Podcast Agency vs Freelance Producer vs DIY: Which One Do You Need?

The short answer: a podcast editor takes your recording and sends back a cleaner version. A podcast producer decides what the show is, builds it, launches it and keeps it growing. An agency gives you a producer plus the team around them. If all you need is a clean file, hire an editor. If you need the show built and grown, you need a producer, freelance or agency. DIY makes sense only if your hours are cheap and you enjoy the work.

I've been on every side of this one.

I started Podcast Junkies in January 2014 and produced it mostly single-handed for years (389 episodes and counting). I've hired freelancers. I've been the freelancer. And since 2015, FullCast has launched 130+ shows for founders, coaches and experts.

So when someone tells me "I'll just hire someone cheap, and AI can handle the rest," I get it. I also know where that usually ends up.

Three different jobs

Most of the confusion comes from treating three jobs as one.

• An editor works on the recording. Cut the ums, fix the levels, return the file.
• A producer works on the show. Why it exists, who it's for, who comes on, how it launches, what happens after each episode goes live.
• An agency is a producer with a team behind them: editing, design, clips, publishing and strategy under one roof.

DIY means you do all three yourself.

What a podcast editor does

You send a recording, an editor sends back an edit. You can find good ones on Fiverr or Upwork, and plenty of them are excellent at it.

What an editor won't do (and isn't paid to do) is tell you whether the show is working. They won't ask who your audience is, what you want listeners to do next, or whether episode 9 should have been episode 2.

An editor makes the episode sound the way you recorded it, cleaned up. That's the whole job, and for some shows it's enough.

What a podcast producer does

A producer owns the whole system. The list is longer, because most of the work happens before anyone hits record.

Before launch

• Deciding why the show exists, what you want to talk about and who you want to interview
• Titling the show so people can find it, then writing a description built for search, then artwork that ties the name and description together

Launch

• A directed session, usually about an hour, where I interview you on why you're starting the show, then edit it into your trailer
• Setting up your podcast host and walking you through the settings that matter
• A YouTube channel with playlists, one for full episodes and one for clips
• A booking link with automation that collects what production needs from each guest (headshot, socials)
• Gear recommendations and a test recording from the room you'll actually record in
• A home for the show on your website, either on your existing site or an all-in-one podcast site

Ongoing

• Production every week, plus marketing and growth
• Coaching on interviews, topics and guest research, as much or as little as you want

At FullCast, setup takes about six weeks from kickoff to the first episode. After that, an episode goes out every week, on video.

A producer decides what gets built and sees it through.

Side by side

	DIY	Freelance editor	Freelance producer	Agency
Who decides what the show is	You	You	The producer, with you	The agency, with you
What you get each week	Whatever you make time for	A cleaned-up file	A produced episode	A produced episode plus clips, posts and publishing
Your time per episode	5 to 10+ hours	Most of it still	Recording and approvals	Recording and approvals
Typical cost	About $100 to $500 to start, plus hosting	$150 to $500 per episode for editing	Depends on scope	From about $1,000 to $1,500 a month for production only, $5,000+ for full strategy
Best for	People who enjoy the craft and have the hours	Shows that already know what they're for	Owners who want strategy from one person	Owners who want the whole thing handled

The cost figures come from our podcast production cost breakdown, which goes line by line. If you're comparing specific agencies, our ranked comparison of done-for-you podcast agencies lists who each one suits and what they charge where prices are published.

What DIY really costs

Here's the math I walk every new client through.

Prepping questions. Recording. Re-recording when the audio glitches. Reviewing the edit. Chasing your guest to confirm. Writing the show notes. Posting the clips.

Most weeks, that's around 8 hours.

If your time is worth $200 an hour, that's $1,600 a week you paid yourself to skip billable work.

And the freelance route doesn't remove all of it. You save the editing hours, then spend some of them managing three or four people who don't talk to each other.

DIY has its place. I did it for years, and I learned a ton. Just count your hours honestly before you decide it's the cheap option.

Why the cheap option often costs more

Hiring an editor and expecting producer results is where people lose the most time.

The editor does exactly what was asked. The show still has no clear audience, no reason for a listener to come back, and no plan for what happens after an episode publishes. Six months in, the founder wonders why it isn't working.

That's a strategy problem, and no amount of clean audio fixes it.

Where AI fits

I use AI every day in production, so I'm a fan.

It's great at a first pass of an edit. And once there's a transcript, it gives you a head start on clips, search-friendly blog posts, social copy for each platform and newsletter copy.

What it can't do is decide what your show is for.

When I asked ChatGPT to help with a podcast idea I hadn't fleshed out, it buried me in options. I came away more confused than when I started. Someone still has to make the calls.

How to choose: an agency or one of the alternatives

• Hire an editor if the show already has a clear purpose, a steady guest list and a host who's happy running it. You just want it to sound good.
• Hire a freelance producer if you want one person making the strategic calls and you're comfortable coordinating everything else.
• Hire an agency if your time is the scarcest thing you have and you want the show built, launched and grown without managing the moving parts.
• Do it yourself if you love the craft, have the hours, and treat the first season as your education.

If you're leaning toward a producer or an agency and want an honest read on which fits, that's what the Fit Call is for: fullcast.co/apply. And if an editor is all you need, I'll tell you that too.

Frequently asked questions

What does a podcast producer do?

A podcast producer owns the whole show. They decide why it exists and who it's for, title it for discoverability, set up hosting and distribution, produce the trailer and episodes, and keep the show growing with marketing and coaching on interviews and guests.

What is the difference between a podcast producer and an editor?

An editor works on the recording: they clean it up and send back the file. A producer works on the show: strategy, launch, guests, production and growth. Many producers also edit, but most editors don't produce.

Is it cheaper to hire a freelancer or an agency?

Per episode, a freelance editor is usually cheaper, at about $150 to $500 an episode for editing. An agency's production-only retainers start around $1,000 to $1,500 a month. The gap narrows once you count the hours you spend coordinating freelancers and the strategy an editor doesn't cover.

How long does it take to launch a podcast with a producer?

With FullCast, setup takes about six weeks from kickoff to the first episode. That covers strategy and format, the show's name, description and artwork, hosting, a trailer and directory submission. After that, episodes go out weekly.

What are the alternatives to a podcast agency?

There are three: do it yourself, hire a freelance editor to clean up the recording, or hire a freelance producer to make the strategic calls while you coordinate the rest. An editor costs about $150 to $500 an episode. DIY costs about $100 to $500 to start plus hosting, and 5 to 10+ hours of your time per episode. The right one depends on how much your time is worth and whether the show already knows what it's for.

Can AI replace a podcast producer?

AI handles a lot of the repeatable work, like a first-pass edit and turning a transcript into clips, posts and newsletter copy. It doesn't decide what your show is for, who should be on it or what to change when it isn't working. That still takes a person.