Speaker 1: Welcome to the Podcast Editing and Support Show. My name is Dave. Are you ready? You ready? Let's go. We're gonna start the episode right now. Happy to have you here. Let's do this. That's right. We're back and we're talking today here on the Podcast Editing and Support Show around content editing and audio editing. There's a difference between the two and I wanted to share that with you here on the show. We need to cut out all of the stuff in a podcast that really doesn't serve our audience, doesn't serve the listener. At the end of the day, your podcast is not about you. It's not about your guests. It's not about all of that. It's about your listener because without a listener, really, do we have a podcast? If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it? If somebody creates a podcast and no one listens to it, do we have a podcast? I don't know. Well, maybe, we'll talk about it. But content editing and audio editing, there's a difference between the two. We're gonna talk about it here on the Podcast Editing and Support Show. Here we go. So one of the things a podcast editor can do for you in your podcast, if you're a podcast host listening today, hi, nice to have you here. One of the things we can do as editors is with your permission, we can get rid of some of the fluff, some of the stuff that happens in your show during the recording where you as a host or your guest gets off topic, kind of goes down a rabbit hole and it has nothing to do with the topic of the conversation or there's a question posed to your guest and the guest, either it's a swing and a miss, as we hear in baseball, or it's just a really bad answer or a really bad question and it has no context to the overall discussion of the podcast. We could just take that out and no one would even know that it happened. And for the most part, if you're an interview podcast, your guest isn't even gonna remember it unless it was like earth shatteringly terrible. Your guest is not even gonna remember that that question was asked or answered. So it's kind of a win-win for the listener that we take out some of the boring. Now I hear people who record and they just record it as it is, it's captured in the moment and they post it as it was, no edits. Maybe they'll throw on the music like you heard here at the beginning and an outro music at the end, but the content, the information recorded, they don't do any editing at all. There's one podcast I listened to, they pull it from a live stream, okay? So it's an hour, an hour and 30 minutes of a live stream recording. And there's two hosts, one of them has a sniffle problem. They need to have facial tissue near them or mute their mic because they do, and I won't do it to you because it's disgusting, but they do a big sniff, kind of a gurgling, sniffling sound. Let's put it that way so that we're not all grossed out, but they will leave them all in. And it could even be when the other person's talking, you hear this big sniff sound. There's on that same show, the co-host desperately needs a glass of water because they're clearing their throat almost every second time they speak. Big ahems and all this stuff that happens. Again, very frustrating. But for them, they proudly state, we don't need to edit our show. And if we edited our show, we would never be a podcaster. I was doing some editing for a show where there's two co-hosts and one co-host, I guess they're recording in the morning because he was having his breakfast. You could hear him slurping his coffee, crunching on like a bagel or something in the background while the other person was talking. Thankfully, I have two tracks and I can just mute all that junk out of the way. But do we really need to eat while we're recording people? Come on, can we save that till after we're done? Is that really a good look or a good sound for your show? Especially when you have a guest on and there you are just munching out on breakfast. Come on, let's step it up a little bit here, people. So as podcast editors, we can take out some of that boring junk that really does not add any value to the podcast, does not make your guests look amazing and makes your audience go, why is that in there? So here's an example of what I hear in podcasting as just nonsense, just complete, utter nonsense. Circle talk, it's a bunch of words, yes, but really at the end of the day, have they really said anything at all? So here's a little clip and I hear this from podcasts, I hear this from back in the day on Clubhouse, our audio experience where we could jump up on stage and talk. This is what I'm hearing in podcasting and content creation and at the end of it, I'm like, what just happened? What did I hear? Did I get anything out of that? And this is a great example of what, if I was your podcast editor, this is what I would cut out of your show if you gave this to me, just as an example. So listen to this and I challenge you to tell me what the topic was they were talking about at the end of this, all right? We'll be back in a second, here we go.

Speaker 2: So that's what I think. Yeah, that's so true. I'm really glad you brought that up. I think this is really important and if I can just speak about this for a minute because I've really been thinking about this quite a lot and here's the thing, right? Here's when it all comes down to it and we like really begin to understand, like this is what I think but this is why we have you on. It's my opinion, it's what I really, so my friend works at the New York Times, right? Oh, nice. Yeah, and so this is what I think. There's a lot of conversation and there's a lot of dialogue around the subject without really dissecting and understanding the subject and I think what we really need and I've said this before, I've said this on my podcast if people want to check that out as well but we'll put the link in. I think it's really important that we generate more conversation around, I mean, what we're doing right now, you know? Yeah. This kind of like, it's so important. No, for sure. It's so important. It's so important. It really is. Like we need this. It really is, yeah. So that's what I think. Yeah, that's so true. You know, I'm really glad you brought that up. I think this is really important and if I can just speak about this for a minute because I've really been thinking about this quite a lot and here's the thing, right? When it all comes down to it and we like really begin to understand like this.

Speaker 1: So that's what I'm talking about. Can you tell me exactly with the context of what they're talking about? Did you walk away with complete knowledge and understanding? Did you go, that was the best clip ever. I'm gonna clip that and I'm gonna share that on my socials because it was so powerful. No, no, you're not because I have no idea what they were saying, right? It's not, there's nothing clear, concise. There's nothing for the listener. Just two guys yakking it up and talking circles around each other around something that we don't even know what they're talking about. So that would be a great clip that I personally as a podcast editor would remove from your show because it has really no context to anything that's happening in your show. So when you're hiring a podcast editor for all the podcast hosts that are listening, you need to have a conversation with your editor and say, I'm looking for an editor who will do content editing like that, where you're gonna go in and take out things that really have no value. I do content editing for a client, he's a doctor. And now as a doctor, he has a skillset that I don't have. I am not a doctor. So I'm very careful not to cut out anything that does not impact the overall conversation and the discussion because I might edit out something that's completely relevant, super important and out of context might change the subject. So I'm very careful about what I edit for his show. But when they go off on tangents and talk about something unrelated to the topic, I have permission to go in and take that out without asking, without sending a clip saying, hi, doctor, I'd like to remove this portion from minute one, two, three to minute 1.4. Can I take out this section please? Yes or no? And then I wait. No, I have permission to go in there and just make that happen. I just take care of it for him. He's too busy as a doctor to be worried about content edits for his show. I just take care of it for him. So in that sense, we have an agreement because we agreed in ahead of time that I would do that for him. So as you hire your podcast editor, you need to have that conversation and go, okay, so where are the boundaries? What are you looking for? The alternative to doing content editing is just hiring somebody to do basic audio editing, clean things up and make things sound better, which is fine, we can do that as well. But when you're hiring somebody, you need to have that conversation. Dave, I want you to do content editing, yes or no? Dave, I want you to do the audio only editing, fix up the little mistakes and breaks and pauses and ums and ahs, take those out and that's it, don't touch the content. Okay, at least we need to know that upfront. And that's a conversation that needs to happen when you hire your podcast editor. And editors, if you haven't asked your clients this yet, make sure you put that in your notes. You wanna have this conversation at the beginning. I think it's really important and I think these two guys would agree. Guys, what do you think?

Speaker 2: It's so important, for sure, it's so important. It's so important, it really is, it really is, yeah.

Speaker 1: Okay, well thank you guys, thank you for agreeing with that. So we wanna make sure we do our best for our listener. At the end of the day, again, a podcast is always for the listener. A little tip for you as a podcast host, as you do an interview show, the one thing that I really wanna encourage you to think about is kind of a bonus tip to what we're talking about today, is when you have a guest on your show, make sure that the two, you and your guest, are focused on the listener. And you bring the listener into the podcast so that they feel like they're a part of the conversation. Don't alienate your listener, putting them up far from the action, up in the stands, up in the bleachers, far away from the action. Bring them down onto the field, bring them into the conversation. And what I'm encouraging my guests on my podcast is to talk to the listener, like they're actually in the room with us during the recording. Don't think of them as being a future listener, think of them being an active listener. They're right here, right now. So in this moment, what would you say to a listener who is struggling with imposter syndrome? And then instead of my guest saying, Dave, well, for your listeners, I would say, no, no, no, talk to them because they're right here. And don't talk through me, but talk to them directly. So if you're struggling with imposter syndrome right now and you're listening to this episode, here's my advice on how to overcome imposter syndrome. And talk to the listener, because they're here. And so we need to acknowledge them. So that is also something that is very important. I think these guys would agree with that as well. It's so important, it really is, it really is, yeah. Okay, so here are some ways that we can master podcast clarity. Okay, how content editing elevates your podcast. It's really important. So number one, enhance clarity. In the world of podcasting, clarity is king. Just as in writing, content editing untangles complex ideas, gets rid of like jargon and odd sentences. Authors rely on this kind of editing to make their books great. And how podcasters think they don't need this, I don't understand it, I think we need great content editing. It also ensures that our listeners can easily follow the flow of discussion. Remember, your listeners are listening after the fact, especially if you're doing a live recording. You might understand what's happening in the moment, what's happening on camera, and it's in front of you, but the listener is listening days, weeks, years after the fact. They don't have a point of reference that you have, so you need to include them. So get rid of all that foggy information, foggy unfinished sentences, tangents, get rid of all that and give your listeners a crystal clear experience to your podcast. The next one is just improved engagement. A well-edited podcast episode is like a captivating story. You can tell, you can have this sense of comfort that we're all on a path, we're going somewhere. We're not just on some random tangent and hoping we get back to the original context of what we were listening to or what we were reading. We need to draw listeners in from the outset and keep them hooked right to the very end. And content editing can really help to enhance the structure of the flow of the episode and creates a really seamless listening experience that piques the curiosity of your listener and keeps them engaged. So we really need to improve our engagement just through content editing alone. It's important. The third one is consistency and the brand voice for your podcast. So what do I mean by that? It's for podcast hosts, maintaining a consistent tone, style, and a brand voice is really important to your show. Content editing ensures that each episode aligns with the overarching brand identity. You know, your brand, that's a thing that people identify you with and associate you with your podcast. Brands are everywhere. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, on and on and on. As soon as you hear or see those names, you already have a picture of what that product is because you understand the brand. Your podcast has a brand and you want to protect that through content editing. Editing the content of your podcast will help your listeners to get used to consistent podcast length for the episodes. It'll also help them to foster a sense of familiarity with your show because it kind of has the same feel every episode to every episode. And it builds trust with your listeners because you've invested the time to do great content editing. The fourth thing, error-free content. Just like in writing a book or a movie script or anything, having the proper grammar, spelling, pronunciation, errors can detract from the professionalism of a podcast episode. Now, again, going back to the live-to-tape recordings where we just keep it real, y'all, and we don't do any edits at all, I hear people say things like on accident instead of by accident. On accident is not a term. That's not a term, people. By accident. So I don't say, on accident, I found my keys. By accident, I found my keys. That's the proper way. On accident is not even a term. So that has to be fixed. Saying a logarithm instead of algorithm, that's a mistake. So we can take those things out and we can make your podcast better through content editing. So please, invest the time for the sake of your listener. Don't just leave all the errors and the wrong quotes and all the misinformation, things that you say incorrectly in the moment. Take them out. While I've been recording this episode, I've stopped three times and went back and fixed something because it was the wrong word, or I said it wrong, or I stumbled. Just take it out, just take it out for the sake of the listener. And the last one is just around your reputation as a podcaster. Content editing can help you and your podcast to raise your reputation with your listeners. A well-edited podcast is a reflection of the professionalism and expertise of you, the host. Content editing ensures that each episode showcases the host knowledge and skill, enhancing their credibility and reputation within the podcasting community. When a podcaster is there telling you they can help you be a better speaker, but they struggle with words, they struggle with sayings, they get on tangents, that doesn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling that they're gonna be able to help me to be a better speaker because they themselves struggle to be better speakers. So in the moment, sometimes there's a better word for the word that you wanted to say, or again, you went on a tangent, you went somewhere you weren't anticipating to go, and it doesn't give value to the listener at the end of the day. Some people come to me all the time and they say, Dave, how long should a podcast be? And again, it goes back to how long is a piece of string, a piece of rope? The podcast should be as long as it needs to be. Same as the length of your legs. They need to be as long as it takes to get from your body to the ground. That's how long a pair of legs need to be. So a child's legs are shorter than an adult's legs. So that's how long they need to be, and that's how long your podcast needs to be. As long as it has useful, beneficial content for your audience and nothing longer. So a five minute tangent about your cat on your podcast about golfing could be removed without affecting the content of what you talked about and also give back time to your audience. Remember, your listener, when they press play, they're investing time. And if time is money, then are they getting a good return on investment in listening to your show? Are they getting their money back in time by listening to your podcast? And if you were able to take a minute here, two minutes there out of the podcast and give them back time, do you not think that your listener would appreciate that? Would you not appreciate that? If I didn't do that here in the show, I'm giving you back the gift of time. Instead of keeping you here for 45 minutes, let's make it as tight and concise as possible without any tangents. And that's what content editing is. So when you sit down with a podcast editor and you wanna hire somebody, have the conversation. I'm looking for a content editor or I'm looking for an audio editor who's gonna take out all the silences and stumbles and ums and ahs. Or am I looking for both? Because there might be a different charge because your editor has to listen through and make sense of the content to make sure that everything works properly. For a content edit, you might have to pay a little bit more but at the end of the day, is it worth it to your listener? Yes, it is. Is it worth it to you to grow your podcast? Yes. Because people come to your podcast for value. They come to you because of who you are and who you show up in this world. And when you can offer them concise value that's not podcasted to a time clock but a podcast that's built around the content and giving the best to the listener, that's where your people are gonna get a good return on investment by pressing play on your podcast. And a podcast editor can help you achieve that goal. Have the conversation podcast hosts. Have that conversation podcast editors. Talk about, is this a content edit that you're looking for or simply an audio edit? It's a good thing to have as a conversation starter because then you're both on the same page as podcast editors. If you have questions around podcast editing, if you're looking for a podcast editor, my hand is raised, I would love to help you whether it's just a conversation to help you guide you towards the right editor or if you're looking to hire someone like me, I am always looking for clients. So I'd love to be on your team helping you put the best podcast out there. And I think the gentlemen here will agree with me.

Speaker 2: It's so important. Not for sure. It's so important.

Speaker 1: That this is a great thing to do is to hire a great editor. And I know a few and I'd love to be part of your team. Thanks for listening. Hey, thanks for being here for the Podcast Editing and Support Show. Again, if you're looking for support for your podcast editing, head over to truemediasolutions.ca. We'd love to talk to you there. Great episodes coming up here on the Podcast Editing and Support Show. We'll talk to you soon. Take care.