What’s the first and last thing you hear when you start a podcast? The intro and outro! Every podcast has them, and your podcast needs them too. The tricky part is getting a solid intro and outro done well. It’s best to go into it with a plan, so here we have a basic checklist of what all you need to make an intro and outro.
Before you dive too far into this blog post, make sure you download our free Podcast Scripting Worksheet, which will help you script your podcast intro, outro, and trailer.
Writing Your Podcast Intro
The goal of your intro is to create brand awareness for your podcast, reminding your audience who you are and what the podcast is about. We call this making a curiosity gap. With a great intro your listeners will be intrigued by your intro and continue to listen to your podcast. Now, let’s get to the checklist. Treat your intro like it’s the first time meeting someone.
Tip: For easy listening, make sure your intro is around a minute long.
Welcome your audience to your podcast
No matter if it’s your first episode or your 50th episode, you need to welcome your audience to your podcast. Give a nice greeting that addresses your listeners and engages them in your podcast.
Introduce yourself as the podcast host
Introducing yourself is extremely important, because it humanizes your show. You want your listeners to relate to you and feel like they know you.
Describe what your podcast is about
A quick description of what your podcast is about in your intro is a great way to attract podcast listeners that may have just started listening because of a specific guest you had on the show.
Call to action for audience to head to your podcast show notes
The final element of the intro is the call to action. This doesn’t need to be an extensive or thorough call to action, but it does need to encourage listeners to go past the intro. It can be as simple as saying “let’s dive into it” or “make sure you catch the show notes at [insert podcast url].
Conditional: Highlight your podcast sponsor by saying, “This podcast is brought to you by..”
The conditional component of your intro is highlighting your sponsor. If you don’t have a sponsor you can skip this step in your intro. Your sponsor likely has a condition that you mention them in your podcast. If they do not specify where in the podcast they would like to be mentioned, use the introduction of your podcast to highlight them. It’s recommended to talk about your sponsor at the beginning of your podcast so most of your listeners will hear about their message. Your sponsor may also have written you a script they want you to say. If so, you’ll want to trim down your intro to an appropriate length.
Writing Your Outro
As your podcast episode draws to a close, it’s time for the outro. The outro is your last chance to convert a first time listener to a regular listener. Your outro is just as important as your intro. It might even be more important because this is where your primary call to actions happen. The following elements should be included in your outro:
Thank your audience for listening to your podcast
First, thank your audience for listening. Not only is it a common courtesy to do so, but also makes the listener feel like they are appreciated for just listening. You can also use this time to thank the people who have helped you produce your podcast. If you do choose to thank those that helped include the audience last. You can say “thank you especially to listeners like you”.
Mention your podcast show notes url and to connect on social
You put so much work into your podcast, so make sure you’re driving listeners to additional resources, like your show notes and social media handles. Not only can your audience connect with you, but also they can post about your episode and tag your podcast account in it.
Encourage subscription and leave a review
One of the last things you need to include in your outro is a call to action for listeners to subscribe and leave a review. While there is not a real incentive for them to do so, other than being notified when a new episode is uploaded, this part is important to you. While a lot of the parts of an intro and outro are made for new listeners, this element is more for loyal listeners. New listeners may be intrigued by your podcast and decide to leave a review, but more often than not people who have listened to your podcast at least once are likely to leave the review.
Selecting Your Music
Before you mark your intro and outro as done, you need to select the music you’d like to use in your intro. When it comes to sampling music you need to make sure you use a song that fits with your podcast’s brand and the mood of the topic. You also should be using royalty free music to avoid any nasty legal issues. As for the length of music, you should use a song that is between 20 seconds to one minute and 30 seconds. The music can either be played on it’s own or can be played under the rest of the dialogue within your intro. Make sure the song you select has no vocals if you plan to have it playing while you’re speaking.
Good intros and outros take a little thought to nail down what we want to be said and for it to successfully hold on to listeners. Not all of us are writers, especially in short form. That’s why there are podcast producers like us at Gaffin Creative. We’re here to elevate new podcasters.
Download My Free Podcast Scripting Worksheet
If you’re ready to get started on scripting your podcast intro and outro, make sure you download my FREe SCRIPTING WORKSHEET! Inside this worksheet, you’ll find a template to not only help your script your intro and outro, but your podcast trailer as well!
If you’re getting ready to launch your podcast and need one-on-one assistance, our team is here to support you with our podcast launch services! Check out all of our support options for podcast launches here!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks