How do you decide which um’s and er’s to keep and which to cut? You probably grew up hearing that too many “um”s and “like”s when you speak means you aren’t educated or eloquent enough. The truth is, these filler words have an important job to do in our [...]
How important is it, really, to wear headphones when you record your show? These days, people immediately associate a person with a mic and headphones with podcasting. And yet, some hosts still push back against the idea—after all, their laptop speakers work just fine for video chats, right? If [...]
When’s the last time you replayed your old episodes and really listened? It’s the end of another year of podcasting, and that means looking back on how far you’ve come and planning the next steps. Whether you’re taking some time off for the holiday or plugging away between the [...]
What can you take away from those subjective reviews, good and bad? What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve received about your podcast? We all have one—that cringe-inducing review or comment that fires up our impostor syndrome. The one that makes us question our hosting skills, our topic selection, [...]
What are you afraid of when you’re recording your podcast? Training your voice doesn’t start with what comes out of your mouth—it starts with what’s going on in your head. Mary learned this 25 years ago from her radio school instructors, Kat Stewart and Kevin Ribble. In this episode, [...]
How do you make your personality shine through as soon as you hit record? The podcast world is always evolving—that’s what happens when a baby industry grows up! For better or worse, audio-first media is changing constantly, and the latest shift involves Amazon’s decision to shut down the Wondery [...]
What can you do to keep your voice in tip-top shape? As podcasters, we use our voices a lot. Chances are, that essential instrument of yours has temporarily abandoned you in the past. Whether the symptom stems from getting sick or from overuse, waking up to croaks, rasps, or [...]
How much do you prioritize your vocal health? Most of us, even if we work in the voice acting, podcasting, or broadcast industries, don’t think too much about our voices. But remember: if you don’t have a voice, you don’t have a podcast! In this episode, Mary breaks down [...]
How has being a podcaster changed how you listen? There are plenty of ways AI can make podcasters’ lives easier, but there’s one human ability Mary firmly believes AI will never be able to replicate (or at least not for a very long time): true listening. We humans have [...]
What’s the connection between audiobooks and podcasts? You already know the right tone and voice is essential for building a connection with your listeners. It just makes sense, then, that you can turn to different kinds of audio media for inspiration when looking to further hone your skills behind [...]