Is Your Podcast Annoying? Listener Pet Peeves Unpacked

My grandmother always told me, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.” Many believe this adage, but it oversimplifies the difference between insults and constructive criticism.

In podcasting, small mistakes left unaddressed become bad habits. These errors can make audiences stop listening, putting the whole podcast on a one-way trip to Podfadeland. 

Participants in our Podcast Discovery survey told us about some Frequently Annoying Quirks that put audiences off a show. I also asked our Indiepod Community members for podcast turn-offs, and their answers were consistent with the Discovery Survey results.

I’ll explain some of these annoyances so that you can compare them to your episodes. Then, I’ll show you how to fix the quirks. Finally, I’ll show you how to determine if your podcast is annoying. 

Some of these annoyances are easy to define and fix, others less so. Let’s look at the annoying podcast elements that happen with delivery, editing, dynamic audio insertion, and intention. 

Delivery (Or, How Hosts Present Themselves)

Some of the annoying podcast elements that respondents mentioned involved mic technique, enunciation, and speed. 

“The voice of the podcast host is very important. [In some specific cases] I just can’t listen to it because both hosts are high-pitched squawkers.” 

Dear Reader, I listened to the podcast the respondent mentioned. The squawking paled in comparison to the hosts’ plosives on consonants. The mic picked up activity in their soft palates and vocal folds that would take a speech therapist to explain.

We’ve all seen videos of podcasters or radio presenters who cuddle up to the microphone like a kid with a teddy bear. It’s probably to make sure the mic is in the shot, so we think, “Hey, check out that fancy mic; this must be a pro.” But if you can feel your breath rebounding off the mic and onto your face, the audience feels like they’re getting an obscene phone call.  

Though people usually tune out flaws in their speaking, the microphone doesn’t.

2 Simple Ways To Improve Your Presentation

The simplest ways to improve your vocal clarity are to make sure that: 

• your mouth is the right distance from the mic
• your microphone is stable. 

Microphones can pick up sounds you don’t realize exist, like resting your hands on a table or swiveling in a chair. Our guide to mic technique for podcasters explains this in detail. 

Stop mouth noises before you start recording, with proper hydration and a pop filter, and avoid caffeine and dairy before you record. Our guide to what causes mouth noises and how to prevent or reduce them includes how to fix them in the editing stage if necessary. 

Cadence & Clarity 

A succinct version of an evergreen survey response is, “I always need to listen at 1.3 speed. I hate slow narration and long, drawn-out scenes.” Is “speed-listening” a trend because of podcasters’ rate of speech, or because they ramble? 

Humans can understand speech faster than people can speak it: about three words per second, according to a 2018 University of Maryland study. But that depends on clarity and cohesion.  Speed isn’t the issue if your podcast script makes sense and you speak clearly.  

Clear enunciation helps your audience digest your ideas and saves time when transcription software transcribes your dialogue. More accessibility means audience growth! 

Speak in your natural rhythm. When you listen to your audio, note where to remove distracting silences. Clarity and speed work together to make your podcast more effective. Not only can your audience understand you, but also, they won’t get bored. 

Editing 

Other annoying podcast elements mentioned by audiences involved editing issues, such as volume leveling or mismatched cuts. 

One respondent said, “A podcast’s audio levels and general quality should be good enough that I can clearly understand everyone while driving without changing the volume constantly.” Another said, “Over-editing where the answers do not match the questions or missing pauses will kill it for me.” 

These errors show that the podcaster didn’t listen to their completed audio before publication. If you don’t respect your audience or topic enough to make sure it’s presented properly, why are you making a podcast in the first place? 

Pro Editors’ Best-Kept Secret

It’s common sense, yet many podcasters skip this. Listen to your podcast episode from beginning to end before publishing. Shocking, right? Pretend the podcast is new to you. 

• Do you find yourself adjusting the volume during playback? 
• Is the information clear and consistent? 
• Do the insights follow a logical pattern? 
• Would you need help understanding the dialogue? 

If any elements distract you from the show’s topic, jot it down. Then, go back and polish the episode. 

Our podcast editing guide can help you find the right editing process for you and your show. Whether you want to spend five hours or five minutes per episode making it sound just right, there’s editing software and strategy to help you.

Good film editors watch every frame of their work. Why not give your podcast the same attention? 

And, while we’re on the topic of editing…

Adverts

Sponsorship and ad reads are part and parcel of podcast monetization. Unfortunately, though, when mismanaged, they can grate on your audience. 

One survey respondent told us, “I appreciate that podcasts have to make money somehow, but if they keep interrupting the podcast to play me the same clips from another podcast, I’ll usually switch off and unfollow, no matter how good the content was. That’s especially the case if I’m trying to work through a back catalog and have to listen to the same trailers two or three times in every episode.”

In our Discovery Survey, 92% of respondents told us they tolerate ads within reason, and 3% said they enjoyed listening to ads when they were relevant. The important word is “relevant.” Ads may pay the podcasting bills, but they can drive away new listeners when they barge in like a wedding crasher at a funeral. 

Auto-inserted dynamic ads can also play right in the middle of a word or sentence. Most hosting providers have tools that enable you where to set these timecodes, but if you neglect to do it, they might just let the computer decide for you. 

So take care not to push your luck with ad breaks, pay particular care when positioning any dynamic inserts in your audio, and ensure they are as relevant as possible to your audience.

Tone & Intention

As the old saying goes, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Our survey respondents showed us how the wrong tone and intention can turn a podcast into a nightmare. 

“I don’t enjoy in-jokes and irrelevant chat at the start.”

“I can not stand tuning into a new podcast, and the co-hosts start by having a lengthy catch-up amongst themselves, taking ages to get to the promised topic.”

“One bloke purely talked to his existing audience about his plans for an offer. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I gave up after 5 minutes.  He hadn’t considered he could be talking to someone for the first time.”

“Every podcast that I have tried and not stuck with has had one common denominator – an irritating host.”

Small talk is only fun for the people having it. While a show where the hosts have camaraderie is great, the audience queued up the show to hear about a particular topic. Give the audience what you promised in the description. 

“But how can I seem human and approachable if I don’t talk about my pets and favorite TV shows?” 

Reframe your perspective. Knowing your audience is crucial for more than promotion. Without keeping your audience in mind while recording and editing, you’re talking to hear yourself talk. If you’ve ever surveyed your audience or communicated directly with them, then you can imagine your audience. If not, ask yourself: 

What’s your podcast’s purpose? You have a message to share with others, but why does it matter for them to hear it? Write that on a big piece of paper and post it up where you can see it while recording. 

Who’s your ideal listener? Some people put pictures of their kids near their mic, to remind themselves that their kids could hear what they say. You can search in Google Images with a basic audience description, such as “HVAC technician” or “librarian.” True, you’ll find stock photos, but you can also find pictures of real people who are similar to the folks you want to reach. 

Remember, people are listening. It could increase your empathy for your audience. 

How to Find Out if Your Podcast is Annoying

When we put effort and enthusiasm into our podcasts, we might overlook (or ignore) some mistakes that stand out to others as much as an alarm bell. What, how, and who to ask are all essential to getting helpful feedback. 

What to Ask (& How)

Ask specific questions about your podcast. If you don’t know what to ask, then: 

• Find the places where you feel insecure in your podcasting process; ask about those.
• Identify the places where you felt overconfident. Ask about those. 

The more specific your question is, the easier it is for people to answer it helpfully. There’s a big difference between “What do you think of my show?” and “Are the volume levels consistent or jarring?” 

Take the feedback objectively. It’s not about you; it’s about the audio.

Who to Ask

Some folks are the wrong people to ask. Don’t ask your close friends or family. They’ll prioritize your feelings instead of being honest. And your dad might not know how to explain that you set the wrong bitrate. 

Asking other podcasters is always a good idea, provided your question is specific. Podcasting communities can be helpful for this. Our Indiepod Community is a good place to discuss podcasting challenges and strategies. Also, Facebook and Discord have many podcasting discussion groups. 

If your budget allows it, get a professional opinion. Many podcasting pros offer checkup services or podcast audits. For example, members of our Podcraft Academy can request a 4-minute Feedback Session. You provide four minutes of your podcast and some questions; we do our best to answer them and help you improve.

There’s Always Room for Improvement

Some think podcasting is as easy as talking. In reality, it takes a well-thought-out plan and robust workflow to make one podcast episode seem effortless. Flaws are bound to happen, but they’re fixable.

Nobody wants to bring other podcasters down, but if we don’t criticize each other’s work when it’s warranted, eventually, podcasts become unenjoyable. 

As independent podcasting gains momentum, some idiosyncracies that podcasters let slide can alienate people new to podcasts. Not only does it hurt individual shows to let mistakes slide, but it can also harm the medium. 

Is your podcast annoying? Maybe, maybe not. But when you set your ego aside and focus on specific ways to improve your podcast, not only does your podcast improve, but you’ll grow your audience.