EP27 Feedback Overload 🤯
Learn how to sort helpful feedback from the stuff you can safely bin in this VIC Podcasters episode on dealing with the chaos that is podcast feedback.
Ideas Discussed This Episode + Episode Timecodes:
00:00 – Intro and a reminder of last week's topic on how to get feedback.
00:50 – Identifying if feedback is constructive or deconstructive.
01:40 – Real-world examples of what useful feedback sounds like.
02:30 – Filtering feedback: trolls vs honest critics.
03:10 – Taking action: what to fix now (tech, sound, content).
04:00 – Making long-term podcast changes from repeated feedback.
04:45 – When to ignore feedback entirely.
05:30 – Responding with grace to public and private feedback.
06:20 – Final reminders: podcasting is teamwork, not a solo gig.
Feedback Overload 🤯 What to Keep & What to Skip
Whether you’re drowning in conflicting opinions or just received your first critique, this VIC Podcasters episode gives you the tools to manage, sort, and respond to podcast feedback without pulling your hair out. From what to fix now to what to completely ignore, we’ll help you stay cool and keep growing your show.
Podcast feedback can feel like a gift... wrapped in barbed wire. In this episode, we walk through how to tell whether feedback is actually helpful or just background noise. Spoiler: not every comment deserves your energy. We also explore ways to process feedback calmly and strategically—because growth comes from action, not just reaction.
The episode lays out a two-part approach: fix what you can immediately, like dodgy audio or confusing show structure, then consider more long-term tweaks around content or guest choices. Zoë reminds us that consistency matters, but evolution is key—especially when multiple listeners point out the same issue.
And perhaps most importantly, we talk about how to respond—online and in DMs—with kindness and professionalism, even if the comment stings. Don’t feed the trolls, thank the helpful critics, and remember: every piece of feedback is engagement, and that means you’re doing something worth listening to. Need help filtering your own pile of podcast feedback? Work with Zoë Wood of the Video Confidence Coach to cut through the noise and elevate your podcasting game.
TIME FOR A QUICK QUIZ 🤓
What’s a good sign feedback is worth listening to?
A) It’s just plain rude
B) It’s in all caps
C) It’s mentioned by many
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Answer: C) It’s mentioned by many - when many people are highlighting an issue it’s a better sign that a one off rude comment 👋
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Zoë Wood 0:00
Last week, we talked about how to get feedback, and today, we're going to talk about what to do. Once you have it,
you're listening to the Vic podcasters podcast, your bite sized slice of podcasting. Know how we're here to connect Victorian podcasters, whether you're just starting season Pro or stuck in the one day I will phase Stop dreaming and dive in, join our email list or hop onto our Facebook and LinkedIn groups for updates, resources and a supportive community, because podcasting is better when we do it together. Vic, podcasters is proudly produced on waterung land sorting, The Good, the Bad and the useless. So let's talk constructive and deconstructive feedback. So you've already done all the work to make sure you ask for people to give you feedback, and you can get this feedback via emails, via DMS, via comments, via shares. However, you get your get your feedback. If you can. If there is a bit too much for you, try moving it to a different platform that is easier for you to check, like a spreadsheet, or if it's small enough that you're able to look at each case one by one, see how you go. But first of all, from here, once you've got some feedback, it's time to decide whether the feedback is constructive, as in, something that is going to help you, or is it deconstructive, something that is not helpful to you right now, maybe in the future, but not right now. So for example, constructive feedback that is useful. Maybe I love the topic, but the audio is rough. That is a good example to give you something actionable, that you can improve, that you can research, that you can do something about. Compared to this sucks. Stop podcasting. That's not very useful, is it? And it's also deconstructive feedback. Now, as you can imagine, most people, I'm going to tell you now aren't that angry. Despite the internet being a place of interesting place, interesting people, you're not going to get a lot of that anger. You're probably going to get a lot of people not giving much or rat's ass, but there is also people who are willing and genuinely wanting to give you useful feedback. Check out the Vic podcasters, Facebook, email, newsletter and LinkedIn groups for good constructive feedback. Trolls versus honest critics, if it's just rude, if the comment or if the response is just rude, ignore it. If multiple people mention the same issue, pay attention, because if multiple people are mentioning it, then it's probably a big enough deal for multiple people to say something about it. Hey, listener, I'm just pausing your podcasting experience to let you know that I have my own podcast to the unboring your brand podcast. It's branding, but make it un boring, smashing your goals while laughing and listening to UN boring your brand podcast. Check it out. Wherever your podcaster says that you can, you can find the one that's by the video confidence coach, that's me. And now back to your scheduled programming. You so what it means to take action? First of all, you think about the immediate fixes. Have multiple people mentioned any tech issues, confusing formats or bad sound quality, or maybe that the video doesn't look up to snuff. What can you fix immediately? Is there something that you can do to spend five to 10 minutes fixing something, or is there something that you can do to, say research to better improve your podcasting ability now that we've done the immediate fixes, now it's time to focus on long term changes. Is there something that people have been mentioning over time that you can use is regarding, say, content shifts, or maybe your choice in guests, or pacing adjustments, maybe the ads are a bit too jarring, or, for example, that you have a monologue at the start of your podcast that people aren't really NES resonating with that's okay. It's not a reflection of you. It's a reflection of what they need as an audience. So in turn, take some time and see what you can do over, say, a couple of episodes, or even a couple of, you know, 10s of episodes. Whatever is easier to do, you can do that over time. And now that we've touched on the immediate and the long term fixes, here is what you can ignore. You can ignore random one off complaints that don't match with your vision for the podcast, but also people who clearly haven't listened to your podcast. Because there is plenty of people who Yap on the internet, doesn't mean they all have something worthwhile to say. And now that you've gotten the feedback and you've been able to process it into an action or been able to ignore it, here is how to respond without losing your call so publicly, especially on social media review sites and other areas that are publicly available, thank them for listening and acknowledge any good points that they have, even if it isn't fully positive. Making sure that you acknowledge the good points and thank them is a great start. Don't fight the trolls. It's a. Crap. That's all they want. They want you to be antagonistic like a bully in primary school. So in those moments, just ignore them, and they'll dissipate into the ether for private emails or DMS, and it requires say a more in depth conversation, maybe take it offline, or, if it's possible, ask them a series of questions with really detailed answers. They can't just give you a yes or no and see if they respond. People aren't inclined and don't have to respond, but it might make it easier for you to be able to actually use the feedback more effectively, especially in these private DMS and emails. Always think with gratitude, even when it stings, every listener has an opinion, and that is engagement. You're allowed to thank them, and even if you disagree with their points, thank them regardless, because your audience is there to support you and you are there for your audience. Feedback is a gift, even when you don't like it. So keep tweaking, keep improving, and keep growing a podcast, because podcasting doesn't have to be a solo gig. That's a wrap. Remember, we're here every week to share quick tips, updates and the occasional bad joke. Feeling inspired good now hit record or go to the show notes of this episode for a backstage past experience of the Victorian podcasting scene. The Vic podcasters would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the wadawurrug people of the Kulin nation, the traditional custodians on the land on which we work, live and play. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We stand with the traditional custodians of these lands in working towards a more equal future. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. And remember, podcasting doesn't have to be a solo gig.
The above episode description and transcript were generated with human knowledge + ai.
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