5 Lessons Learned for Producing Your Best Podcast or YouTube Trailer

Unpopular opinion: If you're not ready to produce a trailer, you're not yet prepared to launch your podcast or YouTube channel.

Your trailer is an opportunity to tell your prospective audience what they can expect from your content and how they'll benefit from it. It's critical that you can identify who these people are and articulate your value proposition to them. Producing a trailer is a great way to help you define that before launching your podcast or channel, or your next season/year.

The trouble is that producing a good trailer can be a real challenge precisely because it forces you to define an "elevator pitch" that can be delivered quickly (ideally, about 1 to 1.5 minutes).

That's hard to do, especially when you're just starting. So here are five lessons I've learned from producing four trailers so far (three for my podcast plus one for YouTube) to help you out.

1. Get It Done

Your first trailer won't be your best one. But you can't let that stop you from creating one. Let go of perfectionism, draft a script as best you can, hit record, and publish. Then, apply all the lessons you learn from that process to your next one.

I did that with my first trailer for season one of my podcast. It's certainly not perfect, but it launched my show, gave me a quick clip I could share with others, and helped me figure out how to improve this type of content in the future.

If I had tried to perfect it, I might still be working on it.

2. But Don't Rush It

Although you want to avoid perfectionism, you shouldn't rush the process. By that, I mean don't feel you can't take an extra day or two, or even a week, to let things sit, get feedback from others, and fix easily fixable issues.

I've made this mistake with a couple of my trailers, which would have benefited from more thought and review. For example, I now see that the Season 1 and 2 trailer thumbnails tell you very little about the season's theme or why you should click on it. If I had taken the time to get feedback, one of my buddies indeed would have pointed this out to me.

It's a balance because there's always more you could do. The point is just to slow down a little, recognizing your trailer's potential value as a promotional tool—if you do it to the best of your ability.

3. Present a Vision for Your Ideal Audience

One of the best things your trailer can do for your show is signal to your ideal audience that this show is for them. Don't worry that offering a specific vision will cause people to opt out. Unless you give some people a reason to opt in, they will do that anyway.

I got this part right in my Season 2 podcast trailer, which focused on a specific theme: "The Quest for the Silver Play Button." By telling people I would be focusing on YouTube, I helped attract an audience attuned to that theme.

Result: This had a positive impact on YouTube, where my views have increased (I think) partly because the audience and algorithm got a better sense of what my podcast/channel is about (as I produced more content around a specific theme).

4. Answer WIFM Question for the Listener/Viewer

Beyond focusing on a specific theme, you must also let your listener/viewers know "what's in it for me" (WIFM). Especially online, there is a multitude of competing options for your audience's time. So, as content creators, we have to fight for that attention by having a clear message about what the value will be for someone who does choose to spend their time with your show.

I managed to incorporate this into my very first YouTube channel trailer. Part of the reason is that I didn't get hung up on the idea that the "offer" had to be earth-shattering. That will just keep you stuck. Do the best you can with what you can do at the time, keeping in mind that having some reason is better than no reason and that having something that answers this question will put you ahead of many others (who don't pay attention to this or articulate it clearly).

5. Tell Them "Why You?"

Lastly, we've got to make a case as to why we're someone who has credibility on this topic.

I know this can be hard for a couple of reasons: (1) it can feel like bragging, and (2) it can be challenging to make it compelling if you're just starting in a particular area. To this, I would say that this is one place where it's ok (and even expected) for you to showcase your credibility. And secondly, remember that even if you don't have a big following or a high-level achievement yet, we all have something to offer. As creators, part of our challenge is to figure out what that is and share it with others as part of our content. It could be your passion for the topic, unique perspective, commitment to what you're doing right now, etc.

I improved at this in my most recent trailer, as I've become more comfortable sharing who I am and what I bring to the table online. It took some time, and you may need to give yourself some time to get to this point as well. That's ok.

By way of encouragement, I can say that since I've started doing more of this, it's been helpful for my content, audience growth, and personal development.

Next Step: Go For It

I hope this offers you some inspiration for your first or next trailer. As you can see from my own examples, it takes time to improve at this unique form of content. My message is not to let that hold you back. If you incorporate a few of these lessons, you'll be ahead of where I and many others started already.

If you are creating a trailer or have one you'd like me to check out, feel free to reach out. I'm always glad to hear from fellow creators.