Podcasters and their comms team expend great amounts of energy convincing people to subscribe to their podcasts, but rarely spend energy convincing people to listen. It sounds pedantic, but it’s a very real tactical problem.
Think about your own daily activity. Do you listen to every podcast your favorite host publishes? Probably not. Did you parents read every article in the newspapers and magazines they subscribed too? Also no.
Getting a subscriber is part of the battle. Keeping them engaged is the other part.
Getting subscribers to listen and engage is done by hooking them early and often. You can accomplish that by adjusting thumbnails, headlines, descriptions, and carefully introducing the podcast in the opening 10 seconds.
I say this as someone who has developed these strategies, but also as someone who has forgotten those same strategies!
A few months ago, I got my ass handed to me when I hired YouTube optimization guy, Ryan Doser. Only then did I realize I had also gotten lazy on some of this stuff!
1. Headline
Does the headline clearly explain your show is worth their time? Many podcasters treat the headline area as a method of content organization, but forget it’s the #1 datapoint their audience uses to determine if that particular show is worth a tap. If it’s not clear, they’ll click on another podcast that sounds more fun.
Names and guest titles often appear in headlines, but those rarely get a click. Teasing the BIG idea of your show does though. What was that HUGE nugget they dropped? That’s your headline.
2. Description hook
Every word in your description can hook your audience, or push them away. With each additional word you use to get your point across, you risk losing your audience. Their patience meter decreases with every word you use, and fills back up when you touch on something interesting for them.
If I wrote “In today’s episode, Justin Brady sits down with Jim Bob to discuss…” I just wasted 12 words. If Jim discussed the best eagle spotting location half way though the show, lead with that! “Where’s the best eagle spotting location? An eagle expert told us his secret spot.” Notice the guest or title doesn’t even appear!
3. Thumbnail
If your podcast is video (hopefully it is) does the thumbnail give your subscribers an idea of what to expect? The thumbnail is the first thing almost everyone looks at on YouTube. Most people don’t even read descriptions at all. It should be grabby and tell them what to expect should they click!
The thumbnail should be a visual representation of your show and the value a listener will gain. And most importantly, as I was told by Doser, it should show the faces of the people in the podcast. In an Ai slop world, lead with your best foot, er, face forward.
4. The opener:
The first 10-30 seconds are crucial to hooking a listener. I’ve preached on this topic many times, but I’ve also probably made this mistake more than anyone. I was getting lazy and Doser and my new editor correctly called me out on it.
Think of your opener as an elevator pitch. Your audience is graciously giving you 10-30 seconds but if it’s not compelling, they will move onto something with higher perceived value. Pay special attention to how much “chit chat” is up front—people have so many content options today, you’re not the only game in town.
Every word, video, photo, and sound wave is an opportunity to hook your audience or push them away. Hook em and keep those hooks in!
