There is a giant button at the top of your listing in Apple labeled LISTEN. When someone clicks it whatever comes out is going to shape their first impression, and it will influence how long they let this play. I listened to podcasts for 14 hours in the car this weekend as I drove to a speaking gig in Nashville. Bad audio is becoming more and more apparent in this space (especially for "indies" and I thought I would help us understand what it sounds like and what tools are available to help fix it. In This Episode How to politely let potential guests know their audio is unacceptable. How you can sound amazing for less than $100 The importance of microphone placement. Why A-List Celebrities are the only people allowed to "dial in" to your show. Tools you can use to get rid of reverb and level out the audio and remove noise. JOIN THE SCHOOL OF PODCASTING COMMUNITY Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and unlimited one-on-one consulting, you'll create high-quality, engaging content quickly. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting. Use the coupon code schoolofpodcasting.com/listener to save 20% Question of the Month: Do You Subscribe to Paid Podcasts? Louis from Love Thy Lawyer sent in the question, "Do you subscribe to any premium podcasts?" Louis supports Serious Trouble, Making Sense, Storm Skiing, Real Skiers, School of Podcasting Mark Vinet from the History of North America asked a few people and nobody was paying for podcats. Dr. Sarah Clak from the Kind Leadership Show pays for a few shows because she wants more content from these shows, and wants to support people who are doing fact-based content that she can trust. Zo from backlookcinema.com also has not found any podcasts that deliver enough value to support financially. Value For Value Support Dave Jackson supports people via the Value For Value model, where you can stream cryptocurrency. He has streamed over $125 to many Podcasts about Podcasting, and the NO Agenda Show, and Congressional Dish.  You can set up your show to receive streaming crypto using the steps in this video. Then your audience can use one of the New Podcast Apps that are enabled to send you money. The key point is THEY set how valuable you are.  Check out the new show about Podcasting 2.0 with Dave Jackson and Daniel J. Lewis at www.futureofpodcasting.net Tools For Cleaning Up Audio  The best way to Studio Sound (in Descript) - Great at Removing Room Noise and More Adobe Enhance - Great at removing reverb/room noise and generally clean up. Deverberate Plugin - Removes Reverb Loundness.fm - Noise Reduction, Volume Leveling, Mastering (try it for free) Auphonic - Noise Removal, Leveling RX10 - Suite of Tools - Expensive - For the Serious Editor Not Tested (but not bad) Deverberate inside of Adobe Audition