Why it’s important to edit your podcast

Picture the scene...

You're driving on a road and suddenly the surface changes. It becomes rough, noisy and you can feel every bump. You mutter something about how this section needs resurfacing.

But you've just been cruising for miles on smooth tarmac and you never even thought about it. You were just driving along, enjoying the experience 'as it should be'. Editing is the tarmac on your podcasting journey. Stick with me, I'm on a roll here...

Firstly let's look at some reasons for editing:

• Removes ums, errs, and other fillers
• Cleans up clicks and mouth noises
• Tidies up stumbles and repetition
• Resolves issues with sound levels
• Removes irrelevant extra thoughts
• Shortens the overall episode duration
• Stops contributors talking over each other
• Improves the sound with EQ and compression

There are potential downsides to editing though...

• Over editing can spoil the natural pace of the discussion
• Editing takes quite a lot of time, especially if you're new to it
• You can alter the audio too much and make it sound artificial
• You can often be left with audible edits which are distracting

Ultimately, this is why we need to edit

For me, the secret is to edit enough to considerably improve the experience for the listener, but not so much that your work is ever really noticed. We work in the shadows!

Editing is a critically important step in creating a great podcast episode but you have to get it right. That's where the judgement of a professional editor really makes a difference.

Now where are the next services? I need a cuppa.

If you've found this useful, why not have a look at our blog discussing why poor quality audio is a reputation killer.