Podcast Producer
Podcast producers plan, record, edit and publish audio series, turning a raw conversation or script into an episode people want to keep listening to.
- Median salary*
- $65,000
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 5,900
1.7%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +18%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 38/wk
−2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Podcast producers manage a show across its whole life, from pitching the format and booking guests through to recording, editing and publishing each episode on the platforms listeners use. Most work for media companies, marketing agencies or brands running a podcast as part of a wider content strategy, and many combine hands-on production with client and account management. The role differs from a podcast editor, who usually handles post-production only, and from a host, who does not own the guest relationships, the schedule or the final cut.
How much do podcast producers earn?
The median full-time salary for a podcast producer is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,900 since 2018.
Producers in-house at a broadcaster, agency or large brand usually earn a set salary, while freelance and contract producers are paid per episode or per project, so annual income depends on how much work they book. Pay moves with the size of the client, whether the series is commercial or branded, and whether you take on account management and sales alongside production. Rates are usually negotiated project by project, which makes scoping and quoting as important as the editing.
What does a podcast producer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Booking guests and researching their background so the interview starts from a real place
- Running the recording session, checking levels and keeping the conversation on track when a take loses momentum
- Cutting the tape, tightening the conversation and balancing levels between speakers
- Deciding what stays in the final edit when a good moment runs long or takes the episode off topic
- Preparing show notes, titles and publishing settings, then checking the episode appears correctly on each platform
What skills do podcast producers need?
Employers look for content creation and writing, project management, marketing analytics, backed by Adobe Audition fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Content creation and writing
- Project management
- Marketing analytics
- Creative software production
- Data analysis
Software and tools
- Adobe Audition
- Descript
- Anchor/Spotify for Podcasters
- Buzzsprout
- Podtrac
General skills
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 5,900 people work as podcast producers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 18% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a podcast producer?
Here's the path most podcast producers take, step by step.
- 1Learn the audio tools
Get comfortable with editing software such as Adobe Audition or Descript, plus a hosting platform for publishing and download analytics. Short courses cover this quickly, and TAFE qualifications in screen and media do the same if you prefer structured study.
- 2Make a show of your own
Producing even a short-run series gives you something to play in an interview and teaches the booking, scripting, recording and publishing workflow end to end. Community and student radio stations are another way in and put you in a studio with real deadlines.
- 3Get a production or assistant role
Entry is usually through an assistant producer, production coordinator or content role at a production house, broadcaster, agency or large brand with an in-house podcast. These jobs are rarely advertised as podcast work alone, so search for audio, content and production roles.
- 4Build the client side
Learning to scope a series, quote for it and report on downloads opens up producing for brands and agencies, where budgets and pay are steadier than in independent shows.
Ready to apply as a podcast producer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a podcast producer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a podcast producer move to?
Moving into Video Editor typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $37,700 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Editor Editing audio and video share timeline skills and narrative pacing, though video software and visual grammar need extra training. | +$37,700 | 55% | short course |
| Video Producer Producing audio and video both need project management and storytelling, with visual production adding new logistics. | +$28,600 | 50% | short course |
| Broadcast Program Director Scheduling and curating content for broadcast builds on podcast planning and audience awareness. | +$28,600 | 50% | short course |
| Copywriter Scripting and storytelling for audio translate to persuasive writing, needing a shift in tone and format. | +$24,500 | 63% | minimal |
| Music Producer Audio production skills transfer to music, though composition and artist collaboration need development. | +$13,000 | 45% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a podcast producer?
The typical podcast producer is 39 years old; 54% are men, 76% work full-time, and full-timers average 38 hours a week.
- 39
- Median age
- 46%
- Female share
- 76%
- Full-time
- −2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a podcast producer?
The work runs in cycles: planning and booking, then a recording day, then the edit, then release and promotion, often with several shows overlapping. Publishing schedules do not move, so a cancelled guest or a failed recording can push a week of work into two days. Producers who enjoy it tend to like the variety and the people, and are comfortable holding a conversation together while watching levels and time.
What people like
- You hear the episode come together. A rough recording becomes a finished piece of work you can listen back to, which is the clearest measure that the week went well.
- The work changes shape each day. One morning is guest research, the next is a studio session, the next is editing, so the job rarely settles into a single task.
- You talk to people you would not otherwise meet. Interviewing experts, authors and public figures is part of the job, and a good conversation usually teaches you something.
- Small teams mean real responsibility. In a small production company or agency you may run a show largely on your own, which builds scheduling, budgeting and client-handling skills quickly.
What people find hard
- Publishing schedules do not wait. An episode is due on the day it is due, so a late guest or a technical fault means reworking the week rather than shifting the deadline.
- Three audiences at once. The client, the guest and the listener want different things from an episode, and keeping all three satisfied is the hardest part of the job.
- Admin takes more time than people expect. Chasing confirmations, writing show notes and loading files fill a larger share of the week than the creative work people picture.
- Freelance income is uneven. Producers working project to project can go from a busy month to a thin one, which makes quoting and keeping a pipeline part of the job.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ podcast producers?
Information Media and Telecommunications employs the largest share of podcast producers, followed by Arts and Recreation Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Information Media and Telecommunications
- 2Arts and Recreation Services
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 4Education and Training
- 5Public Administration and Safety
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace podcast producers?
AI has absorbed the routine first pass of the work, particularly transcription, rough audio cleanup and draft show notes, which used to take up a large share of an assistant's week. The parts that decide whether an episode is any good, the interview, the final edit and the relationship with the client and the guest, still sit with a person, so the role is being reshaped rather than removed.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Rough edits and audio cleanupRemoving ums, long pauses, background hum and level differences between speakers is largely automated now, and text-based editing does the first pass in minutes.30%high
- Running the record and shaping the final editHolding a conversation, hearing when a take has gone flat and choosing which 40 minutes of a 90-minute recording survives is judgement work that happens with the guest in the room.30%low
- Research and guest preparationSearch tools speed up background research on a guest, though the questions and the running order still depend on knowing what will make a good conversation.20%moderate
- Show notes, titles and episode descriptionsTools draft these from the transcript, but someone still has to check the names, the claims and the tone before they go out.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a podcast producer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do podcast producers earn?
Full-time podcast producers earn a median of $65,000 per year before tax. In-house roles at broadcasters, agencies and large brands pay a set salary, while freelance and contract work is paid per episode or per project, so annual income depends on how much work you book and what the client's budget allows.
How do you become a podcast producer?
Most people start by learning an editing program and producing a series of their own, then move into an assistant producer or production coordinator role at a production house, broadcaster or agency. A portfolio of episodes matters more in interviews than the qualification behind it, and community radio is a common first studio.
Is podcast producing in demand?
Podcast producers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 18% over the decade to 2035 over the decade. The work sits mostly with agencies, media companies and brands running a podcast as part of a wider content strategy, so experience with client work is worth building alongside your own series.
Will AI replace podcast producers?
AI has taken over transcription, rough audio cleanup and first-draft show notes, which were once routine jobs for an assistant. It has not replaced the parts that need a person: booking and handling guests, running a recording, deciding what makes the final edit, and managing the client paying for the series.
What can podcast producers move into?
Video editing draws on the same timeline skills and narrative pacing, and video editors earn $37,700 more. Copywriting uses the same scripting instincts and pays $24,500 more by comparison, while music production shares the audio skills with a different ear. Many producers eventually freelance or start their own production company, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need a degree to be a podcast producer?
There is no single requirement, and employers look at the shows you have produced more than your qualifications. The most common qualification in the role is a Bachelor degree, held by about 38% of the people doing it, but a diploma or short course plus a portfolio of episodes is a realistic way in.
Related roles
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.