Podcast intro script
script template

A podcast intro has about twenty seconds to tell a new listener whether this episode is for them. The common mistake is spending those twenty seconds on the show rather than on the episode. These three templates put the episode first in every case, including the trailer.

101 words as written 32 places to fill in 3 versions

Opens the free teleprompter with the script already loaded. Nothing is uploaded, and your camera never leaves your device.

SOLO EPISODE, ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS

[THE MOST INTERESTING SENTENCE IN THE WHOLE EPISODE. SAY IT COLD, NO INTRO.][PAUSE]This is [SHOW NAME], where [WHAT THE SHOW IS, ONE LINE]. I am [YOUR NAME].Today: [THE EPISODE IN ONE SENTENCE].By the end of this you will know [THE ONE SPECIFIC TAKEAWAY].Let us start with [THE FIRST THING].

GUEST INTERVIEW, ABOUT FORTY-FIVE SECONDS

[CLIP OR QUOTE FROM THE GUEST. THE BEST TWENTY SECONDS IN THE INTERVIEW.]That is [GUEST NAME].[GUEST NAME] [THE ONE THING THAT MAKES THEM WORTH AN HOUR. NOT A CV.]I wanted to talk to [HIM / HER / THEM] because [THE REAL REASON YOU ASKED].We get into [TOPIC ONE], [TOPIC TWO], and the part I did not expect, which is [THE SURPRISE].This is [SHOW NAME]. I am [YOUR NAME]. Here is [GUEST NAME].

SHOW TRAILER, ABOUT SIXTY SECONDS

[THE QUESTION THE WHOLE SHOW EXISTS TO ANSWER.]Every [WEEK / FORTNIGHT] on [SHOW NAME], [WHAT HAPPENS ON THE SHOW, ONE SENTENCE].[CLIP ONE.][CLIP TWO.][CLIP THREE.]I am [YOUR NAME]. [ONE LINE OF WHY YOU ARE THE ONE ASKING].If you [THE LISTENER'S SITUATION], this is for you.[SHOW NAME]. New episodes every [WHEN]. Follow it wherever you are listening to this.

Why it is built this way

Cold open on the most interesting sentence

Podcast apps autoplay. The first thing a new listener hears should be the best thing in the episode, not your theme music.

Then the show, briefly

Once they are interested, one line of what the show is orients them. Before they are interested, it is noise.

Give the guest a reason, not a CV

Say the one thing that makes this person worth an hour. A list of job titles makes the listener wait for the point rather than lean in.

Signpost one thing they will get

A single named takeaway keeps people through the ad break far more reliably than a list of topics.

Hand off cleanly

A defined last line before the interview starts stops the awkward fade that costs you listeners in the first two minutes.

Delivering it

·Record the intro after the interview. You cannot cold open on the best line until you know what it was.
·Read the intro standing up. It changes your voice more than any microphone setting will.
·Keep the music bed under the words, not before them. Ten seconds of theme before a word is spoken is ten seconds of people skipping forward.
·One sentence per line in the script, so the teleprompter scroll breaks where your breath breaks.
·Say the show name once in the intro and once at the end. Twice is enough for anyone.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a podcast intro be?

Twenty to forty-five seconds including any cold open. A trailer can run to a minute. Anything longer and new listeners skip, which is the exact audience the intro exists for.

Should the intro come before or after the theme music?

Put the cold open first, then the music underneath the show line. Leading with music alone gives a new listener nothing to hold on to.

What should I say about a guest?

The single thing that makes them worth an hour of someone else’s life. One line. Their full biography can wait until it comes up naturally in the conversation.

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