This trailer was broadcast to 40,000 people on Detroit radio last month.
I made it.
Here’s the story:
Kevin was born & raised in Detroit. He’s a Detroit guy, through and through.
Funny story… After I made this, I was asked to create a 30-second version with no context. So, naturally, I did… BOOM. Broadcast on Detroit radio.
Didn’t even know until after.
Amazing.
Here’s exactly how this transpired…
#1: The Situation
Tuned Talks with 2 hosts: global CEO Kevin Cramton and his mentor Dick Schultz (legendary American basketball coach).
They started a podcast in September to share their experience on leading a resilient life.
I am the post-producer of it.
But there’s a problem with new podcasts…
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#2: The Challenge
The 2 hosts are VERY experienced.
Yet they’re new to podcasting. They don’t have a video podcast audience.
Starting a podcast with zero pre-existing audience is HARD.
I always preach this: putting out episodes consistently is the #1 most important thing in podcasting.
But this is new.
Someone who finds Tuned Talks for the first time may hesitate to invest 45 mins on a podcast they’ve never heard of..
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#3: The Solution
A new podcast needs an entry point. A friendly face. A marketing team.
A trailer.
New audiences WON’T click on a 45 min video of a new podcast..
but they COULD invest 60 seconds watching this trailer.
The trailer is a marketing agent that works 24/7 and converts someone from ‘unsure’ to ‘I need to find out more’.
Why did I choose a trailer?
• Podcast drop off happens before 90 second mark
• 1st impressions are vital.
• 1 person dropping off at 90 seconds may never return.
• Someone who sees trailer will stick around
It's not just a trailer. It's a conversion tool.
It goes to work for you. Not the other way around.
A great trailer travels. It gets shared. It builds familiarity.
And once it exists, you can deploy it everywhere, without lifting a finger.
That’s why I treat a trailer as the flagship asset of a podcast, not a nice extra.
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THE TAKEAWAY
If you co-host a podcast and want to grow its audience, consider this:
• Make a trailer using my principles above.
• Distill your entire season into a brand story that captures what your show is.
• Make it the home asset for your pod’s YouTube & audio platforms
This is real work. It’s the kind of thinking that gets a show understood (fast).
This trailer got a 2nd season booked for Tuned Talks.
Or… you could just hire me to do it for you. DM me if you’re interested.
This will not be a one-shot.
There will be failures.
Every failure is a step forward.
The theme is experimentation.
A podcast is a journey.
Our latest client's journey starts today.
You're launching a podcast for your business.
Top of funnel traffic is the goal.
Here's exactly how we're building it.
(Literally launching a new client podcast today w/ this strategy)
Now we need them to stay.
How? The Intro..
We need to unlock 70% retention within opening :30
We'll test variations of openings.
One goal: get people to click. Get people to stay.
That unlocks the ultimate metric... Impressions.