5 Elements of Engaging Show Notes

Creating a podcast is not a piece of cake, at least not anymore. Due to immense competition, you must learn and understand what makes a good podcast to be successful in creating one. 

Many hosts are curious about how to write valuable show notes when launching a podcast. That is to say; most people desire to learn how to write show notes that are popular and have an impact. Our goal is to share our show note-writing process with you today, along with the benefits of doing so for promoting audio shows.

So, let's discuss some podcast show notes you should be aware of to let your podcast's virtues shine through unhindered by poor execution. There is no perfect method for producing a chart-topping series; that's a combination of fortune, strategy, and creativity.

What Makes a Podcast Good? 

The notion that any specific piece of information is valuable is ultimately a matter of taste; what you find comforting and genuine, another person may find clichéd and derivative. Despite this, people frequently band together to raise some works as well-liked and give them importance due to the sheer number of distinct voices that concur on their worth.

These top-rated shows are obviously doing something right. You can't deny that individuals are tuning in to the suggestions on your podcasting site, even if you detest practically everything about them.

What are Show Notes?

Before discussing the importance of show notes, it is essential that we first define them, discuss why you might want to think about writing them and discuss how they can be a useful tool for promoting podcasts. The subjects covered in your episode are described in the show notes. 

By reading the show notes, potential listeners can learn about the relevance of your episodes, the perspective from which you and your guest approached the subjects, and the pertinent takeaways for the listener. Any presenter should strive to differentiate their show notes from the competition.

What Should You Include in Your Show Notes?

The truth is that numerous methods to write show notes are nonetheless effective. But, we've developed a standard format for show notes that's easy for the host to compose, convenient for the listener to absorb, and interesting. 

We have several parts in our show notes, each with a specific function. The introduction, the main points, the resources, the social media links, and the call to action are among them. To aid with SEO and Google crawling, add as many relevant keywords as possible in your show notes. Before we move towards the five elements of engaging show notes, let's discuss the important sections of a good podcast show that are easily detectable in an excellent podcast episode summary:

Introduction

If you are conducting an interview, this section introduces your subject, your interviewee (or interviewees), their unique perspective on the subject and their personal experience with it, the questions you hoped they would address during the interview, and a brief biography of your interviewee.

Key Takeaways

To grab your listeners' attention and maintain their interest, the key takeaways section includes quotes from the episode. They can be used in tweets and quote graphics on all social media platforms and are typically brief.

·      Key takeaways examples could include:

·      The visitor mentioned some statistics

·      A fresh viewpoint that the visitor offered

·      Something the host learned that astonished him or her or that most people in the audience wouldn't know

·      Anything else you could say that you could easily post on social media

Resources

This section's goal is to direct listeners to articles, studies, or websites referenced in the episode that they could find useful in their efforts to gain more about the subject matter.

Here are a few illustrations of the kinds of data that are frequently included in the resources section:

·      The visitor's blog, books, merchandise, seminars, or podcasts

·      Any external links that the visitor mentions 

·      Any sources that the visitor thinks are useful for learning more about the subject

Links to Social Media

The purpose of this segment is to connect the listener with the guest via their preferred social media channel.

Here is an illustration of how this section is normally formatted:

·      Instagram: [Insert guest's social media link].

·      Facebook:

·      Twitter:

·      Pinterest:

·      TikTok:

·      LinkedIn:

·      Any additional platform where the visitor might be found:

Call to Action

The goal of this part is to summarize everything that has been said and urge the reader to take action. Here are some illustrations of the several types of calls to action that may be found in show notes:

·      Join the host's social media channels.

·      Sign up for the host's email list.

·      Please rate and/or comment on the podcast.

·      Share the program with a friend or on social media.

Now that you know how to format your podcast show, let's talk about the elements that make a podcast engaging and interactive. So what are these secret ingredients? Let's find out! 

5 Elements of an Engaging Podcast Show 

1.     Concentrate on a Key Concept

Every podcast aims to communicate something to its listeners. This might be anything from expressing a particular political stance to imparting knowledge on a specific subject. Any podcast exists for a fundamental reason, which is the primary notion.

A good podcast has a clearly defined main idea, knows what it wants to communicate, and knows how to convey it. You'll convey a clear message to your audience that they should look elsewhere for their cooking information if you want to create a podcast about unique food recipes but waste most of your recording talking about last night's football game. 

A podcast's creator makes an implicit promise with each episode that they would at least partially address the major concepts of the program. You can improve this by realizing the potential of podcasting.

2.     Lay Before a Crowd

Good podcasters have a deep-seated understanding of the fact that viewership is the ultimate king. Unlike traditional radio broadcasting, which had to try and appeal to as many people as possible owing to the limited airtime, podcasts have the extraordinary potential to address a particular niche in whatever subject they cover. Knowing the audience you are creating content with is now more crucial than ever.

Fun Fact: 49% of podcast listeners watch an entire episode at once while at home.

This goes above and beyond the simple "don't swear on a kids show" rule. A good podcaster is aware of what their audience wants, what information unites people interested in a particular topic, and what issues their programming might address.

3.     Follow a Consistent Schedule

Even though it might appear pretty evident, this is one of the most significant things. Every good podcast follows a regular release schedule.

Consumers of podcasts have demands from content producers. After all, you are performing a show! Similar to television shows, keeping engagement and boosting the visibility of your work depends on having a timetable that your audience can rely on.

To guarantee a consistently positive listening experience for your listeners, it's also essential to employ the best audio editing tools.

4.     Structuring a Show 

A new podcast is always risky to listen to. It can be difficult to predict if a show will cover the topics you expect because content makers have many options for focusing on particular groups. 

Giving your content a clear framework will assist your audience in anticipating what to expect and maintaining their interest in the concepts you want to explore. The act format of "This American Life" defines each new narrative's beginning and end, focusing on a different part of the episode's overarching theme.

Even if it's only an evocative development in the hosts' conversation, a smart podcaster is deliberate about the structure of their show, utilizing it as a tool to organize and communicate their ideas in a way that builds a compelling story for your audience.

5.     Originality 

The finest podcasts all include this final component, one of the most difficult to measure. Since there is just one relationship between the podcast's host(s) and the listener, podcasting is a very intimate medium. 

A successful podcast presenter embraces this idea by being honest and speaking from a place of vulnerability and authenticity, which enables their listeners to get to know them better. They take on roles in the drama of their programs, and this sympathetic connection between host and audience is essential for sustaining viewer interest in a program.

With all these components, you ought to be able to prepare a truly exceptional show. You can make sure your podcast has the impact it was always intended to have on you or your business by putting each of the characteristics of a good podcast to use.