Practical Sales Training™ > How to connect with your buyer > Background Music
Background Music
Silence is more disruptive than most people realise. Every pause in a video or presentation feels bigger without anything behind it. People notice the quiet, get distracted, and drift away.
Background music fixes that. A gentle track underneath your voice fills the gaps, adds pace, and keeps the listener anchored to what you are saying. It does not compete with your content – it supports it.
Used well, it is one of the simplest ways to make your content feel more polished, more watchable, and easier to stay with.
What Is Background Music?
Background music is audio that plays at a low level behind your main content. It is not meant to be noticed. Instead, it works in the background to reduce silence, add energy, and support the emotional tone of what you are saying.
You hear it in YouTube videos, online courses, webinars, and sales demos. When it is done right, you barely register it is there. But when it is removed, the content suddenly feels flat and harder to stay with.
That invisibility is the point. Background music earns its place by making everything else feel better, not by drawing attention to itself.
Why Does Background Music Work?
Silence creates drop-off. When a speaker pauses or slows down, pure silence makes the gap feel awkward. Listeners notice it, their focus breaks, and they are more likely to click away. A quiet music track fills those gaps so the pause feels natural rather than empty.
Music also adds pace. A gentle beat or rhythm makes your message feel more alive, because it gives the content momentum even during slower sections. As a result, people stay engaged for longer without feeling like they are sitting through a lecture.
There is an emotional dimension too. Calm music makes learning feel safe and steady. Faster tracks make content feel exciting or urgent. So the right track does not just fill space – it shapes how the viewer feels about what they are watching.
How Can You Use Background Music In Sales?
In videos and social content
Pick simple, loopable tracks without strong vocals so the music never competes with your voice. Keep the volume well below your speaking level, and match the tempo to the content – slower for teaching, slightly faster for promos and stories. One consistent track per video feels more professional than switching between several.
In training sessions and webinars
Play soft music on the waiting screen before you start, so people do not sit in uncomfortable silence while others join. Keep gentle music running during concept explanations or slide sections. However, turn it down or off when you ask questions – because music during thinking time creates distraction rather than focus.
In live events and workshops
Upbeat music as people arrive sets the tone and energy before you have said a word. Light music during individual or group exercises keeps focus and momentum going. Bringing it back after a break also signals clearly that it is time to restart, without you having to announce it.
In recorded demos and presentations
Adding a quiet track behind a recorded screen share makes it feel more polished and considered. For live calls, use music only at the start or while waiting for others to join – not during the conversation itself, because it will distract rather than support.
When Background Music Works Best
It works best in longer content where attention naturally dips. A ten-minute video without music relies entirely on the speaker to hold focus throughout. Add a quiet track, and the music does some of that work, so the viewer finds it easier to stay with you.
It is also highly effective in content that repeats key points. Repetition is important for retention, but it can feel dull if nothing changes between the first and second time a point is made. Background music makes the same information feel fresh on the second pass, which helps it land more effectively.
Similarly, it works well in any content where silence is a risk – waiting rooms, workshop breaks, webinar lobbies. Music in those moments replaces an awkward void with something that feels warm and deliberate.
When Background Music Becomes Dangerous
The most common risk is volume. If the listener notices the music, it is too loud. Background music that competes with the voice pulls focus away from the message and makes the content harder to follow. So if in doubt, turn it down further than feels necessary.
The wrong track is another danger. Music with a strong beat or memorable melody draws attention to itself. That attention belongs to your content. So choose tracks that are atmospheric and unobtrusive rather than interesting on their own terms.
Copyright is also a real issue. Using music you do not have the rights to can result in a video being muted, removed, or demonetised on platforms like YouTube. Always use royalty-free or properly licensed tracks, because the risk of getting it wrong is not worth taking.
Common Background Music Mistakes
Volume too high
A simple rule: if you notice the music, it is probably too loud. Test your content on both headphones and speakers before publishing, because the balance sounds different across devices. The music should sit so far in the background that most viewers could not name the track afterward.
Wrong tempo for the content
When the beat of the music fights your speaking rhythm, it creates a subtle tension that makes content harder to listen to. Match the pace of the track to the pace of what you are saying. A slow, considered explanation needs a calm track behind it – not something that feels like a countdown.
Using the same track for everything
One track used consistently across all your content builds familiarity – that is a good thing. However, using it even when the tone is completely wrong just because it is the default becomes lazy over time. So build a small library of tracks that suit different moods and contexts, then choose deliberately.
Background Music – An Example
Charlie Morgan uses very low-level background music in his YouTube videos to make them easier to listen to over long periods. The music is subtle enough that most viewers would not consciously notice it. But it keeps the content feeling alive and easy to stay with, even across videos that run well past ten minutes.
See Also
