I ask my audience every year about their top pet peeves. These are the things that podcasters do that DRIVE US NUTS. We point this out on a yearly basis as PEOPLE STILL DO THIS. Let's get to the list:
Commercials
There are too many non-related commercials inserted poorly. So it's not that commercials are bad, but they need to be relevant and not so jolting. When you run an ad MID-SENTENCE you remind us of just how bad radio was, and why we left that platform.
Volume Changes
If you and your guest force the listener to “ride the volume knob,” that's an instant ejection. This issue is easily solved by running the interview through Auphonic.
Out-of-Context Interview Clips
This is where you pull a clip out of an interview that is supposed to tease us into wanting more (they don't), and they are often WAY too long. Why not just tell us who is coming on the show and how we will benefit from listening? After all, we trust you as the host to not let boring people on your show. You wouldn't do that, would you?
No Link in the Show Notes
You get the audience all hot and bothered about an item (website, book, etc.), and they go to your episode description, and there is no link. ARGH! This is especially frustrating when the guest's name is hard to spell. The one thing that the audience wants in “show notes” is enough of a description for us to decide if we should listen and links to ANYTHING mentioned in the show.
Too Many Sound Effects
Look at you! You got a new toy (maybe a Rodecaster) with all those buttons, and you've decided to use them all. This makes you sound like Dingo and the Baby or Weenie and the Butt.
Bad Audio
When the audio quality is so distracting that we now have to WORK at listening to your show – you have a problem. This is often caused by having the wrong equipment (like a Blue Yeti), or just misusing the equipment you currently have. When there are so many other shows to listen to, why would I listen to one with bad audio?
Taking FOREVER to Get to the Topic.
We might give you three minutes to get to the “good stuff,” so when it takes you sixteen minutes to get to the interview, we get annoyed.
Thanks to the Participants in This Episode
Steve Stewart from SteveStewart.me and the Podcast Editor Academy
Kim Newlove from the Pharmacist's Voice and the Perrysburg Podcast
Mark Lawley from the Practical Prepping show.
Todd the Gator from the Guardian Downcast show.
Zo Richardson from the Back Look Cinema show.
York from Welcome to Earth Stories Show.
Mentioned In This Episode
School of Podcasting. -Get your podcast going in the right direction.
Podpage -Great looking podcast website with no coding.
Captivate – A great media host with some fantastic features.
The Meidas Touch, which produces 15 episodes A DAY has “De-Throwned (?)” Joe Rogan.
Niel's GoFundMe Page and his Documentary The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary
