How do I structure podcast show notes?

Show notes are not the transcript

Listeners open show notes to decide whether to press play, or to find a link the host mentioned. They rarely want every sentence. A transcript is the source. Show notes are the map: topic, guest, a few things you will learn, and the links. If you paste the transcript into the host, you have not written notes. You have archived the episode in the wrong field.

RepurposeKit can draft that shorter version from a public feed or an upload. Treat the draft as a first pass. The host description field has a length limit on some platforms, so be ready to cut. The episode page on your site can hold a slightly longer version.

Write the first sentence for a stranger

Assume the reader has never heard the show. “We continue our series” only helps subscribers. Say who the episode is for and what question it answers. If there is a guest, give their role in a few words. If there is no guest, say the problem the host is walking through.

Avoid inside nicknames in that first sentence. You can use them later if the audience expects them. A search result or a podcast app preview may show only the opening lines. Those lines have to make sense with no cover art and no previous episode.

List takeaways, then the links

Three to five takeaways are enough. Each one should be a sentence a listener could repeat. Under the list, add only links that were promised: the guest’s site, a tool that was named, a paper, your own related post. Do not turn the notes into an affiliate catalog the episode never discussed.

If you also send a newsletter, do not make the notes and the email identical. Notes orient a listener who is already on the episode page. The email has to justify itself in the inbox. You can share one takeaway and link to the episode. The podcast to newsletter page describes that sibling workflow.

Use timestamps for chapters

Chapters are the part people thank you for. The transcript in RepurposeKit keeps timestamps, so you can jump to the moment a topic starts and write a short chapter title. Chapter titles should name the topic, not “Chat about stuff.” You still enter the chapters in your host or on YouTube if you publish video as well.

Do not invent a timestamp. If you are unsure where a section starts, search the transcript and use the time you see. Editing the words does not move the time. That is useful: a corrected name stays attached to the right moment.

Check names before you publish

Automatic transcripts miss unusual names, and captions sometimes hear a brand as a common word. Read every proper noun. If the guest spells something a specific way, use that spelling in the notes even if the audio was casual. A wrong name in show notes is more visible than a wrong name in minute fifty of the audio.

Also check numbers, discounts, and “we’ll link this in the notes” promises. If the host said they would link something, either add the link or delete the promise. A draft will not know your URL shortener or which page is current.

A weekly habit that stays short

Generate notes the same day you lock the episode, while you still remember the asides. Edit for ten minutes: opening sentence, takeaways, links, chapters, names. Paste into the host. Then stop. Perfect notes that ship a week late are worse than clear notes that ship with the episode.

If the episode is a conversation with several topics, use the chapter list as the outline and keep each takeaway tied to one chapter. A reader scanning on a phone should see the guest, the promise, and the links without scrolling through a transcript. That is the whole job of show notes.

Keep a brand voice if several people write notes. The show should not sound like a different company every week. RepurposeKit applies the saved voice to new drafts and leaves old projects alone. The product is free, and it will not update the podcast host for you.

How to use it

1. Get the audio. Import the latest public RSS episode or upload the file.
2. Fix the names. Correct guest names, product names, and numbers in the transcript.
3. Draft the notes. Write one sentence on the topic, a few takeaways, and a close with the links you want.
4. Add chapters. Use transcript timestamps for chapter marks. Paste the notes into your podcast host.

Questions

Can show notes include the full transcript?

You can publish a transcript separately. Show notes should stay the short version.

Does RepurposeKit push notes to my host?

No. Copy them into the host or your site.

How long can the episode be?

Up to 3 hours for a podcast episode, YouTube video, or upload.