This is a Podcast Production School Review from a course graduate who went from zero to being a fully booked Podcast Producer. 

Podcasts have become a booming field over recent years – there are 2 MILLION podcasts out there and growing, which is 4 TIMES the number of podcasts back in 2018. 

Whether you are thinking about becoming a Podcast producer or maybe starting your own podcast, the right training can help you fast track your success. 

Podcast Production School might be just the help you need, but don’t take my word for it. 

In this post, I had the opportunity to interview Sharon Schuler, who took the Podcast Production School (PPS) course, and it accelerated her to become a fully booked Podcast producer. 

If you are contemplating investing in a podcast course, I hope this Podcast Production School review from Sharon can answer some of your questions about the course. 

So before we jump to the interview with Sharon, let me give you a quick overview of the Podcast Production School. 

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase. Please read the disclosure for more information.

What does Podcast Production School cover? 

Podcast Production School (PPS) is a comprehensive training course that will teach you the marketing and technical skills required to grow and manage podcasts. 

It is perfect for someone who wants to start his/her own podcast or provide podcast services for other businesses. 

The course covers: 

• 8 Self-paced modules containing 45+ individual lessons
  • An overview of podcasting
  • The types and parts of a podcast
  • Services you can offer as a podcast producer
  • Technical setup and audio editing
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Working with clients (packages, pricing, contracts, and onboarding etc.)
• Following the systematic 90-day blueprint, you will go from learning to earning in 3 phases
  • 0-30 days: complete the PPS course
  • 31-60 days: make 100 offers to prospects
  • 61-90 days: gain practical podcast production experience
• 20+ customisable turn-key templates and checklists
• Audacity, Libsyn & WordPress step-by-step tech training
• 5 Bonuses (worth $1900 value)
  • A 90-day complimentary membership into a private Facebook group community for job leads, and ongoing training & support. 
  • Podcast marketing training from Joe Fier of Hustle & Flowchart
  • Customisable client contract template
  • Quickstart, a LIVE 2-day workshop
  • Lifetime access to the program with free, ongoing updates. 

You will also get a certification upon completion of Podcast Production School, a credential in the field that helps to grow your podcast services. (Sharon touched on how this really helped to grow her business)

How much does Podcast Production School cost? 

Podcast Production School cost a single payment of $500.  

Now that we have covered the basics of the PPS course, let’s jump into the interview with Sharon: 

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Hiya Sharon, tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Hi! I’m Sharon.

I’m a wife and mother of five kids aged 3 – 12 and we live on our family-owned dairy farm in Eastern Ontario, Canada.

So yes, you will find me out in the barn milking cows about 3 times a week. 

I’m also a work-from-home podcast editor, running my own service business at JustKeepPodcasting. 

How did you get started in podcast editing/producing? 

I was 30 years old and had just bought my 1st laptop and it opened this entire online world to me, that I never had before. And as a stay-at-home-mom (at the time) with 90% child/house care on me, the online world was the perfect escape, the perfect creativity outlet to calm my anxiety, and the perfect place to try building a business without the risk …. And without leaving the house! 

In 2016 I joined the mommy blogging movement. In 2018 I made a huge decision between starting a youtube channel or starting a podcast show … I chose Youtube!

After nearly a year of Youtubing and tracking my data — I saw that my audience wasn’t there, so I switched to podcasting in 2019. My mommy blogging email list went from a year frozen while I did youtube to a 21% increase in four months because of podcasting! Which was huge!

I was obsessed and in love with the ease of podcasting. After youtube and its 52 step process and 6 hours to editing one video per week … podcasting felt like a breeze. 

Then I followed this rabbit trail of podcasting AND helping other moms with their podcasts and near the end of 2019 I started offering it as a service. 

I’ve done all the podcast jobs as a service: from editing to management, but I’ve recently niched down into podcast editing services only, as I made the best system (for me) to serve my clients and take care of myself and my family. Win-win-win.

Use this FREE workbook to find out – What Services You Can Offer? 

What made you choose Podcast Production School over other courses? 

There actually weren’t many courses offering Podcast Production that I trusted. I had stumbled across Gina Horkey’s name a few times back in my mommy blogging days and was familiar with her work. So I trusted the process that these ladies were going to lead me through. 

I also joined Podcast Production School AFTER I had clients and was neck deep into offering my services. I love how PPS had built in testing as you went through the course … you can’t access the next lesson until you pass the test of the lesson you are in. Which I love. 

They also have a course completion certification. Which means after you’ve done all the testing and you’ve passed you get a certification! 

To be honest, I also wanted the support they were offering. I wanted the tests to see if I actually knew what I was talking about and I wanted the certification badge to put on my website to validate not only to other people but to myself as well that I did it. 

I usually sit and rethink a decision 5 more times after it’s made. So what pushed me to choose PPS was that these ladies made it feel like a school. Like a college certification. And with three ladies running this course (Gina, Mel and Haliey) I knew I was getting something like a college education — with all their experience, expertise and the different biases that they would bring to the table and teach, I knew this would be a well-rounded course. 

So I jumped in.

Who is the Podcast Production School course best suited for? 

ANYONE that wants to learn how to set up, serve and sell a podcast service-based business OR (like me) even if you are already are in the podcast service based business, this course would be a great refresher, polish your process, ask the pros, get into a community type of course for you. 

Podcast Production School offers only the information that you need, one step at a time. They’ve thought of everything for a beginner that knows nothing about podcasts. Where they even have lessons with practice audio files inside so you can get some hands-on work to improve your skills. 

If you are looking for a school that has a community, PPS has an offer for that too! With challenges, guest experts and prizes.  

So if you are thinking of starting a podcast service-based business and want your handheld for the journey, join PPS. Even if you are not a beginner and have one or two clients and want to double-check to make sure you are doing things right PPS would be great for you too. 

How long did it take you to complete the PPS course? 

It took me about a month to complete the course. Which is really fast and that was because I was already IN the podcast service space and I already had clients. 

If you are starting from scratch on the podcast field, I would say give yourself 2 – 3 months to go through and practise of what you are taught. 

Lessons without implementation are just information, not knowledge. So take your time and go for the knowledge. 

What was your biggest goal in taking this course and did you achieve it? 

My biggest goal … and this may sound silly, but I was looking for that course end certification. And you could only get access to the code for the badge if you completed the course, the testing, and the homework. So, I was super focused. 

I was looking for a space to test my abilities and knowledge and I was looking for someone else to say that “You did it! And You’re Great!” And I did it. I now have a certification on my website that says “Podcast Production School Certified”. Thank you PPS! I’m so proud of that validation … AND it has ripple effects … here’s how: 

• I’ve increased my prices
• Refined my packages 
• Jumped on a discovery call with a potential client
• I am now confident in the messages I send to my clients 
• I can pivot my services as my time, and family needs me WITH confidence! 

Does the Podcast Production School course cover how to find clients? 

AH! Such a great question!

Yes, the course covers “how to find clients” close to the beginning of the course. It walks you through the where, the when, the what to say, how to say, AND some copy swipe files as well to get you started! It’s great. 

But there is something a little extra they offer as well  … The course is a one-time payment course, which you have for life. In addition, you get a 90-day complimentary PPS private facebook community membership.

The FB group was super helpful, especially at the start. I haven’t stayed in the membership for the whole time, as you can come and go as needed. BUT the extra community support has been priceless. 

They run challenges, expert training, prizes, Q&A calls  …. I mention all this because one of their recent challenges was to fill in your client tracker! It’s the same information inside the course but the live support element with the prizes has been a huge motivator in doing the work to find new clients. 

Learn more about How to become a podcast producer and get clients from my interview with Podcast Production School co-creator Hailey Thomas.

How long did it take you to get clients and make money back from the course? 

Like I said earlier, I already had a couple of clients before I jumped into PPS so for me — I had the money already coming in, but I would say and it took me about 2 months to make my money back from the course. 

If you are just getting started, give yourself a longer timeline! 

How much can a podcast producer get paid? 

This is a great question and the answer is that it depends. 

It depends where you are at with: 

• your experience 
• what services you offer
• your confidence in charging your prices 
• how many hours you want to work

For example, an experienced podcast manager of 3-5 shows will probably be working 30 hours a week and getting paid close to $5,000 a month. That’s a rough example of other podcast service providers I’ve talked to. 

For myself I’m almost fully booked out now and like I said earlier I’m focusing on podcast editing only — I want to be the first hire for other mom podcasters to support them in their solopreneur journey. My package is $300/ per month for up to 5 episodes … I like to keep things sweet and simple. 

How many hours do you work as a podcast editor?

I work about 20 hours a week and get paid around $3,000 USD … (which means I have 10 clients) but remember that’s not taking home pay. 

What type of podcast services do you offer?

I have tried all the podcast management positions before and I hated it. I loved the clients but the tasks of daily checking systems felt restrictive. It’s like I had a boss instead of being the boss of my own company and I was constantly putting out the fire. It really stressed me out. 

But remember I also have 5 kids, housework, and other volunteer work I do (not to mention milking cows ?) … and not to say that all to brag or anything #everyoneisbusy but to give a clearer picture.

My podcast service based business is a snapshot of my life. One piece of the puzzle. 

I am so grateful that I tried the other positions for podcasting. Because when I crunched our family’s finances and really looked at the data of what I could make in positions I loved – I figured out the following: 

• Financial dreams for our family
• How much money I would need to make to make that happen?
• A list of the items we would spend it on
• The purpose of the money ( we call it “dream money” — as in what I take home from my business is not what my family needs to survive but we need it if we ever wanted to go on a family trip to Disney World! Whoop whoop!) 
• How much time I had during the week to set aside and do podcasting work?
• What my packages needed to look like? 
• How many clients would I need? 

And the answer to all of the above is the number I needed to make and the work I needed to do. 

Sitting down and figuring out THAT was huge. Because you could make a fulltime living to pay your bills as a podcast producer all the way to the other end of part time work for “dream money.” 

Which gets me soooo excited. 

You can’t see my face right now, but I’m smiling because I know that you could make this into what you need it to be for your family and yourself in order to be “successful”. 

What is the most valuable learning from Podcast Production School? 

“There are no rules! Learn the work, but then go out there and do the work. The experience that you gain will be HUGE!”

This has been my huge take away from PPS and in a way — how could you not with 3 ladies that are rocking it in their 3 very different fields of expertise as your teachers?! 

I’ve also learned what the integrity of working with clients online looks like. These ladies show it in their actions and also will also straight up tell you in their Q&A’s … which is great! 

Online integrity can be hidden obviously, because you can’t see the person on the other side of the computer … but these ladies that teach PPS are fierce in their integrity. You also have to hold the line of boundaries as well with your clients and that is something that can only be taught from experience. And BOY! Do these ladies have experience! 

Is there anything that the course can be improved? 

In PPS they come from 3 different perspectives which I love and they (like I said earlier) love to break the rules i.e. like over deliver to your client but within boundaries and try all the podcast jobs before settling in! 

But because of the different perspectives they don’t have as much of a business HQ type system, like “How I should set up my business and run my day-to-day as a busy mom” … and I would imagine it’s because all three do it differently. 

I would have loved a batch-my-days, time-management, and type aspects added to it. Especially for busy moms #wishfulthinking

What does a typical day look like to you?  

What tips do you have for being productive?

1. Have a simply morning routine

2. Have my alone time

Ever since the pandemic started — my hubby and I were talking and he said “you should go away on Sunday afternoon in the van. Just get out of the house and go for a drive and get a break” I fought him at first and driving away for that first time was the hardest thing ever. #leavingmybabies

But, now … I’ve hardly missed a Sunday and I use that time in the van to voice record myself to chat out what is bothering me, what is overwhelming me and what needs to get done this upcoming week. 

I find a quiet place to park and I take that time to plan my week. The shows I need to edit, the kids appt I need to take them too etc. #allthethings and planning it out on paper, in a plain old agenda (not perfect and not by the hour!) helps me feel relaxed and ready for the week ahead. 

3. Have clear work vs. family boundaries

Clear client boundaries in particular … which also translates to NO emails or VOxer on the weekends.

I turn it off and ignore it.

To align the expectation, I always make it really clear before I take on any clients.

4. Batching

But where would a typical workday be without a bit of weekly batching?! I love my flexible-not-perfect batching “systems” as I know myself to work better with a single focus on one task to get things done. 

Typical week batching looks something like this:

1. Sunday: meal planning and groceries for the week 
2. Monday: cleaning editing files 
3. Tuesday: editing files 
4. Wednesday: editing files
5. Thursday: editing files 
6. Friday: final listen through editing files and handing them back + CEO work
7. Saturday: house cleaning and laundry day (relaxing afternoon)

Any final advice for those who are looking at starting their podcasting career? 

1. Be open to different podcasting tasks so you can fail fast.

Try it. If you are thinking about starting a podcasting service-based business … try all the different podcasting tasks that you can. Start with getting one client and if someone asks “do you offer ____ for podcast service?” Say “Yes!” and go learn it — giving it 120% of your effort! 

If you are doing the work and you are going to learn REALLY fast what you like and what you don’t like, how long things take you, and how much you need to charge.

You will learn … like you wouldn’t believe! And that’s a good thing. 

Don’t sit on the side lines and learn. Jump in there and LEARN! 

Just get started with one person, with one thing, for one month. Keep it simple and get started! You got this. 

Some different services you could start to offer:  

• Podcast launching
• Podcast editing (⬅️ that’s me) 
• Marketing /graphic designing for Podcast
• Guest management (emails, and project management systems) 
• Pitching (emails, spreadsheets and project management system) 
• Show notes writer 
• And more! 

2. Let some things slide. 

My house is tidy as clutter mess stresses me out, but it’s not clean. And that’s okay with me. 

The time I would spend washing my windows, or mopping my floors — I take that time to work on my podcast biz instead. 

Now that my older kids are older too, I have them helping me sweep the kitchen and hang wet clothes on our clothes line. Etc. I don’t need to hire a babysitter (and I’ve a hard time asking for help) but then that means that I need to be willing to let some things slide … so yes my kids watch at least a couple hours of tv, screens a day, and my house is a little dirty but it’s all about making trades for what you really want. So, what do you really want?! 

3. Know your numbers. 

I mentioned this earlier but it was epic and so motivating in making my business work. 

How much money had I made from 2016 – 2018?! … under $100! YIKES! 

And when I did start to click with clients and found that I loved podcasting work …  I started making money which turned my hobby into a business. 

When I sat down and really looked at the numbers it helped with everything in my business. 

From, how much I needed to charge in a package to how many clients I needed to book.

4. Know your end goal.

Most importantly — Where was the end goal?! When would I consider myself successful?! This was HUGE for me to know and most people skip this thinking … “I’ll just keep making more money!! Why should there be a limit??!” 

Well, if you are making endless amounts of money – what is your trade-offs? Is your trade for high-stress, long hours, and tons of tv toddler time — yikes!

That’s not why I started this business. 

Rather than use the big phrase “Financial Freedom”, define what that freedom looked like for my family – down to a list of items that we would buy … our dream list was pivotal for my mindset, which led to my motivation in turning this from a hobby to a business, which leads to me bouncing out of bed every morning …. Yep even at 5am! 

Cause I know what action I need to take to move the needle one dial closer (in my little chunks of time) to our family dream goals today. And it’s happening! It-Is-Happening! 

And it can happen for you too! 

You got this!

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Final thoughts on Podcast Production School Review

Thank you Sharon for such a candid interview. Not only is her story inspiring yet relatable, her passion is absolutely contagious.  

I hope this Podcast Production School review through someone who benefited from the course is helpful to you in deciding the right training to fast track your podcast business. 

Just get started?

Use this FREE workbook to find out – What Services Can You Offer? 

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More on Podcast Editing Service from Sharon Schuler

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Sharon Schuler

Podcast Editor

Weekdays 7-3 pm EST

? service@sharonschuler.com

? www.justkeeppodcasting.com

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