Stop Pushing Listeners Away: The Biggest Podcasting Pet Peeves (and How to Fix Them)

If listeners are quitting your podcast in the first five minutes, this episode is for you. In this annual ‘podcast pet peeves’ roundup, I asked my audience what makes them bail on a show— and they did not hold back. Participants You’ll hear from Kim Newlove (The Pharmacist’s Voice, Perrysburg Podcast), Steve Stewart (podcast editor extraordinaire), Todd ‘the Gator’ (Guardian Down Roundtable, Lessons in the Rear View), and York (Welcome to Earth Stories) as they unpack the habits that drive them nuts: from bad audio and buried leads to ad overload, lazy interview questions, sloppy terminology, and more. You’ll walk away knowing exactly what turns listeners off - and how to fix it. I’ll also share my own take on ads, monetization, and why a little creativity can still set your show apart in 2026 The Most Popular Pet Peeves Too many/poorly placed ads (especially mid-roll and early heavy ad blocks) Not getting to the point / burying the lead / unclear episode direction Lack of preparation (hosts winging it, talking in circles, not prepping guests) Sloppy language and terminology (“podcast” vs “episode,” “podcasting” vs “podcasts,” RSS vs not) Wasting listener time with meta-chatter, overlong intros, and “Tell me about yourself” questions I do this question every year, and as you might imagine, this list doesn't change much. This year seems like advertisements were the top peeve. Is Everyone Going to use the "YouTube Annoying Your Audience to Death" strategy, and use tools like Supercast and Patreon, and offer an ad-free version? Mentioned In This Episode School of Podcasting Podpage - Podcast Websites The Pharmacist's Voice The Perrysburg Podcast Steve Stewart Podcast Editors Academy Welcome to Earth Stories Guardian Down Roundtable Lessons in the Rear View Ask the Podcast Coach Podcasting Observations (Dave's Newsletter) School of Podcasting Follow Page Patreon Supercast OP3 Open Source Stats Truefans.FM Mentioned in this episode: You Have A Message That Needs to Be Heard You have a message that needs to be shared. Discover the art of podcasting at the School of Podcasting. We teach you to shine a light on your stories, inspiring others one episode at a time. Let your voice be your legacy. Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/join School of Podcasting Live Appearances I loved connecting with my audience. Here are the next events I will be at: November 11: Podindy.com (use the coupon code SOP) February 23-26, 2027: National Religious Broadcasters nrb.org I'd love to speak at your event. Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/contact Where Will I Be? Question of the Month: The Smallest Amount of Downloads We all want a bigger audience. We all put a lot of work into our shows. With this in mind, what is the smallest amount of downloads you would do the show for? If it drops below a number would you stop, or put effort into finding out why? Does the size of your audience matter? Go to schoolofpodcasting.com/question by August 28th (and don't forget to say a little bit about your show and your website address so I can link to it in the notes) School of Podcasting Give Your Podcast A Home When you look at our podcasting pieces, your media host is the engine. But your website is the home. It’s where your audience learns who you are, explores your episodes, and decides to subscribe. At Podpage, we build podcast websites that are fast, reliable, and designed to convert visitors into listeners. Every episode is automatically published, SEO-optimized, and structured for growth—so you can focus on creating, not managing your site. If your media host powers your podcast, Podpage gives it a place to live—and a place to grow. Start building your podcast’s home with Podpage by going to www.podpage.com/preview and start your 14 day free trial today. Podpage