How to Make a Podcast Trailer: A Step By Step Guide

What Is A Podcast Trailer And Why Do You Need One

A podcast trailer is a short audio and video clip that previews the overall content of a podcast show or episode. It’s an introduction and tells what listeners can expect from a specific episode. 

A trailer can be done in many ways, like a promotional teaser, a coming soon, or just by showing a super exciting section of your podcast. But no matter the format, they all have one thing in common: build anticipation. 

If you really want to create a sense of excitement for your show, then yes, you need one. A trailer is the most effective way to get your audience eager to tune in when the show goes live. Also, it’s a great and easy tool for your existing listener to share and reel in a potential new audience. 

The Importance Of Your Origin Story

Before jumping right into it, we recommend that you take a pause and review your origin story if you already have one, and If you don’t, take the time to analyze your journey and point down all the important and key moments that brought you to where you are now. 

By figuring out the critical moment of your career and your life, you’re creating an origin story; This gives you a chance to introduce yourself and explain why you started podcasting in the first place.

This information will make it easier for your podcast trailer to be captivating since it will help create a connection with listeners by sharing something intimate about yourself that can’t be found anywhere else on the internet.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to craft a great origin story: 

How are you?

This is where you explain how your character or situation came to be. It can provide insight into the motivations and decisions that made you who you are. Here you will paint the picture of where you were, usually at the same point your listener is right now.

By mentioning your desire, and your external and internal struggles, you will create an emotional connection with your listener.

Why Should We Trust You?

Your listener must trust your expertise and knowledge, making them feel like you are the right person to lead the journey. You can do this by sharing your experience, the moments where you solved your conflicts, and how you did it; This will allow the listeners to have faith in your knowledge.

What Was Your Great Transformation?

Your story must have that moment of realization when you notice that you could achieve your grand vision for yourself.

If you did it, why can’t your listener too? Here you explain the transformation you underwent to achieve your vision, the same transformation your ideal listener needs to go through with the help of your podcast. 

What Can We Expect?

Now that you have your origin story that will inspire your audience, tell them how you are going to share it with them. It’s important that your listener knows how your show will develop. 

Try to make a list of topics you can use in your podcast trailer; by mentioning the topics and themes you’re going to go through, your audience will know what to expect from you and will want to listen. 

Here it’s a great example of an origin story that has great trailer potential: 

Create An Effective Podcast Trailer.

Be Brief And Specific.

Trailers are meant to be short; it’s just a preview to hook your listener in. The ideal trailer should be between 40-60 seconds and no more than 80.

Since you have a minimal amount of time to display your podcast, be SPECIFIC, go straight to the point, and use your seconds wisely to leave your audience eager to listen. 

Define The Tone

say you have a podcast about true crime, then your trailer might have a more mysterious and serious tone than one for an outdoor exercise, which will probably be more upbeat and fast-paced.

Define the voice and tone you want to use. You can always change and experiment with different tones, but it’s also important to be consistent, so use the same tone throughout your trailer.

How To Make A One-Sentence Mission Statement for your podcast trailer

Every podcast should have a one-sentence mission statement, a sweet and specific description that describes ONLY your podcast and that makes it stand out from the rest. This sentence will help potential listeners quickly understand the essence and target audience; this is also how people identify your show, so use it.

Using your mission statement in all social media and trailers will not only make the listener know what your show is about but will also help them identify your content from the rest. 

A great example of one one-sentence mission statement

-All about local SEO for small business owners

– Become an expert on Red wine and cheese

 -True crime stories in haunted houses at midnight 

Don’t Create An Unrealistic Expectation

We all have fallen for those deceiving movie trailers, where we think we will see something and end up watching a completely different movie. 

Think of how a trailer can have a very mysterious and scary tone, with a clip of two women telling what seems to be a horror story, but when you listen to the podcast, it is just a storytime on past relationships; this is not what you tuned it for. 

So don’t create unrealistic expectations for your trailer; try to generate excitement and hook your audience without deceiving them. Don’t go too far from your topics; try to use a tone that suits your themes. 

Call To Action (CTA)

Make sure to add a CTA at the end of your trailer. You can do this by inviting your audience to subscribe to your channel or newsletter, checking your social media, and leaving a like or sharing your trailer.

This doesn’t mean they will actually do it, but It encourages people. A successful call to action should be clear and concise; it should tell listeners what they will get in retirement to motivate them to complete the task without confusion.

You can say something like: 

• Subscribe to the newsletter by clicking the green button to get a notification when the show goes live
• check out social media for a sneak peek at the next episode

Promote Your Podcast Trailer 

It’s time to get your trailer out there. The easiest way is to promote it on social media; This way, people can share it with other potential listeners.

Try to post it on all channels, you might think that your target audience might be in just one channel, like Linked or Facebook, but in reality, you just never know how you might come across your trailer just scrolling through Twitter or Tik Tok.

Two Brothers Creative is a content marketing company in Omaha, Nebraska, that specializes in leveraging a podcast with video to meet all of the marketing needs of any small business. We believe that every business deserves affordable and effective marketing.