Podcast Show Notes can be a pain to create
It can be a bit of a hassle to create show notes for your podcast guests, but it’s often worthwhile for a variety of reasons.
Imagine that you’ve been invited to go on a podcast for the very first time. What I mean is that you, yourself, have never appeared on a podcast before. You’re new to public speaking and the idea of getting on the mic with a podcast host is starting to worry you. What could a podcaster do to calm your nerves?
Show notes, that’s what.
Show notes are a great way to offer your podcast guests some clarity and guidance on how you go about your podcast recording.
I’m almost 100% certain that the way that you go about putting your podcast together is not exactly the way that anyone else does it. You’ll have a different time, use different software, have some requirements for participation that other podcasters do not.
So how are you going to communicate all of this to your guests?
Again, show notes.
Your podcast show notes do not need to be complex and lengthy, in fact keeping them brief is likely to make your guest bother to read them from start to finish.
It’s about looking professional; you’ve given this some thought, you’ve put some time into the podcast episode, and it’s not just something that you do with little attention to details. Your guests will feel reassured that you’re taking their time seriously.
So here are some ideas of the things that you can put in your podcast show notes to help you and all your guests be on the same page.
Tell them when and where
So this one is easy. In case your guests forget to add your podcast appointment to their calendar, tell them right off the bat when and where it is.
So something as simple as, “Your podcast is booked in for 2pm (UK Time) on the 13th December 2021”.
If you do this right at the start of your podcast show notes, your guests really have no excuse for the worst of all fails; a no show, which is a complete waste of time for you.
If you’re recording podcast episodes with guests from different parts of the world, making sure that your time zones are aligned is crucial. I would recommend a tool such as Every Time Zone, which allows you to visualise the times and whether a time suitable for you is suitable for them.
Let them know what you expect for the podcast recording
Make sure that you set out your expectations for what’s going to happen so something like:
- Please find a quiet spot and wear some headphone
- Use an external microphone if you have one
- Plan to be on the call for 60 mins and make sure that you’ve got no other things in your calendar during this time
- Turn off notifications on your phone and close needless tabs on your browser, we want to concentrate fully on the subject at hand
- We’ll chat for a few minutes before we hit record to ensure that we’re all on the same page
- Please don’t swear
You get the idea. Whatever your basic expectations are, set them out so that your podcast guests don’t have to think. It’s your show andy you need to be in the driver’s seat right from the start.
Set out the questions that you might ask in the podcast recording
It’s going to put your podcast guest at ease if you can provide them with some questions that you might like to ask them before the recording starts. This will enable you as the host to structure your thoughts before time and will enable them to give some thought to the answer that they might provide.
Give them a way to amend the show notes
In an ideal world, it would be good for the guest to be able to add their own thoughts and opinions to your show notes. This way either you or your guests come up with something new to add, it can all be done in the show notes. You won’t have to go backwards and forwards via email, Facebook, Twitter etc. The one true source of the podcast content should be in the show notes. If they’re amended, all hosts and guests can see those amendments.
You could do this via the Podcaster Plus app, or with other third-party tools such as Office 365 or Google docs. If you do link to an external document, be sure to add the link into the show notes though.
Provide them with your contact details
Make sure that they know how to get in touch with you. Perhaps they need to alter the podcast appointment timing, or tell you about something that will materially affect the podcast recording. If you can be in touch with them, and they with you, you ought to be able to avoid lots of problems.
Final thoughts
We cannot guarantee that your guests will all consume your show notes as much as you’d hope, but it’s certainly worth spending the time to create them. You’ll look more professional, the podcast will seem more credible, you’ll mitigate problems like no-shows and you will have a dialogue going on with your guests which will certainly make the podcast recording better for you, your guest(s) and ultimately your listeners.
You can do all of this on autopilot with Podcaster Plus
If you’re a subscriber to the Podcaster Plus app, all the issues mentioned in this post are easy to solve. Podcaster Plus will enable you to:
- Get guests to book themselves onto your podcast and add the date / time to their calendar
- Create show notes with the click of a button with pre-defined show note templates
- Send the show notes to your podcast guests automatically
- Collaborate on the show notes inside the app
- Keep in touch with a built in messaging system, a unique thread for every episode
Find out more at Podcaster Plus.