In case your podcast makes use of episode numbers, you’ve got a number of choices for learn how to show them. This is some steerage that will help you resolve!
However I will give this warning: it is, sadly, extra difficult than it needs to be!
Do you even want episode numbers?
I initially supposed this episode to be about whether or not you need to even use episode numbers. However then I listened to “Are episode numbers REALLY vital?” from Could 2014, and I believe I’ve already addressed that query in sufficient element in that previous however timeless episode. So return to hear if you have not already heard it or if it has been some time.
Briefly: does your viewers want episode numbers? If not, then neither does your podcast. However when you answered sure, then here is the follow-up query: do they “want” episode numbers since you make your viewers want them?
You additionally want to contemplate potential confusions, like “2. Methods to Pores and skin a Cat,” which might simply be misunderstood as there being solely two methods. Or think about the confusion of a number of numbers collectively, like “10. 9 Methods to Be Superior”—is it 10 methods, or is it 9 methods?
Usually, I believe most podcasts do not want episode numbers (particularly if episode titles steadily already begin with numbers), and could be higher to not use them. The one sorts of podcasts I might say with confidence do want episode numbers are people who must be consumed in a specific order. For instance:
- A fiction podcast that solely is sensible chronologically (it is a nice use for the “serial” podcast kind)
- A coaching sequence the place every episode builds on the earlier episode like classes in a course
- Any present that discusses different chronological content material, like fan podcasts about guide sequence, film sagas, serialized TV exhibits (as most are as of late), and historic miniseries
Should you use episode numbers to level your viewers to a “/[number]” URL, then you’ll be able to most likely nonetheless do with out episode numbers by switching to keyword-based URLs (I take advantage of Fairly Hyperlinks Professional for this). I’ve completed that with The Audacity to Podcast ever since that previous episode about episode numbers. There are some exceptions to this, like a information podcast that covers so many tales that there is no one logical key phrase, and a date-based URL could be too difficult.
So with the idea that your present does want episode numbers, let’s think about learn how to greatest show them along with your episode titles.
Use the episode-number RSS tags
Earlier than diving in, I ought to outline that “namespaces” are the best way to increase the options of an RSS feed. Each the Apple Podcasts RSS specs (known as the “iTunes namespace”) and Podcasting 2.0’s “podcast namespace” provide RSS tags for episode numbers. Should you ever take a look at the uncooked code to your RSS feed, you’ll be able to simply spot namespace-added tags by something that has a colon. For instance, <itunes:picture> or <content material:encoded>.
For Apple Podcasts, the episode-number tag is <itunes:episode>; for Podcasting 2.0, the tag is <podcast:episode>. However, in fact, the Podcasting 2.0 episode tag presents extra options. You need to use decimals, like “20.5,” for partial or in-between episodes, however I do not truly advocate that type of numbering. The two.0 tag additionally permits you to change the show textual content, corresponding to “Chapter 6” or “Day 6” as an alternative of “Episode 6.” Use each tags in addition to you’ll be able to till all apps improve to the trendy Podcasting 2.0 customary.
Whenever you use these episode-number tags, trendy podcast apps can extra intelligently show the episode quantity in additional acceptable contexts, and even guarantee correct chronological playback (when mixed with the “serial” podcast kind tag).
Apple began this episode-number tag with the discharge of iOS 11 again in 2017, and the Apple Podcasts app offers nice examples of how the episode numbers may be displayed:
- Within the record of episodes, the episode quantity may be added to the start of the episode title, like “5. Beginning Your Web site.” (Displaying like this requires utilizing the
<itunes:title>tag, which I clarify beneath.) - When opening the episode, the episode quantity may be displayed above the title with different meta info. This would possibly appear to be, “July 20 • Episode 5 • 47 minutes.”
- Typically, the episode quantity won’t show in any respect till you open or play the episode; or it would even cease displaying whenever you open or play the episode. This is dependent upon how you employ different RSS tags.
Pocket Casts was one other app fast to assist Apple’s new tags, so it shows the episode numbers equally. And as Podcasting 2.0 apps are being developed, they’re often already together with assist for the <podcast:episode> tag.
Use your webpage discipline, if obtainable
You may need your podcast web site out of your podcast-hosting supplier (like Captivate), on WordPress with an important podcast theme like SecondLine Themes, or with a third-party software like Podpage or Podcastpage. (I’ll have a future episode about how to select from these choices.)
Every of those website-management strategies would possibly provide an episode-number discipline that, just like the RSS tag, permits the web site to show the episode quantity in higher locations and perhaps use it for some extra options (like a particular participant or a badge).
On The Audacity to Podcast‘s web site, I enter the episode quantity right into a discipline that SecondLine Themes provides me. This shows the episode quantity together with publish meta info, like date, class, size, and feedback. However the episode quantity doesn’t show contained in the title.
I selected this manner for my present as a result of I do nonetheless populate the episode-number discipline, at the least for now. However that is as distinguished as my episode numbers get proper now.
How episode numbers work with title tags
Relying on the way you create your web site and RSS feed, you might have as much as 6 locations to insert an episode title!
- The RSS feed merchandise’s future
<podcast:title>tag from the Podcasting 2.0 namespace (when this tag is finalized), which is the title Podcasting 2.0 apps will use - The RSS feed merchandise’s
<itunes:title>tag from the “iTunes” namespace, which is the title Apple Podcasts and some different apps will use first - The RSS feed merchandise’s
<title>tag, which is the fallback if #1 and #2 are lacking or unsupported - The webpage’s HTML metadata titles for social networks, which present in embedded previews when the publish is shared on some social networks
- The webpage’s HTML
<title>tag, which exhibits within the tab bar, bookmarks, search-engine previews, and is the default message textual content for social-sharing - The publish title/heading (often in an
<h1>HTML tag), which exhibits prominently on the webpage
You may need seen that that is additionally the final order of precedence and fallback. Or put one other approach, all publishing techniques allow you to enter the publish title, after which probably carry that over into the HTML title and the RSS merchandise’s title. However some techniques offer you full management to put in writing every title individually. And episode numbers present a great purpose to leverage that additional management!
First, let’s crush a fable that got here from a misunderstanding. That is, sadly, a little bit difficult, which might be why it was so simply misunderstood.
Apple will not kick out your podcast in case you have episode numbers in your regular episode titles. However when you use Apple’s <itunes:title> tag, it should comprise solely the title—no episode numbers, season numbers, or your podcast identify. Should you violate this rule and put episode numbers in Apple’s <itunes:title> tag, that might result in a suspension. However to say it once more, you will not get in bother for episode numbers within the regular <title> tag.
And the complexity continues!
Should you use the<itunes:episode> tag (for the episode quantity) however do not use <itunes:title>, then this episode quantity will most likely show solely when opening the episode or perhaps taking part in the episode (relying on another elements). I made just a few episodes of The Audacity to Podcast like this to show it.
<itunes:episode> however not <itunes:title>
<itunes:episode> however not <itunes:title>In these instance episodes, I put the episode numbers in solely the <itunes:episode> tags for every episode and I did not use the <itunes:title> tag. I additionally didn’t put episode numbers within the regular RSS <title> tag. So on this case, Apple Podcasts shows the episode quantity when opening the episode view, however not within the episode participant or record of episodes.
However when you appropriately use each the <itunes:episode> and <itunes:title> tags on an “episodic” podcast kind (which is the default and what most podcasts are), then Apple Podcasts exhibits the episode numbers within the title throughout the episode record, as I present in three extra examples from The Audacity to Podcast:
<itunes:episode> and <itunes:title> are used appropriatelyEven when utilizing each tags are used correctly, the episode quantity will not show within the episode participant for “episodic” podcast varieties (the default present kind). But when your podcast kind is “serial,” then the episode quantity will show in each the minimized and full-screen gamers in Apple Podcasts, and even in a different way in episode lists. I randomly discovered a “serial” kind podcast for example this:
Difficult, proper?
In Apple Podcasts and different apps that use the <itunes:title> or <podcast:title> tag, that title textual content will probably be used as an alternative of the traditional <title> tag. And when you do not use these specialised tags, then no matter textual content you set within the regular <title> tag will show in all podcast apps. The one exception I’ve seen to that is for Overcast and perhaps a few different apps that take away verbatim repetitions from the beginning of your titles. For instance, Emily Prokop’s previous—however nonetheless nice—podcast, The Story Behind, used to title all episodes equally: “The Story Behind [Thing],” leading to Overcast’s displaying solely the “[Thing]” half. However Emily has since eliminated “The Story Behind” from her episode titles, though this was a case the place it truly made sense to repeat the present title.
And as these screenshots present, how you employ different tags additionally impacts how your episode numbers show in Apple Podcasts and another apps.
I believe that is good. It means you even have extra management over how your episode info shows. And the entire purpose Apple did that is to enhance the expertise to your present and potential audiences.
Put episode numbers in regular titles as fallbacks (sure, that is acceptable)
All that difficult mess of various titles and methods of displaying episode numbers may be overwhelming, however keep in mind this: it is nonetheless totally acceptable to place episode numbers in your regular <title> tag! I nonetheless counsel additionally utilizing the <itunes:episode> and <itunes:title> tags if you wish to leverage the smarter show options in Apple Podcasts and comparable apps.
However the <title> tag is the fallback and what most apps nonetheless use. So if it is advisable to present episode numbers in each podcast app, put the episode quantity on this regular title.
This may appear redundant—as a result of it’s! However the redundancy is critical to completely leverage all of the options in all of the apps and supply the right fallbacks when options aren’t supported.
Put episode numbers in publish titles for web site guests
Relying on whether or not your web site neatly makes use of episode numbers, you would possibly wish to put episode numbers in your publish titles as nicely in order that they show when looking your website or opening episode webpages.
As I shared above, episode numbers aren’t necessary for The Audacity to Podcast, so I do not put them in titles, solely within the meta info fields.
If, nevertheless, the episode numbers are necessary for the enjoyment of your present, then embrace the numbers in your publish titles in order that they show prominently in your website.
Don’t embrace episode numbers within the HTML <title> or social shares
Outdoors your context—that’s, your web site or a podcast participant with your present—episode numbers within the titles most likely will not matter in any respect, even when they matter to the viewers of your present.
Take into consideration how your episodes show in web site search outcomes or when shared on social networks. In these exterior contexts, the episode numbers are far much less related and may most likely be omitted from the titles.
For instance, make your tweet or search outcomes say “Beginning Your Web site” because the title as an alternative of “5. Beginning Your Web site.”
To perform this, your web site content-management system (CMS) must allow you to edit the HTML <title> tag individually from the publish title. To do that on WordPress, you want an search engine optimisation plugin, like Yoast search engine optimisation or All in One search engine optimisation, which can add the extra discipline to overwrite the HTML <title>. In any other case, WordPress will merely use your publish title within the HTML <title>.
It is also this HTML <title> tag that can populate social-sharing, by default: each the textual content of the share (like a tweet) and the way the publish may be embedded like a card.
However different instruments can allow you to modify these, too, at the least to some extent!
On WordPress, I like Social Warfare so as to add social-sharing buttons to my posts. This additionally lets me customise the textual content of these buttons to Tweet and or share to Pinterest. And it units the hidden metadata used for the embeds. Yoast search engine optimisation and All in One search engine optimisation can even set that hidden metadata.
The tags appear to be this:
<meta property="og:title" content material="" />for Fb<meta identify="twitter:title" content material="" />for Twitter
As a result of these are typically seen outdoors your context, they need to most likely not embrace episode numbers.
The way to write the episode numbers
There are numerous conventions for a way you truly write the episode numbers in your titles.
In line with my assessments, it appears each app that neatly reads an episode-number discipline and exhibits that with the title will put the quantity within the entrance, adopted by a interval and an area. For instance, “5. Beginning Your Web site.”
I’ve beforehand taught some other ways of writing episode numbers, primarily beneath the final suggestion to keep away from front-loaded patterns. That is any type of sample—verbatim or in format—that repeats throughout a number of episodes. For instance, present notes that all the time begin with, “On this episode, we speak about ….”
Entrance-loaded patterns are typically unhealthy, and I believe the tiny area an episode quantity makes use of is the one potential exception.
So if episode numbers are vital to your viewers, then do put the episode quantity first. However the one approach I like to recommend writing that’s within the smallest approach potential: episode quantity, interval, area, after which the episode title, like “5. Beginning Your Web site.”
Do not use a pound signal (“#”) or the phrase “Episode.” Issues like these will solely waste area and distract. Simply think about how a lot wider and extra pixels it takes for a pound signal versus a interval!
If the episode numbers are not vital to your viewers, then transfer the episode quantity to the top of the title, or take away it altogether. If it is on the finish of the title, you then might write one thing longer, like “episode 5” or use extra particular characters. You may also wish to think about this expanded writing fashion to your web site the place it won’t be apparent that it is a podcast episode or it is surrounded by non-podcast posts. However I am referring to this for solely locations outdoors podcast apps.
On a web site context the place you’ve got a lot extra content material than podcast episodes, you would possibly even wish to write “podcast episode #5” on the top of the title. However this could begin wanting messy, too. Because you often have extra choices on a web site, I might extra extremely advocate making a “Podcast Episodes” record or web page to your episodes as an alternative of blending them in an inventory of non-podcast content material. Additionally think about different facets of your web site context to find out learn how to greatest write the episode quantity in your title, if in any respect. For instance, in case your episode posts are all the time displayed with episode gamers or a specific background colour, even in search outcomes.
I now not advocate the present abbreviation format like I used to do: ” – TAP359.” In actual fact, I will be having these faraway from all previous episodes. A probably good purpose to do that is when a podcast community presents an RSS feed of all podcasts within the community, and it’s a necessity to see which episodes are to which present. However I now additionally doubt it is even vital or helpful to create such an all-inclusive feed anyway.
I additionally advocate that you just not embrace any zeros earlier than your episode quantity. Simply write “5” as an alternative of “005.” You would possibly do that in a different way for season-and-episode indicators, however I will talk about that extra in a separate episode.
If the episode numbers are already constructed into your sequential-style titles, like “Chapter 5: …” or “Day 6: …,” you then won’t want to put in writing or show the extra episode numbers in any respect.
Are episode numbers price it?
As you’ll be able to acknowledge, correctly together with episode numbers may be difficult with a number of technical choices and a number of contexts to contemplate.
You have to resolve whether or not it is even price it.
You might take the “lazy” strategy and put the numbers in your common titles and allow them to show in all places. However that would negatively have an effect on the expertise in numerous locations. Despite the fact that that is the best way podcasts have completed it because the starting, we have now extra and higher choices now that make the viewers expertise higher.
So perhaps none of that is definitely worth the problem in any respect, and you might podcast utterly with out episode numbers. I ended even mentioning episode numbers with The Audacity to Podcast, now referencing episode webpages solely by a key phrase URL as an alternative of a quantity URL. And completely nobody has complained and it has made my processes simpler!
Presently, the one place you may see my basically meaningless episode numbers (apart from a few of my assessments) is within the file identify, ID3 metadata, and on the webpage’s meta info. However I do not communicate these episode numbers to you. This provides me the liberty to reorder episodes nevertheless I would like. That freedom is very helpful if I’ve already recorded episodes I wish to reorder earlier than I publish them!
What ought to you do?
There are various elements, and I hate that a few of these may be complicated and inconsistent! However regardless of the processes (which will enhance), it is in the end your resolution to do what’s greatest for your podcast and your viewers.
And the precedence there ought to what’s greatest to your viewers.
Please touch upon this episode in case you have extra ideas or follow-up questions!
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This publish could comprise hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I’ll obtain compensation out of your actions by way of such hyperlinks. Nevertheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
