Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
When it comes to editing your podcast, there are many mistakes you’ll want to stay clear of.
Whether you’re a podcast newbie, or a more experienced editor looking to polish up your skills, here are the 3 most common mistakes I’ve seen people do – and used to do myself when I started out in audio.
We’ll be looking at:
- Removing all the umms
- Cutting breaths in half
- Overusing music
Are you ready?
1. Cutting out every umm and uhh from an interview
It might be tempting to remove every umm, but if you go too far with this you will make the guest sound rather strange and robotic. If there’s a huge pause and they say uuuuum then you can cut it, but if it’s quick and doesn’t slow down or interrupt the story, then leave it in. You want your podcast to sound natural and authentic after all, so don’t go making it overly squeaky clean. Find a balance.
2. Cutting breaths in half, or cutting out all of the breaths
People breathe when they talk (big shock, I know), so be careful when you’re editing speech – you don’t want to disrupt the speaker’s rhythm and flow. If you over-edit breaths or cut them in half, it’s very noticeable to the people listening.
3. Looping one song all the way through an episode
Podcast music doesn’t work like elevator music, so be thoughtful about how you use it. Each song (or lack of a song) should have a purpose. You might use a song to build tension. You might use a song to keep the audience’s attention during a dry but important section of the episode.
Or, you might use a song to help build a world. For example, if your story is taking place in the 70s in Italy, then you can choose music to create an atmosphere that reflects that environment. Remember, audio is an immersive experience – you want your listener to feel as if they are with you.
Take your time choosing the music and think about how you want the audience to feel when they hear it.
There are lots of other common mistakes, but these are 3 of the easiest ones to solve!