cost comparison

In-house vs agency: what does your podcast really cost?

Producing a B2B podcast in-house rarely costs what the spreadsheet says. Once you load in your team's hours, gear and software, the gap to an agency often narrows - or flips. Put in your real numbers and see the monthly and annual difference, plus the hours you would hand back to your team.

in-house costs less / mo£550
in-house / mo£1,950
agency / mo£2,500
hours saved / mo40h
In-house looks cheaper on paper by £550/mo - but that ignores the 40 hours a month it eats and the cost of inconsistent output.
monthly cost, in-house vs agency
in-house / mo£1,950
agency / mo£2,500
what to do
  • Going agency frees up 40 hours a month - about 480 hours a year your team can spend on strategy, guests and distribution instead of editing.
  • Cost the opportunity, not just the wage: those in-house hours are pulled from people you hired to do something more valuable than audio edits and admin.
  • Factor in consistency - an agency ships every episode on schedule to the same standard, whereas in-house output dips the moment your team gets busy.
  • In-house edging ahead on cash usually means the blended hourly rate is set too low - re-run it with the real loaded cost of the people doing the work.
Fame produces B2B podcasts end to end - agency consistency without the in-house hours.
Fame runs the whole show - strategy, guest booking, production and promotion.
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Built by Fame - B2B podcasts that drive pipeline.

how to use it

How to compare in-house vs agency

  1. Enter how many episodes you publish each month.
  2. Add the in-house hours a single episode really takes - recording, editing, publishing and promoting.
  3. Set your blended team cost per hour using the loaded cost of the people doing the work, not a junior rate.
  4. Add what you spend on gear and software each month, and the monthly fee an agency would charge.
  5. Read the monthly difference, the annual difference and the hours your team gets back.
worked example

See it with real numbers

For example, you ship 4 episodes a month, each taking 8 hours of senior time at a blended £60 an hour, so £1,920 of labour, plus £200 a month on gear and software - roughly £2,120 in-house. An agency quotes £2,000 a month for the same output. That is £120 cheaper monthly, about £1,440 a year, and it hands back 32 hours every month to your team. The takeaway: once you cost senior hours properly, an agency often matches or beats in-house while freeing your people for higher-value work.

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Related resources

Further reading on the Fame blog: Choosing A B2B Podcast Agency That Delivers ROI →

Podcast production cost calculator

Break down the full cost of producing each episode of your show.

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Podcast ROI calculator

See what your podcast needs to return to justify the spend.

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Cost per episode

What cost per episode means and how to work it out properly.

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Podcast strategy brief

Align your show on goals, audience and format before you spend.

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questions

Frequently asked questions

Why is in-house podcasting more expensive than it looks?

The fee you pay an agency is visible, but in-house cost is hidden across salaried hours, software, gear and the projects your team is not doing while they edit audio. Once you cost those hours at a loaded rate, in-house is usually dearer than it appears.

What should I use for blended team cost per hour?

Use the fully loaded cost - salary plus on-costs and overhead - divided by productive hours, for everyone who touches the show. For most B2B teams that lands well above the headline wage, which is exactly why in-house hours are so expensive.

Is an agency always cheaper than in-house?

Not always on pure cash, but it almost always wins on time and consistency. Even when in-house looks marginally cheaper, you spend senior hours on production and risk dips in quality when the team gets busy.

B2B podcasts that drive pipeline

Rather skip the in-house hours altogether?

Fame runs B2B podcasts end to end - strategy, guest booking, production and promotion. Done for you.

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