Free podcast production invoice generator
Bill per episode or on a monthly retainer, with editing, show notes, video cutdowns and rush turnarounds priced as the separate work they are.
Build your podcast production invoice
Prefilled with a monthly show retainer. Replace the episodes and deliverables, then download.
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What is a podcast production invoice?
A podcast production invoice is a deliverables list with a price on it. Editing an interview is only part of the job; the client is also buying show notes, chapter markers, audiograms, a video cut, transcript cleanup and publishing. Bundle those into an episode rate if you like, but list what the rate includes.
Per-episode pricing suits shows with a stable format and predictable raw length. Monthly retainers suit shows that need scheduling, guest coordination and someone who answers on Tuesday when the file will not upload. Retainers are better business — they smooth income and price the availability, not just the editing — and they should state an episode allowance with an overage rate.
The two things that quietly destroy margin in this work are raw length and revisions. A ninety-minute recording for a thirty-minute episode is three times the work of a tight forty-minute conversation. Set a raw-length threshold with a per-hour overage, include a fixed number of revision rounds, and price the third round. Both belong on the invoice as visible terms.
What to include
Everything below is already in the generator above — this is what each part is for.
Show and episode numbers
The show name and the specific episodes covered by the invoice.
Deliverables per episode
Edited master, show notes, chapters, transcript, audiograms and any video cut.
Editing scope
Raw length received, edited length delivered, and any overage beyond the threshold.
Retainer and allowance
Monthly fee, episodes included, and the rate for episodes beyond the allowance.
Rush and revisions
Turnaround agreed, rush surcharges applied, and revision rounds beyond those included.
Studio, music and pass-throughs
Studio or engineer time, licensed music, hosting or transcription costs at cost.
Three steps to a finished PDF
Enter the show and period
The show, the episodes covered and whether this is a retainer or per-episode invoice.
List deliverables and overages
What was delivered per episode, then raw-length overage, rush fees and extra revisions.
Download and send
Download the PDF and send it on a fixed monthly date so the client can schedule payment.
Episode rates, retainers and protecting your margin
Charge for the deliverables, not the timeline
An hour of editing is not the unit clients understand; an episode is. Set an episode rate that includes a defined bundle — edited master, show notes, three audiograms, chapter markers — and quote extras individually. Clients who ask for "just a quick video version" are asking for a second production, and it should have a price next to it.
Retainers should state an allowance
- Monthly fee covering a set number of episodes, with a per-episode overage rate.
- Include the coordination and scheduling work; it is real and otherwise invisible.
- Bill monthly in advance for retainers, in arrears for per-episode work.
Set a raw-length threshold
Editing time scales with what you are given, not with what you deliver. Write a threshold into the rate — up to 90 minutes of raw audio per episode, then a per-hour charge — and apply it. A host who knows that recording for two hours costs money records for one, which improves the show as well as your margin.
Own the assets question up front
Who owns the project files, the stems and the raw recordings? Standard practice is that the client owns the delivered masters and the content; you retain the session files unless a buyout is agreed. Put a line in the terms, and price file handover separately. Podcasts change producers, and the conversation always happens at the worst possible moment.
Three mistakes that delay payment
Hourly billing for editing
Clients cannot forecast it and you are punished for getting faster. Price the episode.
No raw-length threshold
A two-hour recording for a thirty-minute show doubles your work at the same price. Set the threshold.
Unlimited revisions
Two rounds included, the third billed. Written on the invoice, it never becomes an argument.