Best Practices for Your Podcast’s First 120 Seconds
The first two minutes of your podcast are the most important of your show. And even if you don’t agree with that statement, you surely agree that your podcast must quickly achieve the following goals:
- Confirm your branding and the ‘feel’ of your show.
- Let your audience know what to expect with your episode.
- Make your audience want to listen more.
Since these first 120 seconds of your show are so important, here are 10 tips to ensure those two minutes do what they should.
- Limit your intro music. Your intro music helps to set the ‘feel’ of your show, but playing unaccompanied instrumental music for an extended time without a voiceover does not further any of the above goals. Make sure your listener hears someone’s voice within the first few seconds during your intro.
- Use a brief prerecorded intro to convey the ‘feel’ of your show. Having a professional, scripted, prerecorded intro to your show elevates your show’s image.
- Let your audience hear your voice as soon as possible. Having a prerecorded introduction with a professional voiceover artist has its benefits, but keep in mind that your audience is tuning in to hear you. Make sure every second of your prerecorded intro serves the goals above.
- If you use a ‘highlight’ clip from your episode as part of your intro, make it brief. Hearing a clip particularly funny or meaningful in the first two minutes of your show may keep your audience listening. However, some listeners may view a longer ‘highlight’ clip at the beginning of the show as off-putting and a delay to the real content of the show.
- Share key takeaways that your audience can expect from listening to the episode. If you do not use a ‘highlight’ clip consider sharing a quick preview of your episode in the first few seconds of your show. You will have time later to present your main topic in full context, but saying something like, “by the end of this episode you will be able to…” will entice listeners to keep listening.
- Greet the listener. Many people love the personal connection they develop with the hosts of their favorite podcasts. To strengthen this connection, include a personal greeting at the beginning of your show. Phrases like, “I hope you are doing well,” or “It is good to know you are here” impact your listeners.
- Segue into the main part of your show. Be clear when you finish your show’s introduction. Tell your audience when you are entering the second phase of your show even if it is just a hard stop of the background music or even the words, “Now, let’s start the show.”
- Seek the best audio quality. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. And that is true for the audio quality of your show. Including bad audio in the first 120 seconds of your show is damaging to your professional image.
- Validate that your first 120 seconds is connecting with your audience through podcast analytics and statistics. Luckily for Blubrry hosting podcasters, you can find out when listeners stop listening, via Blubrry’s Advanced Statistics that lets you know what percentage of your show has been consumed. As you are tweaking your intro, use these tools to determine what intro practices encourage your audience to listen past the introduction.
- Do not alter the first 120 seconds frequently. Your listeners like consistency: Do not drastically change the format of the beginning of your show once you have created something both you and your audience like.
Do you have a podcasting host that actively wants you to succeed? Blubrry wants you to succeed and offers the weekly Podcast Insider Podcast and Blog with tips, tricks and techniques to help you and your podcast. Make Blubrry your Podcast Hosting company today.