One of the steps in running a podcast is writing the shownotes for each episode. Today, I want to share how to write your shownotes and what should be included. But first, why are shownotes important? Shownotes are important because they provide a summary of the episode and, if optimized for SEO – as they should be, are great for discoverability for your show. Don’t skip having shownotes because you’re not a good writer – I’m here to help you include exactly what you need to write good shownotes. And with AI’s rise, some tools and apps can help you capture what you need.
What are Shownotes
As stated above, shownotes are a summary of the episode. They provide listeners with key information about the episode’s content, important points discussed, and additional resources or links. Show notes help improve the podcast’s SEO, make the content more accessible, and engage the audience.
What Should Be Included in Shownotes
- Title and Episode Number
- This helps in organizing and referencing episodes.
- Brief Summary
- The summary should be about one to three sentences that state the core message of the episode. This will let the audience know exactly what they will hear in the episode.
- Detailed Description (This is optional)
- After the summary, you can go into more detail about the episode, highlighting the main topics, themes, or guest introduction. You can use this section to include your guest’s bio if the episode has a guest.
- Key Takeaways and Timestamps
- List key takeaways from the episode with their timestamps (this is optional). The timestamps are helpful for listeners to jump to a specific section of the episode they want to listen to.
- Guest Information
- If you didn’t include the guest’s bio in the detailed description section, you can include it here. In addition to the guest’s bio, you should include your guest’s links – like social media, website, products, free resources, etc.
- Links and resources
- Include your own links—like social media, website, and free resources—and links to any resources mentioned in the episode, whether that’s books, research articles/studies, product recommendations, etc. This provides value for your listeners.
- Call to Action
- Always have a call to action in your shownotes! It can be the same call to action in your episode, or it can be inviting your audience to subscribe, leave a review or rating, connect with you on social media, visit your website, donate money, download a freebie, or send questions.
- Transcript (Optional)
- Some podcasters choose to include the transcription of the entire episode.
Tools for Writing Your Shownotes
As mentioned above, some apps/tools can help you write your shownotes.
- ChatGPT
- You can upload your episode to ChatGPT and ask it to write the shownotes. You’ll want to tweak it into your own voice, but it can provide you with the blueprint to start.
- WhisperTranscribe
- You can download this app on your computer and upload the episode to the app. WhisperTranscribe will summarize the episode, pull quotes, generate chapters and titles, and create shownote, newsletter, blog post, and LinkedIn post. I’ve used this app, and I like all the options it generates. I’ve used the different options it provides to help write my own shownotes.
- Shownotes Summary Template
- I’ve created a shownote template to help you write your shownotes. It has everything in this blog post to remind you of what to include in your shownotes. It is available for purchase in the Podcast Starter Kit. Also included in the kit is
- Episode Format Outline: to help structure your episodes for a smooth and engaging flow.
- Episode Notes: to help keep track of key points and details for each episode.
- Weekly Planner with a checklist: to plan your weekly tasks and stay on track.
- Monthly Planner with a checklist: to set and achieve your monthly podcasting goals.
- Guest Form Intake: to streamline your guest booking process with ease.
- I’ve created a shownote template to help you write your shownotes. It has everything in this blog post to remind you of what to include in your shownotes. It is available for purchase in the Podcast Starter Kit. Also included in the kit is
Conclusion
As always, I’ve promised to provide resources and help new podcasters in this podcasting journey. Please feel free to email me any questions you may have. I’m here to help in any way that I can. Podcasting is fun but a lot of work, but you’re not alone.
With Love, Heidy
Check out my SEO Guide and Free Podcasting Resources at – https://stan.store/heidydelacruz
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