Boost Your Podcast’s Discoverability with Enhanced Metadata

In this blog post we are going to teach you how to optimize the metadata for your show! 🚀 

Metadata is absolutely critical in boosting your audio content. Once you supercharge it, you are going to see results!

We have structured this blog post with the most frequent questions we get about this topic. Feel free to read through all of them or skip to a particular question you have.

Let’s get things started… 🏁

What is metadata?

Metadata is a description of your podcast that travels with your audio episode file on your RSS feed to listening platforms (example: Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), Spotify, etc.).

Metadata fields include cover art; show notes; data tags; the names of the author, host, and other characters; if your podcast is explicit; the category of your podcast… basically everything that your listeners need to know. 

That is why it’s so important to optimize it, and why it will help your media production grow and become a success! 💪 

So take your time and do it right! 🕰️ 

Where do I input the metadata data?

Metadata goes in podcasts’ RSS feeds. The RSS feed is the backbone of podcast technology. Every show has one.

The feed updates listening sites and apps with the latest episodes. It also holds the metadata. The site or app takes that info and uses it to populate the podcast’s page in the directory.

Specifically, it has specific code headings for each metadata category. Whatever information you put under these headings is your metadata.

Here are most of the metadata headings that can be found in a podcast RSS feed and their description:

• Title: Show Title
• Description: Show Description
• Enclosure: URL to server site hosting your audio, audio file type, audio file size
• Show Notes: Episode Description
• Category: History, Business, Sports, etc
• Author: Company that produces the show
• Image: URL to server site hosting your cover art
• Episode art: URL to server site hosting your episode specific art
• Season: If you divide your episodes up into seasons, put season number here
• Link: URL to podcast’s website
• Pub Date: Day and time episode was released
• Duration: Length of episode, usually in seconds
• Language: English, Spanish, etc
• Explicit Rating: Yes or no
• Owner contact info: Email address
• Type: Episodic or serial
• Episode type: Bonus, Trailer, Full
• Copyright: Copyright Details
• Complete: If you are done producing new episodes

Do It Yourself

You can make one of these yourself. We have a whole blog post explaining just that, “Creating a Podcast RSS Feed: The DIY Method.”

If that sounds too daunting or time consuming for you (and to be honest, it is), then you want to use a podcast host service.

Use a Podcast Hosting Platform

You input your metadata information on your hosting podcast platform (example: Ausha 💜). It should have fields, or empty boxes, for you to fill in. Then your hosting platform encodes that information as data in your RSS feed.

Each hosting platform is a little different. One may have a section called “show notes” while another calls this section “episode description.” Usually hosting platforms describe what they mean in a short sentence there on the metadata input page, or they have a FAQ or help section that describes what info you should put where.

Do different listening platforms have different metadata fields?

Yes, yes they do. For example, what is called “author” on one listening platform might called “host” on another. Usually this does not cause any problems. 😅

While your hosting platform does automatically send out metadata to listening platforms through an RSS feed, it is not a bad idea for you to go to each listening platform individually to see if you need to tweak anything manually. Once you tweak something manually, the change should stick even for new episodes.

While you are there, see if the individual listening platform has has a guide document to show you how strengthen your metadata for their particular site.

For example, Apple does not like episode numbers in episode titles. 🙅 They downgrade your show if the title has an episode number in it, making it harder for potential fans to discover your show.

Who reads the metadata?

First, and maybe most importantly, the Google robots read your metadata. 🤖 

If you optimize the metadata for your podcast, Google puts you closer to the top of the search results… but more on this later. 

Second, listening platforms’ own robots. Just like Google, listening platforms look for keywords to figure out what to suggest to people who are searching for specific content.

Third, your listeners! And any future listeners that are looking for a new podcast to listen to! 🎧 

So make sure to maximize the metadata for your show so that those that are on the fence will be convinced and happy to listen to your great podcast! 

When should I supercharge my metadata?

It’s best to perfect the metadata for your podcast before you launch your podcast. 

That way you can start off on the right track to try and make your podcast a success. 

It is also good to optimize your metadata before your show is released because that way everything will be coherent throughout your show. 

BUT, if you’ve already started your podcasting journey and launched your show, it’s not too late to add better info. ⏳ 

Just start making your images and episode descriptions more keyword friendly from here on out… It may take a bit more work, but we have faith in you. 

Why do I need to optimize the metadata for my podcast?

Well there can be a few reasons…

First:

When you optimize the metadata for your podcast, it boosts the SEO for your show. 

And for those that don’t know, SEO is Search Engine Optimization, which means that the better your SEO, the higher up your podcast will appear in search engine’s (example: Google) search results. 🖥️ 

And by putting keywords into your metadata, it increases your SEO, which is super helpful for the growth of your podcast! 

Keywords are key! 🗝️ 

The search engine robots will search your metadata for keywords and then they can recommend your podcast in the top of their search results when someone searches for something that relates to the subject of your show. 

Second:

If you have optimized metadata, for example a great thumbnail for your podcast, or a super interesting show description, it can appeal to potential listeners. 😍 

It can be the difference between someone pressing play on your podcast or not. 👍👎

There is so much metadata that you can maximize to boost your podcast! 

Having clear and exciting episode descriptions and catchy titles for each podcast episode can grab the listener’s attention and make them want to listen to your show. 

You need to ensure that the descriptions are structured well, and you can always add some emojis to make reading it more interesting. 😎 🐥 🌴 🏈

Emojis are also good for portraying emotions which is great to try and get new folks to listen to your podcast! 😁 🤣 😢 😱 

Do you have any ⚡ quick tips ⚡ to supercharge metadata?

You know here at Ausha we always have some concrete, powerful tips for you! Here are some that will take you far when it comes to metadata.

Pay special attention to your podcast show description

The show description is probably the most important section of a podcast’s metadata. You want to get it right!

There are 3 steps that we recommend when writing it: 

1. Start with a phrase that is aimed for your target audience that introduces the problem you want to solve or the question that you want to answer through your podcast. ❓
2. Next, add one or two phrases to describe the main topics that you cover in your podcast. Keep it precise and to the point. 📍
3. Finish convincing your audience by sprinkling in a few words regarding the frequency of your podcast, the format of your show, and maybe mention some of your future guests. 👤

Don’t make your podcast description too long, it could deter people from pressing play. So be straight forward, but remember to keep it interesting! 

To learn more about how to write a strong show description, check out our blog on the topic. We include templates and examples so you will know exactly what to write.

Make unique episode descriptions

It can be tempting to take the easy way out and just copy and paste your podcast show description when writing each episode’s description. 

But don’t! ⚠️ 

We both know you’re more creative than that! 

When writing each episode’s description, don’t repeat the show’s title or the name of the host, because that’s already posted in the podcast’s overall description, would therefore be repetitive. 

So try to work on making sure that each episode has a unique description.

This also gives you the opportunity to add more keywords, boosting your SEO even more! 😁 

Spread out keywords

Another tip, don’t write the keywords one right behind the other. 👯

Search engines and algorithms will see your trick and it will not have your desired effect. 

Use tags to optimize your metadata

Tags are used a bit like labels that help your audience discover the episodes of your podcast. 

It functions the same way as a hashtag on Instagram. #️⃣ 

You can assign tags to your show that relate to your podcast topic. These help people looking under that tag find your show. 

For example if you have a show about vegan cooking, you could have the tag #vegancooking. 🥦 🥕 🥑 

Then when people look at podcasts under the tag #vegancooking they will likely to find your show! 🧐 

What is an Example of a Podcast’s Metadata?

Sometimes the best way to learn is by looking at examples. Here is metadata from our podcast episode on metadata… so meta. 😜

We’ve removed some of the more technical details, platform-specific fields, and touched up formatting for the sake of clarity:

Podcast Title: How to Grow Your Podcast

Podcast Link: https://podcast.ausha.co/tips-english-version-test/link

Podcast Description: Launch and boost the growth of your podcast with Tips, the new weekly show from Ausha! Each week, listen to our top tips for taking your podcast to the next level and growing your audience. Communication, analysis, recording, editing, writing: in just a few minutes each week, we will give you all the key tips so that you can boost your podcast to the stars!

Do you have ideas or suggested topics? Questions about your podcast? A problem subscribing to us? Contact us on Ausha’s social media pages or send us an email to hello@ausha.co (mailto:hello@ausha.co).

Follow us on social media here: Instagram: @ausha_en Twitter: @ausha_en TikTok : @ausha_en LinkedIn: @Ausha

This show is brought to you by Ausha, the all-in-one podcast hosting and marketing platform to help you grow your podcast.

Language: EN

Copyright: Ausha

Webmaster: webMasterfeeds @ ausha.co

iTunes Author: Ausha

iTunes Owner: Team Ausha

iTunes Email: Emma.potier @ ausha.co

iTunes Explicit: No

iTunes Type: Episodic

iTunes Category: Business, Marketing, Education

Image: https://image.ausha.co/1X5D2QMMvoqM7CluGfgYI7c0CzfIRdrq5E1fMdPx_1400x1400.jpeg?t=1656927182/url

Episode Title: How to optimize the metadata for your podcast

Episode Description: Designing metadata is one of the most important steps in promoting a podcast. We explain why in this episode. Metadata is a word that can be intimidating However, metadata is essential when creating a podcast or even when publishing an episode.

Today in TIPS 🎺 we’ll look at how to effectively manage all the elements that accompany your show: image, description, tags, category of your podcast… In short, everything your listeners see when they’re tuning into your episodes.

You’ll see, your metadata is a real weapon to boost the visibility of your podcast and recruit new listeners:

By correctly optimizing the SEO of your metadata, you can attract potential listeners who may not have initially intended to listen to a podcast. With good SEO, your podcast can quickly show up in Google searches!

A good show and episode description can be the final push to convince a listener to hit play: Start with a hook sentence, reminding the listener of something they already believe in or agree with. Then add the necessary information to describe the main topics discussed in your podcast. Finish convincing your audience by sprinkling in key details about the frequency of your show, the format of your podcast, and, why not, examples of prestigious guests.

There are, however, certain rules to follow for your metadata to be maximally optimized: Do not repeat the title and author’s name in your description. Do not write your keywords one after the other, without logical order. Do not add episode numbers in their title

One last tip for optimizing your metadata: use Tags Tags are considered a bit like labels that help your audience discover episodes of your podcast. On Ausha, when you upload a new episode to the platform, you can add up to 20 tags.

Find out more about Ausha  https://bit.ly/Ausha-co-tips 

What’s Ausha? Ausha is the best podcasting platform for hosting AND marketing your podcast.On one platform you’ll have: Unlimited hosting of your podcast; Distribution on 22 LISTENING PLATFORMS in just a few clicks; Ways to boost your communication: on social media, on Google, on the internet (thanks to your  Smartplayer), with your newsletter, with a unique listening link and customized video clips; Measure the success of your podcast with complete statistics (completion rate, episode comparison, unique listeners…); Earn money thanks to 2 different monetization methods (manual and automatic)

Try Ausha for FREE https://bit.ly/Ausha-co-tips  

Episode Pub Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Enclosure URL: https://audio.ausha.co/b3OrzfjNn7lg.mp3?t=1688397398

Enclosure length: 5809251

Enclosure type: audio/mpeg

iTunes Keywords: Podcast, communication, podcasts, ausha, marketing, Tips, entrepreneurship, editing, episode, podcast marketing, podcast tips, podcast episode, podcast recording, podcast editing

Episode Image: https://image.ausha.co/brgT1xHPAjuCfF42CBbI9IFfgKT8xVfhyQXywvns_1400x1400.jpeg?t=1688397369

To sum up:

We hope this blog post has been helpful in answering all your questions about podcast metada.

Make sure that you take the time to fill in each field so that your show can reach its maximum number of downloads possible! 📈 

Keep in mind that the metadata plays a very important role in your podcast’s visibility so don’t brush over it quickly. Make sure your keywords are relevant to the content you create.

We can’t wait to see all your optimized metadata! 🤩