[3] Perry co-wrote the song with Jacob Kasher and its producers Charlie Puth and Johan Carlsson of Carolina Liar.

[4][5][6] "Small Talk" was included as a bonus track on the Japanese and fan editions of Perry's sixth studio album, Smile.

[7] On August 6, Perry posted several pictures to her social media accounts of lines from the song, with the first reading "Isn't it weird / That you've seen me naked / We had conversations about forever / Now it's about the weather okay".

On November 29, 2019, a Black Friday Record Store Day limited edition 12" orange vinyl was released, pairing the song with Perry's previous single "Never Really Over".

On August 22, 2019, Perry uploaded the first live performance of the song in a bathroom on her official Instagram account.