DIY Podcast Production vs Podcast Production Services: How To Decide

So you’ve searched online for whether it’s better to do create your podcast independently or to hire a podcast production agency and you’re not getting clear answers.

Well you’ve come to the right place as this article will clear this dilemma up for you and guide your decision!

DIY Podcast Production vs Podcast Production Services 

Let's start with defining what it means to take a “DIY” approach to building your podcast from scratch and what it means to hire a podcast production company. 

Do It Yourself (DIY) Podcast Production 

As the name implies, DIY podcast production is when you are solely in charge of the scripting, recording, and editing of your podcast. You are responsible for carrying out the necessary research, reaching out to guests, and publishing your podcast. While this method gives you full creative control over your podcast production and saves you money, it tends to take a lot of your time. 

Podcast Production Services

This is when you outsource a part of or the entire production of your podcast to an agency or company. There are two main categories of podcast production services:

Full-Service Podcast Production 

A full-service podcast production company will do everything from A-Z. They will research the most relevant topics to discuss, write the podcast script, reach out to the most relevant people to be a guest on your podcast, edit, and publish the podcast for you. With these guys, you only provide the concept and show up for the recording. 

Podcast Production Company

This is a more standard podcast production service that handles a particular aspect of your podcast production and not all of it. They mostly help out with either the recording or the editing of the podcast and leave the rest to you. With them, you are still responsible for some aspects of production like scripting and distribution. 

Now that you have a brief understanding of DIY podcast production and podcast production services, let's take a deeper dive into each of them. 

What DIY Podcast Production Entails

As discussed earlier, DIY podcast production means that you are completely in control of what happens during the production of your podcast. While it grants total creative control, it requires commitment from you to learn the ins and outs of podcast production. 

Equipment and Software Requirements

To put out a valuable podcast yourself, you'll need the right tools. Items like a good-quality microphone (or microphones if you have guests), an audio interface (to hook up your mic to your computer) and headphones to monitor the sound quality are essential. Also, you'll need software like Audacity [https://www.audacityteam.org/], GarageBand [https://www.apple.com/ios/garageband/], or Adobe Audition [https://www.adobe.com/products/audition/free-trial-download.html] for editing your audio. Tools like pop filters and soundproofing materials will also help enhance the final quality of your podcast. 

This video is a great starting point for which tools to use! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfWN7swEhbM]

Considerations of DIY Podcast Production

Learning Curve and Time Commitment

Producing your podcast has a bit of a learning curve to it. It takes time and effort to develop the necessary skills in sound editing and post-production to put out good-performing and sounding podcasts. Also note that at the very beginning, running to Google for best practices (you’re already at the right place), recording techniques, and how to troubleshoot technical problems, is expected. 

Time-Consuming

When producing a podcast, it takes about an hour to record each episode and between 3-4 hours to edit the audio and create other necessary materials like the podcast show notes and social media promotional content. 

According to Story Ninety-Four [https://www.storyninetyfour.com/blog/diy-podcast-vs-hiring-a-podcast-production-company] you should expect to spend 4+ hours for each episode and if you write your transcript by hand, add another 2 hours. On top of that, another couple of hours for blog posts, newsletter etc.

Luckily there’s software out there that can transcribe your audio, generate your show notes and more, automatically using AI technology. You can try SpeedyPod [https://speedypod.com] for free which will save you hours by automatically making all of the post production content you need at the click of a button. This includes a transcription of your podcast with speaker labels, show notes, social media posts, newsletter & blog post, as well as automatic chapters with timestamps. This can significantly close the time gap between hiring professional Podcast production services and DIY.

Cost Considerations

The initial cost of producing your podcast yourself is usually limited to one time purchases of equipment and software so the overall cost of producing your podcast is cheaper than that of a podcast production company in the long run. 

Benefits of DIY Podcast Production

After reading about what DIY podcast production entails, you are probably feeling slightly overwhelmed but here is why you might still want to consider going down this route. 

Creative Control

DIY grants you total creative control, everything comes out the way you want it to be. You are in charge of how it sounds, the style of your podcast, the way interviews are conducted, and what background music to use. You can experiment with different elements to discover what works for you and your audience to develop a podcast that is unique to you. This is important, as the entire reason people want to listen to your podcast is for you and your personality. Not to mention it’ll be more satisfying to look back on your work when you complete an episode.

Cost Saving

If you don't have a lot of money to burn then the DIY route might be for you. By handling production yourself can dodge the massive recurring fees of podcast production companies. As mentioned earlier, even though you will be investing in equipment and software if you go the DIY route you'll still be saving more money in the long run. 

Skill Development

If you choose to produce your podcast, you'll end up learning very valuable skills like audio mixing and script writing which can be very useful in the future as they enhance your abilities as a content creator. Remember that the best investments are the investments you make in yourself. 

Time and Location Flexibility

If you have your own setup, you can host your podcast when and where you want it. Don’t want to leave your house? Create a home podcast studio. Want to work on your podcast at 5am before leaving for work, or at midnight before sleeping, it’s completely up to you.

What Podcast Production Services Offer

Podcast production companies handle the technical elements for you, allowing you to focus on the content. If you decide to go the full-service route, then you won't have to do much, other than fork over significant sums of money. These services typically offer

Range of Services 

Podcast companies often cover the editing as well as mixing and mastering of audio. If you decide to go for a full-service podcast production company then they'll cover the idea research, scripting, all of post-production, and even the distribution and marketing of your podcast. 

Access to High-Quality Equipment 

Podcast production agencies use top-notch audio equipment and soundproofed recording studios to create pristine audio. They have mics that cost upwards of $1000 and audio mixers that run into eye-watering 5 figures which they use to produce audio that sounds great even if there is a hurricane going on outside. 

Expertise and Experience 

Because you aren't hiring only one person but rather a team of people with a lot of experience, you'll end up getting a podcast that is finished in record time with great quality. Their expertise in audio editing and the knowledge they have working with multiple podcasters allows them to turn over finished podcasts that sound awesome with minimal effort from your end. 

Benefits of Professional Podcast Services

Here is why you might want to consider hiring a podcast production company 

Consistent Quality 

If you want each episode of your podcast to come out with consistently high quality, then hiring a podcast production company might be your best option. Because of their expertise and the systems they have in place, podcast production companies can constantly push out finished podcasts quickly without sacrificing quality. 

Saves Time

By outsourcing the production of your podcast you can focus on creating valuable content and engaging with your audience. 

Get More Listeners and Sponsors 

High-quality podcasts can be more appealing to an even broader audience. A polished podcast is more likely to be taken seriously by listeners who were browsing their podcast players for something to listen to. Also, sponsors are more likely to invest in your podcast if it sounds great. 

Downsides of Professional Services

While hiring a podcast production agency might seem like the yellow brick road to a successful podcast, here is why you might want to look the other way:

Higher Cost

Depending on how frequently you release new podcast episodes, the rate of the podcast production company can vary. Most top podcast production companies charge upwards of $150 PER episode making them a big investment. Also, keep in mind that the length of each episode can jack up the price even more. 

Less Creative Control

Unlike DIY podcast production, you have less creative control here. You will need to work very closely with the production team to have the podcast come out the way you like. If you happen to be picky and have a very specific taste then there will be a lot of back and forth between you and the production team. 

Less Time and Location Flexibility 

Professional services will often require you to follow a strict schedule, and at a specific location. This will make podcasting harder to fit into your daily and weekly life. Having to work on your podcast at non optimal times or locations, will no doubt, reduce the amount of enjoyment you’ll get from podcasting.

Key Considerations for Making the Decision

When deciding between DIY podcast production and podcast production services, here are some key factors to consider:

Budget

How much cash are you willing to invest in the podcast? If you are on a small budget then DIY podcast production will likely be the best option for you. 

Time Availability 

Do you have the time to invest in the production of a podcast? If you have a very tight schedule and don't have the time to learn a new skill or software then outsourcing the production might be the best option. 

Goals for the podcast

Are you trying to build your personal brand? If you are trying to build your personal brand with your podcast then going DIY is the best. It gives your podcast an authentic feel that your listeners would appreciate and associate with you. However, if the goal is to generate content for a corporate setting then maybe hiring a podcast production company would be your best option.

Our Suggestion

Unless you have money to burn, or have absolutely no time or desire at all to work on your own podcast, DIY is what we’d recommend to 95% of aspiring podcasters. 

DIY lets you control your schedule, physical location, creative direction, and is truly YOUR show, and viewers will see that and appreciate it. The most common thing people stuck between the fence say is that they wish they could get the time benefits of hiring professionals and the budget and flexibility benefits of going DIY.

Luckily you can get the best of both worlds with Speedy Pod [https://speedypod.com] At a MUCH lower price you will save yourself hours with every episode, by getting automatically generated transcriptions of your podcast with speaker labels, show notes, Linkedin & Facebook posts, Tweets, newsletter & blog post, and timestamped chapters. This means that you’ll get a low cost, low time commitment, and high quality effortlessly while retaining your flexibility and creative control. Don’t take our word for it and try it for free today!

Whichever way you go it’s important to understand how things like SEO work for your podcast, for example show notes are a crucial part of the post production for your podcast that requires attention. It’ll get you more listens, increase the listener experience and also increase conversions. Read more about it here [https://speedypod.com/blog/mastering-podcast-show-notes]