5 things that WON’T enhance your podcast from The Audacity to Podcast

The Audacity to Podcast

Daniel J. Lewis

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5 things that WON’T enhance your podcast

24 minutes Posted Jul 9, 2012 at 3:01 pm.

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5 things that won't fix your podcast

If you're looking for ways to improve your podcast, skip these. They may improve your podcasting workflow, but they won't make your podcast better.

Thanks to Darla from Scientific Quilter for inspiring and suggesting this topic!

UPDATE: there's a great conversation about these points in the Podcasting Technology and Resource group on LinkedIn.

1. Enhanced (AAC) podcast

Despite the name, enhanced podcasts really aren't that great. These are specially formatted audio files the support changing cover art, chapter markings, and embedded links.

This sounds great, but it really doesn't provide a reasonable enhancement to the listening experience. Audio podcasts are consumable while driving, working, shopping, exercising, and more. The benefits of an enhanced podcast are lost in these environments.

Also don't assume that just because someone uses iTunes, they want or can even use an enhanced podcast.

The production time and software requirements significantly increase with enhanced podcasts, but the payback is very little.

If you absolutely must show something, point your listeners to your well-written shownotes or start a video podcast.

2. Better audio-editing software

Audacity is completely free, but it may cost a little extra time to do what you want. You could spend up to $350 to upgrade your audio-editing software, but it won't improve the quality of your podcast; software only makes things easier (or sometimes just different) for you.

I have thousands of dollars of podcasting equipment and a licensed copy of Adobe Audition (with my Creative Cloud membership), but I still use Audacity.

3. More twitter followers

Twitter is still such a social-media rage, but the number of followers you have makes almost no difference to your podcast, or even increasing the size of your audience. If you want to use Twitter to enhance your podcast, you have to be proactive and reach out. Simply having more followers makes no difference.

4. A faster computer (or a Mac)

Similar to upgrading your software, upgrading your computer (or switching to a Mac) will not improve your podcast. You may like how you can do things on a different PC, but your audio or video files will probably be the same.

Does an expert photographer take better pictures with a newer camera? No. Because art does not depend on the tools, it depends on the technique.

5. Sponsorship

Many podcasters will think, “If I could just get a sponsorship, then my podcast will have arrived!”

Extra money from your podcast can be nice, especially if you've worked your guts out to build a big enough podcast audience or empire that a sponsorship can be your new primary income.

But simply being doesn't give you new content, bring more listeners, or improve your audience quality. But a case can be made that sponsorship diminishes a podcast with interruptions, website banner ads, long commercials, and such.

What have you tried?

Have you discovered things that do enhance your podcast? Or maybe things you tried but didn't? I would love to hear your feedback in the comments!

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