If you’ve spent any time on YouTube, you’ve probably come across Diary of a CEO.

Hosted by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, the podcast covers everything from business and success to mental health and personal growth.

In my opinion, it’s one of the best podcasts in the game—and its meteoric rise is no accident. In a lot of ways, it’s an exact science.

One thing they do incredibly well? Their trailers. These are the first 90 seconds of an episode—the cold open that sets the tone, hooks the viewer, and makes sure they don’t click away.

I’ve been studying how Diary of a CEO structures these trailers and analyzing everything Anthony Smith, their lead editor, has put out.

His trailers don’t just look good—they work. They stop the scroll, grab attention, and turn casual viewers into dedicated listeners.

So how do you do the same for your podcast? How do you create a trailer that pulls people in and makes them need to watch the rest?

Let’s break it down.

Start with the Story (Yes, Even in 90 Seconds)

A great trailer isn’t just flashy edits or b-roll. Those things help, but they’re not the foundation. The foundation is a clear, compelling story.

Think about your episode:

What’s the key lesson?
What’s the emotional arc?
What questions will this episode answer?

When my team and I edit for podcasters, we start by transcribing the episode.

Then, we cut it down to the best soundbites and build a text-based outline for the 90-second story. If it doesn’t read like a compelling narrative on paper, it won’t work as a video.

What you can do: Use tools like Descript or Premiere Pro’s text-based editing to find those timestamps that call your attention.

Then, you or your editor can drop those timestamps straight into the cold open.

Nail the Four Essential Ingredients

According to Smith—and after countless hours studying Diary of a CEO intros myself—every successful trailer follows the same four-part structure:

1. The Hook

You’ve probably heard internet marketers talk about ‘hooks’ but how do you actually use them in your podcast?

Diary of a CEO understands that the first few seconds of their episodes are everything.

So they aim to catch the viewer off guard—whether it’s an unexpected statement, a raw emotional moment, or even an outtake. Psychologists would call this a pattern interrupt–something that disrupts expectations and forces the brain to pay attention.

Take DOAC’s Simon Cowell episode. Instead of introducing the brash TV star everyone expects, the trailer opens with something completely different: Cowell in an uncharacteristically emotional moment. That contrast is what makes people stop and keep watching.

2. The Lesson

Even the best podcasts struggle with this step. And it makes sense. Since you don’t want to spoil anything, you’d think the less you give away the better.

But the thing is, if you withhold too much, viewers won’t feel invested. Instead of making them curious, you risk making them indifferent.

You want to give something from the episode to your viewer right away.

Here again is where DOAC excels. Every trailer gives away something immediately: a life hack, a surprising fact, a fresh perspective—even a pithy, inspirational quote. Offering something upfront earns the audience’s trust and makes them more likely to stick around.

3. The Emotional Rollercoaster

Great trailers don’t just inform—they make people feel something. And while tapping into core human emotions can be effective, if your trailer is only inspirational, only funny, or only dramatic, it can fall flat.
Diary of A CEO trailers, on the other hand, take viewers on a ride through multiple emotions. Let’s look at the Simon Cowell example again and see just how many emotional levers are being pulled in 90 seconds:

Opens with vulnerability – Simon describes the most devastating moment of his life, immediately pulling the viewer into an emotional and unexpected moment.

Moves into admiration – A grand introduction highlighting his staggering success, shifting the tone from sadness to awe.
Shifts into struggle – Simon talks about his failures, debt, and depression, adding tension and deeper emotional weight.
Ends with curiosity – A teaser about his regrets with One Direction, leaving an open question that compels the viewer to keep watching.

Bonus tip: Music plays a huge role in emotion. If you really want to transition through emotional moments, experiment with switching the music throughout.

A tense moment might have deep, pulsing beats, while an emotional moment could be backed by a soft piano melody. A well-placed shift in tone can amplify the impact of what’s being said.

4. Finally, The Cliffhanger

A strong trailer leaves viewers with unfinished business. A lingering question. An unresolved story. Something that makes them need to watch the full episode.

A good way to think about it is through the Zeigarnik Effect—a psychological principle that states people remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones.

When you create an open loop in your trailer, you’re triggering that exact response. The brain wants to close the loop, and the only way to do that is to keep watching.

Test and Adapt

Diary of a CEO (unsurprisingly) tests more than any podcast out there.

For each episode, they run a crazy amount of experiments—alternate thumbnails, titles, even running Facebook ads with dozens of different facial reactions.

Most podcasters don’t have the budget for large-scale testing, but even without ads, YouTube Studio gives you plenty of insights.

The three biggest metrics to look out for:

First 30 second viewership - First 30-second retention – What percentage of viewers are still watching at the 30-second mark? Anything above 90% is exceptional
Average View Duration – How long are people watching?
Comments & reactions – Are people engaging with the content?

To get meaningful results, isolate a single variable in your trailer, run the test, track those numbers, then iterate accordingly.

Final Thoughts

If you want to stand out in the podcast space, it’s no longer enough to simply record an episode.

The best podcasts—like Diary of a CEO—do more. They tell a story, hook audiences from the start, provide real value, take listeners on an emotional journey, and leave them wanting more.

If that sounds like a lot, start by implementing just one of these tactics for your own podcast—I guarantee you’ll see a difference.

And if even that feels overwhelming, we can help. Schedule a 10-minute podcast audit with us here, and we’ll break down exactly how to improve your podcast from start to finish.

The Diary of a CEO Formula for Keeping Your Podcast Viewers Hooked

Start with the Story (Yes, Even in 90 Seconds)