35. Does Your Podcast Need a Trailer? Podcasting Tips for Making a Great First Impression!

Spoiler alert: yes! In this episode, I dive into the nitty-gritty of podcast trailers, explaining why they’re a key tool for both launching and promoting your show. Plus, I'll share my top six tips to make sure your trailer hits the mark!

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Transcript

Hey. Hey. And welcome back. Today, we're going to talk about podcast trailers. What they are, why you should have one, and some tips for how to make it great. So let's start out with what a podcast trailer is. Essentially, it's a short audio commercial for your podcast. Similar to a movie trailer, it gives the audience a sneak preview of what's to come on your show so that they can decide whether or not it's something that they are interested in.

Your trailer can also be updated periodically if you make changes to the branding or the content of your show, if you want to put out a more polished version, or you want to generate excitement for a new season. And while having a trailer is not essential for a successful podcast, there are a few good reasons to have one. First of all, it's helpful from a technical perspective when you launch your podcast. When you're preparing for your podcast launch, one of the steps involved is to connect your podcast hosting platform, a place like Buzzsprout, with the podcast directories. Directories are the places where people listen. Places like Apple, Spotify, Overcast, etcetera. And this connection is done through something called an RSS feed, which is unique to your podcast. And don't worry, we're not going to get any more technical than that here in this episode.

But I bring it up because in order for places like Apple and Spotify to accept the connection with your podcast hosting platform, you need to have one piece of content published that's live that anyone can go and listen to. Generally, I recommend establishing this technical connection about 7 to 10 days before your podcast's official launch date to allow time for processing and troubleshooting if needed. And you don't want to have to publish your first episode early just for this technical piece. Of course, you want your first episodes to publish on your special launch day. So a trailer is perfect to fulfill the need of a published piece of content for this connection. In addition to this technical piece, a trailer is a very helpful promotional tool to generate excitement as you prepare to launch your show. Just like movie trailers build anticipation and encourage people to mark their calendars for release day, your podcast trailer can do the same thing. But even once you're past the launch stage, a trailer is still helpful because it serves as an introduction for potential listeners.

When someone becomes aware of a podcast, maybe they hear about it in a Facebook group, or a friend recommends it, or it comes up in their search, many people will listen to the trailer first to determine whether or not this show is right for them and if they want to listen to any of the actual episodes. Now, of course, not everyone will do this. Some people prefer just to jump right into an episode and make their decision, but quite a few people use the trailer as a gauge for further interest. Looking at my stats, my trailer has been downloaded more than 30 times in the past 30 days. So it's a really good idea to have a podcast trailer to make that impression on a potential listener, And it's not too late to add 1 if you don't have one yet. So let me share a few of my favorite tips for creating a great podcast trailer. My number one tip is to make your trailer professional and polished to the best of your ability, of course. Remember that this is most often someone's first impression of your show, and you only get one chance to make a first impression.

So you want to put your best foot forward. This is kind of the equivalent of putting on the suit for the job interview. You know, you're the same person that you always are. Your brain has the same information in it. You're just a little extra put together for that first impression. So you want to craft out a script in advance and fine tune your wording. More on what to include in the next few tips. Practice the delivery so that your tone and energy are just right, then record multiple takes and choose the best one.

Edit it, and you can even layer music underneath for an extra professional touch. Just make sure that the music isn't too loud. Now, let me clarify that this doesn't need to be perfect. This isn't a situation where you want to turn on the mic and just wing it, but don't let yourself get stuck here either. Find that happy medium of you've prepared, it's good enough for now, and you can always come back and redo it down the road if you need to. Tip number 2 is to keep it relatively short. Remember, this is a commercial and advertisement. I recommend around 2 minutes.

That's not a hard and fast rule. So if it's only 1 minute, no problem. If it's closer to 3 minutes, that's fine too. 2 minutes ish. Remember that these people listening aren't invested yet. They want to know what the show is about and if it's a show for them. If you hook them, they'll continue on to an episode. On that note, tip number 3 is to make sure and explain what the show is about and who it's for inside the trailer.

And don't dance around this. Spell it out as clearly as possible. State what content you'll be covering and who will benefit from hearing it. You want the listener to have a strong reaction of, yes. This is a show I'm interested in, or no. This show is absolutely not for me. And I know that might sound a bit counterintuitive, but you're going to get the best results when you attract the right people and you repel the wrong ones. And I mean wrong in the sense that they're not a good fit for you and your content, not that the person is inherently wrong.

You know what I'm trying to say. Right? Okay. Anyway, tip number 4, introduce yourself. If you're new here, the following is one of my favorite sayings. Podcast listeners come for the content. They stay for the host. Information is at our fingertips these days. The content that you're covering can likely be learned through a 100 different websites, articles, videos, podcast episodes, classes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

And each person creating the content has a slightly different approach, a unique personality, etcetera, and that's what makes you different. So make sure to briefly introduce yourself, let your personality shine through, and share anything that makes you stand out from the crowd. My next tip is to explain why listening to your show is worth their time. What are they going to get out of this? For better or worse, we largely live in a self centered world. Everyone's time is valuable, and the listener needs to know what's in it for them if they tune in. Clearly spell out how your content is going to help them. For a lot of you, the listener will be getting information that will help them move forward in an area of their life or business. Be as specific as you can when talking about that move forward.

What does that look like? What is the end result you're working towards? The more of a detailed picture you can paint, the better your results are going to be. And so for many of you, it is going to be information based, But pure entertainment is valuable too as is inspiration or a community and sense of belonging, not being alone in the world. So whatever the benefit to the listener is, make sure and highlight it in your trailer. And, finally, at the end of the trailer, wrap up with a call to action, often referred to as a CTA. My recommended CTA is to follow the show so that they automatically get new episodes. The former terminology was to subscribe to the show, so you might hear that sometimes. But when Apple introduced actual paid subscriptions for podcasts, it got a bit confusing. And so now the preferred terminology is to follow the show.

So there you have it. Those are my 6 tips for creating a great podcast trailer. And if you'd like to listen to some great examples, I'll direct you to my trailer, of course. And I'll also shine a spotlight on a few of my podcast Startup Academy students. Check out the Beyond Intuitive Eating podcast hosted by Beth Basham and or the She Shed Chronicles podcast with Nikki Carter. Again, remember that you can change out your trailer at any time. Simply record a new one and replace it. It's really that simple.

So create something good enough for now and get that trailer up. Until next week, happy podcasting.