Grabbing your audience's attention from the very beginning of your podcast is vital for keeping your listeners engaged. Without a podcast intro that your listeners love, it is likely that nobody will listen past your intro. Your podcast intro should grab people's attention and inform them or remind them of your podcast information. Think of your podcast intro as a large part of what people base their first impression of your podcast on. You don't want to give off a bad first impression. Below, we've gone through the components of a great podcast intro and how you can combine them to create an awesome intro for your podcast.
Podcast Intro Components:
- Intro Music (If you are looking for some music to add to your podcast, check out our article entitled Music for Podcasts.)
- Sound Effects
- Signature Song
- Hook/Teaser
- Episode Introduction/Summary
- Attention-Grabber
- This can include questions, key takeaways, questions you'll be answering or problems you'll be trying to work out, statistics, interview quotes, lessons, problems or disagreements, relatable scenarios, stories that paint pictures, or a teaser for an exciting, relevant ad.
- Personal Intro
- Podcast Name
- Episode Number
- Episode Title
- Host Identity
- This includes your name and potentially your profession/expertise.
- Podcast Purpose/Tagline
- Who your podcast is for and the overall theme should be summarized in your purpose/tagline.
- Voice Over
- Voice overs can really add a professional touch to your podcast. If you decide to have a voice over, it should largely include the information in a personal intro. Some resources for finding a voice over are:
- Required Information
- Network Name
- If you are part of a network, you may be required to say it at some point in your podcast.
- Recorded Date
- This is only necessary if your content is time-sensitive.
- Sponsors
- If you have a sponsor for your episode, you may be required to mention them in your intro.
- Disclaimers
- If your episode includes explicit, disturbing, sensitive, or triggering content, you should include a disclaimer.
- Call to Action
- Your call to action can be to subscribe, to visit your website, to leave a review, etc.
- Network Name
Quick Tips About Your Podcast Intro Components:
- Try to keep your intro length to about 30–60 seconds.
- Don't copy and paste your intros for every episode. Create a unique intro for each episode by including different information as well as presenting similar information in varying ways.
- Use unique music that other podcasters don't use.
- Keep a consistent pattern/format for your intros.
- Always include a call to action at some point in your intro.
- Don't tell your audience word-for-word what to expect in the podcast, use quick teasers for exciting tidbits and otherwise, let them find out for themselves!
- Remember that your audience will likely have read your title, podcast description, and episode title and description, so a quick sentence or 2 maximum will suffice for your personal intro.
- Think about your podcast target audience and use language and a tone that will resonate with them.
- If you are using a voice over in your intro, ensure that the voice "fits" your podcast, including age, energy, and accent of the voice talent, before committing to someone for your voice over.
- Always think of your target audience when making choices about your podcast intro, including decisions about music, voice talent, and attention-grabbers.
Example Formats for Your Intro:
- Teaser, Music, Personal Intro
- Personal Intro, Music, Ad
- Voice Over, Music, Teaser
- Music, Personal Intro, Teaser
Note that these are just a few formats/patterns that you can use. You can arrange the intro components however you like, so get creative and see what format feels right for your podcast.
Using Music to Your Advantage:
Music is a very powerful component in your intro. Two of the best qualities of having music in your intro are that music can spark a variety of feelings in your listeners and it can differentiate your podcast from others. Not only is it a powerful component, you can also do a lot of things with music in your intro. You may choose to start out with music and/or a sound effect and go into silence or you can overlay the rest of your intro over the music. Additionally, you can end your podcast intro with music and/or a sound effect and have silence prior to that or your intro can play over the music. Of course, you need to ensure that you adjust the levels of your music depending on whether it is the centerpiece of your intro or simply background noise.
Editing Your Intro:
Once you have all of the components for your podcast intro, it is time to start editing! You can use a podcast editing service or you can edit it yourself using your recording and editing software. Put each component on a separate track and start cutting, arranging, fading, and adjusting volume levels. It may take some trial and error and tweaking until you get it just right. If you are struggling to get your intro perfect, take a break from it for a day or 2 and you may have some renewed energy and brilliant ideas to put your intro together perfectly.
As you can see, there are several components to a great podcast intro and nearly endless ways you can combine those components to make your podcast intro unique and engaging. It is up to you to decide what format works best for your podcast intro. The only thing is that we suggest that you keep that format consistent with each podcast intro since you will be switching up the information in your intro. A consistent pattern in your podcast intro as well as unique components can be really strong branding techniques, so use them to your advantage! Happy podcasting!
For 10 tips on creating great podcast intros, check out our article here.
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Article Image: Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.
