How to make yourself a good podcaster

The Summer holiday season is it a good opportunity to rest the mind, body and soul (depending on your co-holidaymakers of course) but I find it’s also good for ruminating on ideas and projects for the months ahead as the Autumn starts to loom on the horizon.

I’m not alone in this it appears – research suggests that Autumn is the most productive season for many (with October being the most productive month). In recent conversations it seems like a popular to-do project is to launch a podcast.

The podcast market is a crowded one (how crowded? read on to the end!) and episodes come in many different themes and lengths. It should also be said that podcasters themselves run the range of quality – from very good ones with household names and huge pay-cheques to many average and quite a few that should have kept away from the mic!

So what tips for making you a better podcaster?

Authenticity is key, so don’t try to sound like someone you’re not. Your listeners will quickly pick up on anything that feels forced or unnatural so it’s important to embrace your unique vocal qualities and work on those bits that need it.
Invest in your voice. Most of us are fortunate enough to be gifted with a voice. It’s something we use every day to make ourselves heard in a noisy world. However, not all of us are gifted with the kind of mellifluous voice possessed by Morgan Freeman or Cate Blanchett but we can work with what we’ve got.

Therefore, consider the nuances of your personal vocal tone. Speaking clearly is an obvious essential, but if your vocal pace is too slow or too fast, then practice varying your pitch and volume to emphasise points and keep things dynamic – a monotonous tone will have listeners reaching for the snooze button, while chipmunk-like speed talking will put your listener on edge.

Does your tone match the emotion? It’s important that tone is conducive to subject matter. A warm, friendly tone invites listeners in, while a more serious, measured tone suits weighty topics. Sounds obvious written here, but it does take a bit of practice to get the balance right while sounding genuine. If you’re emulating a successful podcast style, take notes on how they do it and adapt it to your voice, but avoid trying to replicate completely.

Provide the energy. It should not be underestimated how much harder you have to work if you’re channelling your thoughts through audio alone (video is a different discussion). Your energy should also be genuine and consistent, but don’t mistake this for elevated – refer to chipmunks above! Energy means sounding like you’re invested in the topic. If you’re engaged with it, your audience is more likely to be engaged with you.

Respect your listeners’ time. Always remember it’s about the audience, not about you. It’s far better to talk less about something and engage the majority than talk a lot about something and engage a few – unless of course your podcast is on an incredibly niche topic with a listener base rooted inside.

Avoid rambling or going off-topic for extended periods. This is the hallmark of a poor podcast. Anecdotes and stories are powerful tools, but they need to be relevant. Keep to the point – every segment, should serve a purpose and contribute to the overall narrative or discussion. Planning and editing are in, while riffing and ‘just going with flow’ are definitely out!

And… breathe. I can never stress enough the vital role that breathing plays in speaking. Good breath work gives structure and control over the kind of vocal performance that is involved in a successful podcast.

The best way to observe all of the above is to record yourself talking – preferably in the context of casual conversation in order to understand your natural cadence and tone. As we are our own worst critics, this will no doubt make you cringe, but try to be objective. As a podcaster you will be one voice amongst many in a listener’s day – just avoid being the one they remember for the wrong reasons.

The great thing about making a podcast is that it’s easy to plug in a mic and start talking – as of the summer 2025, there are an estimated 4.35 million podcasts on offer to the world! You may not make the Spotify recommended list, but if you can keep up the practice, keep knocking out the episodes and keep learning as you go, the skills you develop will be transferrable to other aspects of your professional career.

So, if you’ve been talking about it for a while, just go out and do it!