How to Make a Killer YouTube Podcast Episode Intro

“If they don’t click, they don’t watch” — MrBeast.

This principle for thumbnails also applies for the intros for YouTube videos. If they don’t watch the intro, mostly likely they don’t watch the rest of the video neither.

In our case of video podcasts episodes, this gets tricky because the episode is already recorded. So unless the beginning of an episode grabs attention right away, you need to work on these first seconds.

Last week, I broke down 4 mistakes that ruin your YouTube podcast episodes intros.

The formula below is based on Aprilynne Alter’s excellent video on how to make a killer YouTube intro (which I highly recommend to watch) and intros that I’ve seen on YouTube podcasts that I watch.

Let’s dive in.

1) Thumbnail and title

If you haven’t read it yet, I broke down what you need for the thumbnails of your podcast episodes in this previous newsletter issue. But here’s a short summary of the bare minimum you need:

• a subtle background to make the next elements stand out;

• a photo of your guest to make it obvious that they are on a podcast;

• a quote (or shorter version) that your guest said during the episode to build curiosity;

• a title that complements the thumbnail and possibly adds more intrigue.

Have took at this thumbnail and this title (from Jay Clouse’s YouTube channel):

Blurry library in the background, a guest who seems to be explaining something, a microphone, a quote. Clearly, this is a thumbnail for a podcast episode.

I picked this example because here the quote cannot do the heavy lifting alone. “No one is doing this”. Fine, but what’s hidden behind the word “this”? So you read the title and it hits you. She’s built a $100M online education empire.

And that’s why 83,000+ people (including me) got curious enough to click and discover what she does that no one else does.

2) Hook

The first seconds of your video – let’s say the first ten ones – are those that everybody sees after clicking on your video’s thumbnail.

And because the thumbnail and title hooked these viewers, the best way to hook them for the video is to stick to the topic. Have a look at the thumbnail and title below (from Colin and Samir’s YouTube channel):

The thumbnails says ”if this flops, I’m done”. Viewers click, skip some ads. Then the video starts and they see MrBeast saying:

« If this flips and people don’t like it, then it’s like “oh he’s just a youtuber”. Yeah! That’s not just the reality and I can’t let that happen. »

So as soon as the video starts, this hooks grabs their attention on the same topic that made them click. Now is time to give them enough reasons to stay longer than ten seconds.

3) Build-up

Arguably the most challenging element of your intro.

The goal? Build so much curiosity to make viewers stick around, to get answers for questions left opened on purpose.

So you need a mix of questions from the host, incomplete answers from the guest and some giveaways from the guest. This is exactly what Matt Essam has for the intro of his podcast episode with Jason Squires (find Matt’s YouTube channel here).

Let’s read the full transcript first, then I’ll break it down to you:

– Host: “What are some of the key principles that I need to understand if I'm going to consistently generate 10 inbound inquiries a week through my LinkedIn profile?”

– Guest: “Well we start with the basics which is…”

– Guest: “Qualify as hard as you need to before you give someone the ability to work with you. You are the prize, they are coming to you. They're used to the provider chasing them. And when you kind of flip that…”

– Guest: “Two paths that people take to make a purchase: you're either in their buying process or they're in your sales process. One you can control and one you can't.”

– Guest: “Different processes of how you can transition from a direct message to booking a call; one of the best ways to do this is to use a lead magnet. The particular type of lead magnet is um…”

– Guest: “What I found probably over the last two years, which has kind of really let my stuff go from kind of doing relatively well to really kind of piercing through a very competitive market is…”

First there’s a question from the host at the beginning.

Also viewers get tips that the guest shares with them. For example, qualifying hard turns you into the prize that people want. Later he reminds them that when potential clients are in their sales process, they lead the qualification. He informs them that lead magnets are one of the best ways to go from direct messages to booked calls.

But what makes viewers stick around is what’s left incomplete. If they want to know the basics that generate 10 inbound inquiries every week, they’ll have to watch the episode. If they need to know what type of lead magnet turns direct messages into calls, or what he found to succeed in a competitive market? They’ll have to stick around for those too.

The balance between giveaways and cliffhangers is crucial.

If your intro only contains giveaways, viewers may not find any reasons to stay. If your intro only contains cliffhangers, it may create frustration as you’re not willing to give them anything before the episode starts.

What now?

This is where each podcast seems to have its own way.

Some add a little video that introduces the podcast. Others add an intro face cam of the episode where the host introduces both the topic and the guest. Others read a message from a sponsor.

But if you put yourself in your viewer’s shoes, you realise that jumping right away into it with the first question is the best way to start.

Because as the intro just finished, viewers are excited to get more. So don’t take the risk to let their excitement vanish in thin air.

Until next time,
Happy podcasting.