Intro & Outro Creation
Some say the most important part of any book is the opening paragraph, others claim it’s the opening sentence.
In much the same way, the first handful of seconds are incredibly important for your audience. Starting with a confusing introduction can often lead your listeners and viewers to feel as though they’ve missed something important, then potentially find another podcast to listen to.
The right introduction can give your show a powerful dose of hype, set the tone for the program ahead, or even reflect your own personal style. Knowing this, Half Coast Studios offers high-quality intro and outro production for our clients, so your podcast has everything it needs to start and end strong.
Building a great intro and outro can be done in a number of ways. Our clients often request music or voice-overs for their intros, and video podcasts often require motion graphics or a short animated sequence to accompany their work. Whatever you need, the expert creative team at Half Coast Studios is ready to help.
Starting Strong Every Time
A podcast intro should be almost theatrical, setting the scene for your audience in a way that best fits your show. Horror and true crime podcasts often include eerie music, sound effects, and a voice-over in a hushed tone. Sports podcasts might include some upbeat rock music, some stadium sound effects, and a voice-over that resembles a color commentator.
If you’re not an expert in audio production, it may seem a bit overwhelming to create a well-mixed, high-quality introduction for your podcast. There are laws about which songs you can and cannot use, you have to know your way around different kinds of editing software, and your equipment may not be up to par. But don’t worry!
At Half Coast Studios, we know a thing or two about podcasts. We’ll work with you to create an introduction that perfectly fits your podcast and shows off the same high production value as the rest of your show. Most importantly, we’ll do all the technical work for you, leaving you and your team to the creative work you enjoy.
Finding Your Podcast’s Theme Song
Like a baseball player’s walk-up song, a podcast’s theme song should be both a reflection of your show’s unique personality and a piece of music that builds excitement within your audience. Depending on the topic and theme of your show, the theme song can vary wildly in genre, but it has to say something meaningful about your program or the people on it.
Maybe your audience needs to understand the type of lifestyle your host is sharing with the world. A yoga instructor probably wouldn’t choose a punk rock song for their theme, while a skateboarder probably would. Understanding the effect a piece of music has on the overall tone of your show is important, and it’s something we carefully consider for our clients.
When you work with Half Coast Studios to create an intro or outro for your podcast, we can help you find high-quality music that fits your project at any budget. We have access to a massive catalogue of free and affordable music that is sure to excite, but we can also accommodate licensed music into your project if the budget permits.
To learn more about using licensed music in your podcast, reach out to a member of our team.
Voice-Overs to Help
Plenty of other professional podcasts use voice-overs for their introductions, often to great effect. Maybe you’re looking to start a boxing podcast and would like an announcer to introduce your show like a fighter entering the ring. Or perhaps your comedy podcast needs an emcee to feel like a stage performance.
Half Coast Studios is perfect for recording voice-over performances, and we know how to find the perfect voice-over talent for your podcast. Once we work with your team to identify your needs, we’ll send a casting call out to our partners in St. Louis or abroad. We’ll find the perfect talent for your intro, then record their lines in our state-of-the-art studio.
Finding a great V/O artist for your podcast will make a huge difference for your introduction, and will set the perfect tone for the content that follows. After all, the intro to each episode serves a very important purpose: encouraging your audience to listen to your podcast.
Ending with a Bang
The way you start your podcast is extremely important, but so is the way each episode finishes! There’s nothing worse than listening to a podcast that ends abruptly and without warning. The right outro should provide a satisfying conclusion to the narrative of each episode, be a welcome space for calls-to-action or important news, and should encourage your audience to continue listening to your show.
Building your outro involves much of the same process, but is often longer to account for any announcements or news you’d like to share with your audience. The outro may also include ads from your sponsors or special elements like trivia or in-jokes.
The outro should match the intro in tone, often including the same theme song or another iteration of the voice-over. Our editing team can seamlessly transition between your intro, outro, and the body of your podcast in a way that feels highly-polished and professional.
As with any project we work on, you can always expect the professionals at Half Coast Studio to do the heavy-lifting. We’ll help you make your dream podcast a reality. To learn more about our podcast production services, contact us today.