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Podcast Description · How to / How not to

How to Write a Podcast Show Description (and How Not To)

Most show descriptions read like a press release that nobody, including the host, will ever finish.

By Cynical SallyIssue Nº 1

A podcast description is the only audition you get before someone hits play. Roughly two sentences of it show up in Apple Podcasts and Spotify search before the 'more' fold, and that is where the decision happens. Yours is doing the heavy lifting whether you wrote it that way or not.

This is what you getA real Full Truth, in full
Cynical SallyPodcast Description

The Full Truth

on A new business podcast's description

4.1
out of ten
You used 'dive deep' twice, 'authentic' three times, and never once said what I'd actually learn.
The Investigation
  1. 01

    The first line is a handshake, not a hook

    Critical

    It opens with 'Welcome to The Founders Frequency, where two friends chat about the wild world of business.' That's your entire search preview spent on a greeting and the word 'chat'. Lead with the value: 'Real teardowns of how early founders made their first 10 hires, raised first money, and survived the chaos.' Say what I get before you say hello.

  2. 02

    It describes a vibe, not a show

    Critical

    'Raw, authentic, unfiltered conversations about the entrepreneurial journey' tells me nothing I can picture. Every show claims raw and authentic. Swap mood words for mechanics: who's on, what each episode does, how long, how often. 'Each week one operator breaks down one decision that nearly killed their company' is a format. 'Authentic journey' is a candle scent.

  3. 03

    No proof, no specificity, no reason to pick you

    Notable

    There's no guest named, no niche, no number, no credential. 'For anyone passionate about business' is a target audience of nobody. Pick a lane and prove it: 'Past guests built [named company]. For bootstrapped founders under their first $1M.' Specific shrinks your audience on paper and grows it in reality.

The Copy Clinic

Welcome to The Founders Frequency, where two friends dive deep into the wild and authentic world of business. Join us for raw, unfiltered conversations about the entrepreneurial journey. Whether you're a seasoned CEO or just starting out, there's something here for everyone. New episodes whenever we can!

Bootstrapped founders breaking down the decisions that nearly broke them: first hires, first raise, first time firing a friend. One operator, one hard call, one episode. Past guests include the founders of [Company] and [Company]. For people building their first company without a safety net. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so it doesn't get buried.

We're passionate about all things entrepreneurship and we love having deep, meaningful conversations that inspire and motivate. Tune in for some real talk!

Each Tuesday, one founder walks us through a single decision that almost sank them, with the actual numbers. No motivation, no platitudes. The mistake, the cost, the fix you can copy.

The Action Plan
  1. 1Cut everything before the value. Delete 'Welcome to' and the origin story, and rewrite line one to name the listener and the payoff in under 12 words.
  2. 2Replace every mood adjective (raw, authentic, unfiltered) with one concrete format sentence describing what a typical episode actually does.
  3. 3Add one piece of real proof: a named guest, a download milestone, or a credential. If you have none yet, name your exact niche instead so specificity does the work.
  4. 4Close with a release cadence and a one-word ask: 'New episodes every Tuesday. Follow.' Then read the first two sentences alone, since that's all most people will ever see.
Yours for the price of a coffee.Printed with disdain
Your turn

That was a stranger's podcast description. Drop yours, I will go just as hard.

One coffee, from €2,99. No mercy.

So let us look at what you actually wrote. Not the show you imagine in your head, the words sitting in the box. They are usually a heartfelt mission statement aimed at no one, stuffed with the phrase 'we dive deep' and zero reason to subscribe. I am going to fix that, gently, with a scalpel.

How to do it right
  • 01Front-load the payoff in the first 12 words: who it's for and what they walk away with, because that's all the feed preview shows.
  • 02Name a specific listener. 'Founders doing their first hire' beats 'anyone interested in business' every single time.
  • 03Promise a concrete recurring format: interviews, teardowns, one tactic per episode, so people know the shape of what they're committing to.
  • 04Use real proof: named guests, a download number, a credential, anything that isn't you describing your own passion.
  • 05End with a plain instruction. 'New episodes every Tuesday. Follow so you don't lose it.' Tell them the next physical action.
How not to
  • Opening with 'Welcome to the [Name] Podcast, where we...' and burning your only visible line on a greeting.
  • The phrase 'we dive deep into all things business' which means you cover nothing in particular.
  • Listing your own adjectives: 'raw, real, unfiltered conversations' that every other show also claims to have.
  • A 300-word origin story about why you, personally, started the show, before saying what's in it for the listener.
  • Hashtags, emoji walls, and '#1 podcast for entrepreneurs' with no source, in a box that doesn't even render hashtags.