It might be easy to think that you can overlook your podcast outro. After all, it’s right at the end, you’ve already given your listener the good stuff, right?
Well, not quite.
You see, your podcast outro is real-estate gold, which is bursting with opportunities to leave your listener with one final impression of your episode. Whether this is a teaser to entice them to listen to the next episode, a request for them to leave a review, or an invitation to connect on social media, there are opportunities for your outro that are not to be missed.
In this post, we’ll cover some top tips for writing a successful podcast outro that leaves your listeners wanting to come back for more.
Summarise the Episode
One of the best ways to keep your listeners engaged is to summarise the episode they just listened to. This only needs to be a sentence or two and doesn’t need to go on for more than a few seconds.
Giving a quick recap helps your audience to remember the key points of your episode and provides a sense of closure. After all, there’s nothing worse than happily listening to a podcast episode that ends so abruptly that you’re unsure if your Wi-Fi suddenly cut out.
If you know what’s coming up in your next episode, you can link how this episode’s topic might link to your next episode.
Call-To-Action (CTA)
Your outro is a great place to include a CTA that encourages your listeners to take action. This could be anything from subscribing to your podcast, leaving a review, following you on social media, or signing up for your email list. However, make sure your CTA is clear and specific. And whatever you do, don’t include more than one CTA per episode outro.
Why?
Because the more things you ask someone to do, the less they’ll actually do.
It’s better to have one, clear CTA that your audience follows than 3-4 that don’t get done.
If needed, there’s nothing wrong with having more than one outro with different CTA’s in them that you rotate between episodes if you have more than one thing that you’d like your audience to do.
Thank Your Listeners
Time is precious and your listener has just chosen to give you their time to listen to your episode. And you can show your appreciation and acknowledge their support. After all, without them, you’re not talking to anyone.
A simple thank you can go a long way in building a connection with your audience.
Share Your Contact Information
Similar to your CTA, if you want someone to follow you or connect with you on social media, make sure that you give them your handle or username! Put the information and a link in your show notes, but when people are listening to podcasts whilst driving or doing the dishes (for example), they don’t have time to click on a link and so telling them how to contact you can help plant the seed of where and how to look you up later.
Essentially, make it easy for your listeners to reach out to you by including your contact information in the outro. This could be your email address, social media handles, or website.
Encourage listeners to reach out and share their thoughts on the episode. And don’t forget to write back to them. Communication goes a long way in fostering relationships with listeners.
Keep it Short and Sweet
Your outro should be no longer than 1-2 minutes.
Remember, your listeners have already spent time listening to your podcast, so don’t take up too much of their time. Keep it concise and to the point.
Be Consistent
Make sure your outro is consistent across all your episodes. This helps to establish a recognizable format and builds a sense of familiarity with your listeners. It also helps them anticipate what’s coming up next. But, if needed, there is nothing wrong with changing the CTA from time to time to suit your episode’s needs or the season that your podcast/business is in.
Edit and Revise
Don’t be afraid to edit and revise your outro until you get it right.
Test different CTA’s and see which ones resonate with your audience.
Listen to other podcasts for inspiration and keep tweaking until you find the perfect outro for your show.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, when deciding how to end your podcast, a good checklist of things to ask yourself are:
- Have you summarised your episode?
- Have you included one, clear call to action?
- Is it short and sweet?
- Have you thanked your listeners?
- Is your contact information included?
Template 1
This template covers a lot in just a few sentences; you’re reminding your listener who they’ve listened to, thanked them for their time, and directed them to a social media platform to further connect with you. It’s simple, easy to follow, and would easily fit at the end of any podcast episode in any genre.
Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of (insert podcast name here) with me, (insert podcast host’s name here).
Make sure that you’re following us on Instagram at (insert Instagram handle here) so that you can message us telling us your favourite takeaways from this week’s episode.
Until next time!
Template 2
This second template is a little longer but demonstrates how you can summarise what your episode has covered, whilst teasing the next episode. By doing this, you’re encouraging your listener to return. This outro does include 2 CTA’s (follow on Instagram and subscribe), but as you’re giving your listener a reason for each CTA then you’ll likely get away from slightly deviating with the 1 CTA rule.
Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of (insert podcast name here) with me, (insert podcast host’s name here).
Make sure that you’re following us on Instagram at (insert Instagram handle here) so that you can message us telling us your favourite takeaways from this week’s episode.
In this week’s episode, we talked about (explain in 1-2 sentences what you covered in this episode).
Next week, we’ll be inviting (guest name) in to discuss (insert topic here). It’s going to be a killer episode, so make sure that you’re subscribed so that you’re the first to hear the episode when it lands.
See you next week!
Template 3
This final template is short, sweet, and to the point. You’re reminding your listener of which podcast they’ve just listened to and are asking them to rate your show, with a reason for doing so. This CTA is great for boosting your review metrics, if this is something that is important to you. (Although do remember that vanity metrics aren’t everything).
Thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of (insert podcast name here).
I would love it if you could take a minute to leave a 5-star review for the podcast. If you also leave a comment, you might hear me shout you out on the next episode.
I am looking forward to seeing you next week!
