A brand marketer slid into my inbox last week with a question I get more than almost any other: "How much does it cost to launch a decent podcast for my brand?"
Honest answer? It depends on what "decent" means to you. But I'm going to break it down in a way that actually helps you budget, plan, and decide whether to DIY it or hand it off to someone who does this every day.
Let's start with what's in the bag: The gear, if you're doing it yourself. Everything you see in the photo above is what I bring to a podcast production. Not a studio full of equipment. A bag. A really good bag.
Sony Alpha ZV-E10 — the camera that makes your podcast look like a production, not a Zoom call. Around $895 new, less if you buy refurbished.
DJI Mic Wireless — the wireless mic system that changed everything for on-location recording. Around $165.
Newer Mini Lavalier Mics — the backup, the guest mic, the insurance policy. Around $25.
AC-PW 20 Continuous Power — because nothing ends a recording session faster than a dead battery. Around $30.
Ulanzi RGB Video Light — compact, color-tunable, and better than any ring light you've ever used. Around $20.
67" Tripod — stable, portable, reliable. Around $40.
Digital Timer — keeping segments tight is a production skill. This $10 tool is non-negotiable.
Total for a solid DIY setup: roughly $1,200 to $1,500 in gear, one time.
Then there's software. Riverside or PodBean for recording ($20-30/month), a hosting platform like Buzzsprout or Spotify for Podcasters (free to start), and editing software or a subscription to an AI editing tool ($15-40/month). Budget another $50-70/month to run the show technically.
So for a brand doing it themselves with good equipment and basic software: $1,200 to $1,500 upfront, plus $50-70/month ongoing.
But here's what the gear cost doesn't include:Your time. And your time has a dollar value attached to it.
Editing one 30-minute episode can take 2-4 hours. Writing show notes, creating audiograms, scheduling guests, managing the RSS feed, repurposing content for social — that's another 3-5 hours per episode. For a weekly show, you're looking at a part-time job on top of your actual job.
That's where a production partner comes in.
What does it cost to hire someone like Found House, Finding Arizona Podcast’s Production Company? Found House works with clients at different levels depending on what they need. We have one bids including guest coordination, recording, editing, show notes, social content, and distribution and we have clients we bill at an hourly rate built for businesses that want a show done right without adding headcount. It's the one that gets you a show you're actually proud of, published consistently, without you touching a timeline or an audio file.
And becuase we have done this for 10 years and over 50 0episdoes under our belt what I have noticed for brands that want to launch smart and grow fast, working with a production team from day one is almost always the better investment. You skip the learning curve, you skip the gear decisions, and you show up to record. That's it.
The real question isn't how much it costs to launch a podcast. It's how much it costs you not to have one while your competitors are already in people's earbuds. Found House is ready when you are. Let's talk about what your show could look like.
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