Make Your Show Sound Professional: Why Podcast Editing Matters

Estimates suggest that there are 300,000 to 450,000 currently active podcasts that have released an episode in the last month. Naturally, not all of these podcasts have the same target audience as your show, but no matter what your topic is, you face a lot of competition.

The best way to get and retain listeners is to ensure that your podcast is interesting and that it sounds professional. The trick to sounding professional is simple: edit your podcast for content, continuity, and fluidity.

Why editing matters

Um, well, it's because, you know, it kind of makes the, um, the the conversation sound better.

I'm exaggerating a bit, but if you listen closely to how people speak in real life, you'll notice that it sounds nothing like, say, dialogue in a novel or a film. It's full of filler words (um, ah), repetitions, and false starts.

When people are recording a podcast, they pay more attention to the way they speak; nevertheless, it's hard to leave out filler words and repetitions. But with a bit of editing, you can make your guests and yourself sound a lot more professional.

What to edit

You should edit your podcasts for three things: content, continuity, and fluidity.

Content is what the podcast is about. If you're recording a podcast about fly fishing, you and your co-hosts or guests may veer off into a discussion of the types of cars they drive to go fishing. Unless this is germane to an episode, such as one about which car is best to carry fishing gear, you should probably cut this out in post-production. While recording, don't try to stop the conversation. Let it flow naturally, and steer it back to the main topic when you can, but cut out the off-topic parts when you edit.

Continuity is how the podcast flows on a macro level. Cut out technical mistakes and repeated information; anything that doesn't contribute to the overall episode. This may also involve reorganizing the episode by moving sections around. If you have several subtopics in an episode, you might want to rearrange them when editing to keep your listeners' interest. This is also where you work on the beats of the podcast, the way a conversation alternates between participants. If one person talks for too long, you may want to edit what they say so it doesn't sound like they're monopolizing the conversation.

Fluidity is the flow of the podcast on a micro level. This is where you edit out filler words, breath sounds, background noises, and places where people speak over each other (which is very common with remote recordings). It's also a good idea to cut out any silence that lasts more than a second; when someone is thinking about how to respond to a question, you shouldn't leave dead air.

How to record podcasts for editing

You may think that any recording can be edited, and while this is true, it's a good idea to keep a few things in mind when you're recording to ensure that editing is efficient.

If you record a podcast with a co-host, and you are both experienced, then you know how long your conversations should be to fit your podcast's timing (30 minutes, 60 minutes, etc.). But if you're interviewing a guest, it's a good idea to go a bit over your usual time so there's room to cut out any uninteresting sections and not have an episode that comes up short.

It's also helpful if everyone recording is told that they can rephrase anything if they stumble over a word. Tell them to just pause for a couple of seconds, then say over what they meant to say. When editing, you can cut out these fumbles.

How to edit podcasts

If you record video podcasts, your editing options are limited. You can cut or move around sections, but it's not easy to cut out filler words; this makes the video jumpy. It's best not to try to edit video podcasts for minor glitches.

With audio podcasts, however, you have total control over the audio. If you record in multi-track audio, which is essential if you're doing long-distance remote recording, you can edit each participant's audio, cutting sections or moving them around so two voices don't speak at the same time.

There are many ways to edit podcasts. You can use apps like Audacity, Logic Pro, GarageBand, or Adobe Audition, to edit the audio down to the smallest segment. Or you can use tools like Riverside or Descript, which let you edit audio by editing transcriptions; this type of editing isn't as detailed, and doesn't let you tighten up audio as much as you can manually. However, these AI-powered tools have their own feature for improving audio, notably the ability to automatically remove filler words.

Editing is a very different skill from podcasting, and it's something you can learn over time, but it requires attention to detail. It generally takes about twice as long as the duration of an episode to edit it, if not more, depending on your experience. If you monetize your podcast, it's worth considering hiring a podcast producer, someone who can take your raw audio and put it together to create episodes, editing the words and adding intros and outros.

Editing podcasts always improves them. While it takes time, editing for content, continuity, and fluidity makes podcasts more enjoyable and can ensure that listeners come back to your podcast.

Great Editing Deserves Great Hosting

Editing for content, continuity, and fluidity transforms your podcast from a casual conversation into a polished listening experience. When your show sounds professional, listeners stay longer, subscribe faster, and come back for more. Once your episodes are refined and ready to publish, make sure they’re hosted on a platform built for quality and growth. Fireside.fm gives you reliable hosting, powerful analytics, and a customizable website to showcase your best work.

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