How to Write Podcast Show Notes That Rank

Good podcast show notes do two jobs at once. They help a listener decide whether an episode is worth their time, and they give search engines something to read. Most shows treat them as an afterthought, a copy-and-paste blurb from the audio host, and that is a missed opportunity. This post gives you a simple structure for writing podcast show notes that people actually read and that can rank in search.

What show notes are, and why they matter

Show notes are the written companion to an episode: a summary, the main points, links to anything mentioned and details about the people involved. On a website they sit on the episode page, beside or below the player.

Listeners use them to scan before pressing play, to find the book or tool mentioned at minute 23, and to share the episode with a friend. Search engines use them to work out what the episode is about. Without them, your page is just a player and a title.

Start with a strong opening summary

Write two or three sentences that say who is speaking, what they discuss and why anyone should care. Put your main topic phrase in the first sentence, naturally. Compare two openings. “In this episode we chat” says nothing. “Keir chats with Kurt Elster about naming a company, specialising and productised consulting” tells you exactly what to expect.

The second version helps a reader and a search engine at the same time. Keep the summary under about 60 words, because it will often be reused as the description in search results and social shares.

List the key points

After the summary, add four to seven bullet points covering the main ideas. Write them as short statements, not teasers. “Why specialising can make it easier to charge more” is far more useful than “We talk about pricing”.

If the episode is long, add timestamps so people can jump to the part they want. Listeners returning to a favourite section will thank you. Even a rough outline is better than nothing.

Link to everything mentioned

Every person, book, tool and article mentioned deserves a link. It is helpful for the listener, it gives credit to your guest and it shows search engines that your page is a genuine resource. Link to a guest’s website or profile using their name as the link text.

When you mention an earlier conversation, link to it with descriptive words. Something like “our earlier chat about launching a new series”, pointing at the right page in the episode archive, helps people and search engines understand how your content connects.

Consider a transcript

A full transcript is the most thorough form of show notes. It captures the natural phrases people use when they talk about your topic, and it makes your episode accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who simply prefer to read.

If a complete transcript is too much, publish an edited version or a long summary with a few quotes. Automated transcription tools can produce a rough draft quickly, but always read and correct it, because names and technical terms are often wrong.

A simple show notes template

Here is a structure you can reuse for every episode:

• Title: clear, specific and under about 60 characters.
• Summary: two or three sentences that name the guest and the topic.
• People: hosts and guests, each with a link.
• Key points: four to seven short statements.
• Timestamps: optional, but useful for longer episodes.
• Links mentioned: everything discussed, in the order it came up.
• Next step: a related episode, or where to subscribe.

Format for readers and search

Use short paragraphs, plain headings and lists. Aim for at least 200 words of original text, and more for longer episodes. There is no magic number. The goal is simply to cover the episode properly.

Add episode artwork with sensible alt text, and write your page title and meta description separately, as covered in our podcast SEO guide. If you use WordPress, Yoast SEO gives you a tidy place to set both.

Common show notes mistakes

Three mistakes crop up again and again. The first is pasting the description from your audio host without changing it, which leaves your page looking identical to dozens of directory listings. The second is writing notes that only make sense to people who have already listened, full of in-jokes and “as we said earlier”. The third is burying the useful links at the very bottom of a wall of text.

Fix all three by writing for a stranger, keeping paragraphs short and putting each link next to the point it belongs to. If a friend who has never heard your show can understand the page in ten seconds, you are on the right track.

Make it a habit

The trick to consistent show notes is to build them into your process. Take rough notes while you record, write the summary the same day while the conversation is fresh, and publish only when the page is complete. With a template, it takes about twenty minutes.

If you already have a back catalogue of thin pages, improve them one at a time, starting with your most popular episodes. You can see how we lay out episode pages in the episode archive, and if you are just getting started, our guide on how to start a podcast covers the rest of the process.