Create a Description That Sells Your Podcast!
Podcast listeners have thousands of potential shows to choose from. How can you help stack the odds in your favor and get people give your show a chance? One of the most important factors is to have a great podcast description. You want people to understand what your podcast is about while also keeping it interesting for the potential listener to read. With a great description, you’re selling your show to potential listeners and encouraging them to give you a shot. Let’s dive in a see how this can be accomplished.
Why Is Your Podcast Description So Important?
Recently, thepodcasthost.com ran their 2020 Podcast Discovery Survey. This was a sample of the listening habits of 780 podcast consumers. In the survey, participants were asked “When considering a new show, how important to you is…”, followed by various front-facing aspects of a podcast (podcast description, episode titles, frequency of new episode releases, podcast name, artwork, etc.) They were they asked to grade each one out of 10, with 10 being really important, 0 being not important at all. From the results it was concluded that podcast descriptions are the most important aspects people utilize when deciding to listen to a podcast show. It’s a major selling point and so you want to get it right and do it well.
Are Podcast Descriptions Important for Search?
Believe it or not, podcast descriptions are not really necessary for search. More than 63 percent of podcast listening is done on iTunes/Apple Podcasts. When you search their directory, Apple is only searching podcast names, episode titles, and author/artists names. Spotify does search through your discerptions, but it only has 10 percent of the podcast listener base. No reason really to start keyword stuffing.
What Should Go in Your Podcast Description?
One way to think of a podcast description is to look at the back of a book. You are speaking directly to your target audience. Let them know that the podcast is for them. It may seem strange but tell your audience who they are. For example, you have a podcast on learning how to type. Your description could be something like this! “You’re desperate to get better at typing but only have 20 minutes a day to practice.” Asking a question in your description allows people to relate to your show which gives them a reason/purpose to listen. People want to know what they will get from a podcast and what they can expect. Tell them about it up front and be clear.
Your show summary isn't the place for links, in any case. It's the job of this text to temp people into hitting play. If you want to get them back to your website our socials, then use that as your in-episode Call to Action.
How Long Should My Podcast Description Be?
There is really no rule to the length of your description. Make sure that it is as long as it needs to be to get the point across. To that, you should make sure it is succinct without leaving any of the good stuff out. Writing a long summary is time consuming and just because it’s there doesn’t mean anyone is going to read it.
How Should I Write My Podcast Description?
Since you’re not dealing with audio, it is vital to get as much of your own personality across to potential listeners as possible. The main thing here is to not overthink it. Speak from you and show people who you are. One reason people sometimes get stuck when trying to write their description is the necessity for formality. They try to be formal because they think it’s what people want but it’s not necessarily true. Two main reasons someone may listen to your podcast is because they’re interested in the topic and or they like your personality. The best way to write your podcast description is in your own words with as much of your own personality as you can capture. If you’re trying to get people excited about your podcast but your description isn’t entertaining, they’re probably not going to believe in you.
Having a great podcast description is like having a great sales pitch. You are going to use it to lure people into listening to your show. If it’s creative and enjoyable to read, the chances of it catching someone’s eye increases. But remember, be yourself and shine through the words. Your podcast is unique so why not show it!