Everybody loves new listeners! That’s what we’re here for. But, not everybody makes it EASY for new listeners to find you, and arguably more importantly, to stay with you.
When we create something – a podcast, story, movie, anything at all – we want people to witness it. However, creator bias can sometimes make it hard to make our content welcoming to ALL audiences.
This month, we’ll be talking about what you can do to make your podcast easy for new listeners to find, follow, and fall in love with. From specific trailers to crafting intros and outros, we’ll cover the nuances of seeming like old friends without gatekeep-y inside jokes.
If you only have time for one thing…
Please state what your podcast is about, who the hosts are, and why this show exists at the beginning of every single episode. You never know where a listener might decide to start from!
🌚 Cover Your Bases
Forgive me for repeating these basics – you probably already know everything I’m about to say here. But, I simply had to make sure these were covered.
Make sure your podcast is available on all podcast listening platforms (here’s a list of all podcast directories from Buzzsprout)
Make a trailer (here’s how to make a good one)
Spotify allows you to pin an episode to the top of the podcast page. I recommend pinning your trailer!
Ensure you have excellent sound – bad audio is an instant turnoff
Okay this one’s a tough one buuuut – if your podcast has two or more hosts, please remember that the conversation is between you and the listener; not just you. The number of podcasts that I’ve tuned out of because I didn’t feel welcome in are too many to count in one hand. I could give a lot of ideas on how to go about this but it all comes down to one thing – give context where you can!
Two podcasts I love that do this whole ‘hosts who are old friends but make listeners feel like a part of their friendship are’ – That Aged Well and Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
🌓 Your Intro Matters
The first 60 seconds of each of your episodes are a major deciding factor in what a new listener feels about you. In each of your episodes! It’s not just your first episode or trailer that should be made with a new listener in mind; it’s every single episode. You never know which one a current listener might share with a friend!
Here’s a few must-dos for your intro to make every new listener feel welcome:
State what your podcast is about
State the full name of the host(s), and why they are suited to make this show. Or why they are interested in this subject matter!
Give new (and all) listeners a preview of what to expect in the upcoming episode
You can even have a message specifically for new listeners. Something like: “If you’re new here, we recommend you start with XYZ episode.” That way you can get them to start with an episode that you think best represents your podcast!
🌗 People Do Listen to Outros
A lot of people, myself included, do actually listen to outros. Especially if the episode was emotionally or even comedically intense; listeners need a little cool down before moving on. There’s a few simple things you can do to make new listeners feel seen, even in the outros.
Here’s some ideas I had:
Credit your team! New (and old) listeners love knowing who was involved in the making of the episode
Direct them to other episodes. You could say: “If you enjoyed this, you should definitely check out our episode on XYZ.”
Ask them to share with a friend! Lauren always recommends saying something like: “Text this to a friend who needs to hear this,” or something of the sort
Again, you can acknowledge the new listeners by directly asking them – “If you’re a new listener, tell us how you found this show by emailing XYZ or leaving us a review.”
I’ve barely scratched the surface here. We’ve got a whole issue dedicated to crafting intros and outros for new listeners. Stay tuned for that!
🌝 Don’t Ignore Your Metadata
We love talking about the importance of metadata over here. We’ve even written a whole issue about optimizing it! When it comes to new listeners, metadata is especially important.
Might I suggest you:
Ensure your cover art is updated on your website, social media, and everywhere else you might be present
Pay attention to your show and episode description – make sure that it actually reflects who you are
Remember to update it frequently to reflect any changes in your podcast’s tone and voice
Add your Full Page and Show Hero art on Apple Podcasts (here’s how and why, as told by Apple)
Have transcripts available! Make your show accessible to ALL audiences. Please do it. Thanks.
✨ A Few Creative Ideas
So many podcasts make it very easy for new listeners to find and fall in love with them. Here’s but a few:
I LOVE a good quiz! Famous Gravy has a Dead or Alive quiz that’s a great way to tell listeners what the show is about, and why they need to listen to it. Lingthusiasm, which has a hefty archive, has a quiz to help listeners decide which episode to start with!
Speaking of archives, Twenty Thousand Hertz actually has their archival episodes arranged by emotion! On their website, you can filter according to what you feel like listening to.
Shoutout to the What Went Wrong website, which has episodes bucketed into genres. (Emperor’s New Groove and Twister are in the same category which makes a lot of sense to me!)
Welcome to Night Vale, which has been around for more than ten years, has a Start Here page to help new (and often overwhelmed) listeners find their way!
The Memory Palace’s website has a “Play a Random Episode” button since their episodes can be listened to in no particular order.
I hope that sets you up with ideas and checklists to make your episodes accessible to new listeners. Let me know if you have any questions!
✨ More Magic
Tink, very proudly, does not use AI in the generation of any content. This does not seem radical to us but, it might to many people. Lauren Passell, our CEO and podcast fairy god-aunt, spoke about how and why we do this on the podcast Stories and Strategies.
Ayo Oti, friend of Tink and writer of Sounds Like Impact, is working on a very noble project she’d love your support on. She is supporting Wilhemina Simone, a filmmaker in her 20s who is working on her debut feature film, an experimental documentary called Your Pain Was Born Here. Ayo describes it as “a journey across five European countries exploring the Black narrative beyond the American identity. It is a coming-of-age story and a love letter to the Black diaspora.” Would you consider supporting them by donating to their Kickstarter campaign? 💜 Thank you!
Studio Ochenta, yet another friend of Tink, launched bilingual (English & Spanish) podcasting workshops for kids aged 8-15. The class is 'Learn-from-anywhere', all kids need is a phone and access to a laptop.
Congratulations to Lauren Passell, Anne Baird, and Holly Brown for getting selected to speak at Podcast Movement Dallas 2025! If you’re going to be there, let us know and we’ll come say hello!
🎧 From the Desk of Tink
I’m SO happy to share that I’m Feeling Queer Today! has returned with a third season. The podcast about queer youth experience in America embarked on an interesting road trip for this season – they’re travelling to non-coastal towns to document the queer youth experience there. The entire season is guided by one question – What is it like to be an LGBTQ+ person where you live? From an LGBTQ+ youth center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to a joyful haven for both religious and secular queers in Provo, Utah—the stories are surprising, nuanced, and deeply personal.
That’s all, folks! Next week, Wil returns with some more podcast marketing magic. ✨
Stay hydrated out there!
💜 Shreya
This was so helpful! Thank you, Shreya. You’ve given me some great ideas for helping my listeners find more of the episodes that will be most useful for them.