The Audacity to Podcast
The Audacity to Podcast
Daniel J. Lewis
How much time does it take to podcast?
51 minutes Posted Sep 1, 2014 at 6:12 pm.
work ratio
ratio—four minutes of work for every one minute of content. The means a well-presented one-hour episode could take five hours in total (four hours of preparation or post-production, one hour of presenting).
ratio—eight minutes of work for every one minute of content. So a well-produced fifteen-minute video, without getting fancy, could take an additional two hours to prepare and produce.
Monday mornings, I stop whatever I'm doing and switch to working on The Audacity to Podcast.
pm, I present and record live.
, I finish recording and copy the audio files to my computer.
, I work on finalizing my show notes with relevant tags, search-engine optimization (SEO), links, and images (especially a featured image).
, I either move on to engaging in podcasting social-media communities, or I write or finish my email to my exclusive email list for podcasters. I use MailChimp for my email list and schedule the message to send the following day at 11:00 am.
or 6:00, John finishes editing the episode. I give it a quick glance to ensure the opening, closing, and problem areas were handled appropriately.
 pm, I sit at the TV with my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard and start chatting with others watching at the same time in our chat room.
, and I start noting major discussion points into WorkFlowy on my iPad.
, and I sent out another message to encourage live viewers of our podcast.
, we go live and share our initial, incomplete thoughts on what we just saw.
and I pass the recordings to John Bukenas for his quick editing.
, the show notes are complete (or I may have to add some links or photo), and I have the completed, tagged, and uploaded episode.
pm, I rewatch the episode while I list and arrange the scenes in the most logical discussion order, I take notes on what I want to discuss, I sort the feedback, and I capture and edit sound clips.
.
, my cohost and I rewatch the episode (my third or fourth time) and take additional notes.
, we connect with our cohost(s) and go live while one of my assistants takes the show notes.
, we finish recording and I share the files with John. My cohosts record their sides, too, so they share the recordings with John, too.
, my cohost, Jeremy, comes over for dinner, which helps break the ice and get us in the mood for comedy.
and finish by 7:00.
0:00
51:33
Download MP3
Show notes
Happy Labor Day! In celebration of this USA holiday, I'll share how much you should expect podcasting to take, how to speed up your workflow, and how I work with my podcasts.
Audio podcasting is a
Audio podcasting is easier than video on multiple levels.
Audio equipment costs less.
It's easy to get high quality for a low price.
Audio is easier and cheaper to edit.
Audio costs less to host and distribute.
Audio is more consumable.
Audio-editing is more seamless.
Despite being easier, audio podcasting does still take time. The average goal is about a
Video podcasting is an 8+:1 work ratio
Video is a much bigger beast than audio in podcasting.
Video equipment costs more (you need good audio and video gear).
It's harder to get high quality for a low price.
Effective video editing often requires more expensive software.
Video costs more to host and distribute (especially if you publish in HD).
Video is less consumable.
Video-editing takes a lot of work and extra footage to look seamless.
Video has more layers that could require editing (lower thirds, transitions, B-roll footage, etc.).
Because of this, it can take a lot longer to edit a video. At least an
How to complicate your podcasting work
The more perfectionist you are, the more work the content will take. For example, scripting your podcast could double your time, due to editing your script, trying to perform it exactly, and then editing out any mistakes.
Try to be perfect.
Don't plan ahead.
Edit out every mistake.
Edit in sound clips.
Do everything yourself.
How to simplify your podcasting work
Plan and prepare. Know what you're going to say and how you'll transition between points. Have everything you'll need ready. Get my checklist of 20 things you should do before every episode.
Look for patterns you can create and then automate them. Make templates, follow regular outlines, or use tools to handle the mundane tasks for you.
Use equipment to simplify your workflow. Use a mixer to live-mix your sounds. Add a compressor/limiter/gate to handle audio processing. Keep everything setup in your space. Use multiple cameras instead of re-recording. Use quality microphones to reduce the need for post-processing.
Don't try to be perfect. Edit out only the major distractions, let the rest of your presentation be authentic. If that's not good enough, then improve your presentation.
Delegate some things. Get some help! This can be paid or volunteer. It can also mean getting content ideas from your community instead of inventing them yourself.
How I work
Because September 30 is National Podcast Day, I'll spend some time in each episode to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how I podcast. Each podcast I host has a different workflow and different time requirements.
The Audacity to Podcast
Every day, I collect and sometimes develop ideas in Evernote.
I decide on my topic and then outline what I want to share.
I send or schedule messages for my social networks (with Buffer) to announce the topic and encourage an audience to listen live.
In WordPress, I start a draft post from a Simple Content Template and start writing my notes.
While I write, I add necessary hyperlinks and formatting (quickly with Markdown), plus collect any information I need from research.
I arrange my notes and outline in the most logical flow.
I re-read my notes and add additional thoughts or resources.
At
While I present, I hit the Record button on my Zoom H4n to place a marker on spots I want to be edited.
By about
I use Adobe Audition to convert the two stereo recordings (voice + soundtrack from my Zoom H4n) into two mono recordings while maintaining my H4n's markers.
I place the recordings in a new episode folder on Dropbox to share with my audio-editor, John Bukenas.
By about
Around 
4:00, I either move on to engaging in podcasting social-media communities, or I write or finish my email to my exclusive email list for podcasters. I use MailChimp for my email list and schedule the message to send the following day at 11:00 am.
Around
I export an MP3 from Adobe Audition then use ID3 Editor to add the ID3 tags.
I upload the MP3 to LibSyn, link it in my show notes on WordPress and click publish.
Lastly, I share the post to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Sometimes, I'll also share it with specific individuals or podcasting communities.
The next few podcast examples will be more simplified, now that you know the details.
ONCE – Once Upon a Time podcast
Assuming it's during the TV season, this is how the week's workflow goes.
Sunday morning and afternoon, I schedule several social message with Buffer to tease for the upcoming One Upon a Time episode, our live chat, and the live “initial reactions” podcast episode.
At
The show starts at
8:00, and I start noting major discussion points into WorkFlowy on my iPad.
The show finishes at
At
While we're recording, I have a virtual assistant (Jhack) writing show notes on what we say, and directly entering them into a WordPress draft post.
We finish by about
By about
I publish the podcast episode and share it on social networks.
Monday morning, I download the episode from iTunes and use M4VGear to convert the video into a format I can use for screenshots and sound clips.
In the following days, volunteers collect interesting forum posts, sort the feedback, and place in our WorkFlowy document for the next podcast episode.
Wednesday, at
I'm finish with ONCE preparations by about
At
At
At about
John edits the everything either late at night or early the next day.
Before noon on Thursday, I look over the show notes and the podcast editing before I export, tag, upload, and publish.
Then I share the episode on social networks.
the Ramen Noodle – clean comedy podcast
This is the simplest show to prepare for, but I can always see that less preparation means less actually funny content in the episode.
Throughout the week, I collect or note funny things, stories, stuff I find, and feedback.
On Wednesday, after I prepare for ONCE, I prepare for the Ramen Noodle and usually have about 30 to 60 minutes to do this. I draft these things in WordPress on my template.
At
We go live at
I try to immediately share the files with John so I can move on to rewatching Once Upon a Time.
The next morning, I look over John's edits, finish my show notes, and publish the episode.
I share the episode to my social accounts and then move on to publishing ONCE.
Announcements
Download my FREE checklist on “20 things you should do before every podcast episode.”
After you get my checklist, you'll be on my email list where I'm currently sharing exclusive tips about SEO for podcasters.
Stay on the list to continue receiving podcasting tips and first access to my upcoming resources.
Thank you for the iTunes reviews!
Lisa Cummings from 100k Career Q&A podcast.
Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast. If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, would you please write your own review on iTunes or Stitcher?
Check out My Podcast Reviews to get your own podcast reviews automatically emailed to you and learn how to grow your audience with reviews!
Need personalized podcasting help?
I no longer offer one-on-one consulting outside of Podcasters' Society, but
request a consultant here and I'll connect you with someone I trust
to help you launch or improve your podcast.
Ask your questions or share your feedback
Comment on the shownotes
Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221
Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com (audio files welcome)
Connect with me
Subscribe to The Audacity to Podcast on Apple Podcasts or
on Android.
Join the Facebook Page and watch live podcasting Q&A on Mondays at 2pm (ET)
Subscribe on YouTube for video reviews, Q&A, and more
Follow @theDanielJLewis
Disclosure
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.