How much does a branded podcast cost?

While producing a podcast is a project with many moving parts, we’ve got our pricing down to a pretty exact science — and most of our productions end up somewhere in the ballpark of $400 per minute of finished audio.

That said, every project is different and has to be addressed individually. We custom-build quotes for our clients based on a wide array of factors.

In order to determine appropriate pricing for a new partnership, we ask ourselves four key questions: 

• What is the strategy?
• What is the structure of the podcast?
• How long is an episode?
• How many episodes are in each season?

To give you a better understanding of our process, let’s take a closer look at each of these areas.

What is the strategy?

Everything we do starts with strategy. When we’re building a strategy for a branded podcast, we ask a series of important questions that influence our approach. A few examples appear below.

• What are the objectives of the podcast?
• Who is the audience?
• What is the purpose of the podcast?

Once we have the answers to these and other key questions, we get to work on concept development. During this phase, we create multiple concepts we present to you as part of the Strategy Workshop we include with all of our partnerships.

Each of these options comes with an associated cost. Their price points will often vary depending on style, format, content and approach.

What is the structure of the podcast?

When we develop the structure of a podcast, we’re usually choosing between three basic formats. Here’s a big-picture breakdown of each.

Format 1: Interview Based

An interview-based podcast features an in-depth Q&A session with carefully sculpted question lines that really get under the hood of the subject at hand. While this is typically seen as the simplest direction to take, there are a number of factors we need to consider in building your quote.

For every series of this kind, we provide a producer, writer, recordist and editor. The cost of this team is built into your quote.

Once your A-team is assembled, we ask ourselves these key questions: 

• How much research is required per episode?
• Is the series meticulously scripted, or more off the cuff?
• Is there an amateur host and will they need training? Or is it a paid pro?
• Is this a situation where we’ll need to pay your guests?
• Will we be using stock music or creating custom compositions?

The answers will bring us closer to your final quote.

Format 2: Narrated

This is your standard script-and-clip, documentary-style podcast. You might hear this format on NPR or CBC on a Sunday morning. It's character-driven, and scene-based with lots of action to spice things up. The narration is professionally recorded, and it appeals to those who love to be entertained and learn at the same time.

This format requires a producer, writer, editor and multiple recordists. The cost of this team is built into your quote.

Some other questions we ask that determine cost for this format:

• How much research is required per episode?
• How many “scenes” are we recording in?
• Is travel involved?
• Do we need to record extra audio for texture or ambiance?
• How complex will editing be?
• How complex will scripting and narration be?
• Is there an amateur host and will they need training?

Format 3: Fiction

Fictional podcasts use a variety of characters and custom storytelling elements to immerse the listener in an imaginary world. Given the complexity of this format, the production process is more involved and can be more costly.

The factors that influence pricing here include:

• The number of voice actors
• The need for a full, polished, imaginative script
• The layers and depth of the audio
• Requirements for custom sound effects and music
• Possibility of travel

How long is an episode?

Given the work that goes into each minute of a quality podcast, it should come as no surprise that episode length plays a huge part in pricing.

That said, the length of a podcast episode is flexible and can be adjusted based on structure, content, strategy, budget, and needs. We generally recommend that episodes land somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes in length but there is no hard-and-fast rule and this always depends on the needs of your listener.

How many episodes are in each season?

We usually create podcasts in six-episode seasons. This is what we find works best and results in the smoothest production process possible.

That said, there are no concrete rules here either, and if a season is longer or shorter than six episodes, this will impact pricing.

Getting to a price

As previously mentioned, once we take all of these factors into consideration, the cost of a typical branded podcast will usually land somewhere around $400 per a minute of finished audio.

This means that if we’re producing an interview-based series with 20-minute episodes at six episodes per a season, your quote will start somewhere around $48,000. This includes the cost of strategy, research, creative, writing, recording, editing and distribution.

It doesn’t include the audience growth strategy and execution, however, which is a crucial element to the success of any show. In some cases, our clients like to take care of this aspect themselves with the help of some advice from JAR on best practices. In other cases, we take care of this process for them. If you’re not sure which route is best for your team, please drop us a line and we can work together to sort this out.

Written by Roger Nairn, JarAudio.com