How a strong podcast episode structure will win more listeners

I’m going to share some podcast format tips. How to structure a podcast may be one of the most daunting aspects of your podcast launch. It’s something that seems to give a lot of people I speak with the biggest headache. You know what you want to say but how do you format it? I struggled with the same thing when getting this website built, it’s a natural phase of any production.

Most of the podcasts I work on are interview-based, so this is what I have in mind when sharing these tips. This is just my opinion on what helps a podcast easier to listen to. Many podcasters don’t do these things and may have very good reasons for it.

Pre-Intro & Teaser

This is where you usually hear theme music (if applicable), something that establishes the show. For most interview podcasts I work on I like to choose an engaging “teaser” clip to open the show, this will give the listener a flavour of the guest and what they will be discussing. My go-to length for these clips is 15-20 seconds.

The Intro

This is your first chance to speak directly to your listener in any episode and a key moment. Here I have uploaded some podcast intro examples to help you follow these tips better.

If you are using a stock intro (same recording or script for each episode) make it as short as possible (10 seconds), a good stock intro usually goes over your theme music and will include the name of the show and a very brief synopsis of what the show is about. It’s cool to use this at the start of every episode but only if it’s short. Recurring listeners don’t want to hear the same 1-minute spiel at the start of each episode, don’t give them a reason to go to the skip button this early on.

Don’t use any cliche or jargon phrases like “without further adieu”, “welcome along” or “jam-packed show” and don’t speak to your audience as a collective, avoid saying things like “Hello Listeners”. Speak to your audience as if they are your friend and you’re meeting them for a coffee, it’s much more relatable.

Here is an example of a pre-intro combined with a stock intro from The First 10 Podcast. After this the host Conor spends 30/40 seconds doing a specific intro about the guest.

Keep any episode specific intros short (approx. 30/40 seconds). Don’t detail every little thing that is coming up, instead tease 1-3 key reasons why the listener will benefit from being here or maybe something really impressive about the guest.

Don’t give a detailed background on the guest. I hear this a lot, the host gives a detailed background on the guest and then you hear it again from the guest in the main interview. The listener is subjected to hearing essentially the same thing twice.

Below is a sample of a well constructed pre intro, coming up clip and guest specific intro by one of our Podcast partners, Amy Stephenson of The Human CEO Podcast. I love the simplicity of it and just 1 in minute the guest has been introduced:

How to start a Podcast interview

Avoid asking “tell me about yourself” as your first question. This is a question most people dread. Think about how it feels to be asked that as the first question in a job interview. It’s also boring for a listener. Start with something impactful and specific, give the listener something immediately.

This will involve a little bit of planning and research before you do the interview. Speak to the guest beforehand or dig into their bio and find something that grabs you about them or what they have achieved.

“You’ve gone from zero to 100 hundred customers in just 1 year, tell me how you got that very first customer”

This is a defined starting point, it includes something impressive that the guest has achieved and the answer is going to be valuable to the listener. 

Listen to how Gary Fox from The Entrepreneur Experiment evokes immediate interest and value from his first question and think about how much more interesting this is for a listener, compared to “Tell me about yourself”

The Main Podcast Interview

Try and lighten the mood before the chat to loosen the guest up and put them at ease. 

Keep it natural/conversational – A listener essentially wants to be a fly on the wall of a real chat so let the conversation flow. There will be an element of preparation, you may have questions ready but the chat should never sound like you have a list of questions. If the conversation goes elsewhere naturally, let it, even if it's completely off topic! 

Leaving in mistakes or random occurrences is not always bad, it makes the whole experience real and relatable. Don’t worry about sounding polished, you will naturally get better at hosting the more you do it. 

Again, Don’t use cliche or jargon phrases that you think a tv chat show host might use, speak as you would to a friend you are meeting for a coffee. Be authentically you! 

Inserts and Calls to Action

Use inserts to break up a long chat. This is another chance for you to speak directly to your listener. This is a time when you can sell a product, get your listener to do something for you, let the listener learn more about you or just get creative. This is also a good spot for sponsors if you’re lucky enough to have one!

Avoid doing this at either the start or the end of an episode. You should not be asking something of your listener too early, and by the end, they may have tuned out, so a break in the middle is the perfect spot. Try to keep them no longer than 1 minute and use them no more than every 20 minutes.

Using the coffee shop analogy again, if you were meeting someone for a coffee to ask them a favour, you wouldn’t come straight out with it, nor would it be the very last thing you say to them. You’d buy them a coffee first (give THEM something first), then ask them how they are and some way into the meeting you’d ask the favour.

Package inserts with music so that it separates them from the main body of the podcast.

Below is a sample of what can work for an insert. The Project Podcast hosted by Kenny, who asks for a review and offers a giveaway. What works really well about this is the tone of voice, listen to how personable and naturally he delivers, he speaks to YOU like you are a friend.

The Outro

Don’t place huge value on an outro.

How often do you watch until the very end of the credits on your favourite TV shows?

Once goodbyes are said in an interview, the listener is preparing to turn off, it’s a natural end of the story arc. Just like when the credits roll on TV. You only have a very short window of their attention left so get out of the episode fast. Don’t recap or ramble without good reason. Keep it short and snappy and give the listener a reason to come back or simply say thanks and goodbye and use your theme music.