Four Possible Approaches Re Time
There are many, many ways to go about podcasting, and we all find our own path, but let's have a look at one of the biggest concerns for people when they're starting a podcast:how am I going to fit it into my week?
We're all so busy and just because we know we ought to do something, we can see the huge benefits, it doesn't mean that we feel like we actually have the time to do it without seriously stressing ourselves out and/or giving up something else.
So, here you go. Here's a breakdown of four different ways you can do podcasting and how much time each one of them takes. Most of us will go somewhere between each of these approaches. Hopefully, this will give you a bit more idea about what you're taking on.
1. The Min-Time/Max-Value
This is for those that have very limited time and want to make podcasting as easy as humanly possible. Nothing wrong with that in the slightest. You can argue that sustainable, regular average quality output beats seldom-released high-quality audio every time. Your audience needs something regular to latch on to, after all.
Here’s the approach:
1. Format: Go It Alone
- Display your expertise, on your own, with confidence and panache, talking mostly on the fly. The means very little organisation and cuts down planning and editing.
2. Equipment: The Basics
- Get yourself a decent headset mic, plug it in, and record. Nothing more needed, and your setup time is slashed
3. Editing: Raw and Real
- Keep it raw and transparent. No editing, mistakes laid bare, and people will trust and love you all the more
4. Publishing: Just enough
- Basic show notes, only enough to summarise the topic and direct listeners to any resources which were mentioned
How Much Time Does It Take to Run a Podcast? 1 hour for a 30-minute episode.
2. The Balanced Method
This method is for those that want to produce a good quality show that reflects their brand, but still need to find a time commitment that allows it to be sustainable.
1. Format: Co-Hosted or Interview
- Bring in a co-host and/or do interviews. Both increase variety
2. Equipment: A Simple Pro Setup
- Buy a good digital recorder, pro mics and record in-person. Or two good headset mics for remote recording
3. Editing: Basic
- Add title music and outro, and edit only the big mistakes
4. Publishing: Blog post
- Produce a 400-word blog post covering the main points of the show and linking to relevant resources
How Much Time Does It Take to Run a Podcast? 1.5 to 3 hours per 30 minutes of episode.
3. The Polished Self-Producer
The polished producer approach is used by those for which only the best will do. This can take anything from a day to numerous weeks to produce a show, so it’s only for those with a lot of time and money to invest.
1. Format: Documentary or Montage style
- Work with 1 or 2 presenters, and interviews with numerous people, weaving all content into a narrative
2. Equipment: The full shebang
- Working with pro mics and mixers in the studio, plus the pro interview setup out in the field
3. Editing: Audio production master
- To create a show like this, you’re editing sentence by sentence. This takes time. A lot of time…
4. Publishing: In-Depth Article
- To accompany a show of this calibre, you want to create an article of similar quality. Spend time on an 800+ word article on the topic
How Much Time Does It Take to Run a Podcast? 8 to 50+ hours per 30 minutes of episode.
4. Outsourcing
Of course, one final way of saving time in podcasting is to find someone to help! Most people who take podcasting seriously know that it’s a good idea to concentrate on the content and the presenting, while leaving the systematic stuff to someone else.
You can find someone to produce your podcast relatively easily, from taking care of the editing to uploading everything, producing social media graphics, transcriptions and show notes. The only time it will take you is to record the episode and then check everything is as you wanted it to be.
How Much Time Does It Take to Run a Podcast? 1 hour per 30 minutes of episode.
