Ultimate Guide to Creating Great Podcast Intro

Do you remember the first thing that you caught on to, from your favorite podcast? The intro, right?

Most professional podcast have a really impressive introduction. This is typically known as a podcast intro.

Podcast intro is the first 20 to 30 second section of every podcast episode which introduces listeners to your podcast and that particular episode. It tries to attract the listener to hear further through the complete episode.

A great sounding intro to your podcast will create anticipation and will do an important task of setting the scene for your listeners. The main content of the podcast is important. But it is not the first thing that audience listens to.

Great podcast intros make the first impression on your listeners and having a nice one really goes a long way in making your podcast a success.

If you are a podcast beginner you read our posts that can help you to start your podcast here.

Do you really need a podcast intro?

The simple answer is YES. You really need a podcast intro.

No matter how good the content of your podcast is, it is essential that you make the right beginning and attract your listeners.

If the listeners do not get engaged with your podcast at the beginning, then it is a little difficult as they have a lot of choice these days as many podcasts are available on the same topic.

A professional intro also creates a kind of brand image for your podcast. All episodes having a similar or same intro give a kind of cohesiveness. And create an image in the mind of the listeners about your podcast.

You can even have different intro and outro for different seasons depending on the topics or people that you are going to cover. Changing the intro from time to time while keeping the core essence same can build your identity while not getting repetitive.

One must not judge the book by its cover! But that’s what people generally do and hence it is essential to have a nice intro and even outro for your podcast.

What should be the length of your podcast intro and outro?

 20 to 30 seconds intro is a good length to begin with. Outro is generally even smaller with 15 to 20 seconds.

Having to long intro can be a little boring and may get repetitive over a period of time. The intro should focus on introducing your podcast to the new listeners and nothing more.

While outro should wrap up the show and keep reminding the listeners to come back to your podcast on a later day. 15 to 30 second is the ideal time for doing all this and it is better to stick with a smaller intro and outro.

What are the elements of a good podcast intro?

A new listener has no loyalty to your podcast and hence it is essential to give the correct and most important information to the new listener to hook him or her to your podcast.

While doing so, making it attractive is also important to keep the listener engaged. Below are some of the things that you can include in the intro of your podcast.

1. The name of your podcast and a brief description about the topic : Though your podcast name can be a hint it is essential to state explicitly what your podcast is all about. New listeners have no loyalty to your show, and they will remain engaged if they find what they want in the intro.
2. Your name:  Need not be your complete name, but maybe the nickname by which you carry the podcast. It can be as simple as “Hi, my name is Jim, and I love sharing cool stories of real-life heroes around us”
3. The episode title and who it is aimed at? , how they will benefit from your show ? :

This is the most neglected, yet most important part of a good podcast intro. You need to tell the listener how your podcast is going to help them.

• Will they lose more weight?
• Are they going to make more money?
• Will it strengthen their relationships?
• Will they feel happier than before?
• Will they be entertained and laugh ?

When you can clearly say how your podcast will help them, new listeners will be more likely to subscribe and listen to more episodes in the future.

• Some cool music and sound effects : Lastly the intro should generally include some good background intro in sync with the mood of the show . The music should be soft and light as far as possible. You can also add some sound effects to bring in some vibe to your show.

Making the right podcast intro

The podcast intro should generally guide the user in a particular direction so that they get attracted to your podcast.

If the listeners want to have a solution to their problem? Your podcast intro should try and hint that your show has the solution to their problem.

If listeners want to know about a certain movie? Then you are intro should give a glimpse of your review about that movie.

If your listeners want to know the news. Then your intro should provide them a headline so that they listen to the complete show.

If your listeners want to hear about their favourite celebrity on your show. Then your intro should give the name of the celebrity that you are going to interview.

The podcast intro Script

Thirty seconds is a small period of time and writing a script for intro can be a little difficult.

You should try and go with the flow of your podcast and create different versions of intros and try and see how they go.

You can also listen to some of the successful podcasters on how they introduce their podcast to the new listeners by the means of an interesting intro.

A good intro script can be around 50 to 75 words.

Once you have a good script, you can even hire someone to a professional sounding intro.

Hiring someone to make your podcast intro

These days it is very easy to find a good voice talent for the intro of your podcast. Many websites have freelance voice talents. Which can make a great sounding intro for your podcast.

Below are some of the examples.

• Fiverr – Can be really affordable but may not be the highest quality. If you are lucky you can get a really great intro made at a very affordable cost.
• Voice 123 – Global voice over artists , large variety.
• Audio Bag – more than just voice over talent , has many other features as well
• Upwork – Online bidding site that offers freelancers voice over jobs
• Voice Bunny – On demand service
• Voices.com –online bidding site where you can hire voice actors
• Big Mouth – professional voice over artists
• Voice Jokeys

Music for your podcast intro

A good background music Can be very helpful for a great sounding podcast intro. It is essential though to use the music for which you have the permission from the artist.

If you’re in podcasting to promote a business or to boost your profile as a podcaster, you might consider commissioning your own “sonic logo”.

One example is the sound you hear in every intel add the  “Intel Inside”—a sound or short composition that people instantly associate with you and your brand.

With many talented artists creating royalty free music today, you should be able to find something that evokes a similar mood or feeling to your podcast.

Below are some of the places for finding good background music.

• Audio Jungle
• Soundstripe
• Free Music Archive
• ccMixter
• Machinima Sound
• Incompetech
• Marmoset

One must remember to keep the sound level of the background music. as low as possible.

In general, the intro will first start with a hundred percent of the sound being occupied by the music.

Then there can be a transition into your voice and in the end the music kicks back again to end the intro.

Adding sound effects to your podcast intro.

There are many creative sound effects, which you can add to your podcast intro to make it a great sounding one.

There are many places on the internet where you can find such sound effects or sounds of various objects, which may even indicate something about your podcast. Below are some of the examples.

Many of the stock music sites above also feature sound effects. You can also find options listed below.

• Soungle
• Freesound
• Sound Dogs
• Soundsnap

Software for putting it all together

You can use a free software such as audacity, GarageBand depending on whether you are a Mac or Windows user.

You can even invest some money and get a more professional tool like Adobe Audition which  can also help you during your podcast recording.

Typical Podcast intro template

The workflow will generally involve three tracks.

• The background music
• The vocals ( introduction to yourself and show)
• Sound effects

Typical template of intro would have the music Starting the intro Transitioning into the voice and ending with the music again. Sound effects are placed at specific timestamps during the Voice or at the end of the intro to transition into the actual show.

Things to avoid in podcast intro

Too long an intro : A good podcast intro serves as positive momentum, inviting the listener into the show / episode and creating a sense of anticipation , excitement about what’s ahead.

But after about 20 to 30 seconds of voice over and background music, that excitement will turn into “when is the actual episode going to start?”. This must be avoided.

Your intro should be quick and easy on the listeners, roughly 20-30 seconds in length and no more than that.

Using copyrighted music for your podcast intro

This is a mistake that most beginner podcasters make. People think that they can use any music, and no one will notice, or they can change something in the music and then it can be used.

The real fact is that unless you have the permission from the artist you can not use the music anywhere. This must be avoided at any cost. This is true even if you do not monetize your podcast.

A copyright infringement case could easily cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and settlement costs, and even more if you lose after a trial.

What this means for podcasters is very simple  , you absolutely cannot use any portion of someone else’s music in your podcast. Not the whole song, not half the song, not ten seconds of the song. Nothing.

Simply avoid it. If you are short on budget , you can use copyright free , royalty free music from authentic locations.

Music too loud or not in sync with your show 

Too loud music can ruin your podcast intro and must be avoided. Music which is completely unrelated to the mood and topic of your podcast can also create a wrong impression and must also be avoided.

Too many sound effects 

To many and loud sound effects can really turn off the listeners and it may also sound gimmicky. Try and use sound effects to enhance the intro and ensure that it does not overpower it.

Summery

Podcast intro is something that can add a lot of value to your show. The intro needs to be precise , concise , attractive and easy on ears.

A good podcast intro can create the required anticipation , excitement about your show and really help to hook the listeners.

Podcast intro should include details about you , your podcast and the particular show.

However, one must avoid common mistakes such as use of copyright music, loud music or sound effects , making the intro too long.