With a low barrier of entry, it’s easy to start a podcast and record episodes using a smartphone, but in the likely event that you’re podcasting for a professional purpose, the last thing you want is to do it on the cheap. The finished product could reflect poorly on you and your brand. So, what will your costs be to do a podcast properly?
The good news is that you can create a great-sounding podcast even on a modest budget. Podcast expenses will be comprised of both initial one-time costs and ongoing costs. Upfront launch costs include purchasing equipment, creating an intro and artwork, setting up a website, and professional assistance. Ongoing costs are editing, show notes writing, uploading the episodes, and creating clips for social media promotion.
The 4 main steps of completing a podcast episode are:
- Recording
- Editing
- Show Notes Writing & Marketing
- Uploading
While it can be tempting to do everything yourself, outsourcing is often the best solution. In this article, we’ll take a look at the various podcasting tasks and how to budget for them from both a time and monetary perspective.
Recording
This is one aspect of podcasting that really cannot be outsourced.
If your podcast consists of guest interviews, you’ll need to spend time finding, scheduling, and prepping guests to appear on your podcast. Should you have the luxury of a VA or podcast producer, it’s possible they can help you out with some of these tasks. But you’ll be the one sitting down and conducting the interviews.
After your initial recording equipment investment, main ongoing costs here would be a recording platform such as Squadcast.fm to capture great-sounding audio.
Editing
Editing costs depend on a number of factors such as episode length, type of service you require, and your editor’s pricing. Expect to pay $40 – $100+ per episode. This may sound expensive, but if you’re considering tackling this task on your own, don’t forget to think about the opportunity cost. Your time is most likely better spent doing something else. You can read more here about outsourcing podcast tasks.
Show Notes Writing & Marketing
So you’ve been lining up guests and creating great episodes, but it doesn’t stop there!
Proper show notes are an important aspect of your podcast as well. They serve as a resource for listeners, but perhaps more importantly, they help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This allows your podcast’s website to be discovered by people searching for topics online. Without show notes, your podcast site will be invisible to search engines like Google.
If you’re comfortable writing blog posts, then this task should be a breeze. It’s easy to find help as well, or if you already have a virtual assistant then it may be something they can tackle. Pricing can vary, but generally this service can be found for a reasonable cost from about $30 and up.
On top of the actual writing of show notes is social media marketing. This could include posting your content to social pages, tagging guests, or making videograms. You may have someone already handling social media which is perfect. Otherwise you or somebody else will need to handle role.
Uploading
The final step in your podcast episode’s journey is uploading. This is where you load the MP3 audio file and show notes onto your podcast host and/or website. Then, it’s released to the world.
Your podcast host will cost $10-$20 per month, and then the act of uploading can be done by you or hired out. If you’re any bit comfortable with WordPress or Squarespace, then uploading a podcast to your host should be quite simple.
Some people like to outsource the entire podcast process after recording. They simply hand off the episode to a production company or editor who will do the editing, show notes, and then upload. That’s podcasting on autopilot!
Thinking About Podcast Costs and Budgeting
There are many considerations when budgeting for your ongoing podcast costs. The most important part is being aware of the tasks that need to be handled, and then deciding what you’d like to outsource and what you’d like to handle on your own.
Remember that time is valuable. So, while it may be tempting to try and do everything yourself, it’s likely not the best use of your time.
Need help consistently producing your health-focused podcast and saving time? Book your Podcast Vitality Call now!
