Why you shouldn’t waste time in your podcast introduction

Your audience is already warm, so get to it.

Your podcast introduction is one of the most important pieces of real estate you’ve got in your show.

Those precious few seconds after people press play can influence whether they decide to turn off or keep listening.

So if you’re opening your show with long-winded chats, sandwich chewing (I’ve heard it), or 15 minutes of unnecessary warm-up banter, it’s time to stop.

Want help starting your podcast? Download my FREE “How To Start A Podcast” guide.

Respect your listeners’ time

When someone presses play on your podcast, they’re not just warm, they’re red hot.

They’ve chosen your content and they’ve pressed play so you need to deliver what they came for…fast.

Often, when you’re new to presenting, wasting time in your podcast introduction is more about nerves than anything else.

Sometimes, in the worst cases, it’s about ego.

But if you spend the first 10 minutes of your show rambling with your co-host or setting up an interview with a whole bunch of information your listeners are going to hear in two minutes anyway, you’re telling them their time isn’t valuable.

People are busy and the competition is fierce.

So if you want to grow an audience outside your inner circle of mates, you have to offer up a show that your ideal listeners would find valuable (from the minute they press play).

Why you should design an ideal listener for your podcast

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If you need a warm up, that’s fine…just don’t include it

Sometimes you or your co-host might need to settle in and get comfortable with each other before the show starts and that’s fine.

Just don’t make your audience sit through it.

You can record those warm-ups but edit them out before they reach your audience.

This is exactly what editing is for and if you choose to leave that stuff in, you’re the problem (sorry 😬).

How to keep an audience engaged when podcasting solo

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What about getting new listeners up to speed?

If you want to make sure you’re setting up the show premise for new listeners that’s fine but it doesn’t need to take 15 minutes.

Or even 30 seconds.

A short tagline or produced intro can get the job done without boring regular listeners.

In each episode, you’ll be speaking to new AND old audience members so you need to balance both their needs.

And a quick line at the start of each episode will bring newbies up to speed without annoying your hardcore fans.

What’s the best length for your podcast?

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The best intros get straight to the good stuff

Most podcast listeners don’t make it all the way to the end of episodes, so you have to work really hard to keep people around.

It’s important to be across your consumption statistics in platforms like Apple and Spotify so you can see if people are sticking with you and adjust your content accordingly.

At the end of the day your show should be about your listeners, not you, so get to the good stuff and they’ll love you for it.