When to hire an editor
Hiring an editor isn't a luxury — it's an insurance policy against quitting. If editing is the bottleneck stopping you from publishing, the maths usually favours outsourcing.
Two paths to sustainable editing: simplify your process until you can do it yourself in 30 minutes, or hand it to someone (or something) else. Most podcasters try to muscle through the first option and burn out. The signal that you should consider the second: you keep missing your release schedule because editing is sitting on your desk.
Options ladder from cheapest to most hands-off: a podcast maker tool (Alitu and friends, ~£20–30/month, handles cleanup and levelling automatically), a freelance editor (Fiverr-style for the budget end, agencies for the full-service end), or a full-service podcast production studio if you can afford it. The decision is almost always about your time and energy, not your bank balance.
If editing is the reason you haven't published this week's episode — for the third week running — the answer is probably "hire someone".
Should you hire an editor?
Rate each 0–10. Higher = stronger signal to delegate. The total tells you what to do next.
Stay DIY — but tighten the process
You don't have the signals that warrant hiring yet. Lean on a podcast maker tool or Minimum Effective Editing instead.