Common podcasting mistakes and how to avoid them

Podcast listenership is growing rapidly as they are fast becoming one of the most popular content mediums for audiences to consume around the world. By 2026 more than 600 million people are expected to listen to podcasts each year. If you’re reading this and thinking about launching your own podcast, unfortunately you aren’t the first, as there are now more than 4 million podcasts available worldwide for listeners to stream. So, finding ways to stand out against the competition is going to be core to your success. One simple way to do this is to avoid common podcasting mistakes which many first time podcasters often make.

What is a podcast?

Think of a podcast like a radio show, but one which you can stream on demand from your smartphone, smart speaker or computer. It’s a digital audio file which is often highly produced and can be listened to via platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. 

Podcasts often feature a host interviewing guests, hosting a discussion or telling the listener a story. They can come in all shapes and sizes covering a range of issues and topics including news and current affairs, fiction, societal issues, pop culture and business. 

Common mistakes to avoid when producing your podcast

Many first time podcasters often fall into the same traps, making mistakes in the process. You’re eager to get your idea out there into the world, but miss out vital steps that would otherwise ensure the success of your podcast. Below we’ve pulled together a list of common podcasting mistakes and have provided some tips on how best to avoid making them.

Poor audio quality

This is probably the biggest mistake many podcasters make. It doesn’t matter if you’ve recorded your podcast on your phone or using a pair of Shure SM7B’s (that’s the microphone that many of the top podcasters use), if the audio quality is bad then listeners are less likely to stay engaged and come back for more. 

You’ll have poor audio quality if you’ve chosen to record in a room which isn’t acoustically suitable or soundproofed. For example a large space with an echo or somewhere near a busy road. Or maybe you’ve chosen to record your episode outside and there’s a bit of wind or a slight breeze. If you haven’t taken precautions like adding foam mic covers you’ll end up having distracting noises on your recording of the wind blowing over the microphone.

To ensure good audio quality you need to think about two things. First, the space you’re recording in should be quiet and have minimal echo. Rooms with soft furnishings, away from roads and other people are a good choice. Second, plan out how you’re going to record your episodes using the equipment available to you. Do you need foam mic covers, pop filters, stands or similar to enable you to use your equipment and cut down on potential issues caused by talent holding microphones, wind noise or plosives when speaking.

Skipping the planning stage

It’s exciting to make your own podcast. It’s a chance to show off what your business or organisation does, explore issues which mean a lot to you or have fun discussing topical issues of the day. You could try improvising each episode or going into recording with a very rough plan in your head and then seeing what you end up with. But, chances are your episodes could end up feeling disjointed, missing out areas you wanted to discuss, but ran out of time for or forgot to bring up during the discussion.

Planning your podcast episodes doesn’t need to be a boring task. View it as an opportunity for you to come up with ideas and ways to keep your listeners engaged until the very end of each episode. Spending time researching your area of focus or discussion topic will help spark ideas. 

Your episode plan could be as simple as writing a bullet point list like this:

• Introduction (3 minutes) - introduce the topic for the episode and mention the guests I’ll be speaking to.

• Context (5 minutes) - explain the background to the topic and highlight some key facts.

• Interview (20 minutes) - interview with the guest about the topic.

• Reflections (3 minutes) - mention some key points from the interview which are worth highlighting.

• Conclusion (1 minute) - encourage listeners to subscribe, mention next week’s episode.

Not identifying your niche

With so many other shows out there in the world, it’s important to think about what sets you apart from other podcasts in your space. Diving head first into a new podcast without taking time to identify your niche could make it hard for you to carve out space for your podcast amongst your target audience.

If your podcast was about engineering, for example, you would want to avoid producing a series which jumps around to different engineering topics, one week having an interview with a guest about topic A and the next a discussion with a panel about topic B which is about a totally different part of engineering. Instead you should identify your niche. So rather than engineering, you might decide that you want your podcast to be about engineering challenges in the face of a changing climate. You’re still producing a podcast that is about engineering, but it now has a renewed focus which sets it apart from other similar shows out there.

Not researching your guest 

Once you’ve booked your guest(s) for your show, the next step is to spend time doing a deep dive on who they are, their career, and work. Choosing not to spend the time researching your guest(s) before you record your podcast can impact the quality of your discussion or interview. You could end up glossing over areas that they are an expert in or asking the same questions they are always asked when they agree to do interviews or panel shows.

Researching your guest doesn’t mean you need to spend time reading books they’ve written or papers they’ve co-authored (if you have time though this wouldn’t hurt!). Instead focus on reading up on their biography, what work they do, what projects they’ve worked on and what interests them. Find other podcasts they’ve appeared on and listen to those, watch videos that they feature in and read blogs to which they’ve written or contributed. 

In addition you might want to consider having a pre-interview call with your guest, if their schedule allows. You can use this time to ask a couple of preliminary questions, outline the kind of areas you’d like to explore with them on the podcast and establish how to get the best out of them in the time you have together when you come to recording. If they don’t have time for a call, they might be happy to answer a couple of initial questions via email.

All of these sources and steps will provide you with the information you need to build a more rounded picture as to who your guest is and how best to approach your discussion or interview with them. This will help you ensure that you get the most out of your guest(s) and that they have an enjoyable experience as well. 

Unprepared guests

Appearing on a podcast as a guest can be a great experience, it can also be nerve wracking. Whilst you’ll probably spend a lot of time researching your guest(s) or prepping your host(s), you might overlook the person you’ve invited on as your guest and not give them a chance to prepare ahead of time. For the best discussions you want a guest who feels fully prepared and ready to answer whatever questions or topics will come up during recording. 

Your guest(s) might need to spend time refreshing their memory on a particular topic or carry out some extra research so they feel ready to answer questions. They’ll also benefit from knowing who listens to your podcast and who your target audience is. How they answer questions or contribute to a discussion will be very different if they know it’s industry experts listening as opposed to students who are still learning about the subject. 

An easy way to provide your guests with a chance to prepare themselves is to write up a short brief. This can include a list of themes and topics you’d like to explore with them, an overview of your podcast and who listens to it, any features or games they should be aware of ahead of time, and key information regarding recording whether that’s in person or virtually. This could be included as part of an email or a document you pull together, either works!

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