Launching a show gets the foundation in place. Planning gets an episode outlined. But once the recording stops and the files land in a production team’s hands, most clients have no idea what actually happens next.
In part three of our FAQ series, Adam Sockel talks with Amanda Smith about everything that happens between hitting stop and hitting publish. If you haven’t read the first two yet, start with how a podcast actually gets launched, then see how an episode gets planned before diving into this one.
What happens to your files after you finish recording?
Once a recording wraps and everything is uploaded, the production team gets the files by pulling them. Most Share Your Genius clients record on Riverside, so the team has direct access and grabs what it needs straight from there before moving into editing.
What do a podcast editor and a producer actually do with a raw episode?
An editor does the first pass on the raw files. From there, a producer reviews the episode to make sure nothing needs to be cut for content or context, flags anything that doesn’t quite land, and recommends the clips that best represent the client’s point of view and the messages set out in the show pitch.
That second layer of review exists for a reason. As Amanda puts it, “it’s really hard to edit your own work or review your own work, especially if you’ve been doing it and looking at it for a really long time.” That’s why the process runs through multiple people instead of one.
What is a brand marketing kit?
A brand marketing kit is everything a client needs to release a finished episode, all in one place. Amanda describes it simply: “A brand marketing kit is basically an asset, a full top-to-bottom, everything that you need to get your show out into the world.”
What’s inside depends on the client. Some get the essentials: title, description, timestamps, a few clips, embed code, and a transcript. Others need something more robust because the kit has to fuel a bigger content marketing engine, which can mean:
- Clips built specifically for YouTube and LinkedIn, plus separate cuts for Instagram or TikTok
- Social copy written for the brand voice, and separate copy for the host and guest
- A newsletter blurb
- A blog article
- Graphics, including carousel visuals and YouTube thumbnails
Who reviews a marketing kit before it reaches a client?
Every kit gets checked by a showrunner who is just as dedicated to that client’s show as the producer is. The showrunner cross-references the kit against the show’s strategy, messaging, and point of view to make sure nothing is missing, working closely with the strategic lead who owns that strategy.
That review isn’t a one-time thing. Every quarter, the team revisits the kit to see what’s working and what needs to change, then sends any updates to the client for feedback before making revisions.
What does it actually take to publish an episode?
Uploading a file is only the start. Every detail entered during publishing- the title, description, and timestamps- comes straight from the marketing kit. On YouTube, that means making sure the right settings are turned on or off for the platform. On Spotify, it means choosing the featured clip that shows up when someone scrolls the feed or gets notified of a new episode, along with uploading the video itself.
From there, the team schedules out the social clips built for that episode. Some clients handle their own social distribution from that point; for others, Share Your Genius manages it directly.
Why does the podcast production process matter?
Working with a podcast agency is an investment, and Share Your Genius doesn’t shy away from that. But as Adam puts it, “it’s never just a podcast.” Editing, marketing kits, showrunner review, and publishing all exist so that one recording session turns into a full body of content instead of a single audio file.
That’s the full arc of the FAQ series: launch, plan, record, and publish. Every step exists to make sure a client’s mic time works as hard as possible.
Want to see what this process looks like for your show? Get in touch with Share Your Genius to talk through your show.
