Is your podcast intro scaring listeners away? Turning listeners off? Do you even have a
podcast intro?
As humans, we process and engage with information
differently on a subconscious level.
Some of us are visual learners and learn best with images and detailed descriptions that
allow us to use our imaginations.
Others are more auditory and prefer sounds and speech.
And others are more kinesthetic and learn best when concepts are explained in terms
of feelings and emotions.
These are called representational systems, and they help us understand how each person
processes information.
Marketers are familiar with these systems and use them frequently in their marketing
strategy.
And there is a way that you, as a podcaster, can use them to captivate and hook your audience
from the moment they listen to your podcast intro.
In this video, I will show you how to craft
the perfect intro for your podcast using the different representational systems.
As podcasters, we are communicators.
Talking to audiences is our bread and butter.
And We want to be able to communicate using the language and phrases our audience is receptive
to.
We want to get them hooked to our podcast. And we can do that by getting familiar with
these three different ways to process information so we can engage with people we might otherwise
miss.
Hello! And welcome to the pod sound school
channel. I’m Veronica the founder of Pod Sound School
and the branding, marketing, social media director.
I’ve helped dozens of clients and hundreds of students to get incredible results with
their podcast.
And on this video I’m going to share some of my best secrets with you. So, watch until
the end of the video. You don’t want to miss this stuff.
Okay let’s dive in.
Why is it important to have a podcast intro?
This is a very common question.
Not having an episode intro is the same as starting to read a book in the middle, or
being at a social event and trying to be part of a conversation that has already started.
How would you feel in these situations?!
Lost, right?
Not to mention that you would have to spend some
time and mental energy trying to catch up with what's going on.
This is what your listeners go through every time you jump into the episode without providing
a roadmap.
If within the first few minutes of the episode, you don't give your audience a reason to stay
and confuse the heck out them by jumping into the information with no direction, you will
lose them very quickly.
You want to provide enough information strategically, so they'll hang out until the end of the episode.
You also want to use the representational systems, so they feel you're speaking their
language.
What should I include in my episode intro?
Your episode intro should include three parts:
your podcast elevator pitch, episode summary, and a call to action.
Let's talk about your podcast elevator pitch.
Your podcast elevator pitch consists of a few sentences that describe what your podcast
is about.
To give you an example, our podcast's elevator pitch is:
"Welcome to the Pod Sound School. The place
to be for all things podcasting. Here in our podcast, you can find all the tools and skills
you need to plan, produce, and promote the podcast of your dreams."
You will be using your elevator pitch multiple
times in different settings and situations, like interviews, presentations, and social
events.
So, it's a good idea to have it ready and ultimately memorized.
Your podcast pitch is also important for brand
association and recognition. If you repeat your podcast elevator pitch
in each episode, your audience will memorize it. And they will be able to recite it back
to other people when they're recommending your show. Even if they don't remember the
name of your podcast.
The second part of your episode intro is the episode summary.
This is where you provide your listeners with a roadmap to the episode.
I use a formula when I write my episode summary, so I don't leave out any information.
The formula I use is the 3WH.
The 3Ws stand for WHO, WHAT, and WHY.
WHO is the host of the podcast?
WHAT is the episode about?
WHY is my audience interested in this information?
The H stands for HOW, and this is where you explain how you will be presenting the information.
Is it in an interview format with a guest covering the subject?
Is it just you explaining the main points?
Is it going to be in a storytelling format?
Are you answering your audiences' questions?
This is also a good place to add an audience retention sentence.
For example: "you may want to listen until the end because
the last point is the most critical," or
"you want to listen to the entire episode because the story has a plot twist."
Letting your audience know that you're saving
the best part of the episode for the end will entice them to listen to the whole episode.
And the last element of your intro is a call
to action.
Ask your listeners to
follow you on social media,
share the episode,
leave a review,
dm you with comments,
join your Facebook group,
support you on Patreon,
or anything you want your listeners to do.
I like to include a call to action at the beginning of the episode, so those who won't
get to the end of the episode know how to support our podcast.
You may also want to use a teaser at the beginning
of the intro igniting people's curiosity and interest.
A teaser can be a short segment with a highlight of the episode or a little paragraph setting
the scene or sharing a story placing the audience in the situation or problem you'll address
in the episode. Storytelling is also a great strategy to get
your audience hooked from the start. If you want to learn more on how to incorporate storytelling
in your episodes. I have these two videos right here you may want to watch.
The highlight can be about something funny,
the highest point of tension in the episode, or a reaction from your guest.
Anything you think will spark your audience's curiosity.
You may be wondering if your listeners will
get bored listening to your intro in every episode.
I wouldn't use this as a reason not to have an intro.
You're in the process of growing your audience and will have a lot of people listening to
your episodes for the first time.
You want to pitch your show to those new listeners.
Also, your regular listeners will know that they can skip the beginning of your episode
and get to the episode summary.
So, to recap, the structure of your intro will look something like this:
Teaser (optional),
Elevator Pitch,
followed by the Episode Summary, and lastly, a call to action.
Here is an example of one of our students
from our program: Smart & Sexy Podcast Launch
Ujo Wadget and her podcast Fit Body Fit Spirit.
She starts her intro with a short paragraph setting up the stage and presenting the problem.
She then follows with the episode summary providing a roadmap and the reason why people
should listen. And finally, she introduces her podcast elevator pitch.
Have you ever confused hunger with other reasons you might feel like eating? Such as boredom,
stress, set meal times, or just being surrounded by tempting foods?
Do you want to recconect with your body’s natural hunger signals so you can feel more
in tune with your body?
If so, keep listening because in this episode I will discuss the difference between physical
and emotional hunger, common emotional triggers that link to food cravings, and how hunger
can be a reflection of your unconscious desires.
Welcome to the Fit Body Fit Spirit Podcast. I’m your host Ujo Wajet, and this podcast
is about exploring self awareness and personal transformation through the lens of proactive
wellness, spirituality, intuitive health, and mysticism.
Now that that you know what to include in
your intro. Let's incorporate the representational systems I talked about at the beginning of
the video.
Most people use all the systems, but they typically have a primary one. It's estimated
that 50% of people are primarily visual, 25 % auditory, and 25% kinesthetic. Because of
this, it's important to include trigger phrases in the intro for all three.
For example, if you know there are visual
learners in your audience, you may want to include phrases like
"imagine this…" "picture this …,"
"let me paint a picture for you,."
This will automatically get visual learners' attention.
I'm a visual Lerner myself, and I love it when a podcast does this for me.
If you know that the majority of your listeners
are auditory try using phrases like: "listen up,"
I hear you loud and clear,"
" listen because this will make your ears perk up,"
"it sounds like you're tired of not being heard,"
"a way to rise above the noise and create buzz is…,"
For kinesthetic people you want to communicate
using phrases in your intro about feelings and sensations like:
"I can't get a grip on this,"
"it melts like butter in your hand…,"
"I know the feeling,"
I just can't put my finger on it…"
So, there you have it. This is how you write a captivating intro
using representational systems to trigger your listeners’ interest.
Let me know in the comments below if you're
using the intro structure in this video and the representational system strategy you learned.
And for those of you wanting to start a podcast we have this free jumpstart pdf guide you
can download. The link is in the descripion of this video.
Also for those of you who want to be part of our podcast community, Podcasting for Bosses,
make sure you join. You can find it at www.podsoundschool.com/community.
And before you go two things: No olviden hacer la tarea and happy casting amigos.