Ship Your Pod

Guide

You're hiring a freelancer to cut your episodes into Shorts

A job post that pulls in the right editor names every deliverable per episode, gives the clip count and turnaround as numbers, states the pay as a flat figure per episode, and ends with a short paid test cut from one of your real episodes. A vague post draws people who cut weddings and gaming montages; a specific one draws people who have already turned a two person conversation into vertical clips. Write it in that order and most of the screening happens before anyone applies.

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Open with what your show is

Editors price by minutes of footage and by how many camera angles they have to juggle, so the first paragraph of the post should tell them exactly what lands in their inbox. Say how long an episode runs, how often you record, how many people are on camera, whether you film one wide shot or separate angles per person, and what format and resolution the files come in.

Add how the footage reaches them (a shared folder link, a transfer, a drive) and whether audio is a separate track or baked into the video. An editor reading this can tell in a minute whether the job fits their setup, and you skip a dozen back and forth messages later.

List every deliverable per episode

Write the deliverables as a list, one line each, so there is no room for a different reading of the word clips. For a talking head show, the usual set is a fixed number of vertical Shorts between thirty and ninety seconds, each reframed so the frame follows whoever is speaking and splits when two people talk, with captions that match the words said and dead air and filler trimmed.

Then decide what else you want in the same hand off: one or two longer teasers for the full episode, a few thumbnail options built from real frames, a title, a description, chapter markers with timestamps, and post text for each platform you use. If you do not list it, you will not get it, and asking for it later feels to the editor like a scope change.

Give clip counts and turnaround as numbers

Pick a number of Shorts per episode and put it in the post as a number, along with how many days after upload you expect the set back. Tie the turnaround to your own publishing day: if you record on Monday and post clips from Wednesday, the editor needs to deliver by Tuesday evening, so say that. Ask applicants to confirm they can hold that slot every week, because a freelancer who is good and overbooked will miss it in the second month.

Also state how many revision rounds each episode includes and how fast you expect a fix to come back. If what you need is the whole set back within a day of filming and you want to skip the hiring altogether, Ship Your Pod returns Shorts, teasers, thumbnails, a title, description and chapters from one uploaded episode within a day on Starter or the same day on Pro, and you still post everything yourself.

State the pay as a flat figure per episode

Write the exact figure you will pay per episode and say whether it includes the revision rounds you listed. Leave out words like competitive or negotiable; they tell an experienced editor you have not decided, and the strongest candidates move on to a post that has. Paying by the episode rewards speed and judgment, while paying by the hour rewards slow work and leaves you guessing at the invoice.

If you expect the count of clips to vary with episode length, say how pay changes with it, for instance a base figure for episodes under an hour and a higher one beyond that. Mention whether the first few episodes are a trial at the same rate, and when and how you pay.

The sample test: one real segment, paid

Cut ten to fifteen minutes from a real episode, the same segment for every candidate, and ask for two finished Shorts plus a title for each, delivered within a set window of a few days. Pay for the test at a sensible fraction of your per episode rate; unpaid tests attract people with time on their hands and repel people with clients. Tell them the guest's name and how it is spelled, then check whether it appears correctly in the captions.

Judge the test on the things that matter in the feed: does the clip open on a line that makes you want the next sentence, does it end before the point trails off, does the framing stay on the person talking, are the captions the actual words, and did they trim the ums without chopping the rhythm. A candidate who picks the same two moments you would have picked, or better ones, is the one to hire.

Questions that filter the rest

Ask for links to three vertical clips they cut from a conversation show, and ask them to explain in a sentence why one of those clips works as a Short. Someone who has done this job can tell you about the hook, the cut point and the caption pacing; someone who has not will talk about color grading and transitions.

Finish with practical questions: which caption style they reach for and why, how they name and deliver files, what software they edit in, and what they do when audio on one speaker is worse than the other. Short, direct answers to these are a better sign than a long portfolio.

A post you can paste and fill in

Title: Freelance video editor, weekly podcast clips. Body: You will receive one [length] episode each [day], filmed with [number] speakers and [one wide shot / separate angles], as [format] files via [method]. Per episode you deliver [number] vertical Shorts of [range] seconds with captions word for word and framing that follows the speaker, [number] teasers, [number] thumbnail options, a title, description and chapters, and post text for [platforms]. Delivery is due by [day and time]; each episode includes [number] revision rounds returned within [time]. Pay is [figure] per episode, paid [when and how].

To apply, send links to three vertical clips you cut from a conversation show and one sentence on why one of them works. Shortlisted applicants receive a paid test: two Shorts and titles from a fifteen minute segment, due within [days]. Say that the first [number] episodes are a trial at the same rate, and name the start date.

Where Ship Your Pod fits

If the editing is the part that keeps you from posting, send the episode instead. 8 to 15 Shorts come back within a day (same day on Pro), captioned, scored and ranked best first, with teasers, quotes and per-Short titles and post text. You post them yourself, full quality, no watermark. Pro is $149 a month for 12 episodes, 15 Shorts each, plus teasers, quotes and per-platform post text. Starter is $59 a month for 4 episodes. The price goes down every month you stay. Month to month, cancel any time. Pro has a 14-day free trial for your first episode.

Pro: up to 180 Shorts and 36 teasers a month, from 12 episodes. Starter: up to 32 Shorts and 8 teasers a month, from 4 episodes.

Write the post with a fixed clip count, a dated turnaround, a flat per episode figure and a paid test from your own footage, then send the same fifteen minute segment to every shortlisted editor and hire the one whose two Shorts you would post without changes.

Questions

How many clips should I ask a freelance editor for per episode?

Match the number to how often you want to post between episodes. A weekly show that posts one Short a day needs five to seven per episode; ask for one or two more than you plan to use so you can drop the weakest.

Should I pay a podcast clip editor per clip or per episode?

Per episode, with the clip count fixed in the post. Per clip pay tempts an editor to cut more weak clips, and hourly pay rewards slow editing; a flat figure per episode keeps both of you focused on the finished set.

What turnaround should I expect for podcast clips from a freelancer?

Two to four days after upload is common for a single freelancer handling several clients; next day costs more and should be written into the post if you need it. Tie the deadline to your own posting day and ask the editor to confirm they can hold that slot weekly.

Should the test edit for a video editor be paid?

Yes. Pay a fraction of your per episode rate for two Shorts from a real segment, give every candidate the same footage, and judge the moment they chose, the hook, the caption accuracy and the trim.

What does Ship Your Pod cost?

Pro is $149 a month for 12 episodes, 15 Shorts each, plus teasers, quotes and per-platform post text. Starter is $59 a month for 4 episodes. The price goes down every month you stay. Month to month, cancel any time. Pro has a 14-day free trial for your first episode. Pro: up to 180 Shorts and 36 teasers a month, from 12 episodes. Starter: up to 32 Shorts and 8 teasers a month, from 4 episodes.

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Last updated 2026-11-04.