Overview
Every interview ships as a podcast (audio and video) and as YouTube content, plus shorts on every platform. You own the edit, the packaging, and posting it live everywhere. The tools and technique are yours. This page is the outcome and the standard.
If something is unclear, ask before spending time or publishing. We would rather catch it early than fix it after it goes live.
Podcast: audio + video
Audio goes to Libsyn, which pushes it to Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and every player on futureoffitness.co via RSS. Video goes to Spotify and Apple as a video podcast.
YouTube: its own cut
Full episodes do not go on YouTube unless Shannon or Eric specifically asks. YouTube gets Eric talking-head videos and a tighter highlight cut of the interview, built to be watched.
Shorts: everywhere
One to three shorts per episode, posted to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
The single most important thing right now is quality. Every episode has to clear the bar in The quality bar. As quality holds up, more shows come your way. See Growing together.
Who owns what
Dani: Editor + Publisher
- All audio and video edits at the quality bar
- Intro and outro stitched into every episode
- Short selections and cuts
- Thumbnail drafts
- Titles for every video
- Show notes
- Publishing to every channel
- Files organized in Drive
- Monthly report
Shannon: Producer
- Approves titles and thumbnails
- Shares guest handles and tags
- Sets priorities per episode
- Spot checks published assets
- Gives feedback on the edit
Eric: Host
- Records talking-head videos
- Records interviews
- Flags on-tape cuts he wants made
The quality bar
This is the most important section on the page. If an episode does not clear every card here, it is not ready to ship. Hold it and tell Shannon rather than sending it out and fixing it after.
Audio, top-tier every time
- Consistent, balanced levels across the whole episode
- No hum, fan, room tone, keyboard, chair squeaks, or phone buzzes
- No loud breaths, lip smacks, or audible edits
- No clipping, no distortion, no muddy vocals
- Guest and Eric levels matched, not one loud one quiet
- Clean is the baseline, not a bonus
Intro and outro on every episode
- Cold-open hook first (strongest 15 seconds from the take)
- Then the standard Future of Fitness intro
- Guest name and one-line context called out clearly
- Outro with the standard sign-off and CTA
- Music beds sit under voice, never over it
- Transitions are clean, no abrupt volume jumps
Video and visuals
- Consistent color, exposure, and framing across the episode
- No cuts mid-word, no frozen or orphan frames
- B-roll is intentional and on-brand, never filler
- Text overlays are consistent with brand guidelines
- If a logo or headshot looks rough, ask for a better one
Accuracy
- Guest name, company, product, book, study, city verified
- Zero typos in title, description, thumbnail, captions, pinned comment
- If you aren't sure what a guest is referring to, look it up
- Every on-tape request from Eric or guest to cut a section is honored
Editing for attention
Attention is fragile, especially early. Most drop-off happens in the first 30 seconds and the first few minutes, not halfway through. Every cut is a small vote for or against the viewer staying. You have full permission to rearrange, cut, and restructure to keep them with us. The recording order is not sacred.
The first 30 seconds is everything
Open with the strongest line from the whole conversation, wherever it was recorded. Match the title and thumbnail promise immediately. No throat clears, no "so, yeah", no long setup.
Protect the first few minutes
After the hook, the next 2 to 5 minutes decide who stays. Keep the pace up, deliver on the promise fast, and don't let it settle into slow setup. If it drags here, tighten or rearrange.
Make good judgement calls
Rearranging is a judgment call, not a way to stitch unrelated moments into one episode. Move answers only when the story becomes clearer and more honest. If the full interview isn't strong enough for YouTube, cut a shorter highlight instead.
Cut speech quirks with judgment
Trim repeated words, filler, and tangents that don't add anything. Keep the guest sounding like themselves, just tighter. Don't hack it, sculpt it.
Captions & spelling
Video long-form: SRT
- Create, edit, and upload SRT file anywhere that video is required. Do not burn caption text on video.
- One -two lines of text on the screen at a time, not 3 to 4 sentence blocks
- Guest name, brand, product, and industry terms double-checked and spelled correctly
Shorts, Reels, TikTok: burned in
- Vertical formats keep burned-in captions when not using text animations
- Big enough to read on a phone with sound off
- Same spelling standard as everything else
Spell check everything
- Guest name, company, product, book, study, city, acronyms verified
- Same check on title, description, thumbnail text, and pinned comment
- One typo undoes an hour of polish
Chapters
- YouTube long-form gets chapters at natural topic breaks
- Chapter titles read like a curious viewer's question, not a summary
- First chapter is the hook, not "Intro"
What ships every episode
Every interview produces these five deliverables. If nothing is strong enough for a piece, hold it and tell Shannon. A weak asset is worse than no asset.
Podcast episode (audio)
The full interview, edited tight. Cold-open hook, then intro, then the conversation, then outro. Guest quirks, tangents, and false starts trimmed with judgment.
- Cold open with the strongest 15 second hook from the take
- Standard FOF intro and outro stitched in cleanly
- Audio clears every point in the quality bar
- Every on-tape cut request honored
- Levels consistent between guest and Eric
- Uploaded to Libsyn
- RSS pushes to Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and every player on futureoffitness.co
Podcast episode (video)
Same edit as audio, delivered as a full video that looks intentional on a phone screen, not just B-roll over audio.
- Stable framing, consistent color, clean cuts
- Same intro and outro treatment as audio, adapted for video
- Feels watchable, not just listenable
- No blank frames or long static holds
- Uploaded to Spotify as a video podcast episode
- Uploaded to Apple as a video podcast episode
- Only needed once they become available on Libsyn
YouTube highlight cut (15 to 20 min)
The strongest, tightest version of the interview around one clear theme. Built for click and watch time. Skip only if the episode has no clear hook moment (tell Shannon).
- Sharp cold open using the sharpest line in the conversation
- One clear theme, not a tour of every topic
- Payoffs hit early and often
- Real SRT captions, not burned in
- Chapters at natural breaks
- Title and show notes
- Posted to YouTube with approved title and thumbnail
- Description and tags
- Guest tagged and collab invited where possible
Shorts (1 to 3 per episode)
Standalone moments that stop the scroll. One idea, one hook, one payoff per short. If nothing is strong, deliver one. Do not force three.
- 9:16 vertical
- Hook in the first 2 seconds, no wind-up
- Burned-in captions, phone-readable, no typos
- Clean audio, no dead air, no throat clears
- Self-contained: makes sense without the parent episode
- Save all shorts to designated file folder
- Instagram Reels
- TikTok (once the account is live)
Trailer (30 to 60 sec)
Often the first thing a new YouTube viewer sees on the channel. Hook fast, tease the payoff, point to the full episode.
- Opens with the strongest line from the episode
- 2 to 3 quick teaser beats that create curiosity
- Guest name and episode title card
- Clear CTA to watch or listen to the full episode
- YouTube highlight cut (15-20 min)
- YouTube full podcast episode (only when directed)
- Apple full podcast episode (when available on Libsyn)
- Spotify full podcast episode
Thumbnails & titles
Thumbnails
- Real, readable, on-brand: Future of Fitness colors
- Clean photo of Eric, no odd wardrobe swaps or weird crops
- 2 to 3 reference thumbnails saved next to your draft for context
- Text is short, high contrast, and readable on a phone
- Shannon will walk you through the approval process using Thumbmagic.co
Titles
- Under 60 characters when possible
- Tease the payoff, do not summarize the episode
- Lead with the guest name when the guest is the draw; otherwise lead with the hook
- One title that teases the payoff
- Look at how Huberman, Diary of a CEO, Attia, Rich Roll title similar episodes right now
- No clickbait the episode does not deliver
Where to publish
You publish every episode.
Podcast (audio)
One upload: Libsyn.
Libsyn's RSS feed automatically delivers the episode to:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- iHeartRadio
- Every player embedded on futureoffitness.co
- All other apps subscribed to the feed
Always confirm the episode is live on Apple and Spotify before messaging Shannon.
Video and social (manual)
Video podcast:
- Spotify (full video episode)
- Apple (full video episode)
YouTube:
- Highlight cut, talking-head, trailer
Shorts:
- All shorts uploaded to designated file folder
Files & naming
Everything lives in the Future of Fitness Google Drive. One folder per episode.
Naming convention
Every file starts with the date, show, and topic or guest.
First 30 days
We work closely for the first month, then you run on your own. The point is to agree on taste and pace, not to add process.
Weeks 1 to 2
- You pick shorts and hooks on your own
- Shannon reviews every deliverable
- Feedback goes back the same day
Weeks 3 to 4
- Shannon only reviews titles and thumbnails
- You publish the podcast directly
- You post YouTube videos and shorts with Shannon spot-checking
Day 30 onward
- You run the edit and publish flow end to end
- Shannon spot checks and sets direction
- First monthly report goes out
Monthly report
What to include
- Podcast: total downloads this month vs last month (Libsyn)
- YouTube: views, average watch time, top video
- YouTube Shorts: total views and best short
- One thing that surprised you
- One thing you would try next month
Growing together
Compensation
Base: $550/month for the expanded workflow.
Quarterly bonus: up to $500.
- $200 Quality Control: accurate guest/company info, correct titles/descriptions, proper file naming, deadlines met, tracker updated, and no major avoidable errors
- $150 Production Quality: clean audio, smooth video edits, tight pacing, accurate captions, strong visual polish, proper formatting, and consistent final delivery
- $100 Performance Improvement: reviews 30-day outcomes and helps improve what we can control, including YouTube views, watch time, retention, podcast listens, clip performance, CTR, and engagement
- $50 Monthly Recommendations: 1 to 2 useful recommendations each month based on what worked, what felt weaker, and what should change next
Reviewed quarterly. Based on controllable contributions to quality, consistency, and performance improvement.
Path forward
- Future of Fitness is the starting point, not the ceiling
- We want to bring you deeper into how we produce, package, and grow shows
- First step: own the full FOF workflow with quality and confidence
- As the workflow becomes smooth and consistent, we can add more podcasts
- More shows and more responsibility will come with more pay
- Long term, this can grow into a content operations lead role
None of this is pressure. We just want you to see the opportunity in front of you. If FOF becomes smooth, consistent, and premium, it opens the door to more shows, more responsibility, more learning, and more pay.