How to Write Captivating Show Notes for your Podcast
There’s a lot that goes into a successful podcast. On top of having great content and professional audio, one part of podcasting that is often overlooked are the shownotes!
A lot of what makes or breaks a podcast are the shownotes. This is because search engines and listening apps rely on that text to rank and categorize your show.
A common misconception is that show notes are a word-for-word transcript of the show’s text or a blog post about the episode. When people in the podcast industry use the word “show-notes” we are referring to the episode description that briefly summarizes the episode and is often the place to put outbound links, resources or products.
Here’s how to write effective shownotes to engage your audience and most importantly help search engines rank and push your show to a wider audience.
1 Include an episode summary
What is your episode about? This section should give your listeners an idea of the contents of that episode. You want this section to be intriguing to encourage the reader to hit play and find out more.
2. Add Key Topics or Top Takeaway
This section of your shownotes should follow the summary and this is the part that gives those of us who skim read, a basic understanding of what’s in the episode. Most shows will use bullet points in this section. Be sure to keep it brief.
3. Link any resources mentioned
Isn’t it the worst when a podcast host mentions something only just to go to the shownotes and find that they forgot to link to the resource.
This simple step makes it easy for your audience to access books, products or other episodes you mentioned on your show.
As a podcast editor, I always have a sheet of notes up for each episode I edit to ensure that I remember to link to anything my clients mention in their show.
4. Keywords Keywords Keywords
A huge reason for writing solid shownotes is for SEO value. Make sure to include some keywords to get your show popping up in the right places. Research and keep a list of keywords for your niche and place them in your shownotes where they make sense.
5. End with a Call to Action
The best way to end your shownotes is to direct your audience somewhere else once they’ve finished listening.
You should include links to your social media, newsletter, website or any relevant offers you have going on.
This is a must have strategy if you started your show for your business. By ending your shownotes this way, your show will serve as an effective lead magnet.
All in all, once you have a structure for your shownotes that works for you, it’s a process that becomes second nature.
Every show is different, so take some time to practice and remember to come back and analyze what’s working and what’s not. Whatever, you land on, stay consistent.
After some time, your audience will come to expect a certain format from you and may reference your shownotes when looking for links, resources, & more content from you.