30 and $50 per hour of audio. Top Sellers: These are the most experienced podcast editors on a given platform. They have a track-record of satisfied clients, so be prepared to spend a bit more. Prices generally fall between $50 and $200 per hour of audio.