Podcast intros are an important quality of a successful podcast.
The right introduction puts the podcast on the path to success.
These seven podcast tips will help build and retain an audience:
- Attract listeners quickly.
- Make every second of your podcast introduction count.
- A good podcast introduction helps retain the audience.
- Test podcast introductions for audience retention.
- Three things a podcast host should convey.
- A podcast intro builds loyalty.
- Where to get music for podcasts.
Let’s dive into each one and see how you can fit them into your podcast.
1. Connect listeners quickly
Erin Sparks From Edge of the Web Radio podcast He says there’s a subtle but important value to the front of the podcast when it comes to what he calls “click browsing.”
Erin suggests that the introduction should work like a hook—to immediately grab and hold the listener’s attention.
Share this vision:
“Hooking” the audio is important for surfing podcast clicks. With a podcast app, people will click and listen for 7-10 seconds to hear if they “feel” the show.
Much different than any other medium.”
Chris Brogan of Create your own brand podcast He agrees that your podcast introduction should be short.
He shares these thoughts on the qualities of a useful podcast presenter:
“I am a big fan of brevity. Once you hear it more than twice, it gets boring for everyone.
The introduction should set the mental stage for what’s to come.
Choose music and lyrics that mimic the show.”
2. Make every second of your podcast lead count
Jorge HermidaProgram Manager at WMR.FM and Cannabis Radio Podcasts, notes that it is important to give listeners a reason to stay in the podcast but to do so in the shortest possible time.
He says there’s absolutely no time to waste on your podcast introduction, so it’s incredibly important to make every second count.
He shares:
Podcast listeners, like everyone else, have a short attention span.
You need to give your listeners a reason to listen to your content within the first 30 seconds.
Whether you’re creating a cool opener or playing what you’re going to talk about on the show, you need to instantly please that listener.
Create the intro as though every listener has a short attention span because in my professional experience, they’ll either stay and listen to your show, or they’ll leave and find another show to listen to.”
3. A podcast introduction builds audience retention
Great Ahmed affiliate Azeem Digital SEO podcast She shares that a good podcast introduction will help maintain audience retention, as well as encourage engagement and loyalty.
This is an element of transference theory, where even seemingly trivial elements can encourage or discourage the action we are looking for.
The classic example is the PPC arbitrage marketer who increases the number of sales per click.
PPC affiliate marketers make it or get out of business quickly depending on how well they convert each visitor.
This person found that mobile device detection and adding an iPhone or Android badge increased conversion rates at a measurable rate.
The look-up he suggests is similar.
He said the podcast introduction has the same effect of encouraging the user to click and stay for the podcast or leave.
Because of this, it is important to view your intro as a configurable asset that can be used to improve audience retention.
Azeem shares how important a podcast lead is to retention and engagement rates:
“People will get bored of the repetition, and no matter what your podcast format is — the idea is to engage the listener.
If you miss it within the first 30 seconds, you’re very likely to see a decrease in your retention rate and engaged listeners.”
4. Test podcast intros for audience retention
Azeem then shares that the way to improve retention and engagement is to try new intros and endings.
Share this tip:
“As a host, you have to change that sometimes.
Customizing the foreground every time is an essential option to test what works best.
For example, you could test asking people to subscribe to the intro versus outro for a few episodes and see which leads to more growth.”
5. Three things a podcast host should communicate
Sparks provides helpful information about what to communicate in your podcast introduction.
Shares how you should convey the intro”what’s in it for me?suggestion to the listener.
Discover the tried-and-true principle for answering the question, “What’s in it for me?” A great way to think about how to create a podcast intro that is useful to the listener.
Therefore, it makes sense to apply this approach to podcast introductions so that the listener is reminded of why they are there, who could be better at what they do, and keep up with industry news, entertainment, etc.
Here’s what Sparks shared:
A good introduction provides:
- Promise to the listener in the first five to seven seconds (a knowledge transaction that communicates what they will receive).
- Sonic brand.
- credibility, the contextual reference to subject matter expertise.”
6. A podcast intro builds loyalty
Jim Heideggerco-host of the popular Webcology SEO podcast, suggests that an introduction to a podcast helps build a sense of familiarity and ownership of a space.
I’ve noticed that people tend to feel ownership in a website they enjoy, perhaps because the website may be part of their self-identity as a baker or athlete or whatever the subject may be.
Have you ever walked into a favorite restaurant and felt an immediate sense of relief or anticipation?
It is a sense of ownership of the experience, that the experience is yours and you again.
A podcast introduction can have a similar effect, says Hedger, to bring a sense of comfort and anticipation that one feels in physical spaces to which one feels loyal and connected.
notice:
“I once read that people are not so much loyal to restaurants as they are to places they feel comfortable being.
The same can be said about podcasts.
Podcasts, like radio, are theater for the mind. Your introduction is the breath that first shapes the space that you, your guests, and the audience will create together.
The podcast is incredibly intimate. I believe you need to feel love for your audience and respect the subject matter deeply, and your introduction is your first chance to prove that.
The host’s job is to help the audience develop an area where they and the host are in roughly the same space.”
7. Where to get music for a podcast intro
Something to keep in mind is that any music used must be licensed.
There’s this idea that it’s OK to use a little bit of someone else’s music, but that may not be the case.
And if that’s the direction you’re headed, it might be wise to check with a lawyer first.
All podcast professionals consulted for this article agree that it is important to purchase a license for the rights to any music used in a podcast.
Everyone agrees that it’s best to license your podcast royalty-free music as this provides protection against claims of copyright infringement.
Hermida share:
Our music is licensed, and most other podcasts probably use some form of licensed music from other licensed music providers for some original music that isn’t subject to any copyright issues.
It doesn’t really matter where the music comes from, except I always recommend making sure you use the music you’re allowed to use and that the license to use the music is documented and provable.”
Sparks also recommends paying for a license to use the music:
We have a number of music licenses that we’ve used over the years.
We highly recommend that you review and use different audio repositories to build that audio brand.
Places to license music are Envato Elements, Epidemic Sound, and the like.
We also have an ongoing license with Deep Voice Announcer, Our Voice Talent.
This should also be something to consider when developing a long-running show.”
Brogan recommends:
“Epidemic Sound works well. Buy a license.”
Always read the license when selecting a digital music asset so that you are aware of what you can and cannot do with the music and for how long you may use it.
- The sound of the epidemic – Several podcast makers have mentioned that Epidemic Sound is a good place to purchase a license for music.
- Envato Elements It is a source of high-quality, licensed, royalty-free music suitable for a podcast intro.
- Shutterstock Music Shutterstock is famous for its photography library, but it also offers royalty-free music Especially for podcasts. suitable license for Use it in a podcast It costs $49.
- Music Bakery It offers royalty-free music where you pay once and can use it anywhere, but be sure to read the license agreement to know exactly what you’re paying for.
- InstantMusicNow Offers digital downloads starting at $4.95.
- Adobe Stock music library – Adobe offers royalty-free music that can be used in multiple projects.
Podcast introductions are important
At this point, it should be obvious that something as seemingly trivial as a podcast intro is actually part of the foundation for a successful podcast.
Podcast content is clearly the most important quality of a podcast.
However, as important as the content is, it’s the intro of the podcast that sets the stage and makes listeners feel like they’ve reached their happy place, while also informing the listener of what’s in it, encouraging them to stick with the content.
More resources:
- The 17 Best SEO Podcasts of 2022
- Podcast Getting Started Guide: 7 Tips for a Successful Podcast
- Content Marketing: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Featured image: Alex from the Rock/Shutterstock
