Thinking About Hiring a Podcast Producer?
Before we talk about what I do, let me tell you something most producers would never say.
You might not be ready to hire one yet. And that is completely fine.
This page will help you figure out whether now is the right time — or whether the smartest move is to start on your own first.
Honestly? For a lot of people the answer is yes.
Starting a podcast yourself is one of the best things you can do before hiring anyone. You find your voice. You figure out what the show actually is. You discover whether you can sustain it — because the hardest part of podcasting is not the production. It is showing up consistently for 6 to 12 months before you see any meaningful results.
A producer can make your show sound better and help it grow faster. But no producer can do the foundational work for you. If you are not sure what your show is about, who it is for or whether you actually want to commit to it long term — start yourself first. Get clear on those things. Then come back.
There is another reason to start yourself that most people do not consider. Doing your own production — even badly, even temporarily — gives you a much better understanding of the process. You will know what a clean edit actually takes. You will know which parts of the workflow you enjoy and which parts drain you. You will have real expectations of what a producer should do and how the relationship should work.
That knowledge makes you a better client. The people I work best with are not always the ones who arrive with the most polished show. They are often the ones who have done it themselves long enough to know exactly what they need help with.
The hardest part of podcasting is not the production. It is showing up for 6 to 12 months before the results arrive.
Most podcasts that fail do not fail because of bad audio. They fail because the person behind the microphone ran out of patience before the audience had time to find them. That is not something you can hire your way out of.
If you have that patience — and a clear reason why your show needs to exist — then everything else is solvable.
Can you commit to 6 to 12 months with no results?
That is the realistic timeline before most shows find their audience. Not weeks. Not a viral episode. Consistent publishing over a long stretch of time. If that feels impossible right now, that is worth knowing before you invest in production.
Do you have enough to say?
Topics, guests, a point of view that is genuinely yours. A podcast is not a one-off. It is a sustained conversation with an audience over months and years. Do you have the depth of thinking to sustain it?
Can you get enough guests?
If your format relies on interviews, guest availability will become your biggest constraint faster than you expect. The good news: remote recording makes this significantly easier than it used to be. But it still requires consistent outreach and a reason for people to say yes.
Do you have the time to handle production yourself?
Editing, show notes, thumbnails, publishing, social clips. A single episode can take four to six hours to produce properly. That time compounds quickly. If your hours are already your most valuable asset, this is where a producer starts to make economic sense.
Can you expense this as part of your business?
If podcast production is not something you can justify as a business investment right now, the smartest move is to edit yourself and keep it lean until you grow to the next level. Hiring a producer before you can afford to is a pressure that will work against you.
Do you know who you are talking to?
You can have the best audio in the world. If you do not know who your listener is and you are not giving them value fast enough, your podcast will go nowhere. This is the most important question on this list — and the one most people skip.
If you answered yes to most of those — you are probably ready. If you hesitated on more than two or three — start yourself first. Record ten episodes. Publish them. See what happens. Then come back when you know what you are building.
Probably not yet if...
- You have not published a single episode
- You are still not sure what your show is about
- You cannot commit to a consistent publishing schedule
- Production costs are not something you can justify as a business expense
- You want someone else to figure out your format and audience for you
Probably the right time if...
- You have tested the concept and you know it works
- Production is eating time you could spend on your actual work
- You want to add YouTube and do not know where to start
- You want a long-term partner not just someone to send files back
- You want your show to reflect the actual quality of your thinking
- You are ready to invest properly in something that will grow
We talk about your show
Not a sales call. A genuine conversation about where your show is, where you want it to go and whether I am the right person to help. If I am not, I will tell you that.
I handle what happens after you record
Editing, video, show notes, publishing, thumbnails, YouTube strategy. You focus entirely on the conversation. I take care of everything else — and I notice things along the way.
Someone invested in the show
I listen to your episodes the way your audience does. When something is not working I tell you. When something lands well I tell you that too. This is not a file exchange. It is a working relationship.
No contracts, no minimum terms
You stay because the work is good. That is the only model I am interested in. Clients who trust the process stay for years — not because they have to.
RTÉ. BBC. MTV.
I know what a show sounds like when it is just technically fine. And I know what it sounds like when it is genuinely good. That difference is what I bring to every episode.
New York Festivals Silver Award
In 2020 I produced the RTÉ podcast Treasure Island: The Hunt for the Falcon Blanco — Silver Award winner at the New York Festivals Radio Awards in the Serialized Podcast category.
"Bren's attention to detail and understanding of the podcast landscape has meant that my podcast listenership is growing month on month. Podlad is the best investment in marketing I make each month."Conor McCarthy — The First 10 Podcast
Brands that chose one person over an agency
One last honest note. If producing a podcast is not something you can invest in as part of your business yet — start yourself and keep it simple until you are ready. This page is for people who are past that point. When you get there, I will be here.