In this digital era, youths often get attracted to audio-visuals to gather information as it comes in handy and on the move.
It enables them to quickly listen to any topics and discussions they are interested in without spending hours reading articles. Thus, very evidently, podcasts are in trend for the millennial.
Podcasting was first introduced by Adam Curry and Dave Winer in 2004, whereas the term was coined by Ben Hammersley in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper.
Liberated Syndication or Libsyn.com served as the first podcast provider to the world. And presently, there is more than a hundred podcast hosting sites, including Podbean, Soundcloud, Anchor, etc.
What is a Podcast Description?
Now that we have a fair idea of the podcast’s origin; let’s dive into one of the vital components of creating a podcast: Descriptions.
Think about the synopsis you read at the back of a book before buying it. What are the things you look for in the overview?
Maybe a brief description of the storyline, of course without spoilers; the engaging matters of the book; the unfolding of suspense.
Likewise, a podcast description is nothing but that synopsis, and a podcast description is a brief text that describes the show.
According to The Podcast Host, listeners prioritize the podcast description while looking for a new podcast.
Your podcast description will convey the crucial factors involved in creating the same, which could not be communicated through the title of your show alone.
It allows the creator to share the thoughts and purpose with the listeners. It is one of the prime reasons your podcast description needs to be crisp and pleasing.
It’s time to take advantage of this extra feature provided by the podcast hosting sites to enrich your profile and broaden your audience base.
The creator has to turn up with a podcast description and the first episode—the host channels the description to the creator’s RSS feed.
Various podcast directories and applications then collect the circulation feed. But does that mean you cannot revamp your podcast summary if and when needed?
You absolutely can! Podcast descriptions are dynamic, and the modified description will be cycled within a couple of days by your host.
The creators can even pair their podcast summary with appealing episode descriptions before the episode launch. It is one of the many tricks from the magic box that boost your podcast community.
Get started to attract potential listeners who do not know about your creation yet.
Why Should you Care About your Description?
How important is this bunch of words that form a podcast description? Did you ever come across an outstanding podcast whose audience base is morosely low?
Or maybe you are the one struggling with such an unfortunate incident. People read the entire book after they read the synopsis.
Similarly, the podcast description is a critical component of your shows, and the listeners evaluate the description before deciding to be a part of your podcast community.
But numerous creators rush past the description part in a hurry, and they stuff down a variety of keywords to reach the next step.
We understand the thrill of uploading the first episode of your show, but it will be of no use if you cannot stimulate your podcast community.
The Podcast Host ran a survey named 2020 Podcast Discovery Survey, where they took a sample of 780 individuals listening to podcasts presently.
In the survey, the participants were questioned about significant front-facing aspects of a podcast. The participants were asked to grade on a scale of 0 to 10, where ‘0’ is the most minor considered aspect, and ’10’ is the most preferred aspect.
A majority of the sample of 780 participants reported that the podcast description is their preferred aspect while looking for a new podcast.
The second most crucial aspect of the participant is the episode’s title. According to the survey, the podcast’s least essential front-facing aspect is the presenter’s prior exposure.
The following prime reason not to take your podcast description lightly is your RSS feed.
The host circulates your podcast to your RSS feed when you submit your podcast description, and the podcast directories and other applications can sieve it from the feed.
Presenting a poorly formed podcast description is the last thing you want to attract potential listeners to your shows.
However, some of the famous podcast hosting platforms do not include the podcast descriptions—for instance, iTunes.
When iTunes users search by specific topics in the app, Apple networks the presenter’s name, episode names, and podcast names.
The same goes with the popular listening platform, Overcast, as it scans through the terms of the episodes.
On the other hand, Spotify machines differently. They pay extra attention to the podcast descriptions, which is why Spotify is one of the most searched platforms for podcasts.
Creative choice of title for your podcast shows and descriptive titles for each episode plays a pivotal role in engaging the audience. It, in turn, may enhance your position as an artist and keep you ahead of your competitors.
How to Write your Podcast Description?
As evident, the podcast description is one of the crucial components that will determine your show’s fate. Here are the four vital queries your description must address:
Address your target audience
The first thing that the listeners ask is, “Is the show suitable for me?”. Make the description worth their time. Let the listeners get a brief idea about your shows and the episodes you will upload.
You can convince them that your podcast is what they’re looking for by communicating directly with the audience.
The content of your shows
Let your target audience know what you have in stock for them. Tell them exactly how you will cater to their needs through the shows. They must get a hint of the same from the title of the episodes.
It is sometimes advised to alter the podcast description and the uploaded episodes, which helps build suspense and keep the audience engaged.
Introduce yourself
We know the anonymous artists create a lasting impression on their audience. Maintaining anonymity is entirely the creator’s choice, but being detached from the listeners is a significant disadvantage.
While writing the description, try to relate with your audience and communicate about yourself. Try to portray the scenario of shared learning and experience during the journey.
Satisfy their curiosity of expectations
Let the audience have a fair idea of what they will experience in your shows. Report whether you are going to conduct interview sessions as episodes of your show or are be talking to a co-host during the time.
Also, communicate the duration and intervals of your episodes; whether you release episodes daily or weekly; is your podcast broadcasted in seasons.
These are some essential facts you must provide your potential audience beforehand.
The one familiar with your work knows about your content, and they may stick to the very end. But if you want to broaden your podcast community, attract them with such descriptions.
The next big question is, how long should be your podcast description. Most podcasting sites have limited the number of characters for the description.
However, the permitted number of characters exceeds the texts a creator needs to write their description. There is no strict rulebook for the optimum number of words required for your podcast summary.
Going by the industry best practices, it can be stated that four to five sentences are more than enough for it. The attention span of your audience cannot accumulate an enormous paragraph.
They will scroll through the following option, where a crisp and short description is written.
The creators must try to convey the theme of their show to the target audience concisely, without the unnecessary use of flowery vocabulary. Keep in mind the three S’s while forming your description: short, satisfying, and straightforward.
Useful Tips for Writing Podcast Descriptions
Some of the most valuable tips for forming the podcast descriptions for your show are:
Do not ponder into details
The podcast description serves as a bird-view for your target audience. They evaluate the show based on your description.
Avoid lengthy descriptions of details of the episodes. You can provide the teasers of your episodes through the podcast show notes feature.
The podcast show notes feature is available on most of the hosting platforms. Make the correct use of your description box.
Using search-friendly keywords
Please do not make it challenging for your audience to find you. While writing a description for your show, try to keep it simple. Use friendly keywords.
Writing user-friendly keywords will escalate the chances of your performance coming at the beginning of the search result on various podcast directories and applications.
Decode the content
People mostly tend to avoid things that look difficult to decode. If you leave behind a vague description, the chances are that the audience will never click the play button.
Thus, go a short explanation of your shows beforehand. Your target audience should target your performance.
Explain concisely
Include the crucial information regarding your show in an efficient way. There is no point stuffing the keywords, and the flow should be fluent and readable by the users.
Flowery sentences and complicated sentences are a major turnoff for the audience.
Introduce a unique idea
We are aware of the competition in every aspect. So, why should your audience choose your show? Please give them a good reason.
Be creative with your basic idea, but avoid putting forward a complicated scenario. Most users play podcasts to get motivated, listen to soothing words, and get inspired. Help them with simplicity.
Closing Thoughts
The first line of your podcast description should be relatable to your target base. You can start by stating a simple question; for instance, “Are you looking for the long-lost urge to work out in the morning?”
Once you establish this quick rapport with them, plunge into the theme and frequency of the episodes in the second sentence.
For example, “Join us to train your mind to remain determined with our fitness expert, Mr. X, and learn new tactics every week.”
After the presenter of the show and the frequency are disclosed, nudge your target audience. In the final sentence, explain who should keep track of your episodes.
For instance, “If you want to get out of your bed and get charged up every morning for your 9 to 5 routine, do not miss an episode!” That is how you wrap up the description. Leave the reader longing for more.
So, now you are finally ready to jot down your podcast description.