Music is an integral part of the human experience. We create ballads to express our emotions and tell complicated stories. Podcasting as a medium has become another way we share stories and the human experience. So, adding music to your chosen storytelling method can help to enhance the experience. Music can also act as a transition marker, letting your listeners know of an incoming segment or break. There’s plenty you can do with the magic of music!
Mood Setters & Transitions
Music is an excellent way to introduce the mood of your podcast, or specific episodes, for your listeners. You can easily let them know what to expect from your podcast by selecting the right music. Have a podcast filled with horror stories? Choose music that raises the hair on the back of your neck. Perhaps your podcast is a dive into the possibilities of space travel in the far future! Select music that transports your listeners with you on your spaceship. The right music can influence the mood of your listeners and get them into the right headspace for your story.
Besides setting the right mood, music can inform your listeners of an upcoming segment change. You can recapture their attention by playing the right tunes! Music can let them know that an ad break is coming up, or an important announcement about your show is just around the corner. Music serves as a great audio marker to keep your listeners engaged.
Speaking of engagement, music can also help to hold the attention during your ad breaks. Some podcasters have even gone so far as to make their Host-Read ad a musical one, not only grabbing the attention of the listeners but keeping the jingle stuck in their heads even after putting away their headphones.
Technical Know-Hows
Now that you have some idea of the power of music in podcasting, the next step is to understand the technical side a bit more.
First, you do want to be careful of what music you choose and how much of it is used in your episodes. Listening platforms such as Spotify may remove episodes if they detect copyrighted music or believe the episodes have violated their Terms of Service. Be sure to check over each listening platforms’ policies to ensure that your show is within their boundaries.
After deciding on the music you’re using, the last step is to add it to your episodes. You could re-edit your episodes and add the music to the audio files, or you could use Dynamic Insertion Technology like RedCircle’s Dynamic Audio Insertion and easily add the music across all your episodes – all at once!
We offer complete walkthroughs of our Dynamic Insertion tools in our Help Center (along with detailed videos):
- What is Dynamic Insertion?
- How Audio Blocks and Insertion Points Work Together
- How to Create Custom Audio Clips and Custom Audio Blocks
- How to Assign Audio Blocks to Multiple Insertion Points
We also have a guide that details everything you can do with these tools, including adding music!
Music can create the perfect atmosphere for the audio story you’re hoping to tell your audience. It captures their attention and keeps them interested in your content. A little music 🎶 can go a long way!
Want to enhance your audio with Dynamic Insertion tools? Sign up for a 7-day Free Trial of any plan and start exploring!
