Video trailers are new in podcasting – so what are they? And do you need them for your own show?
In a world of audio-obsessives, video is still a debated topic. For some, video podcasts are still a big taboo. But if you ask us, video is a key way you can ensure discoverability of your show. After all, is there any point in putting in loads of effort, time and money into something that ultimately won’t be discovered by your ideal audience? We think not.
And that’s where video trailers can come in. Video trailers are quickly becoming a good way to build anticipation and excitement for your audiences. By using a trailer, a viewer sees 4-5 of the podcast’s best bits, which gives you a higher chance of striking on a point they’re passionate about or interested in.
For new listeners, they can of course be an amazing discoverability tool. However you’re likely to have a number of existing followers who are occasional listeners of your show. If a great video appears in their feed it’s a way to remind them to re-engage and make it more likely for them to click when they see your show in their podcast app.
Here’s what we’ve learned to to make your video trailers even more enticing:
- Make Them Short
The video trailer of your podcast should absolutely be all about audience anticipation. That means you want the trailer to sit under the 60 second mark. Make it too long and you could give away too much of the episode. The aim is to excite, rather than give stand alone content, something you might normally do in a post published clip.
A good example of a breaking news clip from The Daily Mail show we are working on, ‘Straight to the Comments.’
- Make Them Catchy
You really want people to watch your short social clips at least 1.5 times (so a loop and half) – this tells the algorithm its got value. That means you need something that will intrigue your audience. It could be a question, a hilarious moment, some breaking news… you need to keep the viewer interested. It also helps if the end of the clip and the beginning matches – so a viewer doesn’t realise they’ve started a loop.
- Make Them Flashy (within reason)
The video trailer for each of your episodes, or the whole show, need to have the same style and feel as your audio feed. If you have an upbeat personality running the show, make sure you are making the cuts sharp, snappy and at the end of the day – attractive! If, on the other hand, it’s a serious podcast – don’t opt for high-energy music just because that’s what’s trending. Make the videos beautiful and shareable, but also stick to what you know your audience will find engaging and appropriate for your content.
Another great example is our video trailer from The Daily Mail show, ‘Everything I Know About Me’
- Make Them Listen
When you are creating the video, make sure to always include a CTA somewhere on your clip. This could be a podcast square or even a spoken CTA too (for example, Help I Sexted My Boss do a great job of it) – but do always mention where listeners can find and follow your show. A viewer should understand its a podcast – it’s amazing how many clips don’t mention that.
- Make Them Consistent
Once you have zeroed-in on your video style for the trailers, don’t keep changing it. You want the show to be instantly recognisable across all social channels. You will want to use the same fonts, colours and any animation styles consistently throughout your socials – this will help build your podcast’s identity.