WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.973 --> 00:00:06.213 Tips. 2 00:00:07.353 --> 00:00:08.954 Hello and welcome to Tips, 3 00:00:09.014 --> 00:00:13.656 the podcast from OSHA that gives you all the key tips to launch and boost the growth of your podcast. 4 00:00:14.156 --> 00:00:14.717 I'm Sarah, 5 00:00:14.837 --> 00:00:16.397 OSHA's US Podcast Ambassador, 6 00:00:16.798 --> 00:00:18.378 and in today's episode of Tips, 7 00:00:18.638 --> 00:00:23.481 I'm going to talk to you about the importance of metadata and how to optimize it as much as possible. 8 00:00:26.802 --> 00:00:27.282 Metadata. 9 00:00:27.783 --> 00:00:29.343 It's data that's... 10 00:00:30.464 --> 00:00:30.704 Meta? 11 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:32.040 But seriously, 12 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:32.800 what does it mean? 13 00:00:33.261 --> 00:00:34.341 It's actually pretty simple. 14 00:00:34.761 --> 00:00:36.221 When you create a show or episode, 15 00:00:36.281 --> 00:00:39.222 you actually can't just broadcast your MP3 file. 16 00:00:39.822 --> 00:00:40.342 In reality, 17 00:00:40.442 --> 00:00:42.943 publishing a podcast is much more complex than that. 18 00:00:43.003 --> 00:00:44.964 And this is where the metadata comes in. 19 00:00:46.684 --> 00:00:49.005 The metadata of your podcast includes the image, 20 00:00:49.065 --> 00:00:49.625 description, 21 00:00:49.745 --> 00:00:50.165 tags, 22 00:00:50.165 --> 00:00:50.805 the host names, 23 00:00:50.825 --> 00:00:52.266 and the category of your podcast. 24 00:00:52.646 --> 00:00:56.707 Basically everything your listeners are likely to see when they listen to your episodes. 25 00:00:57.367 --> 00:00:59.988 And all of this information or metadata 26 00:01:00.668 --> 00:01:02.369 is listed in your RSS feed. 27 00:01:02.729 --> 00:01:03.169 You know, 28 00:01:03.249 --> 00:01:06.711 the famous little web file that's sent to all the listening platforms. 29 00:01:06.791 --> 00:01:07.031 Yeah, 30 00:01:07.631 --> 00:01:08.051 that one. 31 00:01:08.932 --> 00:01:09.412 Essentially, 32 00:01:09.492 --> 00:01:10.232 without metadata, 33 00:01:10.912 --> 00:01:13.213 your podcast doesn't exist. 34 00:01:15.554 --> 00:01:17.795 But beyond creating and distributing your show, 35 00:01:18.295 --> 00:01:23.998 metadata is also a valuable tool to boost the visibility of your podcast and recruit new listeners. 36 00:01:24.858 --> 00:01:28.660 Did you know that if you correctly optimize the SEO of your metadata, 37 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:34.504 you'll be able to capture potential listeners who may not have had listening to a podcast as their primary goal. 38 00:01:35.104 --> 00:01:35.525 Seriously. 39 00:01:35.985 --> 00:01:36.385 Remember, 40 00:01:36.945 --> 00:01:39.167 your metadata is mostly made up of text. 41 00:01:39.347 --> 00:01:40.648 And as I just mentioned, 42 00:01:41.088 --> 00:01:44.150 most of it is visible on the listing platforms that your listeners use. 43 00:01:44.771 --> 00:01:48.393 But do you know who else is lurking around the platforms checking out data? 44 00:01:48.994 --> 00:01:50.015 The Google robots. 45 00:01:50.395 --> 00:01:50.835 Oh yes, 46 00:01:51.275 --> 00:01:52.656 they are everywhere. 47 00:01:53.277 --> 00:01:55.699 So by optimizing the SEO of your metadata, 48 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:56.659 for example, 49 00:01:56.699 --> 00:01:57.700 by using keywords, 50 00:01:58.292 --> 00:02:03.015 Google will understand what your podcast is about and will display your show higher up in the search results. 51 00:02:03.675 --> 00:02:06.197 And when it's a podcast that appears at the top of the results, 52 00:02:06.437 --> 00:02:06.637 well, 53 00:02:07.077 --> 00:02:09.599 I think we can agree that people will want to click on that. 54 00:02:10.739 --> 00:02:13.521 But keywords are not just for describing your show. 55 00:02:14.281 --> 00:02:22.826 The description and titles of each of your episodes and even the name of your podcast thumbnail file are all metadata that can be optimized by keywords. 56 00:02:23.507 --> 00:02:25.248 Taking good care of your metadata. 57 00:02:25.468 --> 00:02:29.671 also means giving yourself more chances to convince future listeners to press play. 58 00:02:30.152 --> 00:02:32.954 In addition to inserting keywords to optimize your SEO, 59 00:02:33.575 --> 00:02:38.299 write a nice description and catchy title to make your audience want to listen to your episodes. 60 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:39.259 For this, 61 00:02:39.480 --> 00:02:39.940 be brief, 62 00:02:40.260 --> 00:02:41.561 structure your description well, 63 00:02:41.841 --> 00:02:43.883 have spaces to make it easier to read, 64 00:02:44.243 --> 00:02:47.186 and add some emojis to make reading it more enjoyable. 65 00:02:47.986 --> 00:02:51.469 In order to write an effective description that will entice your audience, 66 00:02:51.850 --> 00:02:53.631 here's three quick pointers. 67 00:02:54.192 --> 00:02:54.532 First. 68 00:02:55.124 --> 00:02:55.924 Have a good hook. 69 00:02:56.624 --> 00:03:00.366 Start with a question or a statement that will entice your audience to listen. 70 00:03:00.866 --> 00:03:03.867 It could be a problem you'll be addressing in your podcast in general, 71 00:03:04.447 --> 00:03:09.268 or a bold statement that embodies the larger theme you'll be addressing in the next episodes. 72 00:03:10.188 --> 00:03:10.549 Next, 73 00:03:10.869 --> 00:03:14.950 add one or two phrases to describe the other main topics covered in your podcast. 74 00:03:15.630 --> 00:03:18.991 Pay attention to the amount of phrases because you don't want it to become too wordy. 75 00:03:19.751 --> 00:03:20.111 Finally, 76 00:03:20.671 --> 00:03:22.192 finish convincing your audience by 77 00:03:22.592 --> 00:03:25.233 sprinkling in a few words on the frequency of your show, 78 00:03:25.473 --> 00:03:26.933 the format of your podcast, 79 00:03:27.313 --> 00:03:30.874 and why not name drop a few of your prestigious guests? 80 00:03:31.635 --> 00:03:32.275 Just so you know, 81 00:03:32.495 --> 00:03:34.015 your description doesn't need to be long. 82 00:03:34.455 --> 00:03:34.976 In reality, 83 00:03:35.136 --> 00:03:37.336 the first 100 characters are what counts the most. 84 00:03:37.656 --> 00:03:39.297 But if you're feeling inspired, 85 00:03:39.377 --> 00:03:40.097 let it out. 86 00:03:40.417 --> 00:03:40.897 With Osho, 87 00:03:40.977 --> 00:03:43.878 you can write up to 4,000 characters in the description. 88 00:03:44.558 --> 00:03:45.138 There are, 89 00:03:45.278 --> 00:03:45.819 however, 90 00:03:46.179 --> 00:03:50.480 certain rules to follow to make sure that your metadata is optimized to the maximum. 91 00:03:50.880 --> 00:03:53.081 Don't repeat the title and your name in the description. 92 00:03:53.661 --> 00:03:56.982 I know it's tempting just to copy and paste and stick with what you have, 93 00:03:57.102 --> 00:04:01.203 but really try to work on it and make a unique description for each episode. 94 00:04:01.843 --> 00:04:03.584 Don't write the keywords one after the other. 95 00:04:04.364 --> 00:04:09.945 Search engines and the platform's algorithms will understand the trick and it won't have the desired effect that you want. 96 00:04:10.545 --> 00:04:13.726 And I already told you about it in the episode about Apple Podcasts, 97 00:04:13.806 --> 00:04:16.547 but don't add the number of each episode in the title. 98 00:04:17.127 --> 00:04:18.508 Apple Podcasts hates that. 99 00:04:19.368 --> 00:04:19.668 Why? 100 00:04:20.308 --> 00:04:20.528 Well, 101 00:04:21.148 --> 00:04:22.829 we don't know exactly why. 102 00:04:23.389 --> 00:04:26.351 Potentially because a number doesn't bring any added value to the listeners, 103 00:04:26.511 --> 00:04:28.331 or because Apple does this automatically, 104 00:04:28.652 --> 00:04:32.333 or because such is the way for the Apple podcast. 105 00:04:32.913 --> 00:04:33.554 In any case, 106 00:04:33.934 --> 00:04:34.734 don't waste the space. 107 00:04:35.234 --> 00:04:35.895 Leave the numbers out. 108 00:04:36.675 --> 00:04:37.796 In the metadata family, 109 00:04:37.896 --> 00:04:39.416 there are also tags. 110 00:04:39.916 --> 00:04:42.057 But a tag and a keyword are two different things. 111 00:04:42.758 --> 00:04:48.080 The main difference between the two is that a keyword is used by the search engines to understand the subject's webpages. 112 00:04:48.716 --> 00:04:52.461 Whereas tags are helpful to your audience when they are searching within the listening platforms. 113 00:04:53.122 --> 00:04:53.783 And finally, 114 00:04:54.083 --> 00:04:55.265 there's also categories, 115 00:04:55.585 --> 00:04:57.868 which is how your podcast is stored on its host. 116 00:04:58.390 --> 00:04:58.910 Just remember, 117 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:00.771 keywords are used by the robots, 118 00:05:00.971 --> 00:05:02.052 tags by the audience, 119 00:05:02.132 --> 00:05:04.192 and category by the listening platforms. 120 00:05:04.893 --> 00:05:05.353 On OSHA, 121 00:05:05.513 --> 00:05:06.834 when you upload a new episode, 122 00:05:06.914 --> 00:05:09.175 you can assign up to 20 tags. 123 00:05:09.715 --> 00:05:13.036 And I recommend to alternate between very short and very long tags. 124 00:05:13.676 --> 00:05:14.217 For example, 125 00:05:14.537 --> 00:05:17.198 imagine that you start a podcast about vegan cooking. 126 00:05:17.698 --> 00:05:20.899 You'll probably assign the tag hashtag vegan or hashtag cooking. 127 00:05:20.999 --> 00:05:22.280 But be careful. 128 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:25.741 Make sure to avoid having complete phrases in the style of a hashtag. 129 00:05:25.781 --> 00:05:26.922 Like hashtag. 130 00:05:27.242 --> 00:05:30.503 Here's an amazing recipe for vegan zucchini noodles that you have to try. 131 00:05:31.324 --> 00:05:34.085 And I wish you could see that hashtag because it was a mess. 132 00:05:35.705 --> 00:05:36.326 There you have it. 133 00:05:36.426 --> 00:05:38.286 This episode of Tips is now finished. 134 00:05:38.626 --> 00:05:39.907 Thank you for staying until the end, 135 00:05:39.967 --> 00:05:41.307 and I hope you liked the episode. 136 00:05:41.588 --> 00:05:42.308 If that's the case, 137 00:05:42.528 --> 00:05:45.409 tell us on Apple Podcasts or on the OSHA social media pages. 138 00:05:46.389 --> 00:05:47.970 See you in two weeks for a new episode. 139 00:05:52.317 --> 00:05:53.780 This show is brought to you by OSHA, 140 00:05:53.960 --> 00:05:58.150 the all-in-one podcast hosting and marketing platform to help you grow your podcast.