Podcast episode show notes (free template)
Episode show notes are a very important part of your podcast’s marketing strategy: they tell listeners why they should pick that episode over all the other episodes out there, they provide extra resources, and also help you be discovered online.
While podcast platforms can hold a lot of information, most industry experts will tell you to focus on Apple Podcasts - and they’re right - after all, that’s the platform most Americans use. Apple podcast’s feed will display up to 4,000 characters (about 500 words), which is about a blog post’s size. But when one does a quick search online, one finds that most podcasters like yourself only use a fraction of these 4K characters, about 200 characters (which equals to 3-5 lines)… So, isn’t this a missed opportunity? HECK YES, IT IS!
First impressions matter
Just like any other online platform, podcast platforms focus on showing a preview of your content, which means that you need a strong hook in your first two sentences. If you’re a visual learner, the example of our client’s podcast below can help you understand why a strong title and an enticing description can really drive listener consumption:
Things you’re probably doing right now:
❌ Starting the show notes with 'In this episode...'
❌ Writing 200 characters (About 3-5 lines)
❌ Not using links
❌ Not including keywords in your title or description
What you need to start doing from now on:
✅ Having a strong hook in your first 3 sentences
✅ Taking full advantage of the 4,000 characters
✅ Always linking to your website for more resources, including links to related past episodes
✅ Including keywords that are relevant to the topic in your show notes
Now, what do you write your show notes about?
One of the main reasons why you don’t write lengthier show notes is because you’re struggling to find the ‘hook’, or the listener’s pain point for that episode, and because frankly, because there’s a lot to consider. After working as a radio journalist and host, I’ve found out that having generic prompts (or questions) would really help me write (or tell) each story better for the listener.
Now, when consulting with clients, I help them create their own strategies for their podcast episodes. On our initial meeting, I remind them that they should think of each episode like this:
WHAT IS THIS EPISODE'S HOOK?
WHICH PROBLEM ARE YOU SOLVING?
ARE YOU CREATING CURIOSITY / URGENCY TO LISTEN?
Podcast Show notes template
By now, you should be ready to dive into the downloadable created by our awesome team, so grab your free show notes template by signing up below. You’ll also get our weekly newsletter with practical podcasting tips right to your inbox each Friday!
