How much does it cost to start a podcast?

What does a podcast cost, line by line?

Every podcast budget has the same lines. The routes differ in who pays for each line, and when. If you are still shaping the idea, read the steps from idea to first episode first; the costs below follow those steps.

Own kit means you buy the equipment and do everything yourself. A rented studio gives you a ready room and equipment by the hour, and you still run the session. Full production means a team records and edits the episode, and your job is to turn up prepared.

Some of these costs are fixed, and some grow with the show. Equipment is bought once, whether you record five episodes or fifty. Studio hours and editing are paid again for every episode, so the more often you publish, the more those lines add up.

How much does it cost to record at home with your own kit?

For each person at the table you buy a microphone, a stand and closed headphones. On top of that come the one-off items:

• an audio interface with enough inputs for everyone, or USB microphones if the show is solo;
• cables;
• basic room treatment: soft furnishings or acoustic panels;
• for video, cameras, lights and storage for large files.

The receipts are only part of the bill. The costs people tend to miss are:

• a second set of mic, stand and headphones for each guest;
• the time it takes to learn the equipment;
• upgrades after the first few episodes, once you hear what is missing;
• a computer powerful enough to edit video;
• your own setup time at every session.

Your own kit pays off for a frequent show with one or two people, recorded in the same place every time. For an occasional show, or one with a new guest every week, it rarely does. The equipment guide explains what to buy for your own kit.

How much does it cost to rent a podcast studio?

Most studios charge by the hour, with a minimum booking. Some count setup inside your time and some do not, and equipment or an operator may or may not be part of the price. Before you book any studio, ask:

1. What is included: microphones, cameras, light, an operator, mastering?
2. What is the minimum booking, and how is extra time billed?
3. Is setup inside the booked time?
4. Which files do you get, in what format, and when?
5. Is editing available, and how is it priced?
6. What are the terms for cancelling or moving a booking?

As an example, these are the answers at Baltic Podcast Studio in Riga. If you rent the studio and record yourself, it costs €35/h for the set and the light, and microphones and cameras are added at extra cost. An audio podcast session costs €60/h, with a professional microphone for each speaker and sound mastering included. The minimum booking is 1 hour, after which time is billed in 30-minute steps, and setup counts as part of the booked time. The rest is on the page with all studio prices.

Why does a video podcast cost more than audio?

Video adds to the bill in several places:

• cameras and lenses;
• light;
• someone to run the cameras;
• much larger files to store and move;
• an edit that switches between angles and corrects colour.

Each extra camera adds an angle to choose from in every minute of the edit, so more cameras mean more editing hours as well as more equipment. Video also takes longer on the day: the cameras need framing and the light needs setting before anyone speaks, and in a studio that time comes out of the booking. To keep video affordable:

• film the full episode on one wide shot;
• save close-ups for the clips;
• film only the episodes that need video.

The pricing page shows how audio, video and multicam compare in price. For filming beyond podcasts, see what video production costs.

How much does podcast editing cost?

Editors charge by the hour or per finished episode. Either way, the bill depends on:

• the length of the episode;
• how many cameras or audio tracks there are;
• how clean the recording is;
• how much cutting and restructuring it needs;
• music, titles and graphics;
• clips for social media;
• the number of revision rounds.

Editing usually takes longer than the recording itself, and a video with several angles takes longest. Ask what counts as a revision before you agree a price. You can also bring the bill down before the editor starts:

• record clean, in a quiet room and with fewer restarts;
• give the editor a clear brief on what to cut and what to keep;
• agree a standard intro and outro once and reuse them.

Baltic Podcast Studio offers editing billed by the hour for both video and sound, footage shot elsewhere included, and the first 2 rounds of revisions are free.

How do you keep the cost per episode down?

1. Batch: record three or four episodes in one session, so you pay for the setup once.
2. Prepare outlines and guest questions before the clock starts; time spent deciding what to ask is billed like any other.
3. Film the full episode on one camera, and add more only when the show grows.
4. Reuse a fixed intro, outro and cover template.
5. Cut clips from the episode itself instead of filming separate content: the material is already paid for.
6. Decide which episodes need video at all.

Once you know the format and how many hours a session will take, add up your session in the estimator for an exact figure.