Initially, I was doing all of the editing for my podcast myself. However, I recently decided that, as much as I might think that I’m the only one who could do the job right, I’m probably just lying to myself out of the fear that someone else will mess up the editing for an episode.
I decided that if I just sat down and wrote out the step-by-step process that I use to remove background noise and take the podcast from raw audio to a finished product, then someone else would be able to follow those steps and I would save a lot of time in the future.
Thus far, I’m very pleased with the results of the virtual assistant that I used to automate the editing process. She also helps with other aspects of my business. It took a leap of faith, but I now trust her with the editing of my podcast!
If you’d like to also automate your podcast, here are a few steps that I’d recommend going through to pass on the editing to someone else and spend more time doing what you love – podcasting.
1) Write out the editing actions you take step-by-step
Have you ever programmed a computer? Think of writing out the steps almost like writing out an algorithm or directions for a computer to follow.
While I was editing a new podcast, I wrote down every single step that I took in detail, as if I was explaining it to someone over the phone who was looking at my computer screen.
I first identified the elements to the podcast that would remain the same (like the intro/conclusion) and specified how to arrange the sequence of audio.
I then identified portions of audio, like the podcast sponsorship, which might vary from episode to episode and included instructions, like “Check the dropbox folder for a sponsorship audio file. If there is one, insert the audio after the introduction and before the start of the podcast. If there is not one, then you can skip this step.”
After I had finished, I had a document that was easy to follow and explained how I edited my podcasts.
2) Write out FAQs for the editing process
I very clearly specified that, should the editor have any questions, then they should stop the editing process and ask me before proceeding. This may have made the initial editing slow, but it gave me the chance to generate a series of FAQ (frequently asked questions) and address them in a document for future reference .
Anticipating some of the questions that might come up also will speed up the process and make it more likely that you will receive a perfectly edited podcast. For example, I knew that there would sometimes be awkward pauses or portions that need to be edited out when recording a podcast. I included instructions like:
- If there is a pause in the audio that exceeds __ seconds, then edit it out.
- If I ever state on the podcast “I’m going to edit that out,” then edit out the audio portion that I specified I would edit out.
- There should be no less than __ seconds between the intro and podcast body and no more than __ seconds.
This may seem overly specific, but keep in mind that you’ll only have to create this document once and it will be invaluable to the person editing your podcast, should they have questions.
3) Hire someone with editing experience.
If you’re on a budget like I am, you’ll probably have to hire a low-cost editor from Elance, meaning that their english may not be perfect. If you have a comfortable budget, I’d recommend oDesk.
Personally, I prefer ongoing relationships rather than one-time transactions. My virtual assistant who helps with other business tasks has some editing experience and I was willing to give them the chance to try taking on the editing process. Although they had to learn a bit, they can now edit it perfectly to my specifications.
Should you decide to hire someone off a freelancing website, make sure you ask them which editing program they use, how they will reduce noise, and get a feel for their english speaking/understanding competence.
If you’d like to use my virtual assistant for the task, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch.
4) Expect them to get it wrong the first few times.
One of the common fears that I think everyone with a podcast has when considering automating the editing process is that the person will get it wrong. That’s okay!
I knew that it wouldn’t be perfect to my specifications the first time that my virtual assistant tried to take over the editing workflow. There would be kinks in the system I set up, and they would have questions. This is normal.
However, by dealing with these problems as they come up, you’ll be ensuring future peace of mind and more freed up time when that individual is able to successfully take over the editing process.
The important thing is to avoid assigning them a bulk number of podcasts the first time that you retain their services. First, let them get the editing process down for one podcast. Then, you can give them multiple podcasts to edit that will go out at future dates. If you don’t perfect the system for one podcast episode first, you may end up with editing mistakes in all of the podcast that you’ve assigned them.
5) Use a simple file upload and management process.
I just use a shared dropbox folder. After recording the podcast episode, the intro, and the outro, I upload the media files to a folder that says “Podcasts to Edit” and a subfolder that says “Episode X ____.”
There is another folder that says “Podcasts That Have Been Edited.” Upon completion of the editing process, the virtual assistant will move the particular podcast episode folder, which includes the finished audio file and the originals, into the “Podcasts That Have Been Edited” folder for me to review. That’s it!
I could easily ask the editor to also schedule each podcast to go out on a certain date through the Libsyn scheduler (date the folder or include a text document with instructions), but I’m happy with the process right now.
The great thing about this process is that I can now focus on lining up podcast guests and conducting interviews, rather than worrying about podcasts that need to be edited. I know that some people love editing. I’m not one of those people.
