Some time again, Apple launched the <itunes:episodeType> RSS tag to allow you to mark particular person episodes as “bonus,” “full,” or “trailer” varieties. This is what every sort means and the way you must use them in your podcast-publishing instruments.
“Full” episode sort
A “full” episode is a traditional episode of your podcast. Any episode is assumed to be the “full” sort in the event you do not point out the kind. Thus, you’ll most likely by no means have to explicitly outline the “full” sort as a result of doing so is redundant and unnecessarily bloats your RSS feed.
I additionally advocate the “full” episode sort for particular episodes, like an interview, an in-between episode (one that isn’t a trailer), a particular format, and such. Some folks may name these “bonus” episodes, however I desire the phrase “particular” to higher distinguish them from the extra particular “bonus” sort.
Usually, except your episode positively matches within the “bonus” or “trailer” varieties, it ought to most likely be a “full” episode. And that is what most podcasts publish completely.
“Bonus” episode sort
The “bonus” sort is meant to be a bonus to one thing—often content material that already exists. For instance, take into consideration the bonus content material you get once you purchase motion pictures: behind-the-scenes content material, interviews, deleted scenes, bloopers, and extra. All this content material is sensible solely within the context of the opposite, most likely already-released content material.
Thus, “bonus” episodes would use the identical season and/or episode numbers because the already-released “full” content material as a result of they’re bonuses for that “full” content material.
How does utilizing season and episode numbers have an effect on the bonus? Apple explains the potential conditions properly, which I am going to expound on:
- “No season or episode quantity: a present bonus.” This is applicable to your entire present, like when you have a podcast (not about podcasting) and also you need to speak about the way you produce the podcast. That may very well be a “bonus” episode with no season or episode quantity.
- “A season quantity: a season bonus.” So this may very well be behind-the-scenes for a selected season, or a bonus interview related to the season. And since seasons will embrace a number of episodes, you’ll be able to launch the bonus anytime you need inside that season—you do not have to attend for the season to finish.
- “Episode quantity and optionally a season quantity: a bonus episode associated to a particular episode.” So this may very well be followup questions and solutions for a selected episode, like when How Did This Get Made? has an episode devoted to suggestions a few beforehand mentioned film.
You’d nearly by no means use this “bonus” episode sort for particular episodes that merely break out of your regular format. For instance, in the event you usually host a solo present however you’ve a particular interview between episodes. Despite the fact that you may think about such to be “a bonus episode,” if it is not connected to every other particular content material, it ought to most likely not be marked as a “bonus.”
As an alternative, the Podcasting 2.0 spec may sometime provide a “particular” or “additional” episode sort for these sorts of particular/additional episodes as I’ve proposed.
But when the interview in my instance is a follow-up interview for different content material, then it may very well be marked as a “bonus” sort. For instance, you might need one episode a few film, after which you’ve a follow-up episode containing an interview with a solid or crew member, or sharing after-episode suggestions out of your viewers (once more, like How Did This Get Made? does). That may be a superb use of the “bonus” sort.
Lengthy-separated bonuses?
Sure, you’ll be able to connect a bonus episode to one thing you launched a very long time in the past. For instance, perhaps you already revealed a film evaluation a yr in the past, however you’ve new suggestions about that film or an interview with the solid or crew from that film. This is able to be a superb time to publish that episode with the “bonus” sort, however give it the episode variety of the unique episode (in the event you use episode numbers—and this may very well be a superb motive to take action, even in the event you by no means communicate the episode numbers).
Most podcast apps, nonetheless, will most likely play this bonus episode in chronological order in accordance with its publish date. However Apple Podcasts and a few others will group collectively all of the episodes that belong to the identical season, nonetheless most likely sorted by publish date.
“Trailer” episode sort
We’re largely familar with trailers; they seem to be a preview of one thing to return. A “trailer” sort episode is connected to one thing, much like how a “bonus” episode features. However trailers are most definitely for content material that is not but launched. The trailer may very well be for a particular episode, a season, or your whole present.
Once more, Apple affords some concise explanations that I am going to expound on:
- “No season or episode quantity: a present trailer.” You may make or change the trailer on your entire podcast at any time. It is nice as the very first thing you set in your RSS feed once you undergo the podcast catalogs. You can even add a whole-show trailer at any time and plenty of podcast apps will prominently characteristic the trailer.
- “A season quantity and no episode quantity: a season trailer. (Be aware: an episode trailer ought to have a unique
<guid>than the precise episode.)” So that is the trailer that builds hype for a season. And since seasons embrace many episodes, you may publish your season trailer at any time, however it’s greatest to publish the trailer earlier than the season begins. - “Episode quantity and optionally a season quantity: an episode trailer/teaser, later changed with the precise episode.” Be aware that Apple appears to advocate eradicating episode trailers as soon as the precise episode is launched. And I believe that is sensible.
A trailer does not need to solely preview upcoming content material, it may additionally lead into it. For instance, your “trailer” may very well be a name for suggestions to be included within the upcoming episode, like what Mark Des Cotes does with what he calls “double take” episodes for his podcast, The Rings of Energy Podcast – Tales From Center Earth, which—as you’ll be able to most likely guess from the clearly speaking title—is about Amazon’s The Rings of Energy present.
So whereas “bonus” episodes come after content material, trailers come earlier than.
Do you have to depart a trailer on-line?
Since trailers come earlier than the content material, you is perhaps not sure whether or not you must hold the trailer on-line after the promoted content material has been revealed. The reply relies upon.
I believe trailers for seasons or entire reveals ought to positively keep on-line, particularly since many podcast apps will give particular prominence to those timeless trailers.
And that is the key phrase: “timeless.”
But when your trailer is time-sensitive, then you must most likely take away it when it is now not related. For instance, I launched a trailer to announce when The Audacity to Podcast was getting back from its lengthy hiatus. As soon as the present returned, the trailer was now not crucial due to its time-sensitivity, so I eliminated it.
This is one other instance. Going again to The Rings of Energy Podcast – Tales From Center Earth, Mark releases brief episodes he calls “double takes,” the place he shares some very temporary ideas and proposes questions his viewers (and I am amongst them!) can reply earlier than his subsequent episode. He then consists of that suggestions in longer episodes a few days later. These “double take” podcast episodes can be a superb match for the “trailer” sort, and if all Mark did was share the questions he needs his viewers to reply, he may delete these brief “trailer” episodes after he publishes the “full” episodes.
But when Mark’s episodes additionally share some distinctive content material, which he might later reference in his full episodes, then it is perhaps greatest to maintain these “double take” episodes on-line.
In different phrases, if the one objective of the “trailer” episode is to primarily say “you may get this content material quickly,” then you’ll be able to most likely delete it after publishing the promised content material.
But when your trailer is for a season of episodes, or for the entire present, I like to recommend maintaining these big-picture trailers on-line. (And also you may even need to change your whole-show trailer/promo yearly or two.)
“Bonus” and “trailer” varieties are bookends
Consider “bonus” and “trailer” varieties as opposites of one another. They’re each alleged to be connected to one thing: an episode, a season, or the entire present. However the “trailer” comes earlier than the factor as a teaser or promotion, and the “bonus” comes after the factor as a followup.
Extra varieties sooner or later?
“Full,” “bonus,” and “trailer” are the one three varieties that Apple Podcasts helps at the moment with their proprietary <itunes:episodeType> tag, however I’ve proposed for Podcasting 2.0 to have its personal <podcast:episodeType> tag with some extensions that might give not less than an episode sort of “particular,” and perhaps extra, like “miniseries” and “rerun.”
Do not obsess and don’t be concerned
The choice between episode varieties shouldn’t be a tough one. I hope this clarification helps distinguish the episode varieties and their makes use of.
And when you do not have to replace all of your outdated episodes with these varieties, doing so would make your podcast look significantly better in apps that help episode varieties. Plus, Apple actually likes seeing reveals leverage these episode varieties, so that you may even enhance your probabilities of getting featured by Apple once you use these added episode varieties.
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This publish might include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I’ll obtain compensation out of your actions via such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
