5 Tips for a Better Podcast Editing Experience

The overall audio of a podcast is so important. Just as important as the business you may be prompting in the podcast.  Think of it as a brand extension and think of how to get the most out of the opportunity to expose your brand to a target audience.  If you are going to do a podcast, the best way to maximize the brand is through effective, clean and concise editing.  A podcast needs some work after the raw recording is completed and this is where editing can polish up the rough spots and make your brand shine.

Here are five tips to keep in mind that can affect the editing your podcast:

1. Have the right tools and know how to use them

There can be a learning curve when starting out using editing software.  With that in mind, learn how to use it.  Take on online classes or view tutorials whenever possible.  Use templates when you can to streamline the process. Free tools are ok but just like any technology, the newer it is, the better it will perform so upgrade when you can afford to do so.

2. Plan your podcast

Spontaneity can be great when the ramifications are small or you just want to have a little fun.  Not so much when you face laboring through editing a podcast.  You can cut down on editing by doing it right the first time meaning structuring the story angle and what kind of content you want to discuss, where you want transitions and lead-ins to occur and know the subject matter well so you can have a smoother conversation.  You may want to create a loose script to help guide you.

3. Perfection is NOT necessary

Podcasts are meant to be approachable and express a one-on-one relationship with the listener. Don’t edit the content to within an inch of its life by taking every single little mistake out of the podcast.  Again, planning the podcast should help reduce this but should you have too many “umm” or “yeah” word in the audio, don’t try to take out all of them.  Relax a little and edit out the major distractions and keep a few minor missteps so your listener knows your human!

4. Allow for extra content

Record more material than you think you need.  Industry standards suggest that for every 5-10 minutes of recording, it will yield one minute of audio after editing.

5. Make corrections when recording

You can make corrections while recording if you simply restate the information in its entirety.  If you know you want to restate your last sentence, pause then restate it.  When you go to edit, you can easily edit out the incorrect phrase without affecting the corrected phrase.

Editing a podcast with attention to detail but with room for a more organic feel is key to a podcast that sounds approachable and entertaining.

Kristen White is a Content Catalyst and Powerful Interviewer. She can quickly add the crisp clarity, magic dust and unique brand elements to any message, book, product or campaign.

Through her award-winning interview skills, Kristen will excavate and synthesize a personal story and legacy into a magnetic brand and content strategy. Her strong intuitive insight, journalistic training and versatile wordsmithing, offer clients a wellspring of fingerprint language options to apply to all levels of their written, spoken and video communication. Kristen is a bestselling author, award-winning documentary film director and cast member, television series creator/writer, and television on-camera journalist. As the CEO of Rock the Stage, Page, and Screen™, a digital media and marketing company, Kristen supports clients with unique personal brand development, speech writing and performance, book concepts, titles, outlines and marketing, and online business consulting.

Rock the Stage, INC, offers professional video production for authors, speakers and coaches with a variety of speaking topics.  The company also offers speechwriting, broadcast-quality lifestyle video interviews and fast-track book publishing via an on-camera interview.