7 tips on how to write podcast show notes

Podcast show notes tell a listener what they can expect from that episode – what it’s about, who’s involved and most importantly, what they will get out of listening.

Different to your podcast description, which paints the overall picture of your podcast, each set of podcast show notes is unique to that episode – an entertaining summary to inform and engage your listener.

Whilst they can take time and effort to create, a good set of show notes can make all the difference as to whether someone decides to hit play or not.

Read on for our 7 top tips on how to write podcast show notes and what to include in them to entice new listeners and hook them in:

1. Give them a reason to hit play

What is it about this episode that is going to make them want to give up their time to listen? Tell them what’s in store – the questions you are going to answer, the issues you are going to solve or the laughs you’re going to give, and ultimately, what they are going to get out of it if they choose to press play.

2. Be concise and consistent

Share the edited highlights of your episode not a word for word recount – save that for your transcript. Use your show script as the basis to ensure you cover the key points in your summary. Use a consistent format each time and don’t forget to include the episode title and number.

3. Mind your tone 

Try writing as you speak to keep it sounding as natural as possible. Inject your personality and if you have catchphrases you use regularly, you could drop these in to help build consistency and familiarity with your listeners

4. Include your guests 

Whether links to their website, social media accounts or published work, it’s important to give kudos to your guests in return for their time. Including their bio and credentials also helps to reinforce why they are there in the first place and speaking on the topic.

5. Provide links to additional resources

You may well cover a lot of ground in each episode, so it’s a good idea to include links to further reading, sources of information or if it’s a sensitive or triggering topic, where listeners can go to get help and support. And don’t forget to include your own social media accounts!

6. Use keywords

Try to include relevant keywords relating to the topics you cover in the episode. When published to your website, these will help with SEO, driving traffic to your website and enabling more people to find you when they’re looking for information on that topic.

7. Include a CTA

As with all forms of content creation, not including a call to action is a missed opportunity! It could be a simple subscribe, leave a review, share with a friend or sign up to your email list, course or event. Just don’t overwhelm them by using too many.