How Audio Quality Affects Viewer Retention

60% of people watch videos on mute… but what about the 40% who don't? You invest in a great camera You perfect your lighting setup You edit meticulously ...but your audio sounds like you're in a muffle tunnel Here's the harsh reality about video content: 60% of people watch videos on mute.... 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝟑𝟕% 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 When they do, bad audio makes them click away instantly 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝟓𝐗 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 The good news? You don't need expensive equipment. These 3 free tools transform basic audio into professional sound in minutes: 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫  - Remove background noise and normalize your levels with two simple filters 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭  - A suite of tools to turn your audio super profesh 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡  - One-click tool to make your voice sound crisp and professionally balanced The best part? You can use these with your phone, laptop mic, or any basic recording device. Instead of spending $1000+ on audio equipment, spend 5 minutes with these tools. Your audience retention will thank you. Have you ever clicked away from a video because of bad audio? Be honest!

The sound of your video matters as much, if not more than the visuals of your video. Not really a hot take... but an important concept for video creators out there. The TechSmith Video Viewer Study has reported 4 times in the last 10 years that bad sound has been the number 1 reason people stop watching a video. (More about the next iteration coming later this year). Bad sound quality could mean many things. It could be noisy, too quiet, or too loud. It could be that the way it sounds hurts your ears. Or it doesn't match what is shown. Ever listen to something and you think - I can't watch/listen to this anymore? I know I have. It's painful, and it means all that work and effort is lost on you if you stop, and my guess is you'll retain and recall less as well. I sat down with Sam Rogers (if you don't know Sam, you should. He's incredibly talented, smart, and kind), who is not only a professional with insight and depth around learning and learning technology but also a talented musician. As a musician with a gift for sound and rhythm, he brings a unique insight to this view of how much and why the sound matters. I love his quote, "Oftentimes, we're very focused on the visuals, which are important, but they're secondary. People have a better tolerance for video that's not perfect but a lesser tolerance for audio that has problems. " It's a different way of thinking, and it is one more thing to do and worry about - but this one is crucial. Last month, I was in Salt Lake City for Learning DevCamp, and Jeff Batt was kind enough to bring some video gear and help me record a few episodes of The Visual Lounge Podcast by TechSmith. Check out Sam Rogers' insightful interview and more - I'll link to the episode in the comments below. #audio #videocreation #video #learninganddevelopment #training #podcast #learningdevcamp

In video production, we often focus on stunning visuals. However, industry veterans know a critical truth: Sound quality can make or break your production more decisively than imagery ever could. Poor audio instantly signals amateurism, whereas viewers are likely to overlook less-than-perfect visuals if paired with crystal-clear sound. Our brains process audio information differently from visual data, making us more sensitive to inconsistencies in sound that cause subconscious discomfort. Think about it: have you ever continued watching a video with poor picture quality? Contrast that with how quickly you'll abandon content with distracting background noise or muffled dialogue. Great filmmakers understand this hierarchy. They invest in quality microphones, exceptional sound design, and meticulous audio editing because they know a captivating soundtrack or perfect voiceover creates emotional connections that visuals alone cannot achieve. Next time you're planning a video project, remember: your audience might be watching, but they're really listening.

How's the audio in your videos? I published a video this past week that had "questionable" audio. The first comment mentioned that the audio was too low. I was grateful for the comment as it prompted me to watch my video again. It sounded good - but it was a little lower than normal. Another person replied to that comment indicating the audio was fine on their end. So, how do you know? Audio on YouTube videos is actually a top priority for viewers - to keep them watching your video longer. If the audio is poor, viewers will keep scrolling. What can you do about this? As part of my YouTube upload process, I publish my video in Private mode first so that I can check the video contents, audio and any edits I made to make sure everything is as it should be. Once I've watched my video in Private mode, I schedule it to publish Publicly. This practice has allowed me - on several occasions - to catch an error then correct it before publishing it for all to see. You might recall this from a previous post where I shared how "I messed up". I have the link to that LinkedIn post in the comments. Just remember: Make sure your audio quality is good and make watching your video a high quality experience for your viewers. Here are some ways to ensure your video audio is high quality: 🎤 Record in a quiet space. Plan around any potential issues. An example: I use to go live on YouTube every Wednesday at noon. The first Wednesday of every month at the same time is tornado siren testing. Work around situations like this, kids, schedules, etc. 🎤 Use a microphone to cancel any surrounding sounds 🎤 If you aren't using a microphone, be close to your camera to increase the sound and quality (always do a test shot!) 🎤 Use a noise canceling headset 🎤 Test a clip before recording your entire video How do you make sure audio is high quality in your videos?