How to write a great podcast description: Tips & Free Templates

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Potential listeners look at 3 things: your podcast artwork, your show’s name, and the description. The podcast description summarizes your show's content, allowing listeners to decide whether they are interested. That's an essential element of your podcast, and you need to get it right if you're looking to expand your audience.

If you have a poor description or miss one entirely, your listeners won’t be able to tell what your show is about. In most cases, they’ll move on to another show whose host took the time to invest in a great podcast description. Taking the time to craft an engaging description will attract listeners and grow your audience.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Why a podcast description is important
• Elements of a great podcast description
• Three templates for creating the best podcast description

Why is a Podcast Description So Important?

A podcast description–or a podcast summary–is a short blurb that describes the content of your show. Podcast hosts use this to tell the listeners whatever they want about their work. This way, it can be used as a marketing tool that convinces potential listeners to check out the podcast.

Usually, you’ll have to make the title of your podcast catchy and exciting. This limits how much information you can include. The description fills this gap by communicating with your audience while keeping the show title short and sweet.

According to the 2020 Podcast Discovery Survey, the podcast description is the most important element when influencing potential listeners. The survey interviewed around 780 listeners. Out of all the front-facing elements of the podcast, the summary came out as one of the top influences.

The survey highlighted that the description was more important than the artwork, the interview guest, or the presenter.

How to Write a Compelling Podcast Description

So, we’ve covered the significance of a podcast description. But that's only half the journey. To take full advantage of the podcast summary, you'll need to write an interesting one. So let's get into the elements of a compelling podcast description.

Know Your Target Audience

The first part of any marketing strategy is defining your target audience. This will let you know the language or tone you'll need for the best results.

For your podcast, your target audience will depend on your topics of conversation and the intent behind the content. For example, a podcast about running a small business will attract entrepreneurs and business students. Thus, these groups would be the target audience of the podcast.

In some cases, however, the topics are broad. For example, a podcast focusing on comedy and current events would attract all kinds of listeners. In such a case, the target audience would be decided by looking at the demographics of the average listener to find the largest group and use it as a target audience.

Once you know your target audience, you can write a description that speaks to this group. The contents should resonate with their interests. It should also match the tone and language of the people found within such an audience.

For example, a podcast about cars can include phrases that play up its connection to automobiles in its description. In such a scenario, using sentences like ‘Start your engines' or 'Cruise with us through topics like street racing and car detailing’ would make the podcast more attractive to its target audience.

Front-load Your Description

The best podcast descriptions take the listeners' experience into account. In most cases, users will only see a short, truncated version of your description before clicking on it to view more. The amount of text shown varies from one podcast service to another. However, they generally cut it short to around 150 characters and place a ‘read more’ link at the bottom.

You’ll have to rely on the first few sentences of your podcast summary to catch the interest of a potential listener. Thus, you’ll need to front-load the description by placing the most relevant information in the first lines.

Use the Three-sentence Structure

Planning out your first few lines will allow you to create a relevant but interesting description, even when viewed in a truncated form. Using a three-sentence structure is one way to plan this writing out.

The three-sentence structure allows efficient use of space while keeping the material engaging.

The first sentence should detail info that your listeners already agree with or believe is true. Doing so creates a connection with your potential listener by presenting common ground. If their first impression of your show is positive, they will instantly feel connected to the content. A simple way to ensure that they feel this connection is to acknowledge one of your target audience's problems.

Here are a few examples:

These statements address an issue that the show's target audience would experience. The first example is perfect for a podcast show about working women or modern motherhood. The second example would be an ideal first sentence for a podcast centered on starting an online business or digital marketing.

The statements in your first sentence don’t need to be true to everyone. They only need to be true to your target audience.

In your second sentence, let the listeners know what they expect to hear in your episodes. You can use it to provide the show's synopsis, highlight your upload schedule, let them know about the show’s format, or introduce the host and show-makers.

Here are two examples that build on the earlier sentences:

For your third sentence, include your keywords and tell the readers who the show targets. This way, you've optimized your description for searches, and you've communicated that you'll meet the needs of your target audience.

For example:

Each episode has essential tips for online paid advertising, driving traffic, or establishing a brand identity online.

Keep It Short and Sweet

The average podcast description is 243 characters long. That means that you can find success even while keeping it short. Just because your preferred podcast platform allows thousands of characters does not mean that you have to use them all.

Many potential listeners will skip a description that looks too long. Remember to front-load the most important facts in the first few lines, and you'll avoid dragging the description on for too long. Remember to include SEO by adding searchable details to the description.

Podcast Description Examples

Now that we've broken it down sentence by sentence, creating a great podcast description is simple. We've put together a few templates using the examples we covered above to make things even easier for you. So let’s put the sentences we worked on together to see how the final products read.

All you'll have to do is change some of the wording and include the details of your show!

Conclusion

Using our formula, you will create a clear and unique podcast description that will expand your audience and hook new listeners.

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