What is the Price of Podcast Creation?
If you’re looking to get into this trendy format, you’ve probably already asked yourself the question, « How much does it cost to create a podcast? »
Every year, the number of French people who listen to native podcasts or radio replay increases by 52% (Harris Media)
And many brands are also starting to produce this audio brand content, which is an interesting aspect of their content strategy.
In this article, we give you the keys to understanding the cost of creating a podcast.
💡 The Structure of the Price of a Podcast
The price range for creating a podcast is quite large. For example, this article estimates the price per episode at 2,000 euros if you outsource the different steps related to the creation of your podcast.
In fact, the production of a series varies according to your quality requirements, what you will treat and what you will entrust to professionals.
Therefore, to estimate the cost that it represents for your organization, it is essential to know the different expense items related to this media.
Strategic Advice Before Launching a Podcast
First of all, it is important to remember that the objective of podcast marketing is to serve the communication of brands. Hence the importance of integrating it effectively and consistently into their content strategy.
In this respect, the counsel and support of professionals can be judicious in order to develop the strategic plan that will guide the series.
That’s when we answer the question, « Why are we using the podcast? » We don’t start out without a guideline.
It is inconceivable to create a video without this media benefiting your brand. The process is the same for the podcast. The objective is to include it in a communication plan in order to enhance your expertise, improve your visibility or create a link with your listeners.
That’s why you have to determine the editorial line. That is to say, define precisely the framework of the podcasts: the subjects they will deal with, their duration, their format, the title of the series, and its visuals…
Finally, the council also includes the coordination part of the project. This is everything that will be linked to the logistic organization, the supervision of the project, and its progress.
Like any media, its production can be time-consuming and therefore requires strict organization.
Find here everything you need to know to use the podcast in your content strategy.
Production and Post-production of a Podcast
Production is the stage where you will bring your editorial line to life since it is the creation of the content itself. However, the complexity of production will differ depending on the type of podcast you want to create.
To simplify our explanations, we distinguish 2 types of formats: Conversational podcast and narrative podcast.
In fact, conversational podcasts require fewer resources and work than narrative podcasts.
This may explain why 65% of podcasts are in conversational formats (M6 Publicité)
However, it is not uncommon for the two formats to intersect in practice. For example, narrative podcasts often include conversational phases to support the story.
Creation of a Conversational Podcast
The conversational podcast is the simplest to produce since it consists of recording an exchange, with less work on the audio and editorial dimensions.
A host is required to lead these exchanges. He/she guides the discussion by following an interview plot.
That is to say, it is responsible for giving the floor to the various speakers and making follow-ups at the right time. If you do not have the internal resources for this work, it may be appropriate to call on a podcaster.
Concerning speakers, you can call on experts, partners, customers… This way, you will support the content of your podcast by giving the floor to very different profiles and strengthening the relevance of your content.
On its part, the recording can be done in a professional studio to guarantee the quality of the sound recording. In fact, professional studios have the necessary equipment for all types of recordings. However, a home studio is more than enough most of the time. To do this you can read our article on equipment to start the podcast.
It is also possible to use remote recording with the various speakers who will use their own devices: phone, tablet or computer. In this case, it is essential to respect some good practices to optimize the quality of the recording. In addition, it will be essential to opt for good post-production.
Une fois l’enregistrement réalisé, il y a une étape de dé-rushage. C’est-à-dire le tri des enregistrements afin de garder seulement les parties qui vont être utilisées au montage. Et c’est seulement après qu’il va être possible d’améliorer le rendu.
Then, there is the musical design for the podcast. It is completely at the service of the brand image since it gives coherence to the musical background of the podcast. In the conversational format, it is essentially composed of the podcast opening credits, music comma, and sometimes background music.
These elements are in harmony with each other and consistent with the brand. However, the musical design remains limited to « talk-show » type formats.
Finally, there is post-production where we will mix and master. This is an extremely important step because it guarantees audio quality. With a good mix, it is possible to get a good result even if the sound recording is not done in a studio. This post-production phase allows you to dynamize the podcast by removing the language tics.
In addition, it harmonizes different soundtracks. That is to say, there may be differences in sound volume, differences in the quality of the recording material, variations in proximity to the microphone…Therefore, post-production smoothes the sound so that the listener does not have to increase or decrease the volume during listening. It is in fact the mixing of your podcast.
To get a clearer idea about the conversational podcast, check out Nobatek’s Le marteau dans l’oreille. This series was recorded remotely and received a good post-production. In the same style, there is also Bordeaux Biz. The difference is that the recording was done with a mobile studio.
Creation of a Narrative Podcast
On its part, the narrative podcast tells a story, events, or a narrative and is therefore intended to be more immersive. As such, it requires more effort and means to immerse the listener in the story.
This one follows a script narrated by one or more voice-overs. They play imagined characters who intervene in the story or are simply narrators. In fact, voice-overs are above all actors. That is to say that acting as a voice-over artist is only part of their job.
Most of them act in theater, cinema, or television. Experienced in interpretation, the actors must embody their characters only with their voice since they have no visual support during a podcast recording. Thus, acting requires real technical know-how. As such, the work on the script is particularly important as well as the recording stage.
The musical design also requires special attention. Besides the opening credits, the addition of sound effects, background music, and even voice effects are essential to make the podcast immersive. Finally, post-production is essential in this type of format whose quality is necessary for immersion.
Affaires sonores is a series of narrative podcasts, recorded by La Voix du Nord in a professional studio. In addition, a sound designer and a sound engineer were brought in to provide the sound. Another example of narrative podcasts: Les Fables de Paulette for which the recording was made on a telephone. Here again, the post-production and sound design were done by a professional.
Another example (that we love!): Les Iconiques, with Gironde Tourisme.
Podcast Hosting and Broadcasting
Once the podcast is created, it is a matter of broadcasting it in order to make it accessible to the public. This is a part that can be a bit complex to master when one doesn’t know. But don’t worry, several hosting options are available to you.
First of all, you can host it on your own server if you have a website. Or you can host it on free platforms like Soundcloud.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to broadcast your creation on platforms where podcast listeners are located, i.e. Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Spotify, Google Podcasts…
Several tools allow you to easily manage the hosting and broadcasting of your podcast on the platforms mentioned above. You can find your happiness on Acast, Podcastics, Ausha, or Buzzsprout.
Promotion to Give Visibility to your Podcast
Your podcast is ready and broadcasted on a platform. Now you need to ensure its promotion.
The promotion part comes as an addition to the setting up of good practices to optimize the discoverability of your podcast. In this article, we will not deal with the subject of writing show notes but it is a point that can increase your visibility without spending a euro.
The idea of promotion is to give visibility to your podcast, to put it forward to be heard.
In fact, as for Youtube videos, just because they are posted does not mean they are viewed. In the same way, a podcast like any other communication media must ensure its promotion. To do this, there are several options:
- The most widespread remains advertising, whether digital (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram…) or audio-digital (Spotify, Deezer, podcasts…). For that matter, it turns out that advertising on a podcast or on the radio that encourages people to listen to another podcast works quite well. To do this, there is no real standard budget, it is only important to keep in mind that the ROI (return on investment) of the podcast is difficult to measure since it is part of an inbound marketing strategy.
14% of branded podcasts launched in 2019 have a radio campaign to support their launch (M6 Publicité)
- The teaser is also a good idea because it allows you to inform your audience about the imminent launch of your series and briefly introduce its subject.
38% of branded podcasts launched in 2019 are accompanied by a teaser to publicize the release (M6 Publicité)
- Finally, you can create video clips from your podcasts. In fact, videos tend to have a better reach (organic impression) on social networks. To do this, we recommend Playplay, a platform that allows you to create videos simply from your podcasts. Moreover, thanks to the partnership between Playplay and Getasound, you can benefit from this offer for free with the code Getasound&Playplay.
🎙️ The Price of Podcast Creation According to the Provider
Create your Own Podcast
The first and not least solution : you !
The podcast is a relatively easy format to produce and you may very well decide to produce your own series. With the right information, it is possible to produce quality content. In order to help you in the creation of your podcasts, we offer you our white paper.
However, you need to choose the right equipment and pay special attention to post-production. To create your own podcast, you will need to invest in a microphone (or more depending on the number of people to be recorded), a sound card, headphones (for sound feedback and mixing), cables (to connect everything), and editing software.
Therefore, the podcast creation cost will be the cost that you will have to put into the purchase of recording equipment and editing software.
Indeed, it is your level of requirement and the objectives you set for yourself that can make the budget change. You can already test by recording yourself with your cell phone and post-production techniques. Or you can go further in the quality of the material. This will imply an increase in the cost of your podcasts. You can also decide to subcontract the post-production, which is recommended if you are not trained for it (it’s a job, and the quality of your rendering is at stake !).
Nevertheless, do not underestimate the time spent, beyond the material investment. In fact, the realization of what surrounds the production of podcasts takes time: thinking about the strategy, taking care of the distribution, making the design of its cover, defining the editorial line, writing the scripts, taking care of the post-production…
Entrust Marketing Agencies with the Creation of your Podcast
However, if you prefer to turn to professionals, marketing agencies are a good option for a turnkey solution.
Generally, these agencies make it a point of honor to offer quality support. In fact, in some cases, marketing agencies entrust the production to subcontracted studios. Freed from this part, they can ensure you high-level advice.
So, by entrusting the creation of this content to an agency, you ensure that you launch your podcast in an ideal way with a good editorial line. In addition, you will have the means of production/post-production at your disposal. In addition, you will have the means of production/post-production at your disposal.
Turning to Independent Podcasters or Studios
On a different note, you can turn to freelance podcasters or studios.
Freelance podcasters are experts at creating podcasts for an audience. That’s what their profession is all about and what makes them media. Therefore, they have the necessary precision in writing the editorial line since they are specialized in content creation.
In addition, you can choose the provider that best suits you and adjust your request according to their flexibility.
Overall, the studios offer the same services and are also experts in creating for an audience. The difference is that they are run by teams of podcasters, like Louie Media or Binge Audio. Thus, they have a slightly different structure and have good production resources, even more consistent.
In addition, they offer to create podcasts for white label companies. However, the quality of the strategic marketing approach varies from studio to studio. They are first and foremost creators and not necessarily marketers.
Getapodcast Guaratees the Creation of your Podcasts
Finally, Getapodcast is able to provide quality support for the creation, production, and multi-platform broadcasting of your podcasts.
This platform puts you in contact with actors for each part of the production of a podcast series: from recording to post-production via strategic support.
The start-up can provide you with different services separately (post-production, production, recording) according to your needs. For example, if you have already defined the editorial line and provided the recording, Getapodcast can do the musical design and post-production. Or, if you already have internal resources, the platform adapts this content to make a professional podcast by soliciting voiceover and a project team.
The Icing on the 🎂 : Getapodcast brings you the expertise in audio branding that allows you to align the universe of your podcasts with your brand identity.
In conclusion
To summarize, the price depends on different factors, such as the level of support you need, the podcast format you choose, its duration, and its recurrence.
For example, if you want to do a one-shot episode or series, creating turnkey podcasts is probably a good solution.
On the other hand, if you are planning for the longer term and wish to launch several series, it seems wise to invest in equipment or to plan a larger budget.
You want to use podcast to develop your marketing strategy ?
Getasound adapts your resources to create professional quality podcasts and strengthen your brand.
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