Episode 317 | Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast | Courtney Elmer

AI Voice Cloning Sounds Like the Ultimate Shortcut. But Can Your Listeners Spot the Fake?

AI voice cloning promises to scale your content without you recording every word. Sounds like a dream, right? More content, less effort, faster growth.

But what happens when your audience can tell the difference?

For this episode, I did something I swore I’d never do—I let AI take the mic. Three minutes. No edits. No warnings. And if you think AI voice cloning will save you time and might even make you sound more professional or authoritative, you’ll want to listen for yourself.

Because here’s the truth: AI voice cloning doesn’t build trust. It breaks it. And when trust is gone? So is your audience.

More Content Doesn’t Equal More Growth—Here’s Why

If “more content” automatically meant “more growth,” then every podcaster churning out daily episodes would be at the top of the charts. But they’re not.

Look at your own feed. How many times do you scroll past the same repetitive, AI-generated content from people who post non-stop? You don’t engage. You don’t even remember them. Because more content doesn’t create more connection—it creates more clutter.

Let’s talk about the podcasters who actually win in this space, because some of the biggest podcasters don’t post daily. They post strategically. Think of Brené Brown. Think of Tim Ferriss. Think of Alex Hormozi—who, by the way, records long-form, high-quality episodes and leverages the content strategically across all platforms. (I know his podcast strategist personally, so this isn’t speculation. It’s fact.)

These people aren’t winning because they produce more—they’re winning because they create high-impact, high-value content that connects.

Or think of it this way: let’s imagine you cut your content production in half—but every piece was deeply engaging, strategically positioned, and packed with high-value insights your audience can’t get anywhere else. What would happen?

Your audience would pay attention. They’d engage more. Your episodes would actually get shared, saved, and talked about.

Growth doesn’t come from creating more content. It comes from creating content people actually care about. You don’t need more episodes. You need a message that stands out.

So where does AI voice cloning actually fit in? Spoiler: it doesn’t.

AI Voice Cloning Is Devaluing Your Expertise

But Courtney! you might wonder, AI voice cloning will make me sound more polished, professional, and authoritative so people will take me more seriously. If we were sitting in a coffee shop together chatting about your podcast over a steamy hot cappuccino, I would ask you: And how do you know that’s true?

What actually gets someone to take you seriously? Is it a polished delivery? Is it high production value? Or is it something else entirely? Think about your favorite podcast hosts. You connect with them because of the little things—their cadence, their quirks, their unscripted moments. The way they tell stories. The way they make you feel like you’re in the room with them.

Is high quality production what makes you trust your favorite podcast hosts? Is a flawless delivery what convinces you they’re an authority? No. Because high production value or never saying “um” or “ah” doesn’t automatically make someone worth listening to.

As a judge for the Webby Awards, I get a behind-the-scenes listen to some of today’s top podcasts. And one of the most common notes I give? “The host is reading. The delivery feels stiff. The audio is crystal clear, but there’s zero personality.”

Now add AI voice cloning to the mix: AI doesn’t make you sound more authoritative. It makes you sound less human. When everything is too smooth, too polished, too perfect? It doesn’t feel impressive. It feels like something’s missing. And your listeners can tell. So if you think AI voice cloning will make you sound like more of a thought leader, take a step back. Because the very thing you’re trying to gain—credibility, trust, influence—is exactly what you’ll lose. Here’s why:

The Proof Is in the Playback

Still think AI voice cloning is a smart move? I put it to the test. In this episode, I did something I swore I’d never do: I cloned my own voice. And if you’ve listened, you know exactly when the AI version takes over.

For a second, it might’ve fooled you. The cadence? Close. The tone? Almost there. But something was off. The energy? Missing. The connection? Gone. That gut feeling that whispered this isn’t quite right? Yeah. Your audience hears it too.

AI voice cloning doesn’t enhance your authority, it strips it away. It strips away the presence, the personality, the you that makes people actually want to listen. And once that connection breaks? They check out. They stop engaging. They stop trusting you.

Trust isn’t built through polish. It’s built through presence. And no AI-generated voice can replicate the presence that you alone bring to the mic.

But AI Is Just a Tool—Can’t I Use It Strategically?

We’ve been chasing efficiency for centuries. Cars, washing machines, smartphones, AI. And yet—do you feel less busy and more connected? 

Exactly.

Every time we trade human connection for convenience, we lose something more valuable. When people say they want to use AI voice cloning strategically, what they really mean is, I want to save time without losing my audience’s trust.

I get it—I value my time too. And if your time is more valuable than your audience’s trust, by all means, clone your voice. But here’s what you risk: AI voice cloning isn’t just a tool, it’s a trade. And in this case, you’re trading trust for convenience, and authenticity for automation.

So if you want a bingeworthy top podcast that grows your audience, authority, and revenue, authenticity is the prerequisite for trust, and trust is the prereq for a sale.

AI-generated voices are built to replicate, not create. They can mimic your tone, but they can’t capture the lived experience that comes through your voice. They can replicate your cadence, but they strip out the emotion that makes your message land. They can make you sound more “consistent,” but in a way that flattens everything unique about you. 

When you remove those human elements, you’re left with a polished, predictable, perfectly forgettable version of you.

And when the entire space becomes homogenized. Your voice—the thing that’s supposed to set you apart—gets drowned out in a sea of AI-generated noise.

Standing out is already hard enough. The last thing you need is another barrier between you and your audience. AI voice cloning isn’t a strategic advantage. It’s a slow fade into irrelevance. And in an industry where attention is everything, the real risk you take is blending in. So no, the most strategic thing you can do isn’t finding ways to replace yourself with AI. It’s making sure your voice is the one thing AI can’t replace. 

“But I Don’t Have Time to Record Everything Myself.”

Then you shouldn’t be podcasting.

Harsh? Maybe. But if you’re using your podcast to attract leads, build relationships, and establish credibility, then outsourcing the one thing that actually helps you do that makes no sense. 

Let’s do the math. Say your podcast is a core part of your business. But instead of spending an hour recording, you clone your voice to “save time.” Where does that saved hour actually go? More busywork. More content planning. More marketing tasks. But here’s what you just removed from the process: your real voice, your perspective, your presence. The exact things that make people trust you, buy from you, and stick around.

So here’s the question only you can answer: Do you want a podcast that saves you time, or a podcast that actually grows your business?

Picture this: You’re a fan of Alex Hormozi. You love his content. But tomorrow, you have two choices—

• Real Alex, talking to you directly.
• AI Alex, saying the same words, but… not really him.

Which one earns your attention? We don’t need a research study to answer that. You’d pick the real Alex. Every time.

Why People Will Always Pay More for the Real Thing

It’s why Louis Vuitton can charge thousands for a handbag. It’s why people line up for concerts with Taylor Swift, because a simulated version of her “on the big screen” while her actual person isn't there wouldn't be the same. It’s why we value in-person conversations over perfectly crafted text or going to live events when you could just as easily watch it online. It’s why audiences will always pay more—whether in money, time, or attention—for the real thing.

The people who win in this space aren’t the ones who find ways to shortcut their presence. They’re the ones who make their presence irreplaceable. In a world drowning in AI-generated content, the real thing will always stand out. So if you’re serious about building a binge-worthy, top-ranked podcast that actually grows your business, your voice is not the place to cut corners.

The podcasters who rise to the top aren’t the ones who find ways to replace themselves. They’re the ones who double down on what makes them irreplaceable.

So the ones who lean on AI voice cloning? They won’t just lose trust—they’ll disappear into the noise. And in a world where attention is currency, blending in doesn’t just make you replaceable. It makes you invisible. Because when you lose your influence, your authority, and your relevance? You're forgotten. And once your audience moves on, they aren't coming back.

If you’re serious about building a bingeworthy, top-ranked podcast that drives real growth and revenue (without handing over your voice to AI), hit ‘Follow’ on Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast so you never miss a new episode.

Up Next:

What if one bad review was all it took to silence your podcast? That’s exactly what happened to bestselling author and financial literacy expert Janine Mix. One-star review. Confidence shattered. Podcast on pause for a year. But instead of quitting, she came back stronger—with a show her audience can’t stop talking about. In the next episode, Janine shares how to tell if you’re playing it too safe, why being too broad is killing your podcast growth, and the exact steps she took to overcome rejection and how you can do the same. So if you’re ready to turn your podcast into a must-listen (and see why rejection might actually be proof you’re on the right track), don’t miss the next episode.