I've released the first episode of my podcast. Looking for feedback.

My thoughts as I listen (disclaimer: I'm not expert):

  • Intro song is good but is a bit long for my liking (20 seconds) just a couple of stanzas is fine
  • Don't apologise for the sound quality with your "introductory bullshit", it's not really getting the listener onside and it's making it sound much, much more amateur than perhaps it is. Either own your sound quality and improve it as you can, or don't record at all until you can improve it, but don't apologise because you're inadvertently highlighting issues that perhaps the listener might not have picked up on themselves and starting the podcast on a really negative note. I would have edited this whole part out.
  • You've said your name, but I'm 1:30 seconds in and I have no idea what your podcast is about
  • 2:30 - OK so you're talking about 5 arguments for people to argue against God.
  • 4:00 - I think it'd be good to have a bit more of a rigid structure. I kind of have no idea what this podcast is about, what to expect or what is coming next. If someone asked me at this point to explain this podcast, I think I'd draw a blank.
  • 7:00 - Don't feel like you have to record the entire podcast in one take and that it is what it is. I actually break my podcast up into sections, I use a script, and if I make a mistake, I stop and start the recording again.
  • 7:56 - I think perhaps highlighting in the title that you're going to be talking about atheism would be really useful. That way you're going to be able to attract the listeners you want who are interested in that topic, and not lose listeners who aren't really that interested in religious debate.
  • 10:53 - I think you have quite a nice voice, and you are obviously well-read and informed on what you're talking about. This kind of discussion isn't really my cup of tea, but I can appreciate your knowledge.
  • 13:33 - there are some pretty long pauses, and I'd recommend using Audacity (or other sound editing software) to just make these a little shorter.
  • Don't forget to use your track description in SoundCloud to actually explain what your episode is about. Like your podcast, there is WAY too much stuff about how this is your first podcast and the tone is apologetic, but there is no information about what your podcast is about.

TL;DR:

  • Don't apologise for your podcast. If you don't like it, nobody else is going to like it.
  • Right at the beginning, introduce yourself, introduce the podcast and introduce the episode. Tell the listener what they're in for.
  • Edit!
  • Plan!
/r/podcasts Thread Link - soundcloud.com