It's 2020: Is It Easy To Make A Good Podcast Yet?

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As I said last year, it's never going to be any easier to make a good podcast. Do I think that's still the truth? Yeah, I do. I still think it's never going to be easier to make a good podcast.

There can be no doubt that in the almost 16 years podcasting has been around (and certainly the last) gigantic improvements have been made that make it easier to podcast. I’ve zero doubt about that. New tools and services coming out with great frequency, all designed to make podcasting easier.

And in fact, they do. It's a lot easier to record a podcast today than it was 10 years ago. It's a lot easier to post a podcast episode today than it was when I started in 2004. It's a lot easier to manage your RSS feeds. More podcasters are aware of best practices and standards.

So yes: the process of podcasting has gotten easier. Moreover, it will continue to get easier over time to make a podcast.

But it still isn’t any easier to make a good podcast.

With few exceptions, all of those products & services that make it easier to podcast are designed to eliminate the rote and repetitive tasks that get in the way of the act of podcasting. While removing those low-level tasks from your brain might leave you with more time to focus on making your podcasts better, that’s not what they were designed to do.

As with all things, there are a few exceptions to that rule, as some low-level tasks might inhibit your show from being good.

Perhaps your podcast suffers from egregious background noise, and it’s getting in the way of people enjoying your content. Noise-removal software has gotten much better in the last 15 years.

And it’s a lot easier to control that room noise at the source. You might still be recording under blankets to control sound reflection. I'm not. I invested in these fabulous Audimute panels to absorb and eliminate unwanted sounds from the room where I record this show.

It used to be quite difficult to get a consistent perceived volume level for the different speaking parts of your podcast episodes. But software solutions like Auphonic and the Vocal Rider plugin from Waves make fixing that as easy as point-and-click.

So there certainly are some improvements to make your podcast sound better. But if you're waiting for a future where you will sit down, talk into a microphone, and everything else will be done perfectly for your good podcast, well… Keep hope alive.

The reason why that's not going to be the case is the same reason it wasn't the case a year ago:

It takes time to create good content.

I don't care how clean you make the audio signal. If the content itself is boring to everyone but you, your co-hosts, your guests, and your tiny audience, it’s probably not a good podcast. Yes, I’m being intentionally harsh. A pristine signal isn’t going to cover up shoddy work.

Other than what was stated above, software probably won’t replace your need to focus on making really good content.

I suppose you might say it's easier to hear examples of better podcasts because there are a lot more great podcasts available. Of course, there are still plenty of examples of really bad podcasts. They aren’t slowing down. So if you're able to discern between the two, great.

But still, it's not going to get any easier to make better podcasts. Just like it’s not gotten any easier to make a better movie. Think about the last movie you watched. If you sat through the credits, you noticed the credit roll didn’t get any shorter. In fact, the credit roll has gotten longer and longer. Because it's still hard to make a really good movie. Even with all the tech advances in movie production, it still takes all those people to make good content. Technology doesn't stand still, and new tech not only requires someone to know how to use it, but it also allows creators to go deeper and make things better. And more complicated. It goes hand in hand.

Here’s the rub: better content means audiences are getting more demanding. As they see how good content can be, they become less forgiving of half-assed attempts. You have to step up your game to make your content attractive to them.

In the year since I first raised this topic, I’ve done a lot to make this podcast better. I hope you’ve noticed a difference. But it certainly isn’t any easier for me. In fact, making it better has increased the time I spend on each episode. And that’s OK. I think it’s worth it as I have a better podcast.

(The only way to make it easier to make a better podcast is to offload some of the work to people who are more qualified or have better processes or systems than you. That should make it easier for you, but the sum total of hours it takes to produce an episode and to keep your podcast running is likely to increase.)

If you’ve noticed the quality improvement in this show, I’d appreciate it if you went to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont. It is easier to leave a nice rating or review for this show via that service. Try it out to see how simple it is.

After that, you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and well, you know… buy me a coffee to show your support for the show.

And if you need help with podcasting for your business or the professional service that you run; my firm is here to help. We do make it easier for our clients to have better podcasts (because we do most of the work!) Evo@podcastlaunch.pro reaches me. You can go to SimplerMedia.pro to see the list of services.

I shall see you tomorrow with another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

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A year ago, I told you it would never be easier to make a good podcast than it was right then and there. But Hey, I'm always a fan of going back and rechecking my own assumptions. So let's examine this topic for 2020 shall we?

Hello and welcome to another podcast. Pontifications with me, Evo. Tara. It's not easy to make a good podcast, and as I said last year, it's never going to be any easier to make a good podcast. Do I think that's still the truth? Yeah, I do. I still think. It's never going to be easier to make a good podcast.

No. I suppose I could end this show right here, but I won't. I won't do that, dude. I love, let's talk about it. Let's talk about why. I mean that there can be no doubt that in the 16 years, podcasting has been around, and certainly in the last year, gigantic improvements have been made that make it easier to podcast, zero doubt about that.

There are new tools and services coming out, what seems to be every day, all designed to make podcasting easier, and in fact, they do. It's a lot easier to record a podcast today than it was 10 years ago. It's a lot easier to post a podcast today than it was when we got started in 2004 it's a lot easier to manage your RSS feeds.

We have more awareness of standards. So yeah, the process of podcasting has gotten easier and will continue to get easier over time. However, the qualification I made was that it won't be any easier to make a good podcast because all of those services, all of those products that we have seen. Are designed to eliminate the rote tasks that get in the way of just the act of podcasting.

Okay. They don't necessarily make it any easier to make a good podcast. Now, there are a few exceptions to that rule. There's lots of things that get in the way of a podcast being good. Some of those are technical in nature. Mike, let's say that your podcast is just suffering from really poor sound quality because of a lot of background noise.

Well, the good news is the software we had originally in podcasting to remove some of that background noise has improved significantly. Noise cancellation software today, especially using a modern door, is significantly better than it was before. Also, it's gotten a whole lot easier to condition your room so that it doesn't have all of the background noise.

You might still be recording under blankets. I'm not. I've got these fabulous autumn mute panels sitting on my wall right here, which absorb a lot of the noise that's in here

trying to get our sound level within a show. An episode. So that host versus the guest or actor one versus actor two are on the same level. That's been a challenge before we had one tool called the level later, which is mostly gone now. It's no longer functional with most of the apps, but there are lots of tools now to keep voice levels level across the way, so that's gotten easier.

So there certainly are some improvements we've seen in podcasting that make it easier to make a better podcast. But I think everybody has this notion in their head that at some point in time in the future, you will sit down talking to a microphone and everything else will be done for you, and it's been perfectly for you.

And that's not going to be the case. And the reason that's not going to be the case is the same reason it wasn't the case a year ago. And that is, it takes time to put together good content. Look, I don't care how clean you make the audio signal, if the content itself is boring and terrible and no one, but you cares about it.

And I want being harsh. I don't care how pristine the signal is, I just don't. You still got a function to make really good content, you've got to focus, excuse me, you got to focus to make really good content. You've got to plan to make really good content that's not getting any easier, I suppose you might say it's easier because now there are lots of examples out there of much better podcasts and also more examples of really bad podcasts.

So if you're able to discern between the two, great. But still. It's not any easier to make good content and it's probably not going to get any easier. I'll use the same reference points I used on the prior episode about this, the last movie that you watched, if you sit through the credits, those credits aren't getting smaller and smaller all the time.

Those credits get longer and longer all the time because it's still hard to make a really good movie. Even though technology in that field is jumping greatly, it still takes all those people to do it. It's not easy to make good content. It's just not go to a recording studio and cut a new album. It still takes forever.

It takes a long time, if not even more time, because all these, because the technology doesn't stand still. We see new technology pieces to continue to improve it, but you've got to learn how to use those technology pieces. Did that gets harder and harder to do? Audiences get more demanding because there's good content out there and people really taking advantage of those new tools and technologies.

You gotta step up your game to make it better. So if your focus on podcasting is to be better, and it should be. Mine is, I've done a lot of things in the last year to improve this podcast and all it's done has increased the time I spend on it by about 30 minutes each episode. Yeah, it's a reality of a thing, but if your focus is to make a better podcast, that's good noble work and you should totally stay on point with that.

Just understand. That it's probably not going to be easier. You can make it easier by offloading some work to a people, people who might be more qualified than you, who have a better system and a process than you. That's fine. It might get easier for you, but the sum total of hours it takes to produce an episode and to keep a podcast running, that's not getting any easier, but it can get better as long as you've got a commitment to better.

That's the important thing. You can make a commitment to me right now and that commitment would be to go to rate this podcast.com/pod Ponte, P. O. D. P. O. N. T. yeah. It's kind of nifty. Whatever service you're using, it just automatically directs you to leave the review in the right place. Cause a lot of people say what's review link.

Should I give to my listeners? We'll try rate this podcast.com/pod pond for my show. And see how simple it is. Yeah. Also, you can go to buy me a coffee.com/evo Terra and well, you know, buy me a coffee to show your support for the show. That's nice. I appreciate that. Buy me a coffee.com/evo Terra and if you need help with your podcasting for your business or your professional service that you run, that's what my firm does.

We do make it easier for those types of clients to have better podcasts because we do all of the work. Yay. Evo at podcast launched. Dot pro reaches me. You can go to simpler media.pro to see the list of services. Thanks for watching. I shall see you all again tomorrow with another podcast. Pontifications cheers.

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