21: Show notes: Step 1 to making them epic

There is a two-fold problem when it comes to writing truly epic show notes

Good show notes have to be optimized, which takes a certain degree of expertise.

As with any blog post or web page, optimization includes some or all of the following:

• Keyword research (the most time-consuming part)
• Formatting that makes best use of those keywords and related phrases
• Proper use and optimization of images
• Formatting that is easy to scan, so readers can find exactly what they're looking for.

All of that takes extra time, which most podcasters don't have.

I know the headaches of being a part-time podcaster. I began doing my first podcast as part of a side-hustle while I was working full time at another job.

I also know the headache of having to do something like show notes when there appear to be so many other pressing things to make my full-time business more profitable and effective.

So if you want to do quality show notes, there are only two solutions:

• You figure out a system that enables you to do the job in the least amount of time possible.
• You outsource it.

I don't know any other solutions.

This episode of Podcastification is all about the first of those two options. I want to equip you by sharing the system the Podcast Fast Track team uses to write quality show notes.

So, here we go into the process...

Create a bullet point outline of the episode as you do the edits on your recording.

I know there are a variety of approaches to recording a podcast. Some of you create a bullet point outline to begin with that serves as the talking points of your episode. I've talked about how to do that that on a previous episode. You can find that at www.PodcastFastTrack.com/PodcastScript. If that's how you approach your podcast recording, you've already got this step done. Congratulations!

The reason the Podcast Fast Track team pulls out a bullet point outline first is because it's the easiest and most effective thing to do while editing.

• Main topics are easy to hear and write down on fast speed without losing our place (yes, we use fast play speed while editing).
• This enables us to get a firm grasp of the entire episode's content the first time through, which will enable us to do our keyword research before we write the full show notes.

Did you notice that I said we do all this while editing?

That may sound like crazy multi-tasking, and in one sense it is. We search high and low to find people skilled at both audio production and writing so we can optimize our process in this way. If you know someone like that, I'd love to hear from them ([email protected]). Making this a high priority enables us to make the entire process faster without sacrificing quality.

If you're going to take this approach (pulling out bullet points while editing) , it will require you to develop the skill of listening for audio that needs to be edited while you ALSO listen for changes in topic. You can do it, it's really not all that hard. After 2 or 3 times, you'll have it down. A tip to make it easier is this: On interview style shows, the questions the host asks usually indicate a topic worthy of its own bullet point.

One other thing:

The Podcast Fast Track team also inserts [TIME STAMPS] on the bullet point outline. That means one additional...