There comes a degree in each podcast when it’s a necessity to say a URL. If for nothing else, no less than your podcast’s own residence on the Web. (And also you ought to have a site to your podcast!)
Past your podcast web site, you may also wish to share affiliate hyperlinks, sources, episode notes, previous episodes, sponsors, and extra.
Listed here are 11 ideas for how one can share URLs successfully in your podcast.
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases via a few of these following hyperlinks. However I like to recommend issues I actually consider in, no matter earnings.)
1. Converse as few URLs as doable (per episode)
Each URL is basically a name to motion. That may very well be the place to comply with you on social networks, the episode’s webpage, your help web page, the place to ship suggestions, and far more.
And calls to motion are handiest when there are only a few of them, however they’re strengthened a number of instances. Because of this you may hear most advertisements give the decision to motion (like visiting an internet site) no less than 3 instances.
That is a very good observe to your podcast, too. However with all of the URLs you would possibly wish to share, you may begin overwhelming your viewers and making every URL much less memorable.
For that reason, I like to recommend that you just say as few URLs as doable—perhaps just one!
However do not make it the identical URL throughout all of your episodes! For instance, if I saved telling you to get the hyperlinks for this episode at “TheAudacitytoPodcast.com,” that works finest solely when that is my newest episode. However the extra episodes I publish, the extra this episode will get shifted down my web site’s entrance web page, and finally pushed off the entrance web page.
Thus, I like to recommend having a singular URL for every episode that can all the time take your viewers to the right info—whether or not they hear instantly or 5 years later. That is simple to do on WordPress with my favourite plugin Fairly Hyperlinks Professional.
2. Defer to your chapters or episode notes
For those who comply with tip #1, then your single URL ought to be your episode webpage. There, you possibly can embody all the belongings you need your viewers to get or see: photos, movies, hyperlinks, buttons, and extra.
Be certain these things—no less than the hyperlinks—seem in your episode notes throughout the podcast apps, too! As a result of many publishing instruments and podcast apps comply with totally different requirements, the very best factor to do could be to ask the maker of your publishing device how to make sure your hyperlinks present in your high podcast apps, and so they can provide the proper steering to your scenario. However essentially the most common case is—sadly—{that a} full, ugly URL, like “https://theaudacitytopodcast.com” will work extra usually than an HTML hyperlink, like <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/">The Audacity to Podcast</a>.
Try Knick Knack Information for an awesome instance of actionable episode notes (it is also a very enjoyable podcast I extremely advocate!). Their notes should not efficient for search engine marketing, however they’re wonderful for engagement inside the podcast apps! The hosts of that enjoyable present, Alex and Anthony, usually share issues it would be best to see or learn for your self. And so they try this in quite simple and actionable methods of their notes. This is an instance from an episode:
Anthony’s Tales This Week:
Ketchup: https://www.businesswire.com/information/dwelling/20231105470473/en/ItpercentE2percent80percent99s-a-Large-Dill-HEINZ-To-Launch-New-Pickle-Ketchup-Nationwide
Ice Cream: https://www.mensjournal.com/information/baskin-robbins-thanksgiving-dinner-ice-cream-flavor
Alex’s Tales This Week:
Beard: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/11/09/Guinness-World-Information-David-Rush-Superb-Race-chopsticks-beard/5131699551869/
Zelda: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23951339/the-legend-of-zelda-movie-live-action-nintendo
“What precisely IS pickle ketchup? Plus, what number of chopsticks can you slot in a beard?” Knick Knack Information
For those who’re listening alongside to their podcast, then these easy notes will make whole sense to you and the notes do not get in the way in which of what you need.
Relying on the way you’re speaking across the URL(s) you wish to share, you may also wish to use chapters.
Each legacy chapters embedded in your MP3 information and Podcasting 2.0 chapters in a separate episode metadata file (in JSON format) help including a single URL hyperlink per chapter.
In Knick Knack Information, Alex and Anthony spend a number of minutes on every story, so every story could be excellent as a single chapter. After which they might add the related URL to every chapter.
However this will get sophisticated when you’ve got a number of URLs inside a single context. For instance, if I share a listing of my favourite podcast-hosting suppliers (at present Captivate, Buzzsprout, and Blubrry), I am unable to add a number of URLs to the identical chapter.
So that is the place you’ll wish to defer that checklist of hyperlinks to your episode notes.
Nevertheless, I am pushing exhausting for Podcasting 2.0 to show our present podcast chapters into “tremendous chapters” (a time period coined by Dovydas from RSSBlue.com), permitting you to make use of a single chapter to show wealthy content material, together with however not restricted to a gallery of photos, a block of textual content, a numbered or unnumbered checklist, movies, and even a number of hyperlinks for a single chapter. Then, I may make a chapter merely for “My favourite podcast-hosting suppliers” and that one chapter can hyperlink to the a number of choices.
Nevertheless, I urge you to keep up “backwards compatibility,” and that is the place your episode webpage is available in.
For those who’re fearful about your viewers getting misplaced in a protracted episode webpage, you possibly can truly hyperlink your chapters to particular sections of your web page by including an “anchor” or ID to every heading in your notes, after which hyperlink every chapter to that anchor within the URL. For instance, https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/sharingurls#2 hyperlinks to this part. In truth, every chapter of this episode hyperlinks on to its part in my notes. Strive it!
3. By no means say “https://” or “www.”
It is not the ’90s anymore. It has been actually many years since anybody wanted to sort “http://” or “https://” of their browser.
Additionally, most web sites do not use “www.” in any respect of their area anymore. Or in the event that they do (like YouTube nonetheless does), you can normally nonetheless get to the right place with out together with the “www.” (Which, by the way in which, must be the worst abbreviation as a result of saying “W W W” is definitely extra syllables than what’s it is an abbreviation for: “world extensive internet”!)
However you need to take a look at this primary! I’ve run into a few badly configured websites that wanted the “www.” as a result of they weren’t even forwarding their area with out the “www.”!
If I hear you say, “www.theaudacitytopodcast.com,” I will not come after you, however do not be shocked if poetic justice comes after you by making your neighbor mow his yard proper once you wish to document your podcast!
4. Simplify your URLs
For those who do converse a URL in your podcast, make it so simple as doable!
I keep in mind a business a few years in the past from Epson—you already know, one of many largest printer producers who ought to have recognized higher? The one factor I keep in mind about their business was as a result of I—as a youngster—acknowledged how dangerous their name to motion was. I believe the URL they spoke was “www.epson.com/what-if-you-could.” And sure, they really stated “sprint” for each one!
Do not try this!
I extremely advocate that any URL you converse ought to reinforce your model. So make it a “/key phrase” URL by yourself area. Take into account the speakable URL for this very episode: “theaudacitytopodcast.com/sharingurls.”
This additionally goes for exterior sources, too. As an alternative of sending folks to “patreon.com/[your podcast slug],” ship them to a “/patreon” 307 or 302 non permanent redirect by yourself area. And even higher, take away the third-party model identify utterly and make it a generic URL like “/help” or one thing significant to your viewers!
This not solely reinforces your model, but it surely additionally makes your calls to motion future-proof as a result of you possibly can redirect that URL everytime you need (particularly if it is a non permanent redirect) and to wherever you need, even to a totally totally different model! Like what should you wished to cease utilizing Patreon and change to a membership by yourself website?
5. Make pleasant URLs that make sense
Whether or not you are sending your viewers to your episode webpage, an affiliate product, or someplace else, make sure the URL is sensible for that factor.
That is a part of why I ended utilizing episode-number URLs for my very own podcast a very long time in the past. Firstly, I noticed that my episode numbers did not truly matter; and secondly, even I was having a tough time remembering which numbers went with which episodes, so I may assume my viewers would have a good more durable time.
Now, I create redirecting brief episode URLs match the content material of my episode by making them keyword-focused, like how this episode’s URL is “theaudacitytopodcast.com/sharingurls” as an alternative of “theaudacitytopodcast.com/391” (which is the pointless variety of this episode).
That is simple to do with Fairly Hyperlinks Professional! You may make as many non permanent and everlasting redirects as you need and all utilizing your individual WordPress-powered web site! Even many third-party web site suppliers (like Podpage or Captivate) allow you to make such redirects. However what I like about Fairly Hyperlinks Professional (and particularly the paid model) is that I can create the “fairly hyperlink” proper in my publish or web page editor, so it goes stay after I publish, decreasing what number of issues I must do outdoors of the publish or web page editor.
6. Say “slash” not “ahead slash” or “backslash”
You may name this a pet peeve in order for you, but it surely’s merely a “slash,” not a “ahead slash.”
“Ahead slash” is redundant, like “PIN quantity,” “ATM machine,” and “please RSVP.”
And it is positively not a backslash (“”), both!
7. Decelerate and converse clearly
Despite the fact that URLs haven’t got areas, that does not imply it is best to converse like they do not have areas!
It may be okay to say your individual URL sooner when it precisely matches your model that you have already stated a number of instances in your podcast. For instance, the web site for The Audacity to Podcast is—duh—theaudacitytopodcast.com!
However when talking any totally different URL, or particularly if talking that URL in entrance of a brand new viewers, be sure to say it slowly and clearly sufficient to allow them to know what you stated.
Examine your podcast transcripts, too. This generally is a good indicator of whether or not you are talking the URL clearly and slowly sufficient. (And likewise keep in mind to repair any incorrect URLs in your transcripts!)
8. Make clear or keep away from ambiguity
There’s the prospect that you will run into some confusion with any URLs you converse. For instance, does your area have the preposition “for,” the spelled quantity “4,” the numeral “4,” or one thing loopy just like the roman numeral “IV”?
An fascinating company instance of this failure is Fifth Third Financial institution. Mockingly for a financial institution, the safe URL “https://fifththird.com” would not truly work, however “http://fifththird.com” and “https://www.fifththird.com” do. Nevertheless, the precise web site (and redirection vacation spot) is “https://www.53.com.”
And I hope nobody varieties “5th3rd.com” into their browser, as a result of that is a totally totally different web site (“On-line since 2000”).
There are three other ways you possibly can keep away from sending folks to the unsuitable URL:
- Make clear any ambiguity, resembling by spelling it when the context would not make it apparent. For instance, I hear Clinton say this on a regular basis: “Comedy4Cast.com—that is the quantity 4.”
- Create fallbacks to deal with different variations—sure, I’ve “theaudacity2podcast.com”!
- Or keep away from the paradox altogether—resembling avoiding any single-digit numbers or ambiguously spelled phrases like “grey” and “gray.”
9. Watch out with top-level domains that are not .com
A “top-level area” or “TLD” is the “.com” a part of the area. You in all probability additionally know “.org,” “.internet,” “.edu,” and “.gov.” However there are tons of extra! A few of them are full phrases, like “.pictures”!
Whereas it may be enjoyable to have certainly one of these trendy TLDs, they is likely to be costly. And so they is likely to be complicated to non-savvy Web customers who in all probability assume a “.com” for every part (and in addition in all probability enter all their URLs into Google!).
Take into account That Story Present for instance. They’ve each “thatstoryshow.com” and “thatstory.present.” The host, James Kennison, now speaks the “.present” area extra usually, however he nonetheless has and makes use of the longer “.com” model.
The extra artistic you get, the extra it’s going to price you in each the area itself and certain what number of alternate options you may need to seize to make sure anybody who mishears you continue to will get to the suitable web site—and it would not get stolen and used for malicious functions!
10. Beware case-sensitivity
Case-sensitivity remains to be bizarre on the Web. It actually relies on the server configuration operating the web site.
After I began my first web site, I particularly wished a Home windows server, as an alternative of a Linux server, as a result of I did not wish to mess with capitalization points that I knew Linux can have!
Domains and subdomains are case-insensitive. So “TheAudacitytoPodcast.com” is dealt with the identical as “theAUDACITYtopodcast.COM.” However something after the area may be case-sensitive in a URL. For instance, capitalization issues with Bit.ly hyperlinks, and it issues on another web site servers and internet hosting configurations, too.
11. At all times take a look at your URLs earlier than you share them
Lastly, all the time guarantee any URL you are going to share truly works! Kind it with the “www.” and with out. Be certain your redirects are functioning. And in case your pleasant URLs aren’t activated till publishing (like all of my “/key phrase” URLs from Fairly Hyperlinks Professional for my podcast episodes), be sure to take a look at the hyperlink after publishing your episodes!
- 5-star overview for “11 Warnings about Utilizing AI in Content material-Creation (together with podcasting)” by Wealthy Bennett from April 19, 2024 on Goodpods: “Thanks for an additional informative episode Daniel”
- 1,000§ from Dwev saying, “Yep, you’re saying it completely! Thanks Daniel!”
- Streamed satoshis from Bryan Entzminger, Dave Jackson, Dwev, and newcomer “garduss”
Have interaction your viewers and develop your podcast!
Do you ever really feel like your podcast is caught? Such as you’re pouring your coronary heart into your podcast but it surely looks as if nobody is listening?
Strive Podgagement that can assist you have interaction your viewers and develop your podcast!
Get speakable pages to simplify partaking together with your viewers, settle for voicemail suggestions (with computerized transcripts), observe your rankings and opinions from almost 200 locations, and extra!
Ask your questions or share your suggestions
- Touch upon the present notes
- Depart a voicemail at (903) 231-2221
- E-mail suggestions@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com (audio information welcome)
Comply with The Audacity to Podcast
Disclosure
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. Nevertheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
