How Long Should a Podcast Description Be? - tips and examples

Writing the perfect podcast description is an excellent way to summarize what your podcast episode is about. But beyond summarizing your episode, podcast description can also substantially increase your listenership through ranking on search engines.

For example, here's a podcast episode ranking for the keyword “motivational podcast episode”.

And that can potentially increase the listenership, click-through rate, and the discoverability of the episode.

To reap the most results from your podcast, your description needs to be well written at an ideal length and that brings us to the pressing question of how long should a podcast description be.

And in this guide, you'll learn;

• The ideal length of a podcast description
• What makes a good podcast description,
• And how to write the perfect podcast description.

Let's dive right in.

What's a podcast description

A podcast description (also known as show summary) describes what your podcast episode is about to potential listeners. It gives the audience a sneak peek into your show, highlighting key moments of your episode, what listeners might get, and other details to get them hooked.

Your podcast description sets the tone for your episode and expectations for the audience.

What are the benefits of podcast description?

The importance of podcast description cannot be undermined as it is key for grabbing your audience's attention. Think of it like the description of a product you haven't used before. The better the description is, the more you're inclined to buy the product. Similarly, a podcast description could either make potential audiences scroll away or click the play button.

Either way, here are some reasons why a podcast description is important for your podcast;

SEO boost

Podcast descriptions play an excellent role in search engines. Given that Google continues to prioritize written content over audio content (since 2019, Google has been capable of parsing spoken words from audio content, although podcast content still remains infrequently, if at all, displayed in search results), having a strong podcast description can significantly boost the discoverability of your show on search engines. A well-written description can increase your SEO ranking on search engines and position you for more targeted traffic.

Attracting new listeners

According to the Podcast Host, many listeners claim that a podcast description is one of the things they consider before listening to a new podcast. That means, if you have a good podcast description, you don't only rank on search engines but can also hook new listeners.

How long should a podcast description be?

There's no one-size-fits-all number of words your podcast description needs to undergo to be the perfect length but we find that the ideal length of a podcast description should be around 50 - 150. When you're within this range, your podcast description is more likely to get shared, attract new listeners, and fit perfectly as a meta description for search engines.

We came to this conclusion after careful analysis of top-performing podcast episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube as well as interviewing and talking to top podcasters and users of Podsqueeze.

However, this conclusion isn't a fast rule but more like a general rule of thumb. The ideal length of your podcast description may vary depending on the theme of your show and what your episode is about.

Here are some questions to ask that can steer you in the right direction;

• Who are the audiences you're writing for?

Your audience can determine the length of your podcast description. For example, the way the audience reacts to the description of a 10-minute-long podcast will be different from how they react to an hour-long episode.

A good way to figure this out is by putting yourself in their shoes to see what they see and get a hint of their intent. A true-crime podcast description might begin with an intriguing question while a comedic show might only highlight the guest that's on the show.

It's important to know your audiences, what they want, and how they want it to decide the ideal length of your description and hook them to listen to the show.

• How long are the descriptions of the top podcasts in your niche?

You don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the ideal length of podcast description that's working in your niche. Some people have already done this for you. Simply type a related keyword into your favourite podcasting apps and check what's ranking high.

Check out 5 to 10 episodes from the top results and put their descriptions into a doc file to calculate their average description length and apply the same length in your podcast description.

• What goals are you trying to achieve with your description?

The goal for your podcast can decide the length of your description. These goals can vary from ranking on search engines to capturing emails, sharing on social media, or checking the full podcast video. Including these goals in your description could mean adding more text which can increase the length of your podcast summary.

How to write a good podcast description

In addition to the recommended length of 50-150 characters, there are also a few best practices to consider when writing effective podcast episode descriptions.

Here are four key foundations to keep in mind:

• Sneak peek

The main goal of your podcast description is to give your audience a sneak peek of what they'll get when they click the play button. This section often comes first in your description and could take several forms. But they often come as an introduction.

A popular starter for the sneak peek part of your description is the “In this episode…..” sentence.

It's an effective starter because it makes your audiences feel like they're already listening to your episode. It is also a great way to introduce your audience to your guests.

• Key highlights of your podcast

This is the meaty part of your podcast episode. It's the section after your sneak peek that breaks down what was discussed in the episode and some quick insights. This section is the selling point for your episode.

To get the best out of your key highlights, make them into a list - as it’ll be easier for audiences to skim through, get an idea of what the episode entails, and set the tone for what to expect when they click your episode.

• SEO friendly

Your description should be search engine friendly and by search engine, we don't only mean Google, Bing, or big search engines but the search features of your podcast host like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, etc.

By strategically including relevant keywords in your podcast description, you are more likely to get ranked, get more discoverability, and potentially increase your audience base.

• Call-to-action

Your podcast description is incomplete without a call to action pointing audiences to what to do. Podcast descriptions don't need a conclusion but a CTA. You can either direct the audiences to listen, give a comment, share to their friends, give a rating, or even, subscribe to your email list just like the podcast description below.

Let AI write your description for you

As a podcaster, you know that crafting your podcast script, recording, editing, and production all require significant time and effort. Time is a precious resource, and finding the right balance between efficiency and cost can be challenging. While delegating tasks to freelancers may seem ideal, it can be costly for some podcasters to manage.

If you find yourself in this situation, you're not alone. Many podcasters strive to streamline their workflow while keeping costs in check. This is where the right tools can make a significant difference.

With Podsqueeze you can generate podcast show notes, transcripts, chapters with timestamps, newsletters, short clips, and podcast descriptions that follow the four guidelines mentioned above. Try it out for free here!

Examples of podcast descriptions

To get a good overview of what makes a good podcast description, we've compiled a handful of good podcast description examples.

• Wannabe Entrepreneur

A short, concise, and straightforward description that gives the audience a sneak peek of what's discussed in the episode, highlighting the key topics covered in the episode. It also includes a hook at the end to entice the audience to tune in.

• Deep dive with Ali Abdaal

As we've mentioned before, this description features a sneak peek into the episode. Starting with a “In this episode…” sentence gives the audience a hint of what to expect and sets the tone for what's about to come.

• Huberman Lab

This is another good podcast description from the Huberman Lab. It's similar to the previous example but this description introduces the guest speaker first before diving into the key highlights, followed by added details of what the audience could expect.

It also includes chapters with timestamps that automatically divide the episode into different segments, enabling the audience to navigate to the parts they are most interested in.

• Motiversity

A concise, short, and straight-to-the-point podcast description. Since the title says it all, the podcast description only serves as a hook to get the audience to press the play button. Similarly, you can start your episode with an intriguing question and mention that the answer is in the podcast episode.

FAQs about podcast description

• What is the difference between a podcast description and podcast show notes?

While some individuals may use these terms interchangeably, they can actually have distinct meanings. A podcast description serves as a brief summary of your episode, providing your audience with an overview of the content and enticing them to listen in.

On the other hand, show notes encompass all the supplementary information attached to your podcast episode. This usually includes the podcast description but can extend to bullet points, links and resources, chapters with timestamps, the guest's biography, and calls to action (CTAs).

In essence, a podcast description can be considered a subset of show notes, but show notes have the potential to include much more than just a simple description of the episode.

Learn how to craft the perfect show notes for your show here.

• How long should a podcast description be?

The ideal length for a podcast description typically falls within 50 to 150 words. However, this isn't a strict rule, as the length can vary depending on your episode's content and objectives.

While aiming for brevity and engagement, it's important to note that the episode description also presents an opportunity to enhance your podcast's SEO. Including relevant keywords can help search engines better understand and index your content.

Checkout this article to learn more about podcast SEO.

• What makes a good podcast description?

Highlighting the key insights shared in the episode is an important feature that makes a podcast description great. Also, keep it short, making the audience thrilled to check out the full episode.

You can also refer to the third section of this guide to learn more.