S1E5 - I want to podcast but I really hate the sound of my own voice. Do you have any tips for me?

ASK A PODCASTING QUESTION

Hello. I’m Jason Rigden and you are listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast. This is the show that answers your podcasting questions in under 5 minutes per episode.

Susie from Kansas City Missouri asks:

I want to podcast but I really hate the sound of my own voice. Do you have any tips for me?

You just kinda have to get over it. Listen this is really common. Most people don’t like to hear their own voice in a recording. Maybe your voice is too high or too low. Maybe you don’t like your accent or diction. Or maybe you're not a native English speaker. Whatever the problem, it is probably not nearly as bad as you think. As podcasters we can spend lots of time obsessing over certain details that no one else will notice. And if your voice really does have issues, you can work on those issues. Practice your voice while doing your show. Do enough episodes and you’ll probably improve your voice and you’ll probably start caring less about it.

Practice makes perfect and recording these podcast episodes will be perfect practice.

Now, there are some basic things that everyone can do to improve their voice. First make sure you are drinking enough water and that you have some water on hand when you record. Also doing a vocal warm up is a great investment of time to do before you record. It can feel really awkward at first but after a couple times you’ll probably notice an improvement. Just google vocal warm up and find one that you are personally comfortable with.

I joke around on this show a bit but I really want to be serious here for a minute. Not liking the sound of your voice is one of the most common obstacles to starting a podcast. Starting a podcast is scary. You are really putting yourself out there. And often folks come up with all kinds of reasons not to start a podcast because they are scared. Most of the time these reasons are just excuses. It is just your fear of failure getting in your way. Don’t be afraid to fail. Your podcast will never be perfect. There will always be room to improve. Just don’t let your fears limit you. It is just a podcast. It does not reflect on your worth as a human being. The important thing is that you are creating and sharing something that you care about. Just don’t care too much. It is just a podcast.

Thank you for listening to the show. If you have a question about podcasting just go to podcastingquestions.com, fill out the little form, and I’ll try to answer it. Once again, I’ve been Jason Rigden and you’ve been listening to the Podcasting Questions Podcast