How to create podcast intro music that will make you feel like a million dollars.

“Everyone needs a theme song! It should make you feel like a million dollars.” — Zooey Deschanel

How do you introduce each episode of your podcast to listeners? Does music play, or do you start immediately with the talking?

Around the world, people use music to announce the beginning of something significant, such as a birthday song before the cake and celebration, a wedding march to announce the bride’s arrival or “Hail to the Chief” being played whenever the president enters a room. TV shows typically signal the beginning of each episode with catchy theme music, and you can do the same with your podcast.

Whether you already have a podcast or are about to launch one for the first time, it’s smart to consider how theme music helps develop an identity for your podcast.

Podcasts will excite listeners when catchy music plays at the start. Many podcasts use a snippet from a song or use original music to set the tone, sometimes using a variant of the intro theme to close out the show. (Keep in mind that using even a few seconds of a commercial song could be a violation of copyright, but this depends on what country you are in when producing the podcast.)

If you don’t have music ability yourself, think of friends, relatives or coworkers who play music and who might want to contribute to your project with a theme. You could also use royalty free music or commission professional musicians to create something evocative for the podcast.

Choosing Style and Tone

What kind of audience are you trying to attract? What tone do you want to set? The style of music you use makes a big difference. If you have a lighthearted podcast that might call for some upbeat music. Do you have a serious podcast that calls for more of a classical music approach? Blues, jazz, rock, punk, electronic music and so on will each contribute a different feel, so choose accordingly.

You’ll also need to decide if your theme song should be purely music or if you want to include lyrics. A song with words can tell the story of your podcast and what it’s all about. It’s a great way to introduce the podcast to new listeners.

Use Existing Music

If you feel that you must use existing commercial music for your theme song, don’t do so without permission. There is a difference between playing a segment of audio (from a movie, TV show or song) for purposes of criticism or parody under fair use and just taking someone’s music for your theme song in each episode without compensation.

You’ll need to contact the copyright holder and get permission in writing, which may involve a fee, depending on the artist’s requirements. The musicians may love your podcast and give you permission, but they also may dislike the nature of the podcast and simply refuse.

Compose Your Own Theme

Are you musically gifted? This may not matter too much, depending on what kind of podcast theme you are going for. Free music composition software is easily available for you to use on your Windows PC, and all Apple computers come with the song-producing Garageband application.

You set up different tracks, such as for percussion, vocals, guitar and saxophone and then lay in each piece of audio one at a time or by recording individual instruments with separate microphones if playing with multiple people in real time.

Consider Talented Friends and Family

Keeping it in the family is a good approach. Think of relatives with musical ability who may want to compose something for you. If musical talent is lacking in your family, turn to friends, neighbors or coworkers. You’ll need to arrange for some kind of rights transfer and you’ll also want to address compensation if your composer wants something in exchange (money, a home-made meal and so on).

Another way to go along the amateur route is to find college students majoring in music or local bands who are looking to get more exposure in your community and beyond. You can put up ads on sites like Craigslist to solicit submissions. You might wind up discovering a fledgling rock band playing in a garage in your neighborhood or stumble upon a new band playing in a nearby club.

Reach out to Your Podcast Listeners

If you have been producing your podcast for some time now without an opening theme and you have a large number of loyal listeners, it’s quite possible that some of them are musicians who would be eager to help you with a song.

This is especially the case if you already have a good rapport with your podcast subscribers and interact with them on a regular basis, such as through social media, email or even call-ins to ask questions on your podcast.

You have a few options at this point for soliciting help for the theme song. You could put out a call in your upcoming podcasts asking listeners to contact you with links to music they’ve already composed. Or, you could tweet your request, post your query on Facebook or email each listener in your list. If you’re not collecting emails from your audience or encouraging them to follow you on social media, now is the time to begin.

Hire Professionals

If you have the cash and want to give your podcast a much more sophisticated feel, hiring professionals could be your best option. Once you find a musician or band that produces the kind of music you like and you settle on the terms, it would be a good idea to ask for two versions of the theme music.

One version of the song would run at the beginning and another version would come at the end. The first version could have lyrics while the second version is free of words. Or, you begin with an amplified version of the theme song and then use an acoustic version when winding down the podcast.

Conclusion

Whatever route you follow to get a theme song, the music will be essential for helping you develop an identity for your podcast. Soon enough, when people hear the opening seconds of the theme song, they’ll know that they’re in for an excellent listening experience.

What kind of music do you use for your podcast? Know of any good musicians or places to grab royalty free music? Drop a link in the comments below.

Looking to start a podcast? Head to Buzzsprout and launch your new podcast today.