When you’re getting a podcast up and running, there are a few items on your checklist that you simply can’t miss: microphone, podcast hosting provider, cover art, among other things. But there are a bunch of elements that — while they might not seem as obvious — are essential to your show’s soon-to-come success.

Today, let’s talk about podcast trailers. 

In a podcast world filled with choice (there are, by some estimates, 3-5 million podcasts to choose from) your show needs to stand out; it needs to sound great. It needs to look great. It needs to have a unique premise or serve a specific demographic. And once you’ve got all of that locked down, you need to attract listeners.

Teaser audio (by way of podcast trailers) can help you do that. Podcast trailers are important because they:

• Force you to distill you content into short audio snippets, i.e. it’s an exercise in honing your “why.”

• Many podcast listening apps prioritize trailers by giving them a special promotional space, making it easy for listeners to hit play

• They give potential listeners a taste of your content without having to commit to a full episode

In celebration of the art of the trailer — and because I just launched an entire podcast dedicated to podcast trailers — here are three great podcast trailers and why they’re effective:

1. History Daily

Trailer length - 1:32

History Daily is one of my favorite daily podcasts. Each episodes looks back on a historic event that happened on that day in years’ past. The moment I heard the trailer for the show in September of 2021, I knew I’d be a loyal listener. 

Here’s what the trailer gets right:

• It’s short and to the point

• The music strikes the right tone

• Listeners get a sense, not only for the show’s content, but also for the host (there’s a joke within it about the host’s name that you’ll just have to hear)

• It doesn’t just tease that content is coming, but gives us a taste of that content now; we learn what happened on a few days mentioned in the trailer, and those snippets are accompanied by enticing archival tape

• The host touts his credentials, thereby legitimizing himself and letting us know why we should listen to him on this subject

• It was released a good while before the first episode dropped, which gave the host and production teams time to spread the word by way of feed drops, promos, and app placement

2. Scam Goddess

Trailer length - 1:17

Scam Goddess comes to us from comedian and actor Laci Mosely, truly one of the funniest and quickest-witted people I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. On each episode, Laci chats with a comedian or cultural commentator about a scam or fraud in the zeitgeist.

Here’s what the trailer gets right:

• The personality of the host shines through

• She is establishing, very early on, a name for her fans, the “CON-gregation.”

• It’s short but still manages to incorporate a good deal of what to expect on the show, and, as a loyal listener, I can tell you that she delivers on her promises

• She gives us a firm date for when we can expect episode one to drop

3. Neuroversity

Trailer length - 3:01

Neuroversity comes from creator Jessica Kidwell and shares interviews with folks within the neurodivergent community.

Here’s what the trailer gets rights:

• The music is working for our host here: adding drama, easing up when needed, and most importantly, it’s not overpowering the host’s voice

• We get some much-needed context on the name of the podcast - “Neuroversity” is line a university, but for learning about neurodivergence

• We also get to learn more about the origin of the word “neurodivergent,” which is important context for the show

• The show notes for this trailer are the perfect balance between a recap and a tease; you have to hit play on the episode to get full context, but once you do, the show notes summarize things perfectly.

Hear more of my analysis for Neuroversity here.

Here are some overall podcast trailer Do’s:

• Tell us who you are

• Tell us the name of the show

• Keep it under two minutes

• Anything longer is ok, but I’d call it a teaser or a pilot, rather than a trailer

• Make sure you’re promising a tone that you’ll deliver on in the actual show

• For example: there may be a tendency to create an epic-sounding piece because that’s what our movie friends tend to do. But if your show is more casual or relaxed, tone it down

• Let us know when to expect episode one

• Let us know where we can find more information (website, social handles, etc.)

Here are some overall trailer don’ts:

• Don’t just read the script word for word — have some fun with it and get creative

• Don’t just take clips from already-recorded episodes and string them together to make a trailer. It’s definitely great to use clips, but make sure you’re also recording bespoke content for the trailer itself

• Don’t give too much away!

Of course, these are very general do’s and don’ts for trailer making. Keep in mind that every audio production is unique and needs its own treatment and considerations. You may decide that you want to keep things mysterious and therefore opt to not introduce yourself until episode one. You may decide that you’re going to bring listeners right into the world of the show if you’re creating an audio drama. If that’s the case, you may not want to let us know exactly what the expect right off the bat. 

But here are some steps that you can take that will apply universally:

1. Think about what category your show is in

2. Go to that category on Apple and Spotify

3. Make a note of the other shows that are in that category

4. Start listening to their trailers

5. Think about what you like, don’t like, want to emulate, and want to avoid

6. Identify areas where your trailer can both respect those that came before it AND can stand out from the rest

7. Begin crafting your trailer 

Happy trails!