4 Common Podcasting Mistakes You Should Avoid at All Cost

Let’s get one thing straight—nobody started out as an expert podcaster. Even the most influential and most popular podcasters nowadays have messed up at one point or another.

If you are neophyte, you’re also bound to make mistakes every now and then. Thankfully, you can make the process a little less messy by making sure you avoid the most common blunders you are likely to commit as you go along.

To help you out, I have listed down four of the most prevalent podcasting mistakes you need to steer clear of at all cost.

Not fixing sound leveling issues

It’s very common to find noticeable imbalances in the sound levels in podcasts with two or more hosts. In most cases, the designated show host will sound strong and clear while the rest will sound weak and sometimes inaudible.

Left unattended, this mistake can surely ruin the listening experience of your audience. If the voices are talking at two different volumes, your listeners might have to fiddle with the volume levels more times than they would like.

Without doubt, the experience can be both tiresome and frustrating. Keep in mind that no matter how amazing your content is, you still risk losing all but your hard-core fans if you don’t avoid this blunder.

Fortunately, this is something a podcast editor can easily help you with. Leave the editing to the hands of the experts and your fans will thank you for it.

Not bothering to edit the show

This might come as a surprise but a lot of podcasters are guilty of not editing their shows. In other words, they don’t bother to cut and remove the uninteresting and weak parts of the conversation. They upload the raw recording, expecting their listeners to like it as it is.

However, this is one grave mistake you need to steer clear of. By not editing the bad parts, you are also hiding the good parts. This can be synonymous to serving your audience tasty delights and raw and uncooked meat—at the same time!

Sure, editing can be both boring and time-consuming. However, if anything, editing is something your podcast can’t do without. If you can’t find the time, consider it best to let a competent podcast editor do the job for you.

Using YouTube as a hosting service

Why is using YouTube as a hosting service not a good idea? There are two primary reasons. First, YouTube is not a suitable platform for podcasts. It does not give users the option to download episodes for offline viewing and it gives mobile users no other option but play the video in the foreground with the screen active. This can drain the phone’s battery really fast so very few people use the platform to listen to podcasts.

Second, when you use YouTube, you will not have any control of your distribution channel. Understandably, it’s not your channel so if you accidentally break one of their service terms, they can shut you down instantly and without any notice. Besides, your subscribers are not considered yours to begin with—they are Google’s.

In other words, you’re a captive. If you ever decide to leave the channel, you will lose all your subscribers. So, what’s your best option? Use one of the many podcasting hosts available nowadays (Podbean, Lybsin, etc.) and store your mp3 files there.

Saying self-deprecating things about your show

Believe it or not, this is a common mistake podcasters make. Comments like “Our show sucks” or “Nobody listens to us” will do nothing but turn your listeners off and drive them away. Think about it, would you want to eat in a restaurant with a sign that reads “Our food sucks,” or “Nobody wants to eat here.” Definitely not!

The same principle applies when creating a website description. If you tell your audience you’re just “two average people discussing average things,” you can expect people to even bother. If anything, you’ll only make them feel like they’re just wasting their time when they listen to your show.

Give a clear, straightforward, and honest description but don’t ever belittle your show. You want to build a loyal following and not turn people off. Let them know what you can offer in exchange for their time and make sure you’ll deliver. Before long, they’ll keep coming back for more.

What podcasting mistakes did you commit when you first started out? We’d love to hear from you!

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