Imagine you recorded 60 minutes of audio and have everything ready to put your show together.
Assuming industry averages – and that you already have a computer – what are the costs of doing the post-production of your own podcast?
Audacity: $0
Audacity is a multi-platform recording & editing program that has been around for more than two decades. It is the most popular free DAW among independent podcast editors.
Audacity will do most of what you want an editing program to do – and even some basic audio engineering processes.
There are other free programs, many that are better, but I believe Audacity has the smallest learning curve.
Download Audacity: www.audacityteam.org/download
iZotope RX Standard: $399
This is a one-time purchase of a program some have considered sorcery!
Some of the best, magical features are:
- Breath Control
- Mouth De-Click
- De-reverb
- De-ess
- De-plosive
- Voice De-noise
- EQ
My audio quality went from a B- to an A after learning how to use RX.
Purchase iZotope RX: https://www.izotope.com/en/products/rx.html
Time: $90 per episode (or $360 per month)
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage in March 2025 was between $22.53 for Leisure & Hospitality and $51.40 for those in the Information sector.
For this example, we will assume an average hourly wage of $30 per hour (which is $62,400 annually for a full-time salaried employee).
The average time it takes a podcaster to edit 60-minutes of audio is 3 hours. (Many claimed it was 4-7 hours, especially when first learning how to edit, but we’ll stick with 3 for this example.)
Instead of editing your podcast, you could be making money – so the Opportunity Cost is $90 ($30 per hour for 3 hours) – or $360 a month.
Note: Those 3 hours a week (12 hours a month), could be used to market your show, take care of errands, spend time with family, sleep – or any number of things that can improve your quality of life more than editing a podcast. The Opportunity Cost is real – even if you can’t put a dollar amount on it!
The Cost of Editing Yourself
You've committed to completing almost 3 months worth of weekly releases. What is the total cost to you (assuming no other resources)?
- Editing program Audacity: $0
- Audio repair software: $399
- Opportunity Cost x12: $1,080
Total cost to edit yourself: $1,479
Cost of hiring a Podcast Editor
A 2024 survey of indie podcast editors found the *average price charged to fully produce a 60-minute recording and have it ready to upload to your podcast media host was $199.
One could assume the estimated cost for you to edit the first 12 episodes yourself would be $2,388.
So the question you need to answer:
Is it worth it to spend $909 more to get essentially 36 hours of your life back?
We can look at it another way: $909 / 36 = $25.25 an episode
Spend $1,479 to do all the work yourself, or an extra $25.25 an episode to outsource it to a qualified contractor.
Which one will it be?
What about the next 12 episodes?
My example above isn’t perfect. We didn’t include the cost of your time to find an editor and begin providing them the materials to begin working together.
We also didn't accurately estimate how long it would take you to learn how to use Audacity or RX – or whatever software you use. So let's call it even 🙂
If you edit your podcast yourself then you don’t have to spend any more money on software.
You already have the software. All that is left is the Opportunity Cost remains $75 an episode, or $1,080 for 12 episodes.
Outsourcing to your Podcast Editor will still cost you $2,388 for the next 12 episodes.
That is a HUGE investment, but one that busy people are glad to pay.
…and don't forget that an editor will probably do a better job too 😁
Your Extra 3 Hours a Week
It takes A LOT of time and effort to make a podcast successful. The time it takes to properly edit the recording is almost as much as it takes to record the episode.
Instead of editing a podcast, spend your extra 3 hours doing other things to make your podcast successful, like:
- Finding and booking great guests
- Promoting/marketing your show to more people
- Interacting with listeners via social media, email, or Clubhouse 🤳🏻
- Creating products or services that your audience wants from you
- Guesting on other podcasts
What can you do to with 3 hours a week to grow your audience?
How to Find a Podcast Editor
Instead of posting in a Facebook group and getting dozens of DMs and questions/comments from people you don’t know anything about, my process will help you quickly sift through those who are serious and best qualified to work on your show.
Step 1: Use my free template
The following process will help you create an online application:
Step 1: Log into your *gmail account, then CLICK HERE to copy the template form
Step 2: Change any or all of the questions to fit your needs. What do you want to know from the applicant?
Step 3: Grab the link of your Google form and send the link to me: steve@stevestewart.me
*Don't want to use a gmail account? Feel free to create any kind of online application (TypeForm, JotForm, etc) and send me the link.
Step 2: Contact the best fit
Wait 24-48 hours, then contact the best people to see if they are a fit.
Did I mention this process is a free service I offer to any podcaster looking for an editor?
You are in control.
I hope this process helps you find a great team member, create a better product, and get some of your life back!
Happy podcasting!
