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Sample Podcast Intro and Outro Script

Stephanie Murphy, Voice Actor

Sample Podcast Intro and Outro Script

Copyright: annatigra / 123RF Stock Photo

Open-Source Script Templates for Podcast Intro and Outro

Are you starting a podcast, and want to give it a professional sound? A professionally produced podcast intro and outro is a great place to start, and can really make your show stand out from the crowded field of other podcasts.

But what are the secrets of a great podcast intro?

Hi, I’m Stephanie Murphy. I’m a professional Voice Actor, and I’ve produced thousands of podcasts and hundreds of podcast intro/outros. More importantly, I started out as a podcast fan. I’ve been listening to podcasts since the very beginning of the medium. The first one I really got into was back in 2004. Podcasts are what inspired me to start my own show in 2008, and then to make a major career change in 2013 and become a full time voice actor. So, I know a thing or two about what ingredients make up an awesome podcast intro!

If you are starting a podcast and feeling stuck on writing a script for your show’s intro and outro, I hope you find this post helpful! I also want to let you know that I’m available for podcast intro and podcast ad production (you can contact me right through this post.)

A great podcast intro has several elements:

  1. It’s short and sweet.

    Try to keep your podcast intro content under 30 seconds, or 75 words – and the shorter the better. Most listeners only listen for about 10 – 15 seconds to decide if they want to keep listening further, and if you lose them in that first few seconds, they may tune out for good. Don’t let the intro music play too long, and don’t ramble on in your intro script – it’s just an appetizer for the main course of the actual show.

  2. It says what the podcast is about in a way that keeps the listener’s engagement.

    In your intro, don’t worry about explaining what the show is about in great detail. The key here is to build excitement and give the listener a taste of what they’re going to be getting if they listen to the whole show – and if you want folks to stay tuned, your job is also to make sure that your listeners are getting something that will be valuable for them to spend their precious time and attention on, so that they keep coming back over and over again!

  3. It builds excitement about the show

    Engaging music and a great, memorable voiceover will uplift the listener’s mood and get them excited for what they’re about to hear! If you’re going to offer information that can help your listeners learn something new, or if you’re going to entertain them with amazing comedy – sell it up front in the intro! Tease what you’re offering – but only a little bit, so that you pay the tease before the listener loses interest and moves on.

  4. It contains catchy music, and a great and memorable voiceover.

    Your podcast intro is something that you and your listeners are going to be hearing over… and over… and over again. Make sure it’s perfect and awesome! Podcast is a very intimate medium, and listeners form a personal connection not only with the host, but also with the intro voiceover. Let your intro start that authentic connection flowing right up front.

    Choose a voice for your intro voiceover that fits with your audience and easily makes a connection with them somehow. For example, I’ve been hired to produce podcast intros about women in business, yoga and spirituality, continuing education, parenthood and breastfeeding, self-help, and other topics where my voice matches well with the podcast listener demographics. In other words – choose someone who would listen to your podcast to voice the intro to your podcast!

  5. Follow your intro up with an awesome outro.

    A podcast outro is where you have the chance to capitalize on the awesome listening experience your audience just had. Now is your opportunity to close with a call to action, and to make a request to stay connected with your listeners through whatever way is most convenient for them. In your podcast outro, you might do any of the following:

    – Give information about where to find links and show notes (your website)
    – Thank your sponsors (ex, this show is made possible by our company, providing a relevant service which you can find out more about at…)
    – Pitch your Patreon page or membership area
    – Ask your listener to subscribe to your podcast feed
    – Encourage the listener to sign up for your email list – you’ll probably want to offer another special gift or incentive for those who choose to subscribe
    – Build excitement about your next show by teasing a future show topic, or ending with something like, “Be sure to tune in every Friday for new episodes!”
    – Something cute, authentic, and memorable can build connection with the listener – a funny tagline, a geniune thanks for tuning in

    Just be sure not to overwhelm the listener with ALL of these requests and calls to action. Pick one to three of the most important action items. You might even make a few different podcast outros and rotate them, with different calls to action in each one.


Here is where you can find my open source templates for your podcast intro and outro scripts!

Plug in your show name, host name, and details here.

Intro Option 1 (10 – 30 seconds):
Welcome to [Name of the podcast]!
A podcast about [pithy description of your show or a tagline.]
[One sentence that goes more in depth about what the podcast covers. For example, something like “Each week, we deliver the best hard hitting analysis of industry news.”]
Now here’s your host, [name, ex. “Joe Shmoe!”]

Intro Option 2 (5 – 10 seconds):
You’re listening to the [Name of your podcast] Podcast, the show that brings you [cute, short tagline.] With your host, [Host]!”

Intro Option 3 (5 – 10 seconds):
A skit – maybe a conversation between two characters, the host as a character doing something, part of a serialized story – get creative!

Outro (30 seconds – 1:00):
Thanks for joining us this week on [name of the podcast!]
[Calls to action.]  For example:
“Make sure to visit our website, [name of your website], where you can subscribe to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or via RSS so you’ll never miss a show. While you’re at it, if you found value in this show we’d appreciate a rating on iTunes – or if you’d simply tell a friend about the show, that would help us out too. If you liked this show you might want to check out our eBook, [title of the book]. [Host] is available for private coaching.” etc. etc.
   *Pick one to three of your most important calls to action for the outro. If you have more than two to spotlight, it may be appropriate to make a middle bumper that goes in a break in the middle of the show prompting listeners to subscribe, rate/review your podcast, buy your book or product, etc. 
Be sure to tune in [next week or however often the podcast is released] for our next episode.
[Signoff]
   *The signoff could be your tagline again, or something else cute, short, and memorable. 
Bonus: The Midroll Bumper (5 – 30 seconds):

 

You can add a middle bumper or “midroll” advertisement or promo to your podcast.

If your midroll is spotlighting one of your own calls to action instead of a sponsor, something like this might work:

“Like what you hear so far? Make sure you never miss a show by clicking the “subscribe” button now. This podcast is made possible by listeners like you – thank you for your support. Now back to the show!”

“Want a free guide to secrets of [podcast topic?] Head on over to [landing page] and subscribe to our email list to have it delivered right to your inbox!”

If your midroll is highlighting a sponsor, your sponsor may supply the copy themselves. If not, stay tuned here for a future blog post about writing copy for podcast ads.



There are so many possibilities of what your podcast intro/outro/bumpers could sound like, it’s really up to you and there is no right or wrong. As a final guideline, just make sure your podcast intro and outro are authentic. They should match the overall tone of your podcast and set the expectation for what the listener is going to get when they listen to your show – and get them excited!  And finally, if you’re still feeling stuck, I would suggest listening to some other podcasts that you like to get ideas about how to create your own podcast intro and outro.
Best of luck with your show!


Have you written your podcast intro and outro scripts and are now ready to hire me to produce your podcast intro and outro? Great! Contact me right below.
Check out my demos here.

 

 

10 Responses

  1. Thank you so much for this knowledge! I’ve been in Radio broadcasting, production, and VO (local spots when I was a Production Assistant). I instruct Imaging and really appreciate this article. I love imaging and am always looking for new ways to get the message across – also, it’s new information for myself! I appreciate this so much! You’re great. I work at a Broadcast School right now, and have many aspiring production and VO students and grads!

  2. Grace says:

    Thank you very much. I am begining a podcast and this content has been helpful.

  3. Conscious Cray says:

    Thank you for sharing your experience and great suggestions and tips!

  4. Chipo says:

    Thank you so much for this great information. I was stuck on how to write my intro and outro.
    I think we have similar background and that was comforting.
    I will be back. Thank you. Chipo

  5. SannahHale says:

    Thank you for these!!!! It’s very helpful and I learned a lot from your tips and I also used 2 of your open source template it that’s okay with you??

  6. Christine lotsu says:

    Thank you so much! This was so helpful

  7. Joy says:

    I recently started a podcast and I appreciate your clear insight on the midroll bumper as a way to add in another Call to Action. Thank you!!

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