← Coffee with a Podcaster: Love Podcasting Again
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If you've ever been at the stage where you need to pick a professional editor for your podcast because you're starting to make a bit of money, you'll find that the choice can sometimes be incredibly hard. Recommendation from a friend is often the best way to do it. But in absence of a recommendation, how do you choose? In this episode, I'm going to tell you the one thing that most editors don't consider can be their biggest advantage and that you can leverage for yourself if you're looking for an editor for your podcast. I'm Matthew Bliss, and welcome to Coffee with a Podcaster. That intro was a bit more cryptic than I usually do, right? It's because this can sometimes be a contentious issue among podcast editors when they're talking amongst themselves to try and figure out the answer to this particular question. The question being, should a podcast editor have a podcast? Now, the common refrain is, well, you don't have to have a podcast to be able to edit podcasts. It's an audio editing skill, a video editing skill. The skills are transferable. On paper, anything that a podcast editor should need is possible to do. On film editing, music engineering, audiobooks. All the skills are transferable. So why would the question even be an option to choose? Well, podcasting is a very specific craft, and I think most people experience this when they first try. It looks very easy from the outside, but as I point out, in most episodes these days, podcasting looking from the outside in is far more simple. But once you get inside the house, it's really hard to figure out everything that you could possibly need. It could be podcast hosting. It might be the format of episodes. There could be troubleshooting for audio quality. All of these different aspects you need to learn as an independent podcaster when you're producing your entire show for yourself. Now, as a podcast editor, you don't necessarily have to have gone through that experience to have the technical skills required to be able to edit a podcast. But as we talk about a lot, too, podcasts are different from every other medium, and they've stayed different despite the onslaught of television, film, and other mediums trying to intrude on the craft. It's different. And in my opinion, an editor that's been through the personal journey of creating their own podcast, they're going to be much better informed about the process that other people go through when creating podcasts than if they've never done it before. Now, I've been a learning professional in the past, so if I was trying to structure how a podcast editor can come to the table and learn a new skill. I would be structuring that learning in a specific way, depending on how they've approached it. If it's been entirely theoretical, the person who's never created a podcast before, we'd have to approach it in theory and then via that theory, structure practical exercises for them to practice and cement that theory as a foundation to the way that they operate. Now I think instead how we'd structure for someone who's already done it, then the theory is just a passing dalliance, but we can also link that theory directly to their own experience, and so they learn faster. And not only can they learn faster, they can adapt their own knowledge quicker. And so from the learning theoretical perspective, that kind of logic alone tells me that someone who wants to be a podcast editor, who has already had a podcast in the past, is coming to the table with experience that helps them understand what a client needs now. The other thing we talk about a lot with podcasts is that every podcast is different. And I think that's the common trap with the way podcasters talk about their skills with other people who are creating podcasts and looking to outsource that work. The thing that is common across all podcasts is noise reduction, cutting the fluff, removing ums, and ahs, improving audio quality, sometimes pacing, or these more intangible aspects that can lend credence to an editor's skill. But the thing that isn't talked about is the ability for an editor to understand and adapt. That adaptation comes with having a podcast before you come to the table. Now, there's a lot of presumptions you're probably thinking at the back of your mind, especially if you're an editor listening to this podcast. I never had a podcast before I started editing for people. I just had a craft and an excellence to that craft that people appreciated. So why? Why should I need one? The fact is that you don't. But the point I'm trying to make is that there's an advantage to having a podcast because it accelerates your learning, it increases your ability to understand the experiences of your clients and likewise make suggestions and feedback to them to help them constantly iterate and improve their own podcasts. And you may even contribute to the acceleration of their learning journey as podcasters. But I realize that I've structured this episode not to talk to the podcast editor who may or may not have a podcast yet. This is for someone who's looking to outsource their podcast editing to someone else. They're looking for the ideal podcast editor to work with. And this feels like the perfect setup for me to talk about my podcast editing service. But I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to say first, when you're checking for a podcast editor, maybe look at their client portfolio, see if they've got one. And if they do, have a listen to their work they've done for other people. And hopefully they do, unless they're just getting started. But also ask if they have a podcast and if you can listen to their work on their own voice. And if they do, I think that's going to be the best indicator not only of professional growth, but but of their ability to adapt and change and learn new things that can be of a massive benefit to you. Now, it doesn't matter if it's a topic that isn't of interest to you. The things you'll be listening for as someone who's going to hire this person is the ability to improve the audio, to adapt it to a specific circumstance, the ability to change and flip on a dime. Or, or maybe you listen for if there is something that puts you off listening, and if there are no red flags at all, then that is probably the best way to decide if it's an editor worth pursuing. For the editors, this is an advantage because it means that you're not just quibbling on price. Because every editor claims to be able to remove silence and ums and ahs and improve the audio quality and noise reduction. But not every editor has created a podcast that you have made and worked with your voice and done the specific things to demonstrate your learning, like you can do on your own show. So if you are looking for a podcast editor, ask them, have you got a podcast? And don't give them the incentive that if you do have one, I'm going to consider you far more greatly. Just ask if they have one, or do a quick search online and see if you can find it. And if you do, give that a listen, then check the client portfolio and afterwards have a chat with them and see if they're perfect for you. I do think that podcast editors and producers even should have podcasts. Not necessarily about podcasting, but having a podcast gives them a lot of credence. Now, that is a personal opinion of mine. It's definitely not an industry standard. I kind of wish it was sometimes. And if you think so, I'd like to hear from you. Send me a message podcastsbpod.com and I'd be happy to share a little bit more of my opinion. That was coffee with a podcaster. I'm Matthew Bliss, and thanks for listening.