Podcasting Secret #8: Why you should create shownotes

Why bother with shownotes? It takes time to write them, but the benefits outweigh the trouble, and here’s why: Google loves shownotes. When you write up notes about each podcast episode, Google and other search engines will add your content to their vast indexes. If you are smart when you create the title of your podcast episode and the accompanying shownotes, people will find your podcast when they do a search. I get dozens of hits a day to my podcast site when people look for “employee communications” or “podcast production” and so on.

Yes, there are indeed specialized search tools that scan media files, but many users aren’t yet aware of them. Check out Podzinger and Podscope.

Your listeners like shownotes too. A glance at the notes tells them what the episode is about. If they’re really busy, they may skip ahead to a particular segment. In my own experience, shownotes keep me subscribed to certain podcasts. Honestly, I don’t have time to listen to everything, so shownotes help me prioritize my listening. If a show doesn’t have notes, I’m more likely to unsubscribe when I don’t have time to listen to several episodes in a row.

So how can you write your shownotes efficiently? Here’s my technique: I write out rough notes before I record my podcast. This gives me an outline of what I’m going to blather about. After I record, I use these notes as a guide. I make a cup of tea (this step is optional), then open up my MP3 file in iTunes. As I listen, I jot down the time codes, so that in the end, my notes look something like this:

Takeaways from the IABC International Conference in Vancouver
00:01 Intro and welcome.
01:06 Truth #1: The concept of social media is catching on, but there’s a great disparity between evangelists and naysayers. Example of the packed session with Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson and Allan Jenkins.
01:41 Truth #2: Print is not dead. Example of Steve Crescenzo’s session, which was a delight for publication editors who love to communicate in print.
02:18 Truth #3: Even if you write for a living, you still need to refresh your skills. Example: Don Ranly, professor emeritus at the Missouri School of Journalism, used the Wall Street Journal as a model of excellent writing.
03:07 Truth #4: There’s no substitute for face-to-face communications. Example: Meeting my online buddies in the flesh – Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson, Allan Jenkins, Tom Keefe and others. Example: Mark Burnett dislikes pitching by phone; he prefers face-to-face or video.
04:07 Truth #5: Life is not all about business. Example: Humanitarian Stephen Lewis raised the bar when he forced us, through his own passion and commitment, to think about the AIDS/HIV crisis in Africa, and to try to do something about it as communicators.
04:45 Truth #6: If you’re going to be trapped in an elevator, the best companions are fellow communicators.

And so on…

If it’s an interview with a guest, the shownotes take a little longer to write, because I have to jot down the guest's main points as I listen to the podcast. I can't rely so much on my original notes.

You’ll notice that I include links, so I need to spend a few minutes to look up URLs. In the end, I believe that my shownotes are a benefit to my listeners and to me too.

Some podcasters take the shownotes concept to the next level, publishing transcripts of their shows. If you decide to do this, you can try a service like Casting Words. If you are using them, I’d love to hear about your experience.