A compelling podcast description can be why someone chooses to listen to your show or click away. For that reason, it’s important to come up with an attention-grabbing description that makes your audience want to listen.
Plus, a well-written podcast description doesn’t only help you get more podcast downloads, it can also help with SEO. If you want your podcast to grow to as many listeners as possible, a key part of the process is learning how to craft descriptions that drive listeners.
What is a podcast description?
A podcast description is a summary of what your podcast is about. It explains the main idea of your podcasts and any themes or goals the podcast might revolve around.
A podcast description makes it so that potential listeners know exactly what to expect if they choose to tune in.
Why a great podcast description is important
What value will they get for investing their time listening to your podcast? What will they learn?
It’s questions like these that your potential audience is looking to answer when they’re reading your podcast description. That’s why it’s important to give some thought to what your description should be.
The importance of writing a great podcast description is two-fold: You let your audience know what makes your podcast worth listening to and it can also help with SEO if you include keywords your target audience is searching for.
Your podcast description appears on all the platforms that host it. That means it can appear on platforms like apple podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher.
The difference between a podcast description and a podcast summary
Episode descriptions are often referred to as podcast summaries. Here’s how it differs from podcast descriptions:
Podcast description: The overarching description for your whole podcast show. Think of it as a blurb that dives into everything you need to know about the show.
Podcast summary: This refers to the summary assigned to individual podcast episodes. Just like you would include show notes, a possible transcription, and a podcast title for individual episodes, you would also add a podcast summary so listeners can familiarize themselves with each episode’s main idea.
What makes a good podcast description?
With a few key elements in mind, you’ll be well on your way to writing a solid podcast description. One of the top podcasts in the world—The Daily—uses its podcast summary to tell you exactly what to expect.
Another great example? Pod Save America, yet another popular podcast with over four stars and thousands of ratings, sums up their podcast show with this quick summary:
In the same way, you can create a podcast summary that doesn’t mince words. Let’s look at what it takes to create one.
Start with a strong hook
The first sentence of your podcast summary should draw your audience in. Why should they keep reading about your podcast? What’s in your podcast for them? Going along with The Daily’s example from earlier, their first sentence is a brilliant example of a hook: “This is what the news should sound like.”
Spend some time brainstorming a hook as the first part of your summary. Once you’ve compelled your audience to keep reading. You have to keep them reading, which is where clarity comes in.
Take a page from the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. The first sentence pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading because of its appeal to emotion.
“After 25 years at the Late Night desk, Conan realized that the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him.”
Always aim for clarity
It’s better to write a podcast description that’s clear and short than one that’s long and hard to understand. When you’re writing your podcast description, clarity is your best friend. Aim for simple phrasing and short sentences. Write in an active voice over a passive one.
Maintenance Phase has one of the clearest and to the point podcasts descriptions to pull inspiration from. Though short, it tells its intended audience exactly what it’s about.
“Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and nonsensical nutrition advice.”
Include keywords
Search engine optimization is a step in the podcast description writing process you don’t want to overlook. It doesn’t have to be a difficult process either. To make sure your podcast is found by as many new listeners as possible, include the most common keywords within it.
Name your hosts (if it’s relevant to the show)
Maybe your hosts are known (or want to be known by associating their name with the podcast). A podcast description is a great place to add a sentence or two on who hosts the podcast. Drawing from an earlier example, Pod Save America starts off its podcast by naming its hosts.
Add your publishing schedule
A podcast description is also a great place to add your publishing schedule. Do you publish a new show every Wednesday and Friday? Let your potential audience know! Besides being a good way to set expectations, clearly displaying your publishing schedule helps you increase listenership.
The podcast show Call Her Daddy is a great example of this. Its podcast description tells audiences they can expect a new show every Wednesday.
Pay attention to length
A podcast summary’s length matters. If you make it too long, it’ll be cut off by certain platforms and you risk losing potential listeners. Yet make it too short and you’ll risk not hooking your audience in.
As a general guideline, consider that Apple’s podcast description limit is around 4,000 characters.
Add a call-to-action
It isn’t required for all podcast descriptions to include a call-to-action. But as far as enticing your audience to tune in, adding a call-to-action in your show description can help your new listeners take action.
A call-to-action can be as easy as adding “tune in every Wednesday for more podcasting tips.” While it doesn’t have to be fancy, your CTA does have to be clear.
Speak in your audience’s language
Podcast descriptions don’t have to be stuffy textbook paragraphs. They can address your target audience directly and use words they would use. Besides upping the relatability factor by meeting your audience where it’s at, using their language also makes your podcast human.
Podcast Call Your Girlfriend does a great job of this with a short and concise description.
How to write enticing podcast descriptions (with examples)
You know what it takes to write a podcast description that catches your audience’s attention and puts your show in the best light. But hey, sometimes, you do need a little help brainstorming a podcast description from scratch.
This is where AI can be your best friend. Let’s walk through three examples of writing podcast descriptions with Jasper AI.
Example 1: Write a podcast description for a comedy show
You’re hosting a comedy podcast but you’re at a loss for words. This is where Jasper’s dashboard can draft a few different descriptions for you once you’ve entered a few details—like what your paragraph is about, the keywords you want to include, and the tone of voice you want your description in.
Jasper will output many ideas at once under its Output feature.
The results? We love the second option:
“Comedy is a universal language. It warms our hearts, tickles our funny bones, and maybe even makes us think a little bit. That's why we're excited to announce our new comedy podcast show! Every Thursday and Monday, we'll be releasing new episodes packed with laughter and good vibes. Whether you're taking a break from work or just need a little pick-me-up, our show is here for you. So tune in, kick back, and enjoy the fun!”
Pro tip: Want some feedback on your newly created podcast description from other copywriters like you? Join the Jasper community to get access to an active community of writers and share your description.
Example 2: Write a podcast description for a sports show
Let’s say we want to write a podcast description for a sports show. We want to create a description with a more serious tone that includes the keywords:
- Scoreboard
- Sports
- Weekly episodes
Here’s one of the podcast description suggestions we got from Jasper:
“Sports fans rejoice! There's finally a sports podcast that's just as dedicated to sports as you are. Scoreboard is a weekly podcast that covers all the latest sports news, from basketball to football to golf. But Scoreboard doesn't just rehash the same old sports stories that you've already heard on the nightly news. Each episode features in-depth interviews with athletes, coaches, and sports reporters, giving listeners an inside look at the world of sports. So whether you're a die-hard sports fan or just looking for something new to listen to, be sure to check out Scoreboard.
Example 3: Write a podcast description for a parenting show
For our third example, we want to generate a description about a parenting show that releases new episodes every Thursday. Here’s what we got:
“Looking for a gentle parenting podcast? Look no further than The Gentle Parenting Podcast! New episodes are released every Thursday, and each one is packed with information and advice on how to raise happy, healthy children. Whether you're dealing with tantrums or teenage angst, you'll find useful tips and insights on The Gentle Parenting Podcast. And because the hosts are gentle parents themselves, you can be sure that the advice is based on personal experience. So if you're looking for a gentle parenting resource, be sure to check out The Gentle Parenting Podcast!”
Pro tip: You don’t have to take the generated content as the end result. Be sure to tweak it and modify it further so it really sounds like your podcast and the brand you’re trying to build.
How to write a good podcast description using AI
So, what makes a great podcast description? In our experience, it’s all about clarity. You want to make sure that potential listeners can understand what your show is about at a glance.
But you also want to come across as human - after all, people are more likely to trust someone they feel like they know. And finally, remember that your podcast description should always reflect the theme of your show.
Ready to give it a try? Start with Jasper Bootcamp here and learn to craft attention-grabbing podcast descriptions.
