How to Create Show Notes for Your Podcast
Sample intro text…Your podcast is not enough.
You need to give your audience a chance to know about it. You need to let them read what it’s about.
That’s why show notes are important.
You can help viewers and search engines figure out what your podcast episodes are about.
But you need to create show notes first.
Let’s look at how to do this.
Table of Contents
Why Show Notes Matter?
Enhance Listener Experience
You can use show notes to engage your listeners. They can find key points, resources, and links mentioned in the episode.
Improve SEO
You can optimize the show notes for SEO. This means your podcast has better chances of ranking in search engines. It makes it easier for podcast listeners to find your content.
Encourage Engagement
You can provide links to social media, websites, and resources that encourage listeners to engage deeper with your content.
1. Start with a Summary
You should begin your show notes with a summary of the episode. This will give an overview of the main topics discussed. You want to capture the essence of the episode in just a few sentences.
Example: “In this episode, we dive into the world of sustainable living with eco-expert Jane Doe. We discuss practical tips for reducing waste, the benefits of composting, and how to live a greener lifestyle.”
You can use ToastyAI to auto-generate the summary. You get the option to choose from three possible show note summaries.
2. Highlight Key Points and Timestamps
It’s hard to listen to the entire episode, especially when it’s a long one. You can help your listeners by breaking down the episode into key points or segments.
You should include timestamps for each section that can help listeners easily navigate to parts of the episode that interest them the most.
Example:
[00:02:30] Introduction to Sustainable Living: Jane Doe shares her journey into eco-friendly living.
- [00:10:15] Tips for Reducing Waste: Practical steps to minimize your environmental footprint.
[00:25:00] The Benefits of Composting: How composting can transform your garden and reduce waste.
[00:40:45] Q&A Session: Listener questions about sustainable practices answered.
You can use ToastyAI to auto-generate key points and timestamps for the episode. You just upload it and they get generated as shown.
3. List Resources and Links
Your show notes are a great place to add links to resources mentioned in the episode. These can be books, articles, websites, and tools that would add value to the listeners.
Example: Resources Mentioned:
Jane Doe’s Blog: Eco-Friendly Living
Book: The Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson
Composting Guide: How to Start Composting
4. Provide Guest Information
If you have guests on the podcast episode, show them some love. Add their bio, social media handles, and links to the show notes. You acknowledge their contribution and provide listeners with additional content to explore.
Example: Guest Information:
Jane Doe: Eco-expert and blogger
Website: Eco-Friendly Living
X: @JaneDoeEco
5. Add Calls to Action (CTAs)
Your show notes are a great place to encourage listeners to perform some action. You can tell them to subscribe to your podcast, leave a review, or follow you on social media.
This can be a quick but effective way of using CTAs to grow your audience and increase engagement.
Example: Calls to Action:
Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Leave a review on iTunes to help others find our show
Follow us on X: @YourPodcast for updates and behind-the-scenes content
6. Include Quotes and Highlights
Your listeners will find it super useful when you include quotes and highlights in the show notes. They can share this on social media and increase your audience and engagement.
Example: Quotes:
“Sustainable living is not about perfection, but progress.” – Jane Doe
“Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It’s simple, effective, and beneficial for the environment.” – Jane Doe
You can use ToastyAI to auto-generate social media posts based on the episode. Once you’ve uploaded the episode, these are available for you.
7. Optimize for SEO
Search engines like Google work by reading text and analyzing it. Your show notes are a great place to optimize for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
This will help to improve your podcast’s search engine ranking. Use SEO best practices, such as headings, subheadings, and bullet points, to make the content easy to read and scan.
Example: Use keywords like “sustainable living,” “eco-friendly tips,” “composting benefits,” and “reduce waste” throughout the show notes to enhance SEO.
You can use ToastyAI that will automatically create an article for you based on the episode. Post this article on your website and it will help with SEO.
8. Proofread and Edit
You must proofread and edit your show notes before you can publish it. Check for clarity, grammar, and spelling issues. You want to create well-written and error-free show notes so it appears professional.
Conclusion
You can make show notes work for your podcast viewership and engagement.
But you need to create them in the right manner.
You can start creating a summary of the episode after you have listened to it. It’s important that you capture the main ideas of the podcast in the summary.
Show notes are a powerful tool to connect with your audience beyond the audio. Use them wisely to provide added value and encourage deeper engagement with your content.