Writing Podcast Show Notes Faster : With Samples + AI Hacks
Show notes are a key part of podcast production – both for user retention and SEO juice. But, writing podcast show notes can easily stretch beyond 90 minutes each time. We’ve been there, so here’s a guide on how to write podcast show notes, with samples and smart AI hacks.
Let’s save you those precious 90 minutes, without killing the quality of your show notes.
Why Do I Need To Write Show Notes Anyways?
Show notes are not just a summary of your podcast episode – they’re how you earn your plays and get discovered off Google. A well-written show note comes with these few things :
A recap or key takeaways of your episode
Timestamps to episode highlights
External links to supporting resources or products
Links to previous episodes
CTAs – subscribe, follow, share, review etc.
Guest bios (if applicable)
Writing quality show notes for each podcast episode brings two key benefits – boosting your SEO authority and promote user retention/engagement. The table below illustrates just how your show notes help you retain audience attention and rank higher in search engines.
User Retention | SEO Authority |
Timestamps let users skip to highlights to preview the episode. | Provides a keyword-rich, text version of your episode content for the benefit of search engine crawlers/Googlebots. |
Key takeaways hook listeners, compelling a full play. | Allows better indexing and ranking of your podcast content on search engines. |
CTAs nudge your audience to subscribe, share, or explore affiliate links. | Strengthens your existing internal and external linking efforts. |
Detailed guest bios increase information credibility and builds user trust. | Provides crawlable, informative rich snippets to boost chances of being featured on Google or AI chat models. |
Links to past episodes keep listeners within your podcast stream, boosting overall plays. | Increases site authority through strategic backlinking from guests, fans, and other creators. |
How To Write Podcast Show Notes Faster With AI
According to the r/podcasters community, writing podcast show notes takes between 60-90 minutes of production time. And the hardest part? – research and link structuring. That’s followed by careful formatting, especially for SEO-rich, blog style formats.
But, why waste all that time when you can still write the best show notes for podcasts, with some help from sample templates and a dash of AI magic? Here’s the secret sauce – our very own AI-optimized shownotes production workflow – and we’re sharing it only with you :
Step 1 : Start With a High-Impact Keyword-Rich Title
Your title is your first impression – this is what stops user scrolls on search results, podcast directories, and social shares. It’s important that your title capture the gist of your episode with clarity, without discounting important keywords and queries.
How to do it :
Use simple, clear language to talk about your episode topic, highlights, or benefits.
Place your primary keyword early in the title.
Compel your click – aim for a curiosity, benefit, or emotional hook.
Examples :
❌ “Episode 25: Interview with Sarah Lee”
✅ “How to Launch a Product on Kickstarter – Tips from a 6-Figure Creator (with Sarah Lee)
AI Hacks : For instant titles that rank + low-hanging keywords to help you with title formulation, use our title & keyword tool generator.
Step 2: Write a 1–3 Sentence Hook/Description
Your hook is what makes your audience stop, skim, and think, "I need to listen to this." Use it to present the value of your episode, create anticipation, and introduce expert guests. Don’t forget your SEO – slip your primary keyword into the hook for a packed punch.
How to do it :
Highlight your episode value – talk about a solution, benefit, or any value-add it gives to your audience.
Coax the click by teasing funny moments, surprise guests, and secret tips/ideas to spark audience curiosity enough to hit “Play”.
Introduce your expert guests with their experience and achievements to build credibility
Example :
✅ Struggling to grow your Instagram? In this episode, we break down how @socialmoxie scaled from 0 to 100k followers — without a dime of ad spend.
Template Ideas :
[Hooked question or bold claim]? In this episode of [Podcast Name], we dive into [topic] with [guest name] to uncover [benefit/outcome].
AI Hacks : Skip a step with Wondercraft’s AI description tool. Enter short prompts, keywords, and attachments to generate a solid, attention-grabbing description for your episodes.
Step 3: List Key Takeaways or Topics
Everyone on the internet scans for valuable, relevant detail before clicking in – same here. Your takeaway list tells your audience why your episode is worth a click and their full attention. Pair them with timestamps for added user retention value – how-to coming up in Step 4.
How to do it :
Use bullet points to organize your topics/takeaways in a scannable format.
Focus on marketing parts that share tangible value to your listeners.
Ideally, takeaways need to include searchable keywords.
Examples :
✅ Learn how to define your niche without feeling boxed-in.
✅ We’re sharing 5 FREE audience tracking tools for all you podcasters out there.
✅ Check out online posting ideas for when you have zero audience pull.
Template Ideas :
[Actionable tip or lesson your audience will learn]
[Insight or surprising fact revealed during the episode]
[Tool, strategy, or framework discussed]
[Behind-the-scenes detail or host/guest perspective]
[Funny/relatable moment or quote from the episode]
Courtesy of : The Joe Rogan Experience - Episode #2255
Step 4: Add Timestamps to Chapter Highlights
Like we’d said earlier, timestamps build your audience retention. Why? Simply because users can Why it matters: Timestamps increase user retention by letting listeners skip to the parts that matter most to them. And when they like what they hear, they’ll instantly hit “Play”.
How to do it :
Run through your episode (or transcript) to define the most natural segment breaks.
Use the HH:MM:SS format for your timestamps, assign a mini headline to each, and link them to the exact stamp in your video.
Tag moments where your expert guests are doing their thing – their fans are here too.
Examples :
✅00:00 – Intro + Guest Reveal
✅02:15 – Why Instagram growth feels impossible in 2025
✅09:45 – Sarah’s no-spend, organic content strategy
✅15:30 – Tools she used to track and scale IG growth
✅23:00 – Listener Q&A + How to get Sarah’s toolkit
Step 5: Include Guest Bios
If your guest brings real expertise to the topic, spotlight their credibility upfront — their rapport builds trust fast. A detailed guest bio helps strengthen your authority and boosts SEO, especially if they’re a famous expert.
How to do it :
· The best guest bios have 1-2 sentences, showcasing as much of your guest’s expertise as possible.
· Don’t miss out on their titles, brand (if any), achievements, and awards.
· Drop them a link to their website, LinkedIn, or socials – chances are, they’ll return the favor (hello, free backlink!)
Examples :
· ✅Alina Webb – Financial Coach & Creator of The Money Reset Method™
Alina helps millennials master personal finance and escape debt without shame. She’s been featured in Forbes, NPR, and Refinery29. Download her free budget starter pack at themoneyreset.com/podcast.
· ✅Dr. Sarah Ahmed – Fertility Specialist & IVF Researcher
Dr. Sarah is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and a lead researcher in IVF innovation at NovaGen Labs. She breaks down the latest breakthroughs in fertility treatments and what hopeful parents should know going into 2025.
· ✅Michael Trent – SaaS Growth Advisor & Former VP at HubSpot
With over a decade of experience in scaling B2B SaaS products, Michael has helped companies like HubSpot and Notion hit aggressive growth milestones. In today’s episode, he shares actionable strategies for growing your user base without overspending on ads.
Template Ideas :
Basic Podcast Bio :
[Full Name] – [Job Title] at [Company Name]
[First name] is a [role] with [X years] of experience in [industry]. At [company], [he/she/they] specializes in [focus area]. In this episode, [first name] shares insights on [topic] and actionable tips for [audience goal].
Promotional/CTA-Driven Bio :
[Full Name], [Job Title] – [Relevant Business or Product]
[Name] is the founder/creator of [product/platform], used by [X number] of [users/customers]. Today, they’re sharing what worked, what didn’t, and how you can get started too.
👉 Get their free [resource/discount] at [link].
Thought Leader Guest Bio :
[Full Name], [Credential/Title]
[Name] is a recognized [expert/title] in [field] with work featured in [notable sources]. [He/She/They] brings deep expertise in [topic] and joins us today to talk about [specific angle of episode].
Relatable/Story-Driven Bio :
Meet [First Name] – [Descriptive Phrase about the Guest]
[First name] is a [job/role], but their real story is about [challenge, turning point, or mission]. In this episode, we go behind the scenes of [personal story, project, or transformation].
Step 6: Link to Mentioned Resources, Tools, and Past Episodes
Linking out to sources adds credibility to the information you’ve presented in the episode. Links to any tools you mention are great, especially if you’re monetizing affiliate products. A clickable tie in to past episodes not only enhances linking value, but also keeps your audience on your stream for longer – a double win.
How to do it :
Add a “Sources” or “Resources Mentioned” area at the end of your podcast show notes.
Use relevant, descriptive anchor text to pull a click.
Include links to related episodes, collaborative streams, or parallel content from other creators.
Examples :
Resources Mentioned :
“The Effects of Podcast Learning on Student Engagement” – Journal of Media Education, 2023.
Read the full study → [link]
White Paper: “AI in Content Marketing” – by ContentTech Labs
Download the report → [link]
Past Episodes :
Episode 14: How to Launch a Podcast From Scratch
Listen here → [link]
Episode 21: 5 AI Tools That Saved Us 10+ Hours a Week
Catch it here → [link]
Step 7: Include a Clear, Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)
CTAs guide your listeners toward meeting the goals you’ve set – whether that’s subscribing, following your stream, visiting a guest/affiliate site, or joining your mailing list. Format your CTA so it visually stands out, and place it in strategic, eye-catching spots within your show notes.
How to do it :
Use 1-2 CTAs that fit the style and topic of your episode, as well as your conversion goals.
Select strategic areas in your shownotes to display a CTA – usually at the top and bottom of the page.
Examples :
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive show notes templates
👉 Drop us a follow on Spotify
👉 Try our easy-to-use guest bio generation tool
Bonus : The Best Podcast Show Notes Template PDFs To Download
While it is fulfilling to create show notes from scratch, most podcast production days just don’t leave any time for all that. If you’re looking for a show notes template PDF you can just plug information into, try the detailed one from Castos or this simpler version from Convertkit.
Write Perfect Show Notes Every Time With Speedypod’s Podcast Show Notes Generator
Yes, sample templates help. But you’re still sinking a good 40+ minutes of production time into tweaking, formatting, and editing your shownotes. So, why not take the entire weight off and let our AI podcast show notes generator do all the heavy lifting?
How To Write Shownotes With The Speedypod AI Podcast Notes Generator
No formats, no templates, no hassle – just upload and you have quality, SEO-optimized show notes ready to go in minutes. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use our podcast show notes generator tool :
Step 1 : Sign Up With Us
Creating a Speedypod account is easy-breezy – takes barely a minute. Alternatively, you can link your account to your Gmail account or Apple ID for an even quicker signup experience.
Step 2 : Upload Your Podcast Audio
Our shownotes generator accepts MP3, WAV, and MP4 formats, making it easier for you to generate great show notes for both audio and video pods. Once uploaded, your podcast content is automatically parsed to begin the creation process.
Step 3 : AI Show Notes Generation
You’ll see a little loading screen while our tool puts together a detailed, timestamped show notes generate for you. Here’s what’s actually happening behind the scenes :
Our highly-advanced AI model reads your audio script to create an accurate, precise transcript of your episode.
Key points and topics are pulled from the transcript to generate descriptive summaries, authoritative guest bios, and well-spaced timestamps/chapters.
The tool then aggregates all of these into a professional show notes template, ready to be published with your new episode.
Step 4 : Export Your Show Notes
Once generated, you have a choice to export your show notes as a PDF for instant publishing or in TXT format, should you need to tweak a few things.
And that’s it – your SEO-rich, perfectly formatted, timestamped show notes are ready for use.
Forget The Writing : Use The Speedypod Podcast Show Notes Generator
The world of podcasting is moving at light speed – you don’t really have the extra 90 minutes to waste on writing show notes from scratch. Speedypod lets you have professional, SEO-optimized, engaging podcast show notes in just seconds – sign up for a free trial today!
