What to Include in Your Podcast Trailer
So you’ve finally decided to do it -- start your podcast. You’ve got all your equipment, you picked out your theme song, and more than anything, you know exactly what you want to talk to your audience about. You have one slight hiccup; you don’t know how to start your first episode. Please don’t beat yourself up about this one. We’ve all been there. I’m about to share some pointers with you to help you push past fear and overthinking, to help you create the first episode that’s gonna get listeners coming back for more.
The first thing you may be wondering is, where exactly do I start?
The first thing you should do in your first podcast episode is to introduce yourself to your audience.
First things first. The first episode is also referred to as the introduction episode. It’s not your standard episode. It’s just a means of introducing yourself and your podcast to your audience.
One of the things they are going to want to know is who you are and why they need to be listening to you. I know that sounds intimidating but think of it as introducing yourself to someone new.
Tell the audience a little about yourself and what motivated you to get this podcast out there. Let them know about that special thing about you that makes your podcast different from anything else that’s out there.
Take listeners on a journey. Talk to them about where you’re from and the things that you love to do. Don’t be afraid to show your personality. If you have an accent (like I do), don’t try to cover it up. If you use slang when you talk every day, don’t be afraid to incorporate that. Your podcast doesn’t need to be buttoned up and corporate-like. More than anything, people want to feel like they can relate to you.
If you can’t make that connection, then you won’t have any listeners.
Here’s an example:
“Hey there, welcome to the Managing Motherhood Podcast!
I’m your host, Melissa W., a former busy defense lawyer, turned mama bear of four!
After going through hardships in my homeland of Jamaica, I knew that when my family and I migrated to the U.S. that I’d change the world. My goal was to be a household name like Johnny Cochran, but life had other plans for me. After having my first two children, I realized that I was
missing out on too much, and I wanted to be a part of their journey, so I walked away from law, and today I help momma bears like you balance motherhood. It took a while for me to accept this, but I realized that the change I was going to make was in the lives of beautiful women like you.
Listen, motherhood ain’t easy y’all! Whether you have one or ten, you know when it comes to cleaning dirty diapers, childproofing, getting them to eat, it’s all a job within itself. Well, I’m here to tell you that your life is about to get a whole lot easier”.
Tell them about your podcast.
What is this podcast about? Why should the listeners stay tuned?
Use this time to tell your listeners about the uniqueness of your podcast. Give them an idea about what to expect when they tune in. Will it be jam-packed with humor, or will it be interviews with very important people? Will you be doing solo episodes, or will it be more informational? Don’t try to make it more complex than it needs to be. Listeners just want to know the truth up front.
Don’t forget to mention how often you’ll be releasing episodes. Just remember, whatever you tell your listeners is what they’ll be expecting. So telling them that they’ll get an episode every week, but you only release episodes once a month, is not going to keep them around. If anything, that’s going to make them see you as unreliable.
Here’s my caveat. I know life can throw curveballs, and you may not be able to commit to what you said you were going to do. That’s cool. Just make sure you tell your audience.
Here’s another example:
“Every week, I’ll be dropping episodes to help you stay on top of everything motherhood. I’ll cover it all from scheduling activities, enforcing naps, discipline, and creating meal plans. And to make it even better, every once in a while, I’ll have a guest or two come by and drop their nuggets! Be prepared to laugh and strengthen your skills, and I promise you, you’ll walk away with something new and refreshing.”
Tell them about what you have to offer.
After listening to one of your episodes, can listeners go somewhere else to get more content? Can they read your blog, follow you on social media, buy a book, anything? It’s not a must, but one of the first things I like to do when I find a new podcast that I like is follow the host on social media. It takes me back to my relatability point. Listeners want to feel like they can resonate with you and the best place to do that is on your social media platform.
Here’s another example:
“Don’t think the party ends here. Come join me in my private Facebook group, where we talk about it all. We talk about the episodes each week. Tell me what you liked and disliked, and you can even tell me what you’d like me to talk about on the podcast. Don’t be afraid to ask questions because I’ll be selecting one question from the Facebook group to answer on the podcast at the end of every episode! We’re just one group of mama bears trying to help each other.
I know you like where all this is going; I can feel it. To stay in the loop with everything Managing Motherhood, subscribe to the podcast and like my social media pages (insert pages). That way, you’ll be one of the first people to be notified when a new episode drops”.
K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple, Silly
This first episode does not need to be the average length of your regular episodes. Remember, this is an introduction, and the last thing people want to hear is an hour-long intro. A few minutes should do the trick.
You’ll probably end it like this:
I’m super excited about this new journey that we’re about to take together, and I can’t wait to hear about your experiences throughout motherhood. Ohh, I can’t wait to chat again next week. Until then, remember, being a mother is a journey, so dont be too rough on yourself. BYE!!
Podcasting can be super fun, especially when you’re upfront with your audience about what you have to offer. If you stick to these points, I know that your first episode will be amazing. Now go out there, hit record, and get the ball rolling.
You got this!
