52 micro wins you can steal to improve your podcast

Want to improve your podcast? Small wins over time are the way to do it. James Clear taught us that 1% gains add up massively over time. But what does that look like?

I decided to make the definitive list. Here are 52 ways to improve your podcast so every episode is better than the last. 

1. Tighten up your intro. Chatting is fine, but not too much. 
2. Shorten your outro. Keep the listener hooked to the last word so the next episode can play. 
3. Write a better title – include the subject and a hook. For my podcast, “Pitmilly House” was our last episode. No one’s heard of that. So the title becomes “The Poltergiest of Pitmilly House.” Much more intrigue.
4. Figure out how close to your microphone you should be. It depends, but about a fist away works.
5. Don’t record facing a wall. The echo comes back and it sounds weird.
6. Get a website to post your podcast on – Give people a place to search for you.
7. Learn to breathe through your nose. No one likes to listen to mouth breathing
8. Take an extra 30 minutes to research before you hit record.
9. Sign up for Ultraspeaking to practice speaking without filtering
10. Experiment with a noise gate to reduce breath sounds
11. Mention an interaction with a listener you had on social media. This builds a community feel to your podcast
12. Learn to talk slower. Nerves make us talk quickly, slow it down.
13. Make your laugh louder. I used to do a really breathy laugh that sounded too quiet to hear on the microphone
14. Listen for your crutch words while editing – Um, like, uh, yeah – and try to use them less next time you record.
15. Get a chair that makes less noise. No one wants to hear your chair squeaking in the background
16. Touch your microphone less so there’s no interference
17. Record in person instead of on Zoom. Not always an option, but if you can, you should.
18. Add a premade vocal effect from Garageband to sound more professional. I like narration vocal
19. Call back to previous episodes to encourage listens of your back catalog
20. Update your logo. We’re on our third logo; the latest one better represents what we do.
21. Update your bio. Most people write a bio, launch, and never touch it again. Make sure it still describes what you do. 
22. Work on writing more compelling episode descriptions. Just like the title, you want to hook potential listeners
23. Ask people to leave reviews. You don’t ask, you don’t get. 
24. Ask people to follow you on social media. You don’t ask, you don’t get.
25. Link to your social media in episode descriptions. The more places people can find you, the better.
26. Create show notes sharing images you talk about. I’m guilty of not keeping up with this, but I get asked regularly where show notes are. 
27. Ask your guests after recording what you can do for them to help them out. The more you give, the more you get. They’ve done you a solid by appearing on your podcast, see what help you can offer them.
28. Turn your phone off so you don’t get distracted during recording.
29. Take off jewelry that jangles.
30. Walk around while you edit your episode so you stay focused. I struggle to sit and edit for 4 hours without doing something else simultaneously. If I walk around the house holding my laptop, it keeps me focussed on the editing.
31. Edit with noise-cancelling headphones so you can get a cleaner edit. I was editing at a cafe and had to do this to be able to hear. It made such a difference. 
32. Meditate before you record to clear your head and leave you focussed
33. Journal before you record to empty your brain of unrelated thoughts
34. Avoid dairy before recording because it can leave your mouth claggy. A cheese toasty before recording once left me with about 50 throat clears to edit out an episode.
35. Upgrade your microphone. 
36. Trust it will all come out in the edit so you can relax into recording. You don’t need to say everything perfectly the first time.
37. Define who your podcast is for and who it isn’t for so you can build a tribe.
38. Run your podcast through Auphonic to boost your voice and lessen other sounds.
39. Embrace being a podcaster and banish imposter syndrome. You don’t sort of run a podcast. You are a podcaster.
40. Be more egotistical. If you find it interesting, so will other people
41. Don’t lessen your passion to make other people more comfortable. Nerd out about your subject.
42. Read widely in your niche. The more knowledge you have, the better
43. Trust that once you start talking, you’ll know what to say. 
44. Spend time writing about your subject, even if you never use a script. Writing about a topic deepens your understanding of it. That clarity will stay with you when you hit record.
45. Don’t pretend to know it all if you don’t. People love hearing from an enthusiastic amateur.
46. Create a culture of inside jokes to turn listeners into fans.
47. Don’t wait to go viral. You’ll get disappointed, and that will roll into recording
48. Be insanely grateful for every listener you get. That will keep you motivated.
49. Show up when you say you will. That builds trust.
50. Be more vulnerable so your listeners can connect with you as a person
51. Drink a coffee before you record to keep your excitement and energy up
52. Sign up for my newsletter to get the best podcasting tips straight to your inbox 😉

How I Can Help You

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4) ​Recommended Tools​​– These are the tools I use to grow my podcast. I focus on tools that improve quality and save time.