pricing · podcast agencies
Rigid packages and weekly schedules push the price up long before anyone asks whether you need them.
This week we spoke to someone who was weighing up a podcast. Before he called us, he'd spoken to another agency. They'd quoted him $7,000.
We're not going to tell you that number is wrong. We don't know exactly what was in it, and we've only heard it from him. But the way he described the conversation made us think about how businesses end up paying far more than they need to, and it's rarely because anyone is being dishonest.
a package that couldn't bend
As he described it, the other agency's offer was very fixed. Here's what you record, here's what you get, and that's it. They also told him it needed to be weekly episodes.
A fixed package isn't a bad thing on its own. It's easier for an agency to run and easier for a buyer to understand. It stops working when what you need is the opposite of fixed.
He asked us how we handle support. We told him it's collaborative, and we can do as much or as little as he wants. That turned out to be exactly what he was looking for. He wanted someone to show him how to use the equipment. He wanted someone live on the recording with him, to make sure it was being done properly. He wanted calls along the way to talk about how it was going.
None of that is a line in a package that says record, receive, repeat. So the question isn't only what the number was. It's what the number was paying for, and whether any of it was the help he needed.
Our quote came in almost 50% cheaper than the $7,000 one. That isn't really the point of the story either.
what he didn't say
Two things stood out to us on the call, and neither was something he told us. This is our read, from being on hundreds of podcast calls, and we could be wrong about him. But the signs were clear.
The first was that he only had a rough idea of who the podcast was for and why it existed. The second was that he seemed overwhelmed at the thought of lining up four guests a month, and questioned whether he had the capacity.
Put those together with weekly episodes, and you can see where this goes. Weekly means about four guests a month, every month. Each one has to be found, asked, scheduled and prepared, by someone who isn't sure what the show is for. That's how people burn out fast. It's also how they stop after a dozen episodes, having paid for all of them.
It isn't a quirk of one person either. Buzzsprout's guide to podfade, the way shows quietly stop, lists a format that's too demanding to sustain and no buffer for slow weeks among the common causes. We'd add, from experience, that these things are almost always visible on the first call.
four ways businesses end up overpaying
None of these are tricks. They're what happens when the shape of the offer comes from the seller's process instead of the buyer's situation.
Paying for a package built around the agency. A fixed scope means you pay for parts you may not need, and go without parts you do. The help he wanted wasn't in the box, so it would either have cost extra or not existed.
Letting the seller set the cadence. Price usually follows the number of episodes. Weekly is four times the work of one a month, and often a good deal more than the show can feed. If the agency decides how often you publish, they're also deciding how much you spend.
Committing before you know what the show is for. If nobody can say who it's for and why it exists, every episode is a guess, and you're paying a production rate for each one.
Paying for episodes that never get made. A show that stops after twelve episodes costs the same per episode as one that runs for years, and returns much less. The expensive mistake isn't the price. It's buying capacity you won't use.
why it keeps happening
Think about taking a car to a dealership for a basic service. You go in for the basics and come out with a list. Something's slightly worn, something's due, and the checklist says to replace it at every visit whatever condition it's in.
Nobody has to be lying for that to happen. A dealership runs on systems and protocols, and they exist to keep a large business sustainable. They're built around what the business sells, not around your particular car.
Some agencies work the same way. The protocol says weekly episodes, so it's weekly episodes. The package has a fixed scope, so you get the fixed scope. It isn't a judgement about you. It's a system built to sell what the system sells.
A good local mechanic tends to work differently. They're paid for their time, not for what they can add to the bill, so they look at your car and fix what keeps it safe and on the road. Nothing more.
As a business, you get to decide which one you want, and it's worth asking which one you're talking to. We're an agency with packages ourselves, so don't take our word for which we are. The test is the same for everyone. Ask what happens when your situation doesn't fit the package.
the entry point is smaller than you think
We didn't think weekly episodes were the right place to start for him. The entry point is one or two episodes a month, enough to test the water and find out whether this is sustainable before anyone commits to a year.
So what we pitched was a launch package. Four episodes, produced and handled with our guidance, for $1,750.
Four episodes teach you more than a plan does. You find out whether guests say yes. You find out how long preparation really takes, and how much of it lands on your desk. You find out whether the show still makes sense once you hear it. Then you decide whether to carry on, change it or stop, having spent a fraction of what a year would have cost.
We aren't saying cheaper is always better. Some businesses do need weekly episodes and a bigger team behind them, and the right place to start for them is different. The point is the order. Find out what works first, then pay for more of it.
what to ask any agency
Whoever you're talking to, including us, these are worth putting on the table before you agree to anything. Ask how many episodes they think you can sustain, and why that number. Ask whether you can start with fewer. Ask who will help you record, and whether that's in the price. And ask what happens if you want to pause after a few episodes.
If the answer to all four is that the package is the package, you've learned something about how flexible they'll be when something doesn't go to plan.
where keystone fits in
We have an interest in this, so we'll say it plainly. A smaller start earns us less at the beginning. We'd still rather you reached episode four with a show that works than episode twelve with one you've stopped believing in.
Book a call. Tell us who the show is for and why it should exist, even if the answer is rough, and we'll tell you what we think a sensible first step looks like.
book a call