How to Edit a Podcast the Right Way: Your Essential Podcasting Guide

Podcasts are popping up everywhere! In a 2021 survey, 41% of Americans said they listened to a podcast in the previous month, with 28% listening to at least one in the previous week.

However, these statistics do not mean that all podcasts are successful. If you want your podcast to go the distance, you need to take a few different steps. The first step is to learn how to edit a podcast. 

How should you record your podcast so you have good audio to edit? How can you make your conversation seem natural? What do good podcast editing tips and practices look like? 

Answer these questions and you can create the podcast of your dreams. Here is your quick podcast editing guide.

Record Well

You should familiarize yourself with podcast best practices before you start to record and edit a podcast. You should buy high-quality microphones so your audio is crisp and clear. 

Editing a podcast is a lot easier when you have high-quality audio to work with. If you are too close to your microphone, it will pick up low-frequency noises like sniffling and breathing. Find the right distance by testing your microphone a few times until you have a sound you like. 

You should prepare for each episode so you don’t go off-topic or use a lot of filler words. You can write a word-for-word script, or you can take precise notes and read from them. Any unnecessary details should be cut out of your script or notes.

Try not to interrupt your recording for any reason. If you need to take a break, stop the recording so you have a clear end to your audio file. 

If you have a guest that is inexperienced with podcasting, you should do a practice session with them. You can also cue them with hand signals so they don’t interrupt you or go on tangents.

Organize Your Files

You should organize your files in a way that makes sense to you. You may want to create a folder for each episode you record or for each type of file. You can place your host audio in one folder or subfolder and your guest audio in another. 

Make sure you listen to each file you have. The clips in your host audio track should only be audio from you and no one else. 

If you make an error with your organization, you should correct it immediately. You may also need to record your audio again if your microphone picked up other sounds.

Design Your Sound

Sound design involves using audio to enhance the emotions in your main content. You should create an intro that hooks your listener in and summarizes the episode. You should also create an outro that lets you sign off on a good note. 

Your intro and outro can be words you say or musical cues. Music may be appropriate at certain moments to heighten the mood of what you’re saying.

Try to avoid using songs with lyrics, as they can make it hard to hear your remarks. You should also avoid music that is too distracting. 

Sound effects can be good at certain moments. A drum roll can be a fun way to build suspense for a remark you say. However, including too many sound effects can make your podcast seem cartoony or tonally jarring.