Headphones have become one of those visual shortcuts people associate with podcasting. If someone sees a person wearing headphones and talking into a microphone, they think, “That’s a podcast.” I talked about that broader confusion in What’s a Podcast Anymore?
Yes, some podcasters should wear headphones in some situations. But headphones are not as necessary as many podcasters seem to think, and in some cases, they can even get in the way. So here are four places I think you should reconsider the headphones.
1. Remove headphones from your artwork
Your podcast artwork does not need headphones, a microphone, an RSS icon, an audio waveform, or any other visual cliché that merely says, “This is a podcast.” Your artwork should represent what your podcast is about, not how you produce or distribute it.
There are exceptions. My podcast is about podcasting, so a microphone and RSS icon make sense in my branding. Dave Jackson’s School of Podcasting can reasonably use similar imagery because he also talks about podcasting. If your show is about music, old-time radio, audio production, or something else where headphones are part of the subject, then headphones might fit.
But most podcasts are not about headphones, microphones, RSS feeds, mixers, or waveforms. If your show is about parenting, business, sports, theology, gardening, storytelling, or almost anything else, those podcast-production symbols probably don’t help your audience understand your show. They only communicate the medium, and your audience already knows they’re looking at a podcast.
Think about book covers. Most books don’t put a picture of a book on the cover unless the book is about books or writing books. Movies and TV shows don’t usually brand themselves with cameras and film reels unless the story is about filmmaking. Your podcast artwork should work the same way.
So if your podcast branding uses headphones only because “that’s what podcasts look like,” I recommend removing them. Show what your podcast is actually about.
2. Avoid headphones in your videos
I see this a lot: someone has a beautiful video setup, great lighting, a clean background, a sharp camera, and maybe even a hidden microphone so the frame looks polished. Then they put on big studio headphones.
Why?
If you’re recording a solo podcast or solo video, you might not need headphones at all. When you’re first starting out, headphones can help you learn your microphone technique. They help you hear bumps, plosives, room noise, and other sounds that make it into the recording. That’s useful training.
But once you know your setup, your microphone, and your technique, the headphones might become unnecessary. I haven’t worn headphones for many recent episodes of The Audacity to Podcast because I’m not listening to anything while recording. I know how close I need to be to my microphone, I know what kinds of sounds it picks up, and any sound clips can be edited in later.
Headphones can also create a visual distraction. They cover part of your face, hide your ears, and make the video feel more like a recording session than a direct conversation with your audience. That might be appropriate for some kinds of content, but it’s not automatically better.
There are good reasons to wear headphones on video. If you’re demonstrating audio processing, reacting to audio, playing clips live, or talking with a remote guest or cohost, then headphones can prevent echo and help you hear what you need to hear. But if you’re simply talking to your audience, especially in a solo video, consider taking them off.
Think of headphones like training wheels. They’re helpful when you’re learning, but you probably don’t need to keep them forever.
3. Remove headphones from conversations
This one is partly philosophical, but it’s still practical. When you sit down to talk with a friend, family member, or someone you love, you don’t usually put on headphones. You look at each other and talk.
In fact, if someone is already wearing headphones when a conversation starts, the normal thing to do is take them off. That simple action says, “I’m listening to you now.” We’re used to hearing people with our ears, not through headphones, especially when they’re physically in the same room.
So if you’re recording an in-person conversation, ask whether the headphones are actually necessary. If you and your guest are sitting across from each other, you probably don’t need headphones to hear each other. You might need them if you’re also bringing in a remote guest, playing clips, or monitoring something specific. But for a normal in-person conversation, headphones can add friction.
And that friction matters. Headphones can be uncomfortable. They can mess up hair, make people sweat, press against glasses, create little squeaks from the frames, or cause ear fatigue. For some people, including me, hearing their own voice through big studio headphones can even cause headaches.
That discomfort can affect the conversation. Your guest might become more aware of the headphones than the conversation. They might keep adjusting them, worry about how they look, or feel like they’re “performing a podcast” instead of simply talking.
If your guest is not used to podcasting, removing headphones can make the whole experience feel more natural. A microphone can fade into the background if it’s positioned well. Headphones usually become more noticeable the longer someone wears them.
So if you’re recording in person, try designing the space so you can hear each other naturally. Remove that extra layer of tension and see whether the conversation feels better.
4. Try earbuds or in-ear monitors (IEMs) instead
If you really do need to hear something without using speakers, try earbuds or in-ear monitors instead of big studio headphones. This can work well for remote guests, cohosts, online meetings, clips, or any situation where speaker audio could bleed into your microphone.
In-ear monitors, often abbreviated IEMs, sit inside your ear canals instead of covering or pressing against your ears. That introduces its own comfort and hygiene considerations, especially if multiple guests would be sharing them. But for yourself, a regular cohost, or a recurring guest, earbuds or IEMs can be much more comfortable and less distracting.
I especially like a more open earbud design because I can hear both the audio feed and the natural sound of my own voice in the room. If my ears are completely sealed off, I tend to turn up my own monitoring too much because I’m fighting the bone-conduction sound of my own voice. That can make guests too loud in my ears, cause fatigue, or even affect mixing decisions.
My current favorite solution is a simple hack with Apple’s wired EarPods, not AirPods. I flip them upside down and reverse them, putting the left earbud in my right ear and the right earbud in my left ear. Then the cable goes behind my head instead of hanging in front of me.
That setup keeps the cable out of the way, lets me hear the room, and is much more comfortable for me than large studio headphones. It’s also far less visible on video, especially if you have hair that covers your ears. And for the price, I think Apple’s EarPods sound and feel better than some more expensive in-ear monitors I’ve tried.
I still have studio headphones, and I sometimes use them for editing. But for recording with someone else, earbuds are usually the better fit for me.
If you have non-isolating IEMs you really like, I’d love to hear what you recommend. Send your thoughts through PodcastFeedback.com/audacity, especially if they’re comfortable, not too expensive, and still let you hear your own voice naturally.
Headphones can be useful. I’m not saying you should never wear them. But they’re not sacred podcasting gear, and they’re certainly not what makes your show a podcast. Remove them from your artwork if they don’t represent your topic. Avoid them in videos when you don’t need them. Take them out of in-person conversations when they add tension. And when you really do need monitoring, try earbuds or IEMs instead.
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