You want four episodes you’d actually send to a customer. Here’s what goes into each one.
Every package is the same five jobs, done by the same small crew in Larchmont: we record your guests remotely, edit the tape, build the sound, write the notes, and hit publish. Below is exactly what each job involves — plus the bits that are still on you (spoiler: not many).
Both fours come with all five of these. Each sheet below spells out what we handle, what you’re on the hook for, and what you actually walk away with — so nobody’s guessing on week two.
T1 / recup to 60 min
Remote guest recording
Your guest takes the call from wherever they are. We run it in Riverside, every voice records locally on its own track, and a producer sits on the line the whole time watching levels — so you can just… talk.
On us
The prep email, the calendar hold, the recording link, live level checks, and a backup track running on every session.
On you
Show up in wired headphones. Ask the follow-up you actually want answered.
You get
Per-speaker WAVs at 48 kHz / 24-bit, plus the backup, in your shared drive the same day.
Included in both fours · from $1,340 an episode
T2 / edit5 business days
Multitrack editing
This is where most of the hours go. We cut the ums, the “can you hear me now?”, and the tangent nobody will miss, then level every voice so your quiet guest and your loud host sit comfortably side by side.
On us
Content edit, iZotope RX cleanup (hum, clicks, mouth noise), leveling, and crossfades you’ll never notice.
On you
Listen to the first cut. Send notes as timestamps — “trim 14:20–15:05” is perfect.
You get
A 25–40 minute episode, with two revision rounds before anyone calls it done.
Included in both fours · 2 revision rounds each
T3 / sound−16 LUFS · −1 dBTP
Sound design
The part listeners notice without knowing why. Intro, outro, transitions, and one consistent room sound — so episode four doesn’t feel like it was taped on a different planet than episode one.
On us
Straight Four: licensed library music we pick for your show. Lit Four: an original theme and stingers written from scratch.
On you
Send us three shows you love the sound of. Or three you can’t stand — honestly just as useful.
You get
A mixed master that won’t be the quiet one in anyone’s queue, plus music stems to reuse anywhere.
Library music in Straight ($5,360) · original theme in Lit ($8,140)
T4 / notes24 hrs after sign-off
Show notes
Written by the same person who edited the episode, so they actually know what got said. Not a transcript dump — a summary a busy buyer would read on their phone.
On us
A tight summary, timestamps, two pull quotes, guest bio and links, and a suggested LinkedIn post.
On you
A quick skim for names and product spellings. That’s genuinely it.
You get
A Google Doc your sales team can paste into an email without feeling weird about it.
Included in both fours · full transcript is +$55
T5 / publishdrop day
Episode publishing
We log into your podcast host, upload the master, set the artwork, chapters and metadata, and schedule the drop for whatever morning your audience is actually scrolling. No host yet? We’ll set one up on your account.
On us
Upload to Transistor, Buzzsprout, Libsyn or whatever you’re on — chapters, episode art, scheduling.
On you
Thumbs-up the Slack message. Share the link when it lands.
You get
Live on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and every raw and final file in a drive with your name on it.
Included in both fours · you keep every file, always
fig. 02 — what our side of your call looks like
02 / diff straight.four lit.four
Straight or lit? Here’s the whole difference, line by line.
Same producers, same edit desk, same five-day turnaround. Lit just adds the stuff that makes a show sound like it belongs to your brand and nobody else’s.
Comparison of the Straight Four and the Lit Four podcast packages
What’s in the four
Straight Four$5,360$1,340 / episode
most shows grow into itLit Four$8,140$2,035 / episode
Pay by ACH, Visa, Mastercard, or Amex. Add-ons are billed with the second half of your package.
$ zl start --pick straight|lit
Alright — which four are we making?
Tell us which package you’re leaning toward (or that you have no idea yet — totally fine), who you want on the mic, and when you’d like episode one out. We’ll reply within one business day with a rough episode plan and a kickoff date.
Straight Four $5,360 · Lit Four $8,140 — half up front, half when episode four is live.
