Stop Sharing Episode Links. Start Sending Proof.
Many Podcasts have common problems. Quality, consistency, visibility, growth and landing in front of the right people. I can’t promise a solution to all of these in one article, but I can talk about the most common issue we see consistently across podcasts of all shapes, audiences sizes and episode counts.
Bad packaging.
When someone asks to “see the show,” many creators send… a 42-minute episode link or a busy social media feed? That’s not a pitch, that feels more like homework. It’s not respectful of the potential listeners' time and attention, and honestly is kind of lazy.
When we started building branded podcasts at Podstarter, we came across this issue very early on. We’d produce something really strong, solid guest, great audio, crafted narrative, the works. But we knew that even if we sent this to a hyper relevant potential listener, asking them to take the plunge would be a tough ask.
If our backgrounds in marketing and broadcast had taught us anything, it was that asking busy people to commit 30-60 minutes to understand something that could’ve been proven in 60 seconds, was folly.
Podcasting is intimate, but buying into a podcast is transactional. Listeners want to understand whats is this? Who is this for? Do I even like the hosts? How do I feel?
That’s what a sizzle reel does.
It’s not a teaser, or a snippet mid conversation, it’s a positioning tool. The best sizzle reels do four things:
Anchor the premise (clear and fast)
Demonstrate chemistry or authority
Show audience resonance
Signal production quality
For the listener, a frictionless yes or no transaction. If your only sales asset is a full episode, you're like a niche video rental store waiting for your ideal customer to drive by. You have great content, that you know the right people will love, but it’s sitting on a shelf
If the only option is to “give it a try” to understand your show…you haven’t done the strategic work yet. If your podcast can’t be understood in 60 seconds, it can’t scale. Episodes build trust but sizzle reels open doors. And in a fragmented media landscape, doors matter.
So far 2026 has been a busy time for launching new shows and relaunching new seasons. The buzz and momentum we get from our client sizzles allows them to offer the right pitch to the right people. It's so key to a successful strategy that it is a pillar of our launch package deliverables.
If you’re building a show right now, ask yourself: how am I going to share my next show with a stranger next time?
Thanks for reading!
Rhys Waters
Partner & Chief Creative @ Podstarter