How to build a profitable podcast.
In this post, Bridgette outlines five important steps in writing a great podcast description... which is really essential to set a stage for your podcast and get potential listeners.
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Brigette helps them find the perfect content marketing solutions to promote their products.
In this post, Bridgette outlines five important steps in writing a great podcast description... which is really essential to set a stage for your podcast and get potential listeners.
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Even though podcasts have existed for a while, they entered the world of marketing not so long ago. But so far, podcasts have proven to be quite effective in earning brand recognition and raising awareness.
Statistics also prove the marketing value of podcasts. According to Oberlo, more than half of listeners are more likely to consider buying from a brand after hearing its ad during a podcast. Apart from that, brands that advertise products during a podcast get a 14% increase in purchase intent.
With this marketing potential in mind, there is no doubt that the content you create for your podcast impacts how the listeners perceive your brand. Even something as seemingly unimportant as a podcast description can drive potential listeners away since it’s the first thing they review before getting to listen to your podcast.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at podcasts descriptions as an essential factor in creating a positive first impression and discuss how to write a description that lures the listeners.
Your first task when writing a podcast description is to increase its visibility as much as possible. According to podcast discoverability research, 58% of podcast listeners use keywords to browse podcasts through a search bar on a listening app, and 13.6% of people look for podcasts directly on Google.
As you can see, either way, you’ll need to do some basic keyword optimization to help listeners find your podcast easier. Here are a few golden rules for you to follow:
Once you have your keyword list, you can start crafting the first draft of your podcast description. However, try not to stuff your text with too many keywords. Your text should look as natural as possible.
Before you start writing your podcast description, you’ll also need to have a clear understanding of the word limit. Depending on the platform where you’re going to post your podcast, you’ll get different character limits, to which you’ll have to adjust.
For example, YouTube has a character limit of 5,000 characters for video descriptions. In comparison, Google and Apple Podcasts allow 4,000 characters, and Spotify – only 300 characters.
To help yourself stay within the word limit, you can use samples that you can take a look at here. These templates provide you with a common text structure and the keywords you’ll need to improve your podcast’s visibility.
If you don’t want to use a template, make sure you start writing a podcast description with an outline. There should be a hook and at least three sentences that describe the idea of your podcast. In the next two sections, we’ll take a look at how to write a hook that will grab a listener’s attention.
The ideal listeners of your podcast should share the problem that you cover in your podcast episodes. So, if you address this problem in your podcast description directly, you’ll get more chances to attract the right audience.
Consider the example of the podcast by Chris and Rosie Ramsey, in which they talk about parenting. Their podcast description touches upon the common problem all parents share – having a conversation without being interrupted, which they address in their podcast description right at the beginning:
Credit: Spotify
Such a hook is very effective at attracting listeners with shared interests. So, figure out what would be the common idea that would unite you and your listeners and start your description with it.
What is also noticeable in this podcast description example is that it mentions how often the new episodes are coming out. This is a standard practice in writing a podcast description, so make sure you give a hint at your podcast schedule in your text as well.
Another hook you can take advantage of is a question. In copywriting, it’s very common to start content with a question to capture the person’s attention and invite them to continue reading, listening to, or watching to find out the answer.
For inspiration, you can look at Glenda Caprio’s Sitting with the Classics podcast, the description to which starts with a question:
Credit: Spotify
As you can see, the question alludes to what the podcast is about but doesn’t give away the answer, which actually appears in the following sentence.
If this format fits your podcast, you can also use questions to attract the listeners’ attention. But there are a few things you need to remember to make your question not sound like bait:
Of course, if your podcast will be on YouTube, Apple, and Google Podcasts, you don’t have to answer the question right away and build suspense. But the problem with this hook is that you can easily deviate from the point you’re trying to make. So, keep the narrative in your description straightforward.
On some platforms, you can diversify your podcast description with a quick audio or video message. You should compile this message when creating a podcast, and it should be there from the beginning.
There are plenty of podcast examples using trailers in descriptions. For instance, the Off Menu podcast has an audio message, which the listeners can listen to and find out what it is about, check out the hosts’ chemistry, and get a sneak peek of some episodes:
Credit: Spotify
Of course, if you decide to create a trailer, it will take you a bit longer to complete your podcast description. But the options you have are endless – you can take excerpts of your best episodes, include highlights, or simply introduce yourself and say a few words about the podcast’s main idea.
Whatever the idea you come up with for your podcast trailer, try to make it short. After all, you don’t want to give away too many details.
As you can see, a short piece of text that briefly describes your podcast actually matters a lot. It forms the first impression and helps the potential listeners decide whether your podcast idea resonates with them.
So, give your podcast descriptions a bit more attention. Research keywords to improve your podcasts, visibility, consider the character limit to build the description structure. Don’t disregard the hooks that will lure the listeners.
Also, why not experiment with adding a trailer to your podcast description if the platform allows it? It is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself, especially considering the limited character count on some platforms. Make it fun and inviting so that your listeners feel that they are welcome.
