# Cut podcast production from a day to two hours: the AI build for solo podcasters Source: https://getstartedwithai.net/tutorials/ai-for-podcasters-build Site: Get Started With AI Tagline: Build AI automations that actually run your business. Audience: solo professionals, freelancers, consultants and AI implementers in training Contact: hello@getstartedwithai.co.uk This Markdown companion is generated from the prerendered page for AI crawlers. # Cut podcast production from a day to two hours: the AI build for solo podcasters Six to eight hours per episode. That is what a solo UK podcaster loses to production: the edit, the transcript, the show notes, the social cuts, the email. The build below collapses it to about two hours by stacking four AI tools that each take a chunk of the work. Descript handles the edit and the filler-word strip, Whisper handles the transcript, then a Claude Project drafts the show notes and Opus Clip pulls the social cuts. Tone holds because the source material is the host actually talking. Configured in 90 minutes; runs every episode without intervention. ## What you need - A Descript subscription (Hobbyist or Creator) from about £13 to £20 a month annual for the edit and Studio Sound. - A Claude Pro account at £15 a month for the show notes Project. Whisper transcription is included with most edit tools or runs locally. - An Opus Clip account on the Starter plan from about £15 a month annual for the social cuts. - Last 5 episode show notes, 5 sample social captions and a brand voice note for the host. - 90 minutes uninterrupted to set up. Each episode after takes about two hours from end of recording to published. ## Step 1: Wire the edit pipeline (25 minutes) Descript handles 80 to 90 percent of the manual edit time on a solo or two-person show. The 10 to 20 percent left is the strategic call on what to cut. 1. Open Descript, create a project template named Solo Show Edit. Apply Studio Sound and the filler-word removal preset. 2. Set up a watched folder in Dropbox or Drive. New audio drops in, Descript imports automatically. 3. Run the AI edit on a test recording. Confirm the filler removal and the noise reduction land cleanly. 4. Set the export preset: WAV for the publish, plus a transcript SRT file for the show notes step. ## Step 2: Build the show notes Claude Project (20 minutes) A 60-minute show needs show notes that pull the spine, name the timestamps and write the email teaser. The Project does it in 5 minutes. 1. Open Claude Pro, create a Project named Show Notes Drafting. 2. Upload the last 5 episode show notes plus the host voice notes. 3. System prompt: you are drafting UK podcast show notes from a transcript. UK English. Match the format of the uploaded examples. Sections: episode summary (80 words), three headline ideas with timestamps, a one-line teaser for the newsletter. 4. Add the rule: never invent a timestamp. Reference timestamps that appear in the transcript only. 5. Test on a real transcript. The first draft should be 80 percent there before the host opens it. ## Step 3: Social cuts via Opus Clip (15 minutes) 1. Open Opus Clip, point it at the Descript-exported video or audio. 2. Set the cut count to 6 per episode and the platform mix to LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. 3. Review the cuts; reject any that miss the show beat. Most episodes produce 4 strong cuts and 2 mediocre ones in the first month, rising to 5 strong by month three. ## Step 4: The newsletter teaser pass (10 minutes) The newsletter is the highest-yield distribution channel for a solo podcaster. Drafting it from the show notes takes 3 minutes. 1. Add a second mode to the Claude Project: Newsletter Teaser. 2. Inputs: the show notes summary plus the strongest one-line moment. 3. Output: a 120-word newsletter section with a clear ask (listen, share, reply). 4. Pipe the output to Substack, Beehiiv or ConvertKit through Zapier. ## Step 5: First production cycle Run the build on the next episode. Track time from end of recording to published. Most solo shows land at 2 hours flat by episode three; the calibration on show notes voice and Opus Clip cut quality settles around then. ## What you ship A Descript edit template, a Claude show-notes Project with two modes (notes, newsletter), an Opus Clip cut workflow and a Zap into the newsletter tool. End-to-end production drops from 6 to 8 hours to about 2 per episode at a tooling cost of around £45 a month. ## What to build next Pair with the AI for content creators build for the LinkedIn and YouTube cross-post layer, the AI marketing build for the wider funnel, or move into the WIRE Method to package the production stack as a service for podcasters who outsource. ## Related builds More tutorials in Industries. Each one runs in 60 to 90 minutes and ships a finished asset. ### Reclaim 8 hours a week as an accountant: the AI build for practice work 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro / Implementer. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/ai-for-accountants-practice-build) ### Cut 12 hours a week of legal admin: the AI build for solicitors and small firms 30 to 60 minutes. Solo Pro / Implementer. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/ai-for-lawyers-firm-build) ### Replace 6 hours a week of session admin: the AI build for coaches and therapists 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/ai-for-coaches-therapists-build) ### Reclaim a day a week as a property agent: the AI build for letting and sales 60 to 90 minutes. Solo Pro / Implementer. [Open tutorial](/tutorials/ai-for-real-estate-agents-build) ## Questions people ask before they start ### What is the best AI for podcasting in 2026? For editing, Descript with AI Studio Sound and filler-word removal is the strongest pick. For transcription, Whisper still leads on accuracy in technical and accented audio. For show notes and timestamps, Claude Sonnet 4.6 with a Project loaded with past notes produces the most natural draft. The build runs all three. ### Is AI podcast editing any good? For solo and two-person shows, yes, with about 80 to 90 percent of the manual edit time removed. The 10 to 20 percent that stays manual is the strategic call on what to cut, which Descript flags but does not decide. For shows with more than three speakers and overlapping audio, the manual layer grows and the build saves less. ### How long does podcast production take with this build? For a 60-minute solo or interview show, the realistic time after the build is 90 to 120 minutes from end of recording to published episode plus show notes plus social clips plus newsletter. Without the build, the same workflow runs at 6 to 8 hours. ### Will listeners notice AI in the edit? On Descript Studio Sound, no. The output passes professional listening tests. The filler-word removal can sound clipped if you set it too aggressive; the default preset is the right starting point. ### What about copyright on AI-generated show notes and clips? The host owns the source recording and the output. Descript, Claude and Opus Clip all retain no rights over the output on their paid tiers. Confirm in the platform terms when you sign up; the rules differ between free and paid.