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Audio production & show development
Podcast Producer
Everyone starts a podcast; almost nobody produces one well.
Typical pay
$35k-$85k
How you get in
Portfolio of produced shows
Outlook
Growing in branded and corporate audio; saturated in indie
Podcast producers handle recording, editing, structure, guests and distribution for shows. Branded and corporate podcasts pay far more reliably than independent shows, and production skill is scarcer than the flood of new shows suggests.
A day in the life
- 9:00aResearch and prep questions for an upcoming guest
- 10:30aRecord the episode and monitor levels
- 12:30pLunch
- 1:30pEdit — remove filler, tighten pacing, fix audio
- 4:00pWrite show notes, timestamps and social clips
- 5:00pSchedule the release and coordinate promotion
How to get in
Edit for other shows first
Duration
6-18 months
Cost
$500-$3,000
Credential
None — produced episodes
- Learn audio editing and repair to a professional standard
- Take editing work for existing shows to build a reel
- Move from editing into full production — structure, guests, strategy
- Target branded and B2B podcasts, which have real budgets
Branded and agency production
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$1,000-$8,000
Credential
Portfolio plus client results
- Build a portfolio of well-produced episodes
- Approach companies that want a podcast but have no capability
- Charge per episode or on retainer, not hourly
- Corporate audio budgets dwarf what independent creators can pay
Launch and own a show
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$500-$5,000
Credential
None — your audience
- Build a show in a niche where you have genuine expertise
- Understand most podcasts never earn meaningful ad revenue
- Monetize through your own products, services or sponsorships you sell directly
- Use it as a business development channel rather than a revenue source
What people love
- · Fully remote and freelance-friendly
- · Branded and corporate work pays well
- · Low equipment cost to start
- · Skills transfer into video and content strategy
What wears people down
- · Independent shows rarely pay anything
- · Editing hours far exceed recording hours
- · Client shows get abandoned after a few episodes
- · Crowded market of low-cost editors