How to introduce your podcast the right way
Before I kick-off, let me clarify what I mean by podcast intro.
I’m NOT referring to…
Your ‘show intro,’ which is the piece of audio that kicks off each episode. Usually, this is put together by an audio production guru (or you, if you’ve got sweet audio editing skills) and contains the show name, a tagline and a bit of music e.g. this was our intro for Paul and Rach…
If you don’t have one of these I’d seriously consider putting one together (if you’re handy with audio editing software) or trying to find someone on Fiverr or Upwork who can put one together for you cheaply.
A show intro is important because it sets the tone of your podcast and becomes your audio brand. Like the audio version of McDonald’s Golden Arches or Apple’s partially ingested apple.
When consumers see those logos they immediately ‘feel’ something and the same thing happens when listeners hear your show intro. They feel a sense of familiarity that gets them excited about your content.
It’s easy to think of a show intro as a bit of fluff listeners don’t pay attention to, but if you change it you’ll find out pretty quickly how attached people get to that little piece of audio.
It’s important to keep this in mind before choosing a piece of music you’re not that keen on thinking you’ll just change it later without consequence.
You can, of course, update and improve your show branding after launch but ideally, you want to put a decent amount of time and thought into choosing the right track from the start and sticking with it.
I AM referring to…
The intro that comes after this, often consisting of a summary of what’s coming up.
Of course, every show will have some sort of introduction where you welcome your listeners, your guest (if you have one) and provide context for what’s in the episode. And while this is good practice, there’s no reason you can’t knock it over in a sentence or two.
Some hosts, particularly if they have a guest, will go back after the interview and write an intro that plays before the chat to give listeners an idea of what the guest is going to cover. And while it’s good to tease what’s on the way an intro like this isn’t always necessary.
Ideally, when you’re planning how to get into your show you should have two things in mind…
The first is the understanding that your audience would prefer you to get on with your content rather than talk about it. Wasting the first ten minutes repeating something they’ll be hearing soon anyway doesn’t add anything to the episode.
The second is the question: “how can I get my listeners up to speed in the least amount of time possible?”
This is one of the arguments FOR doing an intro at the beginning of your episode. Especially if your guest isn’t well known and needs some context so your listeners know why they should care. BUT you don’t need to spend a long time doing it.
Things to think about when planning your podcast intro…
Why are you doing it?
I was working with someone who wanted advice on writing a lengthy podcast intro and when I asked why she was doing one she said, “because someone told me I should.”
In the world of podcasting, there are a number of things you can do to make your show sound better and there are a few things you should do (like creating a show intro as referenced above).
But unlike radio or television, there are no hard and fast rules. In fact, what works best will depend entirely on what suits your content and the style of your show.
The only rule to abide by is ‘get the hell on with it!’
If you’re spending time writing an intro for every episode because you think that’s what the podcasting bible says, may I personally gift you those moments of your life back and say: don’t worry about it.
Just make sure your audience is up to speed enough to not feel lost and then get on with it.
Is it adding anything to your show?
Is talking about what’s coming up for the first four minutes of the episode giving your audience anything they couldn’t get from the show title/description or the interview itself?
In radio, you’d usually set up the show at the top of each hour because people are listening while they’re doing a million other things. Plus, you’re usually on-air for at least two hours, so when people are distracted it makes sense to tell them why they should pop back for something that might not be happening for another hour and 45 minutes.
In podcasting, however, your listeners are right there with you in their ears. They’re not likely to be moving away from the earbuds (unless you give them a reason to) and they’ve got the luxury of a show description where you can shove as much info as you want!
If you do need to get your listeners up to speed or there’s a fantastic moment in the podcast you want to push to, you can usually do that in a few words.
Are you repeating yourself?
If you’re absolutely attached to the idea of recording an intro be sure to forensically listen to at least the first few minutes of the episode so you don’t sound like a broken record.
Nothing is more unprofessional than saying the same thing, in the same way, multiple times.
Your intro should ‘tease’ the audience as to what’s coming next, not tell them word for word.
For example, here’s an intro no-no I hear quite often…
Show host: “Today on the show I’ll be talking to John Doe. I met John at a conference and was blown away by his presentation on growing sales for your business, so I wanted to get him on the show to share his insights with you and help you get more customers through the door.”
As it stands, that’s a fine intro, except if we cut to the interview two seconds later and hear this…
Show Host: “Welcome to the show John”
John: “Great to be here”
Show Host: “Now I saw you at that conference and was blown away by your presentation on growing sales for your business and I told you I just had to get you on the show to share those insights with my audience so they can get more customers through the door.”
And there goes two minutes of my life I can never get back.
When a show starts off like this it’s usually because the host has recorded the introduction on a different day to when they recorded the interview and they’re relying on memory.
When you’re doing things this way you’ll always repeat yourself because your mind will pick up the most memorable bits of content from the chat. The only problem is, you want those to be heard for the first time in the interview otherwise, the experience is too repetitive for your listener.
The interview should feel like the conversation unfolds naturally but if the listener already knows what’s coming up it takes away the most satisfying part — the joy of discovery.
If you’re going to record an intro, listening to the interview beforehand will refresh your memory and help you write a script that alludes to what your guest is going to say rather than revealing it.
Ultimately, the best approach is to do your one-line intro ‘live’ while your guest is with you. This will help you ease into the interview, remove the need to retrofit anything and prevent you from doubling up.
Is it too long?
Getting to the bulk of your content is so much more important than explaining what you’ve got coming up or, heaven forbid, shooting the sh*t for eight minutes to warm up.
Wasting your listeners time is self-indulgent and doesn’t respect how much of a privilege it is that they’ve chosen to listen to your show.
Often your audience will have already looked at your show description to find out if they’re interested, so a quick sentence of introduction will suffice.
If there are things that require explaining do that throughout the interview because it’ll always be more interesting when your guest is there to respond than when you’re just reading an intro into a microphone.
Ultimately there’s no need to spend two minutes convincing someone to listen when they’re already listening.
Just deliver kick-arse content and sticking around will be a no-brainer.
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
Thanks again for that awesome advice, has really set me on the right path
This was super helpful, thanks Rachel!
Thanks for your descriptive and informative thoughts for podcasting. I admire you.
Great advice Rach. I need to come & chat!
Great points, thank you!
Thanks, Ella!