After 30+ episodes of Behind the Swipe, I learned a hard truth: You can't edit your way to a great episode.
You can use Descript to remove every "um" and Riverside for crystal-clear audio, but if you chose the wrong guest or stick to surface-level questions, no amount of editing fixes that.
The 18-Hour Problem
Great episodes are made before you hit record. But producing a single episode was taking me 18 hours:
I realized the podcasts that grow aren't the ones with the cleanest edit—they're the ones with the most compelling content.
I wasn't alone. In a recent survey of 558 independent podcasters (Alitu's 2025 Independent Podcaster Report), 72% cited audience growth as their biggest challenge.
But the solution isn't more promotion—it's better episodes. And better episodes start with better pre-production.
So I built Episonic: The pre-production brain powered by Lauralai—your AI producer, researcher, showrunner, and content strategist.
Episonic handles the 12 hours of pre-production so you can focus on the 1 hour of creating.
Launching at Podfest 2026 (January 15-17, Orlando):
- Persona Builder – Bring your ideal listener to life (always free)
- Guest Discovery – AI matching to find the perfect guests
- Research Engine – 11 insight cards in 3 conversational turns
- Episode Briefs – Structure from quick prep to deep dive
