With over 800,000 podcasts out there, we often find it difficult to be heard through the (quite literal) noise. Even more so, when you find that show and listen to episode after episode, doesn’t it hurt when the show ends abruptly? As a horror audio-drama fanatic, I know I’ve been there many times.
The truth is, podcasting opened up a platform for people of all walks of life to share their stories and ideas. It’s really amazing. Whether it’s a comedy podcast about nothing in particular, a self help show, an informative podcast to help raise awareness about your company, or a wild audio drama about the zombie apocalypse taking place on Mars after the humans colonized it; these bits of audio open a window to a world we may have otherwise never knew existed.
But when it comes to engineering the sound itself, unfortunately not many people excel as much as they think they might. If you are on the hunt for a new show, chances are you’ve listened to a few minutes of a bunch of shows. I’m guessing you turned off a bunch of them before even getting to the 10 minute mark. Why though? Maybe the content wasn’t what you were hoping for. Maybe the host has an annoying voice. Perhaps the dialogue was slow or choppy. There are probably a million reasons why the show didn’t work for you, but one thing that should never ever be the reason why someone bypasses your podcast is the audio quality.
In this day and age, technology has enabled us to get “good enough” quality for a relatively inexpensive payment. With a dynamic microphone, audio interface and a free DAW like audacity or GarageBand, most professional audio engineers will agree, you have everything you need to make your show sound “good enough.” But with 800,000 podcasts out there, will “good enough” cut it? It honestly might, but it will always come down to the type of show you are running and the content you are putting out.
I reached out to real podcast listeners and made a list of common issues that turn them away from becoming a listener. Pay close attention to these, because improving these points will make more people stick around and become a listener:
Slow Pacing - This is a very common issue when improvising. Some speakers can just talk and talk without skipping a beat, even when they are distracted or don’t know what the next topic is. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have that skill, so reviewing the bullet points or reading through the script a few times before you record, might need to become a habit.
Speaking Out of Turn - Especially during interviews. Let your guest shine. One of the most frustrating things is when an interesting guest is on and the host takes up most of the air time. Another common situation is during an improved show when everyone is hyped up about something. In person it might be fine, but over the air, it’s tough to hear.
Room/Background Noise - I just heard an episode of a show I love where the guest had their baby cooing in the background. Though it was distracting, it wasn’t the end of the world. In worse scenarios I’ve heard TVs, AC Units, background talking or some other sounds I can’t explain. There’s a live mic recording the sound that is produced near it. Take a minute and find a quiet place to record with no distractions.
The above are all easily fixed with some planning and creative work arounds, but there are a lot of technical issues that were mentioned.Excessive Crutch Word or Loud Breathing - Umm a crutch word is like a uh word that’s like subconsciously used to like gather ummmm thoughts or uh calm someone who might be nervious, ya know (that’s mine). Nobody knows they are doing it until it’s to late. Also breathing seems to be something people get turned off of a show with. So stop breathing, right? Not exactly…
Mouth Noise - Unless you’re making an ASMR show, I doubt anyone will want to hear your saliva stick to the roof of your mouth or your tongue and lips smack each other. It’s kind of gross to hear.
Room Tone - Especially right now, while everyone is at home and conducting meetings remotely, we hear this more than ever; that reverby-echoy sound you can hear if you’re talking in an empty room. While it’s really not a big deal for your guests, it can get annoying for your listeners if the host has it, even if it’s not overbearing.
Low Volume - If you didn’t set the gain staging correctly, you might not be able to get the audio to sound clean at an appropriate level.
Floor Noise - Remember that tape hiss we got ride of? Well that’s called floor noise and these days it could mean that your audio hasn’t been recorded correctly.
Clipping - This is another issue in regards to the input of the audio. It could mean a broken microphone or cable, but it is most likely caused by the input gain.
Lofi/Hollow Tone - This can be either the ‘telephone effect’ or something even nastier sounding. This usually comes from the mic or someone who is inexperienced when it comes to restoring poor audio quality.
Knowing that these are all issues that might be limiting your audience, go and listen to your most recent episode. Be honest with yourself, are any of these issues present? Go ahead, I’ll wait….
If you noticed any of the 10 points mentioned above, your podcast isn’t hitting its full potential. There may be other reasons why you’re not reaching as many listeners as you’d like, but for someone who stumbled into a show that they would otherwise enjoy, you’re selling yourself and whoever else is involved short.
If you listened to your most recent episode, heard some problems and now your contemplating taking everything down and quitting, DON’T!!! Leave what you have. There’s no problem with showing your humble beginnings. In fact, most listeners like to see improvement with production as the show grows; and it’s good for you to show your growth and maturity. Most importantly, they can all be addressed with some good editing and mixing.
But how do you continue on??
I think knowing the problem is the first step to coming to a solution and the way I see it there are two ways to go about fixing it.
You can try to figure it out yourself. I say this with caution, as a lot of times some of the problems faced here require a good deal of time and experienced ears to work through. I’ve seen more damage done by someone who didn’t know how properly to fix the issues, essentially destroying the audio, when just leaving it alone would have been better. So while I always encourage learning, be aware, this can prove to be a large time investment without yielding any desired results.
The other option is to hire an engineer to help. Luckily, working on podcasts are usually on the cheaper side of things; and if you know what the problems are, you can just ask for help in that specific area instead of them doing everything. Most engineers will do a free diagnostic of your audio and quote accordingly. I know what you’re thinking too, “yeah, I don’t have the funds to even entertain that idea.” I’ve heard that a lot from bands and podcasters. Quotes are free though, and podcast editing doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think it is. Talk to an engineer (cough cough 👋).
Obviously I’m someone coming from an engineers point of view, but I say this with confidence, you’d be surprised on how well an incredible sounding podcast, with clear and concise content does vs. one without. Hiring an engineer will also take the time investment away from you. You no longer have to spend time trying to figure out why the Joe Rogan Experience sounds better than yours.
Something else clients of mine had mentioned is that the more people who are involved in the production, the more systematic the logistics of the show get. Which in turn allows you to focus on the content instead of scheduling and editing with deadlines. Everything remains the same week to week. The show is recorded, delivered, edited and released on the same days every week.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you want to capture a larger audience, a professional production will help.
IF YOU’RE A PODCASTER THAT IS STRUGGLING WITH THE SOUND QUALITY OF YOUR SHOW, I AM OFFERING ONE FREE EPISODE FULLY PRODUCED BY ME. NO CONTRACT OR COMMITMENT REQUIRED. EMAIL ME WITH THE SUBJECT LINE “MAKE MY SHOW SOUND GOOD,” AND I’LL GET BACK TO YOU.
jlsaudiobooking@gmail.com