Creating the Perfect Podcast Intro with Music

Your intro is the first impression listeners get of your show. At this point most listeners decide if they want to continue listening to it or switch to the next one. This is why a podcast intro is such an integral part of your show. It deserves a lot of good planning and attention to detail.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about creating a compelling podcast intro that captures attention and keeps your audience coming back for more.

 

What makes a good podcast intro?

A good podcast intro should capture attention immediately and clearly communicate what your show is about. Here are the key elements which every good podcast intro should have:

Keep it concise and engaging — Keep your intro short and direct. Convey the mood and message efficiently—listeners decide quickly whether to continue, so every second counts.

Communicate your show’s purpose — Your intro should clearly convey what listeners can expect from your podcast. Consider describing your show in one sentence that captures its essence and value.

The tone of your voice — The mood and energy of your voice should match your podcast’s overall vibe. A lot of podcasts profit from an energetic tone. Conversely, a shadowy, slow and deep voice will be the perfect fit for a true crime podcast, for example.

Use professional music — The spoken word is the most relevant aspect. But what makes it really powerful is the right podcast intro music. Music determines and sets the mood in a way words couldn’t.

Enhance with Soundeffects — aka. the cherries on the cake. With well-placed sound effects, you can enhance key moments, create professional transitions, and make your podcast feel like more than just audio. Sound effects can help your listeners almost “see and feel” the experience.

The 3 Key Elements of a Podcast Intro

So which key elements do you need to prepare before putting the pieces together?

#1 What to say?

A good idea is to mention the name of your podcast and the host (obviously) and 1-2 concise sentences about your show. Think about things which are characteristic (and ideally unique) for your podcast. Here are some examples:

• “Welcome to The Daily Grind, where we break down the latest business news and give you actionable insights in under 15 minutes.”
• “I’m Sarah Chen, and this is Midnight Tales—true stories of mystery and intrigue that will keep you up at night.”
• “You’re listening to Tech Talks, the podcast where we interview industry leaders shaping the future of innovation.”

Write down your sentence and read it out loud. Ask yourself: Does it spark interest? Does it accurately sum up your show? Ideally, this intro sentence will remain consistent across every episode.

#2 The Music

Now here is where it gets super powerful.

Here is a great tip for selecting the right music track: Imagine you would not be allowed to use words at all, just music – How would it sound? Translating the tone of your voice and the message into music will instantly show you what to look out for.

#3 Soundeffects

Music & Voice are the fundamental elements. Let’s make your intro “palpable” and sound “real”. Soundeffects are basically just noises and sounds.

Some of these sounds can be used for transitioning smoothly into a different section or highlighting certain parts, others, like the sound of a mouse click, a creaking door, rain or footsteps, can make your intro feel like a real experience, drawing listeners deeper into your podcast’s world.

Be sure to use them sparingly to either accompany your words and the mood you are trying to evoke. After all, these are just extras. Powerful extras.

Don’t know where to look? Check out our in-house created sound effects for podcasts.

How long should a podcast intro be?

Clear answer: It depends.

If one key aspect of your content is setting the right mood, then a longer intro of 15-30 seconds might be the ideal choice. This can be the case for genres like True Crime, Meditation, Comedy or Motivational stories.

Never forget that your listeners can be in any mood when they start listening. Your job is to pick them up from where they are and set them in the right state. A short jingle will probably not achieve this. Your voice should compliment the vibe and energy of the music and soundeffects.

 

If your podcast focuses more on delivering information rather than telling stories, a short music jingle of just a few seconds works perfectly. These types of music cues are often referred to as “logos” or “idents”.

Setting overly strong emotions can even be counterproductive in this case. Why bothering even using an intro here at all? Well, it is because having a fixed element across all your episodes will contribute a lot to your shows originality and personality and will make your listeners remember it. Genres like news, corporate podcasts and interviews will benefit from a short podcast intro.

Where to find music for a podcast intro?

Good news! You do not even have to make a search to get some examples. At HookSounds, we provide you with a huge library of high quality music intros for podcasts which covers any imaginable genre and energy level.

Take a listen – One of those could be yours!

 

If you need a much snappier introduction, you may also want to check some of our idents / logos:

 

Audio Editing Software

Once you have all your building blocks, it is time to put them together. If you are into editing yourself, there are many popular and easy-to-use audio editing software options, such as

• Audacity (free, perfect for starters)
• Davinci Resolve (Free basic version)
• Adobe Audition (Paid Tool, Great for beginners and professionals)
• Pro Tools (Pro Level)

Once you’ve found your perfect editing match, the action starts. Import all the audio files, including the podcast intro music, sound effects, and voice-over, and start playing around until you end up with the ultimate intro for your podcast. All of our music comes in WAV and MP3, as well as in different versions that will help make the editing process easier.