You are not short of ideas, but creativity alone is not enough to materialize a successful podcast.

What you need is diligence, organization, dedication, and mastering the tools that will help you carry out your project.

But above all, you must know how to convey a message. It is not enough that this should be clear in your head; you should also manage to transcribe it so that it reaches the audience exactly in the way you want the audience to perceive it.

And if that were not enough, all of this must happen in some sort of constrained time that needs to be strictly followed at every single episode.

In this article, we will show you exactly how to create successful podcast show notes in just a few easy steps-complete with some understandable and straightforward guidance and tips you could start using on your forthcoming episode.

But that is not all: at the bottom of the article, there is a table with a real example of a generic podcast script, which you can fill out and use for guidance on how to improve your presentation.

What are podcast show notes?

The transcription of what will feature as the content in an episode of a podcast is called a script, show notes, or screenplay.

A script in a podcast context is literally just a written text to guide the content of the episode. In other words, it is just what you would call a screenplay in cinema.

Everything, from key points to a full script of what the host will say, interviewees' questions, tips, personal notes, and even directions for sound effects or musical pauses.

The show notes of an episode keep the flow of the podcast organized and tidy, covering all necessary topics and ensuring that messages are well conveyed to the audience.

The script of episodes with guests also helps keep the group on topic, avoiding the risk of an unnecessary off-topic due to excessive chatty chatters.

But especially, that allows keeping the episode within the duration, guaranteeing constancy, the real key to every successful podcast.

Why is writing an accurate script important?

Because, as we said, show notes are the tool that will allow you, after having created the content, to focus it, give coherence, and make it appealing to the listeners, so that their interest is captured and they are convinced that you are worthy of their next listen.

Most blog posts on podcasting seem tireless in repeating that the secret of a successful podcast is its content, as far as the topic of the post is concerned. I do not completely agree with that, because to my thinking, the long-term success of any project involves much more than just one factor.

A successful podcast's secret formula should include creativity, dedication, passion, perseverance, empathy, and organization.

If a podcaster does not know how to manage his time, is imprecise in the operational functions of production, and does not know or refuse to write notes, the message in his head may be clear and captivating, but will it also be for the listeners?

Podcasting for fun is one thing; doing a podcast that's going to make you public, that's going to be your job, and will become your main source of income… quite another.

If this is what you want, you have to become the entrepreneur of yourself, and for that, being organized at work is not only essential but also vital. It is just as important that your scripts be well written. And if you do, the success will come, and it will come fast.

How do you write a podcast show notes?

When writing podcast show notes, it's crucial to maintain the episode's flow, ensuring that the script encompasses all the key highlights.

As previously explained, these include the events that will take place during the episode, clearly listed, without neglecting pauses or other types of interruptions, including musical ones or minor sound effects.

Now let's have a look at the generic trace of a podcast script and how to set it black on white, respecting the right order of presentation.

Introduction

Introduce yourself and the theme of your podcast. This should not be missed because it tells who you are, and right away, it creates an immediate bond with the audience. This should be short and to the point where attention is captured; the listeners will have a reason to listen to more.

Jingle

The Jingle is the short musical or audio theme that identifies your podcast. The jingle has to be catchy and easy to remember; it will give more identity to your podcast brand.

Creating a catchy and original one is important because it will allow the public to remember you, like all those commercials we heard as kids and we can still remember.

To create one ad hoc, read our guide: How to create a successful jingle for your podcast.

Episode Preview

Provide a short overview of what listeners can expect to hear during the episode. Set listener expectations and keep their interest.

Sponsorship

Now, you'll introduce this episode's sponsors in a natural way that's personal, showing how their products or services will relate to the subject of your podcast or your listeners' interests. Let the ad message develop and integrate with the rest of the presentation.

Main Body

It is the central part of your podcast, where you will develop the main theme. This will be what is transmitted to the public, and it constitutes the heart of your podcast, so nothing should be left to chance.

Ensure that the content is segmented logically, questions from your side guide the guest if any, and ensure you precisely elicit all points for adding value to the listeners to answer their questions and to show expertise in the field you are discussing.

Engagement Section

May be inclusive of live Q&A, polls, reading comments, or social media engagements. Make listeners feel included in the conversation by at least reading some of the comments that resonate with you. This will amplify loyalty and engagement, definitely providing an empathetic connection between you and your audience.

Call-to-Action

Encourage your public to subscribe, to leave a review, or follow the podcast on social media.

Let the listeners know what they can do to support the podcast and how they can promote it. Even if you are not receiving any money through subscriptions, audience loyalty is vital because engagement builds up traffic and traffic builds visibility.

Conclusion

Now briefly cover what was covered and thank people for listening. Keep the energy positive and leave the listeners on a positive note. Let them know that this next appointment is going to be so exciting and engaging that they absolutely cannot miss it. This is how you should create a winning outro.

Closing Jingle

Play the initial jingle again or some sort of variation to show the episode is coming to a close.

This helps give a sense of closure.

Credits

Give thanks to those who made the episode possible by providing guests, producers, music, and sponsors. Express gratitude for the much-valued support. Credits are important screens that allow giving due credit to all collaborators, thereby giving prominence to sponsors.

Review

After the script is written, you have to recheck for grammatical errors, edit the content, optimize punctuation, and insert pauses where it will sound organic. Never approve the show notes unless you feel that your draft is perfect.

Tone & confidence

Finally, do the test if that tone is what you want to bring to your audience and you can create the right engagement with the public. You could proceed with the production at this point.

This structure shall help you in the development of an organized podcast script that will keep your listeners tuned in and coming back for each successive episode.

Remember to customize this script to fit the specific needs of your audience and the format of your podcast.

Since the kind of format is not just a personal choice but one more factor to be gauged against the type of image and content that one wants or needs to give, here are the classic formats of podcast scripts:

Full Script

This is a format that includes writing out word-for-word what will be said in your podcast. This is especially helpful for narrative podcasts or any that require a very specific attention to detail, such as audiobooks or educational podcasts. The full script is to the film world what the screenplay is: you must stick to it 100%, no deviation, no personal freedom.

Bullet Points Script

In this format, the podcaster makes a hit list of the key points or main topics to be covered. This sample outline is preferred in some cases of podcasts, such as interview or discussion podcasts, where there must be a free flow of conversation.

Detailed Outline

This format brings about the preciseness of details for a full script with the simplicity of data from a key points script. It allows quick phrases, and indications of the tone and pauses are allowed; therefore, it gives more substantial guides without limiting the spontaneity of those presenting or answering questions. Useful for podcasters who want to be structured and allow room for improvisation.

Key Points

In this case, the format will consist of a simple list that will point out only the main concepts or sections of the episode. This format is preferred in podcasts that have a well-defined and repetitive structure, for experienced hosts who are then able to orbit freely around the points listed, and for podcasts featuring less formal content and presentation.

Storyboard

Within the case of audiovisual or video podcasts, the storyboard is the format that integrates images and text in order to plan the visual sequence of events along with the dialogues. There will not be mistakes in integrating the audio and video parts this way, and the show notes will be more clear and defined.

Timeline or Temporal Sequence

This format organizes the script time-wise, detailing what happens minute by minute. It is especially indicated in complex podcasts that have a lot of multimedia features like music, sound effects, or multiple interviews.

Hybrid Script

Some podcasters prefer to create their ideal script based on the above-mentioned formats. In such a way, they manage to create a script that better accommodates their workflow and the nature of the podcast they are working on.

How to Choose the Podcast Script Format

Let's begin with the fact that there isn't just one format, nor even a perfect one when it comes to drafting a podcast script.

The podcast is also a way of expression that changes according to the personality of the creator himself, who will then have to find the way of representing his content to the public in the best possible way.

You might, therefore, need to test various formats in the first episodes until you find the right one for you and your target audience.

Keyword here is "first episodes": as we said on our guide Starting a Podcast: 17 Mistakes to Avoid in 2024, coherence is one of the essential points for the success of a podcast, and a continuous change of format would not be good for your production or for the engagement from the public.

Apart from that, for you to write that perfect show notes, you have to consider that there are a few important factors, including:

Topic

The first determinant factor of the show notes format is the topic you cover in your podcast.

With a podcast that involves educational or informational content, you would want to come up with a comprehensive script that should cover all the points you would want to discuss to make sure you do not leave anything behind.

For podcasts in an interview-based or group discussion style, the ideal would be a more flexible script-one which has key points to include and questions for guests to answer, to maintain a very organic flow of an episode without losing any of the spur-of-the-moment spontaneity between participants.

With storytelling podcasts, such as true crime podcasts, a full script may be required to maintain consistency in the show, with script indications on tone, pauses, and scene changes. If special effects are added for suspense, for instance, it is important that they are scripted.

Approach

While writing your screenplay, you have to focus on your style of presentation, coupled with the type of approach, which obviously may depend on the theme you deal with and not exclusively on your personality.

If you're the formal type, having a full script will enable you to speak in a professional manner and ensure that the flow of your presentation is orderly and organized. On the other hand, if you like to be colloquial and more freewheeling in your approach to presentations, then a script with bullet points and key notes to take you through the topics may be suited for you.

Level of experience and personal attitude

Generally speaking, one would imagine that an experienced podcaster would consider the usefulness of a precise and detailed script to be much less than it is for a budding creator; that is not always the case.

Veterans of podcasting know just how important being well organized is; perhaps this is one factor behind their brilliant career.

Many podcasters want to have everything written in order not to find themselves off-topic, not respecting the duration times planned for the episode.

Others, probably because experience in the field gives a greater naturalness and not being subject to any form of anxiety or because of the type of approach chosen, could want the greatest possible improvisation, given that too much structure would make them less natural.

Simple podcast show notes (example & table)

Efficient show notes should include:

• Date: January 01

• Episode: n. 1

• Total duration: 60 minutes

• Name of the Host: Ian White

• Name of the guest: Paul Jenner

• Duration of episode fragments: Expected duration of each different content fragment (see below)

• Description of episode fragments:

1. Introduction and greetings: Start the episode with a warm introduction. Introduce yourself, indicate the episode number, and what listeners can expect from today's episode. Set the tone for anticipation and engagement.

2. Opening Jingle: Play the short opening jingle that identifies your podcast. This should be catchy and memorable to help brand your podcast.

3. Presentation of the guests and theme: Introduce the guests and outline the main theme of the episode. This segment should build anticipation and provide listeners with a clear idea of what to expect.

4. Main Discussion: This is the core part of your podcast where you delve into the main theme. Structure the content into logical segments, use questions to guide the conversation if you have guests, and ensure thorough coverage of points that bring value to listeners, answer their questions, and showcase your expertise in the field.

5. Sponsor Mention: Naturally and personally introduce the sponsors of the episode, showcasing how their products or services relate to the theme of your podcast or the interests of the listeners. Integrate this segment into the rest of the presentation.

6. Conclusion and Closing Jingle: Wrap up the episode with a summary of the points covered. Thank the listeners for their time, request feedback, and provide contact information. Announce the next episode's date and time. Play the closing jingle to signal the end of the episode.

If you don't like long reads, or if you want a quick summary of what we have been telling you in this blog post, take a look at our example of a podcast script in table form.

How do I evaluate my podcast script?

After a few episodes are online, ask your listeners for feedback; they will be able to provide you with valuable indications on what to do to improve the show notes even more.

Always keep in mind that the script is used only to support the creation of your podcast and to help you in creating a coherent final product that is engaging for your audience, bearing a clearly and transmitted message.

However, this use of the script should not make you lose your naturalness; therefore, learn to consider it, but do not turn it into a kind of reading that would distract you from contact with the audience.

It is all about the balance between structure and spontaneity that fits your style and meets the expectations of your audience.

Is it beneficial to use specific software to create my show notes?

Of course it is! Using specific software to create your script can offer several benefits, especially in terms of efficiency, organization, and quality.

In podcast software, you will find everything for every need.

Specific software for podcasters will help you:

• Create ideas and content by analyzing market trends and the audience that determines them;

• Create a well-organized script according to your wishes and in the right chronological order;

• Conduct an accurate review of the text, grammar, adding relevant parts, and eliminating consistent ones.

• Tailor your content to the tastes of the public to get the maximum in terms of engagement.

• Automate the whole process of podcast creation, plan episodes, and get ideas from listener feedback.

• Add different kinds of functionalities, depending on the type of software that you are going to use.

Modern software is combined with features of artificial intelligence that make them capable of almost entirely replacing the technical part of a podcaster's work. While many of these have a monthly cost, the time it saves you makes it really worth considering the small investment.

If you are looking for one that is avant-garde in features, made for professionals yet really user-friendly, with a monthly plan affordable to all, look at PodcastAI. You will be amazed to see how much this incredible tool can do to give you all the time you will need to express your creativity.

I tried it, and it was a real surprise!

Conclusion

At this point, we have seen all the basic points which an attentive podcaster has to deal with in order to be able to write a successful script. Now all that remains is for you to try and organize your creativity in the best possible way. Good work!