Smile, you’re on camera (or not)

Think about how much difference it makes when you walk past someone in the street and they smile as they pass, a bonus if it comes with a ‘good morning’, right? You want your audience to get that same feeling listening to you, and smiling as you talk is a really easy win.

Smiling as you host or feature on a podcast actually has a few benefits. There is a noticeable, detectable difference when listening to someone who is smiling when they’re talking; it produces a warmer tone from your voice and it’s more personable.

A simple smile will also put your guest/s at ease. They might be nervous about being on a podcast, maybe for the first time, so let them know there’s nothing to worry about and it’s recorded not live and hopefully edited too.

And finally, listeners are smart. They can tell if you want to be there or not and smiling is a good step in the right direction of convincing them you’re enjoying yourself which gives them licence to as well. Smiling as you talk also helps to cover any nerves or uncertainty about the interview or conversation you're about to have.

A few notes though: let's not overdo this

We don’t want you grinning from ear to ear forcing a smile that Julia Roberts would be proud of, nor is a smile right if you’re delivering some really heavy news or talking about a really serious topic.

But, 9 times out of 10, inject that smile into those moments that warrant and need it, and you’ll see and hear the difference it makes to your recordings, whether you’re on camera or not.

Now let's discuss why editing your podcast is crucially important.