If you are looking for long-term podcast marketing strategies to grow your audience, learning about search engine optimization and focusing on your show notes is a good use of your time. Show notes can increase your reach beyond the podcasting apps, which are limited in search functionality. In this article, we’ll explain why show notes are worth the effort and ways to improve podcast show notes for discoverability. Whether you’ve been podcasting for years or considering starting a podcast, there’s always room for improvement.
What are podcast show notes?
Podcast show notes summarize an episode, sharing what listeners can expect, key takeaways as well as resources mentioned. In addition to a detailed account of the episode, show notes can encourage listeners to discover your show through search, newsletters, and social media.
Unlike episode descriptions which are brief and found within podcast players like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, show notes are in-depth and are typically hosted on your website.
If you do not have a podcast website or a landing page for your podcast on an existing site, Podpage is a website builder designed specifically for podcasts – no coding is necessary. WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace are other options.
6 Ways To Improve Podcast Show Notes
Write Clear and Compelling Episode Titles
Episode titles are your first impression and are the first thing listeners see when they stumble upon your podcast feed.
While clever titles may be fun to create, clear and compelling titles convert scrollers to listeners. Write episode titles that lead with value, and communicate what listeners can expect.
When crafting episode titles, put yourself in your listener’s shoes and ask, what’s in it for me? You may need to clarify if you cannot answer that question by reading the title alone.
Common types of episode titles include:
- How-tos
- Things, Tips, or Ways
- Reasons, Mistakes, Lessons
How important are episode titles?
One of the most popular podcasting apps, Apple Podcasts only searches your podcast name, episode titles, and author tags. Nevertheless, episode titles are not only indexed by podcast players. When you create dedicated show notes for each episode, this piece of blog-like content will also be indexed by Google and other search engines. Subsequently, appearing in search results.
Show notes optimized for search have keywords and variations people are searching for. These keywords are found in the headers and sprinkled throughout the text.
While it may be tempting to keyword stuff (excessively use keywords), it’s important to create content for your listeners and not search engines.
In Google’s recent update, Google Search prioritizes a people-first approach, rewarding content that leaves someone feeling like they have enough information to achieve their goals. Create show notes that are helpful and leave visitors satisfied.
Related: Best SEO Practices: How To Help Your Content Perform Better
Guest Name in Title
In episodes where you have a guest, include guest names in the title. When people search for guests’ names, your episode may appear in queries introducing your show to new listeners.
To maximize searchability, include guest names in the episode title and throughout the show notes, including headers (H1, H2, H3). Don’t forget your guest bio, along with their credentials and accolades.
Helpful Tip: Streamline your guest onboarding process by requesting bios in your podcast guest intake form. Request photos and links to their website and social profiles.
Add Videos from YouTube
Stand out from other podcasters by embedding related and relevant videos into your show notes.
YouTube, a product of Google, is the second largest search engine. Leverage YouTube by embedding videos into your show notes to boost searchability on both Google and YouTube.
Also, since videos are engaging and attention-grabbing, visitors typically spend more time on the page, an essential factor for ranking higher in search results.
Here’s an example from an episode of The Thought Card Podcast where I improved my show notes by embedding videos and photos to create a dynamic multimedia experience.
Create Pins For Pinterest
People search for everything on Pinterest. Since millions of people use Pinterest for inspiration and motivation, strategically use Pinterest as a promotional tool to get traffic to your website.
To increase your chances of getting found on Pinterest, create eye-catching pins that include keywords in the image, pin description, and Pinterest board.
Include Memorable Quotes
Savvy Social Podcast by Andréa Jones does a great job of including memorable quotes in the show notes. These quotes are intriguing, share quick tips and insights, and can be repurposed for social media.
Click To Tweet
Inspire listeners to share the episode by using Click To Tweet, a tool where you can create a link that anyone clicks on to add a premade tweet to their account. Not only is this an easy way to promote your content but you can also track the activity of each link.
Journey To Launch by Jamila Souffrant is a great example of how to use Click To Tweet to boost engagement while sharing episode highlights on Twitter.
Link To Other Episodes
Lastly, encourage listeners to check out other episodes of your podcast by linking to 2-3 other podcast episodes they might enjoy. Including internal links from other pages on your website is a win-win; it’s good SEO (search engine optimization) practice.
What are other ways you optimize your podcast show notes for discoverability? In the comments, share your thoughts!
Wondering if you should include transcripts in your show notes?
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