Podcast Jobs: Key Info for a Career in Podcasting
Podcasts have firmly established themselves as a creative industry in their own right. Whether for brands or individual creators, there’s a space in podcasting for everyone with something to say. The demand for great audio content is still growing. So it only makes sense that many people are looking into a career in podcasting.
Now, you don’t have to have a podcast to work in podcasting.
Launching your own show, working the production, promotion, and everything in between could lead to a bit of revenue generation and be a great learning experience. But it’s a lot of work to take care of every step, and some aspects of podcasting might not be right for you.
But there is a space for you to work in podcasting without launching a show. You can work as a producer, marketer, writer, researcher, manager, and so much more. When you start to consider agencies or networks, these podcast businesses need employees with every skill set. It’s up to you to decide where you want to look for podcast jobs.
To find a job in podcasting, you’ll want to focus on the skills that make you hireable in the industry and look in the right spots for openings.
What Skills You’ll Need for A Podcast Job
As you can see there’s lots of room for every skill set in podcasting. No matter your background you can find a path, even the most niche industries have podcasts, and they need writers, researchers, podcast producers, and marketers.
The most important thing before starting your podcast job search is picking which skills you enjoy most. You don’t want to apply for marketing jobs, if what you really like is technical sound editing.
Here’s some skills and things you should consider for every career in podcasting.
If you love it all, from planning to producing, to promoting, then go ahead and launch your own show as a work sample. This can help show what you’re capable of at every level.
Podcast Producer or Editor
The next potential podcast job you might be interested in is a career in production and editing. This is where you may find your spot in podcasting if you love the technical side, and transforming raw content into audio that flows and engages listeners. Of course here, you’ll want to work on your editing skills and learn a few different editing and recording software.
Here’s just a few you might want to get familiar with:
1. Audacity: the go-to free audio editing software around. It’s used by a lot of independent podcasters, students, and even some professional audio editors. This is a great starting point because it is a free software. Also if you are working freelance you may find a lot of creators are working with this software.
2. Adobe Audition: If you are working in a creative field, you can bet Adobe is there. Audition is their software for podcasters, and tends to be another popular one among independent creators and professional podcast editors. If you can afford to try it out, it’s well worth learning.
3. Pro Tools: our favorite here at Lower Street, it’s been around for a while and is the standard in recording studios, production houses, and many home studios. This one does have a bit of a tougher learning curve compared to the other two. But if you are up for trying something new, or want to test out which software is most comfortable for you, give it a try.
Lastly, beyond honing your audio editing skills, you may want to consider video. Podcasting is very much heading toward more video content, with YouTube being one of the top platforms for podcast listeners. A quick skim of podcast job postings will show you there’s a need for video editors. Go ahead and learn a little bit about video editing as you get your CV ready!
Podcast Manager
If you lean towards a job as a podcast manager, or strategist then show off your project management skills, your organization, and your creativity. Focusing on a niche, and your particular interests can also help you land a job with a podcast you’ll be enthusiastic about.
Particularly in Podcast Management, guest management, and relations can be key skills.
It also is crucial to have a full view of the industry, keep your eye on podcast news, and take note of trends, gaps in the market, and successful content.
Podcast Researcher and Writing
Have a knack for storytelling? A career in podcast writing may be for you. But it’s important to hone in on your scripting skills. Writing for audio looks different than writing for print or online. You’ll want to get used to writing in a more colloquial style and being able to imagine the final outcome with sound effects, and other audio layers. Here it may be good to write a few examples, or even produce a few episodes of your own show to highlight your skills.
But if you aren’t quite at the point of writing an audio script, you might find a spot in researching for podcasts. A job as a podcast researcher is also a great way into the industry for those of you reading who have been in a very niche background.
The True Crime genre is an obvious example of podcasts that need researchers - they need people to sort through all the documentation for key facts. But many other technical shows, from history to parenting to medical topics, all need backup assistance to double-check the facts and root out valuable content.
Just keep doing what you do best - researching. Additionally, it can be great to show that you are also able to take these dense topics and present them in a digestible way to audiences.
Podcast Marketing
Last but not least, a popular area in podcast jobs is marketing and promotion. While you may have already had a career in marketing other industries, when moving into podcasting there are some things you’ll want to consider. Marketing audio can be a bit of a different wheelhouse, you’ll want to look around and see how podcasts are generally promoted. For example, a lot of it may be with cross-promotion on other shows, in-app promotions with podcast platforms like Apple or Spotify, and generally promoting a lot of word-of-mouth marketing.
Again, you’ll also want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and direction of the podcasting industry. Keep an eye out for creative gaps in the market, and opportunities for collaboration.
Getting in the Know of Podcasting
As you may have noticed, one of the most important aspects of preparing for a career in podcasting is really getting to know the industry. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find that there's all sorts of roles available, like audio engineering, being the host of a podcast, transcription and assisting with production.
You’ll want to know if there are new things to learn - like the many elements involved in producing a video version or rolling episodes out to new platforms. But you’ll also want to see how podcasting is having an impact.
Some great resources to help you stay in the know:
- PodNews
Where to find your next podcast job
When looking around for a podcast job, you’ll already start to see some in podcasting newsletters like those from Podnews and Sounds Profitable.
But if you want to deepen your search here are a few sites to look at:
Podcast Job Posting Sites: Specific sites for all things podcasting jobs include Podnews Jobs or AIR. You can find freelance opportunities or full-time contract jobs in everything from management to production to promotion.
Upwork & Fiverr: These are for freelancers and gig work, but often have a few opportunities in podcasting. It’s a great starter spot, but know that the rates and job stability through these opportunities might not be the best. On Fiverr you can upload your offer, and employers will contact you, on Upwork employers post projects and you can apply.
The Classic Job Posting Sites: LinkedIn, Indeed, Remote.co, or WeWorkRemotely, are all great spots to have a look for a podcasting job. You can find opportunities remotely or locally, just use the filters and search wisely.
Lastly, you can always look directly on your favorite podcast network, agency, or show’s website to see if they are looking for help. Speaking of, you can always keep an eye out on the Lower Street Job page, we’d love to hear from you.
Final Thoughts on Podcast Jobs
No matter your skill set, there’s a career for you in podcasting. So if you are looking for a podcast job, start by identifying what skills you have, or what ones you really want to learn. Stay up to date with the latest in the industry, and keep an eye out for the job just right for you.
