Writing show notes #

This page is for hosts and producers who write the text that goes with an episode. Show notes have two readers: the visitor on the episode page, and the podcast app that shows the feed's description. A ready structure is on Show notes template.

Contents #

1. Where the notes go
2. What good notes contain
3. Links
4. Chapter times
5. Credits and disclosure
6. How notes reach the feed

Where the notes go #

Write the notes in the episode's rich text field (Description, Caption, Show notes, depending on the class). The rich text editor offers paragraph styles, bold, italic, lists, links, tables and Embed object (Creating and editing content). Use headings from the paragraph styles rather than bold lines, so screen readers and search engines see the structure.

What good notes contain #

1. One or two sentences on what the episode is about, first, because apps often cut the rest.
2. Guests with their role and a link each.
3. Topics or chapters with times.
4. Links to everything mentioned.
5. Credits: host, producer, editor, music.
6. Disclosure of sponsors and paid mentions.
7. Where to find the transcript, if it is on another page (Transcripts and captions).

Links #

• Link with meaningful text: "the 6.0 release notes", not "here".
• Link to other episodes with the editor's link dialog, which can pick an item of the site; such links follow the episode when it moves.
• Check external links before publishing. The site's link check can report broken links later (Link and content checks).

Chapter times #

Exponential does not write chapter markers into the audio or the feed. Write chapter times as plain text in the notes:

00:00 Introduction
04:30 Interview with the guest
38:10 Listener questions

Use MM:SS or HH:MM:SS consistently. Some apps recognize such times in the description; on the site they are plain text.

Credits and disclosure #

• Name everyone who worked on the episode and wants to be named. Ask guests how they want to be credited (Guests and credits).
• State sponsorship at the top of the notes as well as in the audio. The press section explains the ethics (Disclosure and sponsorship ethics).
• Credit music and other third-party material with its license (Rights and licensing).

How notes reach the feed #

In the podcast export, each episode's description comes from the field mapped as Description for its source (Episode mapping reference). For a rich text field the feed gets the field's rendered output as text (podcastText() in kernel/classes/ezrssexport.php); the markup is escaped into the XML, as RSS requires. Many apps show it with links; some show plain text.

If the feed should show only a short summary, give the class a separate short description field and map that as Description, and keep the full notes on the episode page.

Before publishing #

• To do: The first sentence works on its own.
• To do: Every guest is named and linked as agreed.
• To do: Sponsors are disclosed.
• To do: Links are tested.
• To do: No private data: no phone numbers, private addresses or e-mail addresses of guests unless they asked for it (Privacy in your coverage).

Related pages #

• Show notes template
• Podcast and radio guests
• SEO basics
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.