Field notes on video podcast production, launching, editing, repurposing and growing a show that publishes every week. Written by the crew that does this for a living.
Dynamic beats condenser in every real room, USB has caught up with XLR, and the best cheap podcast microphone has been the same for years. Named models at honest UK prices, plus the accessories that quietly waste your budget.
Most studio guides start with gear. The room decides more than the microphone does. Here is the full build in order: room, treatment, audio, camera, lighting and layout, with three honest UK budget tiers and the point where hiring beats building.
Every guide lists the same six formats. This one adds what the lists leave out: the hours each format really takes, what it costs to make well, and which ones generate leads rather than just downloads.
The honest fork every show hits: what DIY really costs in hours, what outsourcing costs in pounds, and the break-even point where handing it off becomes the cheaper option.
Most production companies sound identical on a sales call. Six questions cut through it, covering deliverables, ownership, revisions, turnaround, pricing and proof. Here is what strong answers sound like, and the contract terms that should end the conversation.
Starting a podcast in the UK costs anywhere from £150 to £2,500 up front depending on ambition, but the number that decides whether your show survives is the per-episode cost. Here is the honest maths for both.
From blank page to published episode one: the format decisions that keep shows alive, gear by budget, a recording setup that flatters you, and UK distribution across YouTube, Apple and Spotify.
Editing quotes in the UK range from pocket money to four figures for the same word. The difference is the deliverables list. Here is what should be on it, and the questions that reveal what is missing.
The whole production chain in one place: what happens at each stage, how long it honestly takes, what it costs in the UK, and which parts are worth handing to someone else.
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