Be Ruthless In Your Editing For Better Content

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter..."
                                                                                            - Mark Twain

There's a lot of wisdom in this quotation that's attributed to Mark Twain and it applies quite well to audio editing. If you're editing only to fix retakes and remove breaths and other noises, then you need to rethink your editing process.

Yes, ideally editing should be done at the scripting stage, but many of us produce programs that are not scripted. Judicious editing of your recorded content can make a great improvement in your product.

People are busy and they will listen to your program until they get the information they want or will tune you out if the program is rambling and not delivering the value that they are expecting.

Whether you are producing podcasts, information products or web audio, you must realize that our programs are very different than talk radio. Talk radio must be repetitive as people begin listening at any point and leave at another, often  determined by their time in their car. The key points of the show, the topic and who the expert is need to be repeated often.

Our programs aren't like that. People always start at the beginning. If our program doesn't get to the point quickly and deliver the promised value, it gets turned off. It also becomes likely that this customer won't buy another program, listen to another podcast, or return to the audio portion of our website.

So, when you are recording, try to get to the point quickly and follow a logical outline. Edit ruthlessly. Cut out anything that doesn't add to the information you are trying to convey. Re-arrange topics and paragraphs for clarity. And if something is totally unclear or un-salvageable by editing, re-record it.

Your programs will be better for the effort, your clients more satisfied and hopefully your sales and bottom line will benefit from the process.