How to Get a Job in Podcasting

Are you someone who can’t seem to squeeze enough podcasting into their life? Perhaps the only thing keeping you from doing more of what you love is that pesky 9 to 5 job you have to pay the bills and put food on the table.

“But what if I didn’t have to go that job?” You might ask yourself. “What if I could get a full-time or part-time job working in the podcasting industry so every day I could wake up to a career that I’m passionate about?”

There are quite a few ways to break into the industry, but here are seven podcasting jobs you can do today.

1. Marketing Services

One of the most significant pain points that podcasters have is getting the word out about their show, and after you’ve already spent several hours crafting your latest episode the last thing you want to do is spend another couple hours creating marketing materials to promote the episode.

That’s where marketing services come in.

Podcast marketing specialists focus on creating engaging content that you can share on social media to get the word out about your podcast. They work with podcasters to repurpose podcast content into videos, blog posts, audiograms, and graphics so that the podcaster can focus on making more podcast episodes.

If you’ve got a strength in online marketing, this can be an excellent service to offer. Check out our friends at Repurpose House to get some ideas.

2. Editing Podcasts

As a podcast editor, it is your job to take someone’s raw audio recordings, interview or otherwise, and create the finished podcast episode. Responsibilities include editing, mixing, mastering, and exporting each episode to your client’s desired specifications.

If you find yourself most comfortable behind the keyboard cutting out those lip smacks and awkward pauses, rest assured there is no shortage of podcasters looking to outsource this part of their workflow.

To get a feel for what kinds of services and packages podcast editors often provide, check out this article by Podcast Insights that highlights some noteworthy podcast editing groups in the industry.

3. Consulting

If you’ve launched your own podcast, you are an expert. Why? Because there is a long line of people that will pay you for the knowledge and experience you’ve gained. They want a shortcut, a way to speed up the process of launching a podcast, and you are the key to making that happen for them.

As a consultant, your job is to be the Yoda to their Skywalker, guiding them through every step of the process. You can also help them with various parts of the production process - whether that’s editing the episodes, creating the artwork, or building their website - but what you offer is entirely up to you.

To see an example of a podcast consultant and the kinds of services people are looking for, The Podcast Consultant is an excellent example.

4. "Done For You" Services

Every job we’ve discussed to this point specializes in a particular piece of the podcasting process, but if you can do everything even better!

The reason people shop at Walmart or Amazon is that they know everything they need is in one place. By providing a “done for you” service, you handle the entire production of someone’s podcast - from the editing to the marketing - so the only thing they have to do is turn on the microphone and hit record.

The most fertile ground for a “done for you” service is partnering with businesses or business owners that want to use a podcast to establish themselves as an expert or to sell more products. These clients see the podcast as a means to an end and are willing to pay a higher premium to have everything handled by a podcast expert (that’s you).

Resonate Recordings is an example of a done-for-you podcasting solution, so poke through their various packages to see what services clients typically need.

5. Graphic Design Services

Even though podcasting is an audio medium, there is quite a bit of graphic design required to make a podcast stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s designing eye-catching artwork, graphics that pop on social media, or creating a brand style that carries through every aspect of the podcaster’s business endeavors, there is no shortage of graphic design needs in the world of podcasting.

If you’re a graphic designer with skills in programs like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, you can offer those skills to podcasters that need them. (Check out Jenny H Design to see an example of a graphic design website with a podcast focus).

There are two ways you can go about this. Option #1 would be to set up a website and attract clients directly. Option #2 would be to hop onto a site like 99Designs and submit artwork designs to clients through their platform.

With Option #1 you get to work one-on-one with someone and agree to the project before you get started. The drawback is that you have to find people that need your skills and are willing to pay for them, which means you need to spend more time marketing yourself.

That problem goes away with Option #2 as podcasters go to a site like 99Designs with cash in hand. You compete with other designers around the world to win projects based on your design skills, not the price point, so when you win a project, you get paid a reasonable rate.

(Note: Steer clear of websites like Fiverr where every project is a race to the lowest price. If you have the skills to deliver high-quality designs don’t waste your time on cheap clients that end up being more of a headache than they’re worth.)

6. Content Creator

If you aren’t interested in getting into the services game but happen to know way too much about podcasting for your good, consider become a content creator.

You could start a YouTube channel, launch a blog, or even (hear me out) make a podcast about podcasting. Once you start generating consistent traffic to your content, you can then offer your products and courses or sell other people’s products as an affiliate.

The key to making this work is knowing your stuff and having the patience to build something over time. Podcast Insights and The Podcast Host are two fantastic podcasting blogs where the people behind the blogs do them full-time.

7. Work at a podcast network

If you’re not interested in starting your service business, you can always try to get a job at an established podcast network. There are companies like Gimlet and Parcast (even NPR) that specialize in high production value podcast shows, and they’re always looking for talented individuals to expand their teams.

You could also apply for a position at a smaller independent podcast network, one that handles a handful of podcasts and needs expertise in all areas of editing, marketing, and promotion to partner with their podcast hosts.

If this sounds interesting to you, the HotPod weekly industry newsletter includes job openings at many of these podcast networks in their classifieds section. You can subscribe for free and then, when the newsletter goes out, scroll down to see who is hiring.

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