FOR PODCASTERS
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How to write podcast show notes that persuade people to press play and help episodes get found in search, with a simple template, timestamps and transcripts.
Good podcast show notes do two jobs: they persuade someone scrolling an app to press play, and they give search engines a page worth showing. Open with two or three sentences on why this episode is worth their time, name the guest and topics in plain words, add timestamps, links to everything mentioned and the guest’s details, then publish a fuller version with a transcript on your own website’s episode page.
Imagine checking your website statistics and seeing that someone found an episode from two years ago by searching a question your guest answered beautifully. They listened, then went back to episode one. Nobody shared it with them and no algorithm pushed it. A well-written page simply answered their question, and your show was waiting behind it.
That quiet thrill is what good show notes make possible. Most podcasters write them in a rush on release day, if at all. A few minutes of care turns each episode into something that keeps working long after the release-day posts have scrolled away.
Show notes are the written description that sits with each episode in podcast apps, on YouTube and on your website. They have three audiences:
Write for the first two and you will usually serve the third as well.
A simple, repeatable template works best:
Apple Podcasts Connect allows episode titles of up to 150 characters and descriptions of up to 10,000, so space is rarely the problem. Clarity is.
Treat the first sentence like the first ten seconds of the episode. Apps often show only a line or two before cutting off, so lead with the most interesting thing. “Welcome to episode 47 of the show” tells the listener nothing; “Why most small businesses undercharge in their first year, and the one question that fixes it” gives them a reason to press play.
Keep the tone of the show. If the conversation is warm and funny, the notes can be too. Avoid stuffing in phrases for search engines: people notice, and it makes the show sound like a sales page.
Search engines can’t listen to your audio, so the words on the page are what they understand. Google’s guidance is to think about the words a user might search for to find your content, to write a title that is unique and clearly describes the page, and to use words in the URL that are useful to readers.
For a podcast, that means naming people and topics plainly. Write the guest’s full name, the company or book they are known for, and the actual subject in everyday language. A listener searching “how to price freelance design work” will never find an episode titled “Ep 47: The money one”.
The biggest gain comes from your own website. App descriptions mostly help people already inside the app, while an episode page on your own domain can be found by anyone searching the web. Our guide to whether a podcast needs a website explains why that page matters so much.
Yes, especially for long conversations. On YouTube, timestamps in the description create chapters if you follow three rules: the first timestamp must start at 00:00, you need at least three timestamps in ascending order, and each chapter must be at least 10 seconds long. Chapters let viewers skip to the part they care about, which keeps them watching rather than leaving.
Use the same timestamps in your app descriptions and on your episode page. Name each section by what is discussed, not “Part 2”, and those labels become useful text in their own right.
It helps, both for accessibility and search. Apple says it automatically generates transcripts after a new episode is published, and that you can supply your own through your RSS feed instead. It also recommends including host and guest names in your show and episode descriptions to make sure those names are spelt correctly in the transcript, which is another reason to write proper show notes.
On your own website, a transcript gives search engines the full text of the conversation. Automatic transcripts need a quick edit for names, jargon and obvious errors before you publish them. Put them below the main notes so the page still reads well.
Be open about anything commercial. The ASA says ads in podcasts are covered by the CAP Code, and its guidance favours clear labels such as “this is a paid ad for” or “sponsored by”, given before or as the ad starts rather than afterwards. Apply the same spirit in your show notes: if a link is a sponsor or earns you commission, say so beside it.
It protects your listeners’ trust, which is the most valuable thing your show has, and makes sponsors more comfortable working with you too.
Show notes also feed your social posts and newsletter. Our page on marketing for podcasters shows how each episode can become a week of material. If you want episode pages that make all this easy, our website design for podcasters includes a template built around show notes, guest links and transcripts.
We would love you to feel that every episode you have ever made is still out there, quietly finding new listeners. We started out as co-founder Jack Cartwright’s in-house team, building the website, design and content around his books so readers could find them, and we now do the same for shows. Our website design for podcasters gives every episode a page with show notes, transcripts and guest links that search engines understand. A clear brief, scope and fee are agreed before any creative work begins.
Long enough to be useful, short enough to scan. For app descriptions, a strong opening, a short guest introduction, a few bullet points and links is plenty. On your website’s episode page you can go further, with a fuller summary, timestamps and a transcript underneath. What matters is that the opening lines do their job.
Start from one master version and adapt it. Apps need the hook and links up front. YouTube needs timestamps that follow its chapter rules. Your website can carry the fullest version with a transcript. Keeping one source saves time and stops details such as guest names drifting between platforms.
It can help with a first draft from a transcript, but always edit it. Check names, facts and links, cut generic phrases and make sure the voice sounds like your show. Listeners can tell when notes were written by someone who wasn’t in the room, and errors in a guest’s name are embarrassing.
The apps don’t publish exactly how their search works, so it is safest not to stuff descriptions with keywords. Clear titles and descriptions that name the guest and topic help people recognise what they are looking for. The more dependable search benefit comes from a full episode page on your own website.
If they are worth listening to, yes. Start with your most popular episodes and those featuring well-known guests, because people are most likely to search for them. Adding notes and a page on your website for each one gradually turns your back catalogue into a library that people can find.
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