Why Podcast Editing is Important: Top Tips and Tools

It is our belief that one of the most important elements of a successful podcast is great-sounding audio. While creating brilliant content in the first place sets the foundation for a great podcast, editing your podcast is a crucial step that can take a podcast from good to great. And therefore podcast editing is a vital part of the podcasting process.

Editing can make or break your podcast. Not only can editing your podcast episodes help make them sound amazing by removing unwanted background noise, and filler words like “ah” and the infamous, “um”, but good editing can make your already great content even better!

The Importance of Podcast Editing

Podcast editing can help to trim down conversations, keep them on-topic, and create a more polished final product. Editing can help you hold your listeners’ attention, and help you deliver consistency both in terms of quality and episode length. (We feel rather strongly about this consistency thing – check out our thoughts here: Consistency in Podcasting: The Best Tips and Tricks) In short, editing can help your content, your conversations, and your guests shine all the brighter.

Which is why podcast editing is so important.

But podcast editing is a tricky business. It’s time-consuming, and for many podcasters, it’s the part of the podcasting process they like least. If that’s you, don’t panic! We’re here to help! Because we know a) how important podcast editing is to a show’s overall success, and b) we know that editing is often uncharted territory for many podcasters, we’re sharing all our best podcast editing tips and tools today.

Tips for Podcast Editing

Editing your podcast audio can be the difference between having a mediocre episode and leaving a lasting impression on your audience. But the opposite is also true. Poor-quality audio can be frustrating and distracting to your listeners. Furthermore, content that doesn’t add to the overall point of your episode, or worse, dilutes your great points is another common reason for unfollowing or unsubscribing to a show.

Neither are great outcomes for the podcast and podcast host!

So, to avoid all of this, check out our top tips for editing your podcast.

1. Master Your Equipment

Our first tip for high-quality audio is ensuring that you’re consistently capturing a great-sounding raw recording. How is this an editing tip? Well, because if you get great-sounding raw audio to begin with, you’ll have less to edit!

And that great raw audio starts by mastering your podcast equipment. You can have the best mic in the business, but if you don’t know how to use it properly, you won’t be getting the best raw audio that you possibly can. So Tip Number 1: Master that mic! Learn about its sweet spot (some simple Googling of your mic of choice will help a great deal!), learn about proper mic technique, and just practice a great deal to get the most out of your mic. As we said, this means less editing, which, if you’re not all that keen on podcast editing to begin with, is a definite win.

In the same vein, Editing Tip Number 2…

2. Control Your Environment

Start by selecting a quiet recording space. Pick a spot with minimal background noise, and one with carpet/curtains/furniture/etc. as all of this will reduce echoes on your raw recording. Meaning one more thing you won’t have to edit out and fix all that much when you sit down to put the final product together.

3. Master Your Editing Software

We’ll cover podcast editing tools a little later in this post, but when it comes to editing tips, another really great one is to master your editing software.

By doing so, you’ll know all that your editing software can do — the tweaks it can make, the tinkering it allows you to do — so that your audio comes out the other side sounding the best that it possibly can. But mastering your editing software is a two-folded tip.

Mastering your editing software can also help you spend less time editing. By learning the shortcuts and hotkeys of your specific software, you can automate or speed up the editing process.

4. Record With Separate Tracks

If you host a co-hosted or interview-style podcast, then this podcast editing tip is for you! Always record each participant on a separate track. Separate tracks for each participant make the task of editing so much easier! And it also leads to a cleaner end product as you can then easily edit out any asides or comments made by others who don’t technically ‘have the mic’ – thus making sure that what the speaker is saying really gets the chance to shine.

Find out more about recording on separate tracks here.

5. It’s Not About You

When it comes to editing your podcast, this tip is often the hardest one to follow. But in terms of only giving your audience the best, it’s important to remember it’s not about you.

What do I mean?

Well, sometimes in the throngs of recording your podcast, it’s easy to go off-track. This is especially easy if you’re recording with a co-host, or doing an interview. You run off on a tangent, reference something funny that happened before you started recording or an unrelated question just slips out mid-interview. It happens. And sometimes, this can add a fun element to your final episode.

However, more often than not, while “funny at the time” or “funny if you were actually there”, these tangents don’t serve your audience. And it’s important to remember that if that’s the case, these should be edited out. We know it’s hard to do, especially if you love a joke you came up with on the fly. It might have been hilarious in the moment! But again, if that tangent doesn’t actually serve your audience, if, when taking a step back, you can see that this tangent dilutes the overall value of the episode, it can, and should, be edited out.

And on that note, let’s pivot to some top podcast editing tools…

Best Tools for Podcast Editing

Podcast Editing Software

Podcast editing is made possible through editing software. But with so many software options available, how do you pick the right one for you and your show?

We’ve done the heaving lifting for you! Check out this post, where we give you an overview of 7 of the top editing software you can use to turn your podcast into an audio masterpiece. We’ve got options no matter what operating system you favor, your skill levels, or your budget. We’re confident the perfect software for you is in this mix! 

Outsourcing

When it comes to editing your podcast, another “tool” you have available is outsourcing your podcast editing by making use of podcast editing services.

Obviously, this is our area of expertise. We’ve been editing and producing high-quality podcasts for over 8 years and have worked with over 3,500 clients.

Outsourcing your podcast editing is a fantastic option if audio editing is a not-so-favorite part of the podcasting process. (No judgment – we know many who feel the same!) By outsourcing, you’ll save tons of time on the editing and production side of podcasting. So you can then put your whole focus on crafting amazing, highly-valuable content that perfectly caters to the needs of your audience.

Just hit the “Services” tab above to check out all we can do for you.

Outsourcing your podcast editing is obviously going to come at a cost.

“What kinda cost?” I hear you ask. Well, once again, we have done the heavy lifting for you and put together this post: How Much Do Podcast Editing Services Actually Cost?

You’re welcome!

Final Thoughts on Editing in Podcasting

The editing process can make or break your show. And as such, editing is a critical part of the podcasting process.

And by using these tips and tools of the trade, you can take your podcasts to the next level. With so many podcasts out there, quality audio can mean the difference between success and failure for any podcaster. Whether your podcast is a passion project, a hobby, or a business strategy, prioritize high-quality audio, and you’ll be on your way to podcast success.