Finding the right podcast agency.

You recognize the right podcast agency by episodes you can listen to, by a process that saves you time, and by prices you know before you sign. Whether it is based in your city, on the other hand, hardly matters, because a good podcast today is also produced entirely remotely.

My team and I have produced more than 6,300 episodes. In this article you learn how agencies, podcast studios and remote agencies differ, what they cost, why your own setup at home often makes more sense than the trip to the studio, and how you can tell whether an agency fits you.

What a podcast agency takes over for you

A good agency takes everything off your hands that does not need your voice and your knowledge. Depending on the package, these tasks are included.

• Before the start: Concept, name, cover, intro and music with a valid license, plus advice on which gear you really need.
• For every episode: Editing, sound, intro and outro, show notes, episode artwork and publishing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
• For video: Camera switching, thumbnail, subtitles and short clips for Instagram and LinkedIn.
• Over time: Analysis of the numbers, ideas for new episodes and, if you like, the organization of your guests.

What stays with you is what nobody can replace: your topics, your conversations and the approval of the finished episode.

Why your own setup is often the better choice

A studio sounds more professional at first. But once you work out what the trip there means for a regular podcast, it looks different.

• No travel: Whoever drives 20 to 30 minutes to the studio for every episode, prepares everything there first and drives back afterwards quickly loses an extra hour. With four episodes a month, that is half a working day.
• No ongoing rent: A podcast studio in Cologne, for example, costs €40 per hour, one in Berlin €149 per hour, and editing often comes on top. Your own set with a Shure MV7+ and a boom arm, on the other hand, costs about €325 one-time, plus headphones if you do not have any yet.
• Guests without travel: Your guests take part from their own desk. That saves them the trip and makes saying yes considerably easier, whether they are in Hamburg, Vienna or Zurich.
• Record whenever it suits: You have maximum flexibility, are not tied to free studio slots and can record an episode at short notice.

A studio pays off above all if you record only rarely or need several cameras for an elaborate video for which you have no room at home. My team and I work completely remotely; we set up the gear with you at home or in the office and record with Riverside, which saves every voice directly on the speaker’s own computer. Whoever absolutely wants to sit in a studio is therefore not in the right place with us.

How a recording with remote guests works is in the article Recording a podcast remotely, and which gear you need for it in the article The right podcast microphone.

A podcast agency in your city?

Many people specifically search for a podcast agency in Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Frankfurt, or in their own city elsewhere. That is understandable, because you want someone nearby you can sit down with.

For production, though, location hardly matters. The intro call, coordination and recordings run via video, and you receive the finished episodes digitally for approval. More important than the postal code is whether the agency understands your audience and whether you feel in good hands in the collaboration. We work this way with clients in Germany, Austria and beyond, without anyone having to travel.

How to recognize a good podcast agency

• Episodes you can listen to: Logos on a website say little. Have them show you real podcasts and ideally before-and-after audio samples.
• Experience with business owners: A podcast meant to win clients needs a different concept than an entertainment format. Ask for examples from your or a similar industry.
• Clear packages: You should know before the start what an episode or a month costs and what is included.
• The host runs in your name: If you later want to switch hosts, you have to set up a redirect to the new feed at the old one. That only works with access to the account, which is why it should be in your name.
• Music with the right license: A company podcast does not count as private. Have them show you where intro and background music come from and whether the license covers business use.
• Fair term: You should be able to pause or cancel without being tied in for long.

If you want to compare production, you will find audio samples on the page Podcast editing service. An overview of all services is on the home page of our podcast agency.

Warning signs when choosing

• Guaranteed chart positions: That is a con. Very few podcasts land in the charts at all, and if they do, it is worth looking at which ones. In a small category like philosophy, a spot in the top ten is far easier to reach than in business, where the level and therefore the competition are very high. On top of that, a new podcast often only slips into the charts briefly in the first week or two and then drops back to number 50. According to Apple, what counts for the charts are new follows, plays and the share of listeners who finish an episode, and no agency has reliable influence over that.
• Not a single audio sample: An agency that cannot or will not make its work audible is one you had better avoid.
• The host account belongs to the agency: Then your podcast depends on them, and every change needs their cooperation.
• Long minimum terms: A twelve-month contract without the option to pause ties you in before you know whether the collaboration works.
• “Our AI does all of that”: AI helps with individual tasks, but it does not replace editing yet. Why that is so is in the article Editing your own podcast.

Conclusion on the podcast agency

You do not find the right podcast agency by postal code but by episodes you can listen to, clear prices and a collaboration that saves you time. Think beforehand about whether you want to record in a studio or with your own setup. If you record regularly, your own setup saves you travel, rent and scheduling stress, and for guests from elsewhere it is the easiest solution anyway.