It's time to script your podcast intros ✍

Summary

The video script discusses the importance of creating a unique and engaging podcast introduction to stand out in a saturated market. It critiques the common, generic intros used by many podcasters, which can lead to listener fatigue. The speaker advocates for a scripted monologue approach, which involves crafting a compelling narrative that hooks the audience and sets the tone for the show. The script uses the 'Audience' podcast as an example, highlighting how it introduces its premise, guest background, and the podcast's focus on storytelling. It emphasizes the significance of a call to action and the need to avoid simply regurgitating information. The video encourages podcasters to think creatively about their intros to increase listener retention and engagement.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ **Scripted Monologues**: Creating a scripted monologue for a podcast intro can increase listener engagement and differentiate the show from generic intros.
• 📈 **Enhance Creativity**: A well-crafted intro can push the boundaries of creativity and make the podcast stand out in a saturated market.
• 🔄 **Avoid Podcast Fatigue**: Listeners can experience fatigue from hearing the same type of intros across multiple podcasts; a unique approach can help retain their interest.
• 🎶 **Less is More**: Avoiding an immediate music jingle and instead focusing on content can set a more engaging tone for the listener.
• 📚 **Storytelling**: The intro should tell a story and provide a compelling reason for the listener to continue with the podcast.
• 👂 **Listener-Centric**: The focus should be on the listener's experience and what they will gain from the podcast, rather than just the host's or guest's background.
• 📈 **Call to Action**: Including a call to action in the intro is crucial for measuring the podcast's success and encouraging listener interaction.
• 📉 **Monitor Metrics**: Keeping track of metrics like listenership and newsletter subscriptions can help gauge the effectiveness of the podcast's approach.
• 📧 **Email Sign-ups**: Encouraging listeners to sign up for an email newsletter is a good strategy to build a loyal audience and keep them engaged.
• 🎉 **Awards and Recognition**: Mentioning awards and accolades can add credibility and interest to the podcast's content.
• 📝 **Edit and Refine**: The process of scripting, writing, and editing the intro is essential to creating a high-quality and engaging listener experience.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the video?

The main topic of discussion is creating an engaging and scripted monologue intro for a podcast, highlighting the benefits over a standard generic intro and how it can increase listenership and retain audience interest.

Why does the speaker suggest that a scripted monologue intro might be better than a standard intro?

A scripted monologue intro can set a unique mood and tone for the podcast, making it stand out from the competition and avoiding podcast fatigue among listeners who may hear similar intros across multiple shows.

What is the issue with using a standard intro format that lists all the topics covered in a podcast?

The issue is that it can become monotonous and fail to engage new listeners effectively. It does not provide a unique hook or focus on a specific topic, which might not be compelling enough to retain the audience's attention.

Why is it important to consider the listener's perspective when creating a podcast intro?

Considering the listener's perspective is crucial because it helps to create an intro that resonates with them, making the content more relatable and interesting. It also helps to avoid overwhelming the listener with too much information at once.

What is the significance of having a call to action (CTA) in a podcast intro?

A call to action is significant because it provides a clear next step for the listener, such as subscribing to a newsletter or engaging with the podcast in another way. It helps to measure the success of the podcast and keeps the audience engaged and motivated.

What is the role of storytelling in creating an effective podcast intro?

Storytelling in a podcast intro helps to create a narrative that hooks the listener, making them curious about what will follow. It provides a context and background that is more engaging than simply listing topics or guest information.

Why might a podcast creator want to avoid repeating the guest's backstory in the intro?

Repeating the guest's backstory can be redundant and may not add value to the listener's experience. It's more effective to focus on creating a compelling narrative that teases the content to come without revealing everything upfront.

What is the purpose of using sound bites and music in a podcast intro?

Sound bites and music are used to set the tone and mood for the podcast, creating an atmosphere that aligns with the content and engages the listener's senses. They can also serve as a transition between different segments of the intro.

How does the speaker suggest podcasters can push creative boundaries with their intros?

The speaker suggests that podcasters should think beyond the standard format and consider scripting a monologue that tells a story, creates a unique mood, and provides a clear call to action. This approach can help the podcast stand out and keep listeners engaged.

What is the potential downside of using a very common intro format for a podcast?

The potential downside is that listeners may experience podcast fatigue due to the repetitive nature of hearing similar intros across multiple shows. This can lead to a plateau or decline in listenership as the podcast may not be as memorable or engaging.

Why is it recommended to avoid giving too much information about the guest or the topics in the intro?

Giving too much information can make the intro less engaging, as it does not leave room for curiosity or anticipation. It's more effective to provide a teaser that piques the listener's interest and encourages them to continue listening to the podcast.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Podcast Intro Creativity and Listenership

The first paragraph discusses the importance of creating a unique and engaging intro for a podcast. It emphasizes that a scripted monologue can be more effective than a standard generic intro in enhancing creativity and retaining listeners. The speaker uses an example from a podcast called 'Make it Happen Mondays' to illustrate common introduction styles and suggests that a more compelling narrative can prevent listener fatigue and increase engagement.

05:01

📚 Crafting a Storytelling Podcast Introduction

The second paragraph delves into the process of crafting a storytelling podcast introduction. It highlights the use of a single topic to pique interest and the absence of an immediate jingle to set the tone. The paragraph continues with an example from the 'Audience Podcast', which introduces a guest, Stuart, and his work in creating high-concept podcasts with complex protagonists. The introduction is designed to hook the listener and includes a call to action, encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast's platform, Castos.

10:01

🏆 Leveraging Awards and Accolades in Podcast Intros

The third paragraph focuses on the strategy of using awards and accolades to introduce guests and their work within a podcast. It discusses the work of Jenny Turner Hall, an award-winning writer and storyteller, and her contributions to various fiction podcasts. The paragraph also mentions the importance of not just listing a guest's achievements but also providing context and a narrative that engages the listener. The introduction is meant to build interest and anticipation for the interview, using storytelling techniques to create a compelling podcast experience.

Keywords

💡Scripted Monologue

A scripted monologue is a pre-written speech delivered by a single person, often used in media to set the tone or tell a story. In the context of the video, it is used to create a more engaging and unique introduction for a podcast, which helps to hook the audience and differentiate the podcast from others.

💡Podcast Intro

A podcast intro is the opening segment of a podcast episode that typically introduces the show and its content. The video emphasizes the importance of a well-crafted intro over a standard, generic one to increase listener engagement and retention.

💡Listenership

Listenership refers to the audience or the number of listeners a podcast has. The video discusses how a scripted monologue can help increase listenership by providing a more compelling and less common introduction, thus standing out in a crowded podcast market.

💡Call to Action (CTA)

A call to action is a prompt for the audience to perform a specific action, such as subscribing, signing up for a newsletter, or visiting a website. The video highlights the importance of including a CTA in a podcast to measure success and encourage audience interaction.

💡Podcast Fatigue

Podcast fatigue is a state where listeners become disengaged due to repetitive or uninteresting podcast introductions. The video script mentions this concept to illustrate why a standard podcast intro might not be effective and how a scripted monologue can help prevent it.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of telling a story, often to engage an audience or convey a message. In the video, storytelling is used as a method to craft podcast intros that are more engaging and memorable, thus enhancing the listener's experience.

💡Compelling Characters

Compelling characters are those that are well-developed and interesting, which can drive the narrative of a story. The video discusses the importance of creating compelling characters for fiction podcasts and docu-series, which can help in attracting and maintaining an audience's interest.

💡High Concept Podcast

A high concept podcast is one with a unique and attention-grabbing premise that is likely to appeal to a broad audience. The video uses the term to describe a type of podcast that uses complex characters and intriguing narratives to engage listeners.

💡Business Acumen

Business acumen refers to the ability to understand and make sound decisions in a business context. In the video, it is mentioned as a trait that a guest's parents instilled in him, which contributed to his success in sales and enterprise.

💡Enterprise Sales Rep

An enterprise sales representative is a professional who sells complex and high-value products or services to large organizations. The video uses this term to describe the career path of a guest, emphasizing the journey from humble beginnings to a successful sales career.

💡Private Podcasting App

A private podcasting app is a platform that allows for the creation and distribution of podcasts to a limited audience. The video mentions this as one of the tools that Castos offers to help podcasters bring their shows to life.

Highlights

The video discusses the importance of creating a scripted monologue intro for podcasts to increase creativity and listenership.

Standard generic intros can lead to podcast fatigue for listeners due to their commonality.

A scripted intro can set a unique mood and tone for the podcast, especially beneficial for new listeners.

The introduction should not just be about the host but should focus on the listener's experience.

Scripted intros can help retain listenership by providing a unique and engaging start to each episode.

An example is provided comparing a standard podcast intro with a more engaging, character-driven approach.

The importance of not repeating the guest's backstory in the intro is emphasized to avoid redundancy.

The video demonstrates how to create a high-concept podcast with a complex protagonist using the Audience Podcast as an example.

The introduction should hook the listener and provide a single compelling point rather than an overwhelming amount of information.

The use of music and sound effects in the intro can help set the tone for the podcast.

A call to action is crucial in the intro and is often overlooked, which can impact the podcast's success.

The transcript discusses the value of crafting introductions that tie into the story being told in the podcast.

An effective intro should create anticipation and curiosity in the listener without revealing too much.

The video emphasizes the need for a clear premise for the podcast and how it should be communicated in the intro.

The importance of a call to action for measuring the podcast's success and motivating the host is discussed.

The introduction should be a crafted story that complements the guest's narrative and adds value to the listener's experience.

The process of creating a scripted monologue involves careful consideration of sound bites, topic introduction, and guest presentation.

The video encourages podcasters to think creatively about their intros to stand out in a saturated market.

Different podcast structures are acknowledged, and the video suggests finding a unique approach that fits the podcast's goals.

Transcripts

today's video we're going to take a look

at how we create the intro for the

audience podcast and how you too can

create a scripted monologue intro for

your show why it's better than just your

standard generic intro why it's not for

everyone but how it can really push the

creativity and increase listenership and

retain listenership for your podcast as

an example I want to start off with

listening to How most of us myself

included on a lot of my personal

projects introduce a podcast here it is

uh not picking on John barrows I don't

know him I just search for our sales and

marketing podcast because I feel like

the way that sales and marketing

podcasts do introductions uh it's very

common because it's the easiest path you

know what I'll show you what we do is

with audience it's the harder path what

we you know what we do by default with a

lot of our interview shows is pretty

easy here's an example

hey everyone welcome back to make it

happen Mondays where we talk about sales

business entrepreneurship personal

growth mental health and everything in

between with guess who I truly and

that's fine so like that I just wanted

to stop right here and that

introduction's fine it's just like

there's always that that music Jingle

and then it's uh the make it have a

podcast and it's like here's all the

things we talk about and and that's okay

but it gets pretty boring after a while

let's continue truly respect and I think

make a positive impact on the world

around us and this was a fun

conversation I just had with Brandon

Claus here he actually is an Enterprise

AE over at Asana but started you know

saying things like this was a fun

conversation this was a great

conversation it was great to you but it

really doesn't set the mood or the tone

for The Listener especially if uh it's a

new listener and especially when

everyone prompts their podcast with the

start of this remember it's never just

about John in this case uh it's never

just about you it's about the listener

and what they're hearing across the

whole whole spectrum of well other

podcasts that might compete with you so

in a lot of podcasts do it the same way

your listeners hearing this a dozen half

a dozen 25 times in a given week and it

can just really start to create podcast

fatigue for your listeners so when you

start to think about okay why is my show

plateauing why am I not gaining the

listenership that I think I should be I

have really great I had really great

conversation with these people why

aren't people subscribing it's because

we're all saying that and we want to

maybe think about it differently let's

continue a little bit more this career

in sales with no money no college degree

and grind it his way all the way up to

being a top Enterprise sales rep over at

Salesforce and now over at Asana making

President's club and during this

conversation we talk about a lot of

stuff but it really centered around him

growing up with a real strong work ethic

with his parents and kind of what they

taught him about financial literacy and

business Acumen and then realize in

college just really wasn't for him and

he was washing dishes one day and his

roommate was a telemarketer so I'm just

going to pause it there I'm going to end

it there for this just as this example

again this is not wrong this is just a

very common way and what I really want

to hit home is a lot of us do it that

way which means your potential audience

we all hear the same thing and We crave

something different after a while

sort of giving the whole journey of the

person's background I still have 56

minutes to go or almost 57 minutes in in

John's podcast episode

I just want to make sure that I don't

hear this backstory again and that's one

thing that is very challenging this is

the hard work this is where the the

writing the scripting and the editing

really comes into place because it's

fine for John to set the stage to say

hey my guest went from Salesforce to a

son I had this great background in

business uh business Acumen from his

parents that's great I just want to make

sure I'm not hearing that again uh when

I get into the show because what we do

as creators we fall into the strap we

have this great conversation we record

it it's 55 minutes and then we sit down

we do the intro and we start thinking

about all of those things that we talked

about man wasn't that great wasn't that

awesome and we just kind of like

regurgitate it back out as the

introduction and it doesn't really hook

The Listener it gives them this big

blanket of coverage which is okay for

some but it doesn't really drill down on

any one specific topic one specific

Value Point it doesn't set a mood it

doesn't set a tone it doesn't really

hook me in okay now again I know a lot

of this is subjective subjective and I

don't mean to pick on John okay job I'm

sure it seems like a fairly nice guy but

let's just talk about doing a scripted

podcast uh introduction I'm going to

play our uh of our audiogram of our

introduction

and sort of do the same thing I'm going

to pause and continue as as we expand

upon it this is the audience podcast

audience podcast Central characters are

what drives virtually every Story Ever

Told

writ large good stories have compelling

characters

that's true across pretty much all

mediums and genres I think

and with the rise of Fiction podcast and

docu-series podcasters who want to tell

better stories need interesting

characters it's about you know showing

uh so we we haven't said who the guest

is we gave you one topic that we want to

uh we want to hit home on you want to

make better uh fiction podcasts or

docu-series or something like that

create better characters telling better

stories better characters aren't you

interested in that if you're not yes you

can certainly leave but you might still

be curious what what is he going to get

to in here maybe maybe not ready to

leave yet because you didn't just throw

everything onto the kitchen table for me

but you you gave me one nugget to really

think about and now that's sort of stuck

in the back of my mind no music no

jingle yet we're not setting the tone

with audio or any kind of audio escaping

right now now we go we continue with the

clips it's about you know showing a real

person music

but we maybe want them to do the heroic

thing to do

next you'll hear how a team of writers

producers and actors banded together now

with that that clip is from the guest

which uh we're about to talk about uh

what Stuart's about to talk about in the

monologue we set the tone a little bit

with the music and she sort of uh

reinforces the point about how

interesting characters can be not just

yes you make interesting characters but

like challenge that a little bit and

then we continue to create a high

concept podcast with a complex

protagonist

my name is Stuart and this is audience a

casto's original series for pot so what

you're going to talk about is what we're

going to hear is we're going to hear

from these writers who banded together

to create these complex characters uh

and protagonists for a story so again

still keeping you hooked it's still a

bit of Storytelling

um in this introduction now I'm not

saying that we're winning awards for it

although I'd really love it if you uh

nominated audience for any podcast award

at this point but it's not just taking

that standard approach let me just dump

all the cards on the table and this is

what you're going to get now we do the

introduction to the podcastos original

series for podcasters in pursuit of

creating better audio and uncovering the

business that powers audio creators

so that's our premise um it's something

that we're always working on we've had

many iterations of it so far I don't

think a premise has ever sort of really

complete but it's not just

a couple bullet points like this is our

this is what we're passionate about I'm

not saying you have to do this too with

with your podcast or structure it the

same way but this is how we introduce

you to audience and now we get a bit of

a call to action

speaking of making better audio castos

could help with our team of

professionals we can help you make your

show

add in our suite of Integrative tools

like stripe or our private podcasting

app and castos has everything you need

to bring your podcast to life learn more

by emailing hello at castos.com or by

clicking on the link in the show notes

a little bit transition sound effect as

we move into the next segment call to

action extremely important one of the

most overlooked things Even in our

friend John's example sales and

marketing show there was no call to

action at the top of that show and so

sometimes people say I don't I'm not

here for the call to action it's totally

fine but eventually at the end of the

day what we want to do is measure some

level of success with our podcast

whether that's just the listeners going

up or what I like to do is are we

getting either more leads in the door

are we getting uh newsletter subscribers

right and that's a great sort of

Bellwether to see if you have a healthy

action actionable audience uh in your

show it's something that gets overlooked

countless times from countless customers

that I talk to and even if you say well

it's okay I don't want to I'm not trying

to put a call to action I'm not trying

to sell something you should at least

push to an email newsletter because

eventually you'll want to do something

or eventually you're going to start to

get a little bit tired from doing the

podcast and maybe you need to see a

metric that keeps you moving that keeps

you motivated to keep going let's keep

going with this clip audio fiction or

audio play videos

whatever you'd like to call this

particular genre fictional podcasting

as you know hey it's like a TV show or a

movie with your eyes closed you know

that's Jenny Turner Hall an

award-winning writer and Storyteller

who's written some of the world's top

fiction podcasts she co-created

executive produced and so what we didn't

do is hey Jenny welcome to the program

tell us about yourself

right there was none of that there was

none of that repeated backstory from our

hook at the top of the show or again uh

in the in the example we use at the top

of this video we're not just dumping all

the cards on the table it's not a repeat

of all of that stuff we're writing the

introductions where writing the

monologue to tie the story together

we're helping tell their Story by

creating our own story in this podcast

wrote the unexplainable disappearance of

Mars Patel audio serious History podcast

for kids

her work on that series won a Peabody

Award and she also teamed up with Marvel

to write and direct wastelanders

Wolverine

while it doesn't get quite the

recognition as some of her other work

she also executive produced a series

called a simple her story

that title might be a bit misleading the

story is anything but simple and that's

kind of the point it was created by

Jocelyn karitzky an award-winning actor

and Creator who founded the Muse project

an initiative writing this to keep you

keep the listener engaged so again

instead of just handing over the mic to

the guest which a lot of us do again

guilty as charged they'll they'll start

to go on about their backstory they'll

start pontificating about it they could

draw it out a little too long what

Stuart's doing is honing in on it saying

here are the awards the accolades the

places that she's worked and then

expanding on what this project might be

about giving you a little bit of

backstory that maybe the guests would

have missed in your show again I'm not

saying this has to be done in all your

podcast episodes but when you're

thinking about you know storytelling and

sounding compelling to your listener you

know I think an own biased I think

Stewart's nailing it on the head that

seeks to Spotlight women theater actors

and a simple her story does just that

it's about women who have run for

president there's more than a hundred by

the way the first woman to ever do it

was Victoria Woodhall and she's the

central character of season one

Victoria Woodhall is a labor and

suffragist activist who left behind and

important albeit complex Legacy

as it turns out she also makes for a

fascinating protagonist for a simple her

story

another little interesting twist to this

is that the series features an

all-female cast even in the roles of men

to listen to it feels like part Audio

Drama part historical and then we're

going to start to continue to build that

um that backstory build that interest in

uh in the show I'm gonna skip ahead just

fiction part experimental theater

really it's kind of hard to classify

that's not too surprising considering it

was written by Jonathan Goldberg a

playwright who has a reputation for

making these well-crafted zany audio

dramas

so when Jenny found out about it she was

now we're going to put you right into

that story instead of us having an

interview getting to this point we're

getting it to you right now at the start

of the show pretty excited

I was introduced by a playwright in the

background

Jocelyn ready to learn and she

Jocelyn just had an idea for a podcast

series and she was that was starting to

get uh written by Jonathan and they had

been talking about it for quite some

time and Jonathan was in the middle of

writing it and I said I love the idea

for a simple herstery so and there we go

we get into the rest of the interview

and it goes on from there I'm just using

this intro uh clip as as the framework

for this discussion so

scripted monologue creating that story

for the storytelling about to happen in

the podcast

um that's just the way that we approach

it it's a lot more work it's you know

thinking about the threads that you're

going to pull on to create the uh create

the introduction how are you going to

edit this together like which sound

bites are you going to pull when you

introduce your your guest and and the

topic and how you sort of tie that in to

funnel The Listener you know into the

show again I'm not saying that this was

perfect for everyone or that everyone

should do that I just like to look at it

as sometimes we get into a vacuum we

wonder why our show isn't performing

well we don't you know we're just

thinking about our show only like this

is a great podcast this is great content

why aren't people listening to it it's

because we're all saying that and we're

all creating a format of show that we

want you know your listener listens to

and you know whatever another half a

dozen maybe or a dozen other business

podcasts or podcasts similar to what

you're putting out and eventually they

get fatigued and they start to Trail off

so you really want to think about

pushing those creative boundaries this

is just how we do it with the audience a

little bit of a longer video here as we

just listen to some clips and navigate

and dissect them in and out here but I

hope you found that useful if you did

leave us a comment in the comments below

if you have a different way of doing

your intro let me know in the comments

below we'd love to hear more about it

thumbs up if you like the video

subscribe to the channel if you want

more see you in the next video