How to Create Shownotes for Your Podcast Episodes

Episode Scoping and Preparation

Show notes for your podcast are an in-depth recap of everything that happened in

each episode. Though they might range in length and substance, they typically provide a

thorough synopsis of the subjects covered in the show, links to related resources, and

CTAs (calls to action). They mainly urge readers to download, subscribe, or sponsor the

podcast (Podcast show notes: Template examples, 2022).

Including show notes in your podcasts might help a person attract new listeners and keep their current ones interested. By conveniently giving listeners a single location to access resources addressed throughout their episode, great podcast show notes can provide value to their existing and prospective listeners. As a result, they lay the foundation to develop and even monetize their podcast (Podcast show notes: Template & examples, 2022). As a podcaster, this requires very little extra work because you already have all these materials from your research, which is incredibly helpful for your listeners.

The essential steps for producing podcast show notes that will engage your listeners

are as follows;

While planning their podcast episode, write the show notes

A person can build a topic outline to assist them in getting ready for recording their

podcast episodes and to serve as a solid foundation for their show notes. They need to use

this subject structure to organize their ideas and create their show notes. An individual may

then fill in each column with the sources they will be talking about after one knows how

their podcast session will start, middle, and end.

Making them brief and pleasant

One should avoid making their podcast notes overly extensive, even though they do

not want to overlook any important information. They should be skimmable and make it

simple for listeners to access the relevant link. Podcast show notes serve as a guide for

listeners looking for more information rather than serving as a transcript of the program

(Livingston, 2021). Being succinct and exact will bring consistency, which is crucial when

aiming for podcasting success. As a general rule, keeping episodes at a consistent length

will keep listeners interested and interested in more since individuals require some level of

familiarity.

Incorporating speaker biographies and other contexts

Briefly describe each visitor and tell your readers about each guest on your broadcast

and why they are there. Please do not provide any of the best information, such as how they resolved a dilemma or their best advice (Stanley, 2022). One can include any links to their social media profiles, books, episodes, or videos the visitors have hosted. In this way,

interested listeners can learn more about your visitors.

Go over each of the essential points

Summarize what you and your guests talked about throughout the episode without

offering too much information; after reviewing your comments, they should want to learn

more. A person should ensure they include any additional topics discussed in the episode

and refer to their initial podcast plan while making notes. It is usual for conversations to

deviate from the primary topic; therefore, the show notes should include everything you

discussed in that episode.

Describe all the sources you referred to in the episode

It should be emphasized that nothing is more frustrating than finishing an engaging

podcast episode only to discover there is no means to obtain the link to the other program

or article the host referred to. As a result, any information, resources, quotes, references, or

films cited must have links. This enables curious listeners to research your topic further or

check any information. Even if no one clicks through, incorporating links increases your

credibility as a podcaster.

Use an easy-to-read format

Making the material skimmable and straightforward to read is essential while

writing the audio show notes. People rarely read an entire page, so the information in your

show notes must be accessible and straightforward. Therefore, it is vital to include prominent and detailed headings throughout the show notes (Stanley, 2022). The goal is to

get readers to the information they require right away. When a person can use lists and

bullet points to add structure in a skimmable manner, it is recommended that one give

instructions to make sure their listeners understand what to do next.

Include significant quotations

It will be easier to adhere to a clear format and highlight all the major themes from

the episode by using relevant quotes throughout the show notes. Each quote may also have a timestamp so that readers can locate it in the relevant episode. Put a line of context next to every quote, so readers know what it is about. Though one should not reveal all the

delicious facts of the episode, one should avoid going into too much detail.

Add extra material

Everyone likes a freebie, so if you include (links to) some supplemental material not

mentioned elsewhere, you may persuade a new visitor to subscribe to future episodes or

pay heed to some of your earlier releases. You could mention the supplementary content in your podcast episode to encourage more listeners to visit the show notes and possibly

subscribe to upcoming installments (Stanley, 2022).

Utilize SEO keywords to improve

One should remember to use their keywords consistently across the page while they

write their show notes. To properly index their page, Google and podcast app shops need to see the phrase. However, remember that they are writing for a reader who does not want

to read keyword-stuffed, robotic text. You should think about using transcriptions in your

podcast show notes in addition to writing detailed, rich show notes. Audio-only content

cannot be sorted or filtered by search engines. Making a transcription of every episode of

your podcast gives the search engine text that is packed with keywords.

Recording a complete audio transcript

It is a good idea to release a complete transcript of every word a podcaster and their

guests utter during each episode. Including a complete transcript with each episode also

improves accessibility (Stanley, 2022). Keep in mind that everyone has a distinct preferred

method of content consumption. To remember all you said, listeners can read along while

you speak or read your transcript afterward. Additionally, transcripts are beneficial for

improving a websites SEO. They add a ton of new content to your website for search

engines to read and index (Stanley, 2022).encourage more people to visit their websites and

listen to podcasts.

In conclusion, listeners can quickly learn more by reading the show notes. It is

conceivable that a podcaster and their guests identified and cited pertinent articles, videos,

or other podcasts inside the episode when researching a guest or topic and during

recording. The most straightforward approach to making it easier for listeners to get that

material later is to include links to those resources in the show notes (Livingston, 2021). They also cross-promote one anothers back catalogs to get additional listens.

The shownotes provide the opportunity to promote previous episodes. Since most podcasts focus on a single subject, references to previously released episodes are inevitable. Furthermore, they can finally influence casual admirers to tune in. According to Livingston, one can utilize the show notes to emphasize the key points and why this episode should not be missed in order to convince casual listeners to tune in to the most recent edition. Show notes are ideal for persuading listeners who need more encouragement to press play.

References

Livingston, F. (2021). How to write compelling podcast show notes to drive audience connections, Medium. Better Marketing. Available at: https://bettermarketing.pub/how-to-write-compelling-podcast-show-notes-to-drive-audience-connections-14e7e86c70c7

Podcast show notes: Template & examples (2022). Sweet Fish Media. Available at:

https://sweetfishmedia.com/podcast-show-notes-template/

Stanley, H. (2022). 10 easy steps to create podcast show notes, AppSumo Blog. Available at:

https://blog.appsumo.com/podcast-show-notes/