There comes some extent in each podcast when it is necessary to say a URL. If for nothing else, not less than your podcast’s own residence on the Web. (And also you ought to have a website on your podcast!)
Past your podcast web site, you may additionally need to share affiliate hyperlinks, assets, episode notes, previous episodes, sponsors, and extra.
Listed below are 11 ideas for tips on how to share URLs successfully in your podcast.
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases by way of a few of these following hyperlinks. However I like to recommend issues I actually imagine in, no matter earnings.)
1. Communicate as few URLs as potential (per episode)
Each URL is actually a name to motion. That could possibly 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 bolstered a number of occasions. This is the reason you may hear most adverts give the decision to motion (like visiting a web site) not less than 3 occasions.
That is a great apply on your podcast, too. However with all of the URLs you may need to share, you may begin overwhelming your viewers and making every URL much less memorable.
For that reason, I like to recommend that you simply say as few URLs as potential—possibly 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 ultimately pushed off the entrance web page.
Thus, I like to recommend having a novel URL for every episode that may all the time take your viewers to the proper data—whether or not they hear instantly or 5 years later. That is simple to do on WordPress with my favourite plugin Pretty Links Pro.
2. Defer to your chapters or episode notes
If you happen to comply with tip #1, then your single URL ought to be your episode webpage. There, you’ll be able to embrace all the belongings you need your viewers to get or see: photos, movies, hyperlinks, buttons, and extra.
Be certain these items—not 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 completely different requirements, the very best factor to do can be to ask the maker of your publishing device how to make sure your hyperlinks present in your prime podcast apps, they usually can provide the proper steering on your state of affairs. However probably 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>.
Check out Knick Knack News for a great example of actionable episode notes (it is also a very enjoyable podcast I extremely advocate!). Their notes should not efficient for search engine optimisation, however they’re wonderful for engagement inside the podcast apps! The hosts of that enjoyable present, Alex and Anthony, usually share issues you’ll want 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:
Ice Cream: https://www.mensjournal.com/news/baskin-robbins-thanksgiving-dinner-ice-cream-flavor
Alex’s Tales This Week:
Zelda: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23951339/the-legend-of-zelda-movie-live-action-nintendo
“What exactly IS pickle ketchup? Plus, how many chopsticks can you fit in a beard?” Knick Knack Information
If you happen to’re listening alongside to their podcast, then these easy notes will make complete sense to you and the notes do not get in the best way of what you need.
Relying on the way you’re speaking across the URL(s) you need to share, you may additionally need 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 can be excellent as a single chapter. After which they may 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 the moment Captivate, Buzzsprout, and Blubrry), I am unable to add a number of URLs to the identical chapter.
So that is the place you’d need to defer that listing of hyperlinks to your episode notes.
Nonetheless, I’m pushing hard for Podcasting 2.0 to turn our current podcast chapters into “super 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 listing, movies, and even a number of hyperlinks for a single chapter. Then, I might make a chapter merely for “My favourite podcast-hosting suppliers” and that one chapter can hyperlink to the a number of choices.
Nonetheless, I urge you to take care of “backwards compatibility,” and that is the place your episode webpage is available in.
If you happen to’re frightened about your viewers getting misplaced in a protracted episode webpage, you 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. Actually, every chapter of this episode hyperlinks on to its part in my notes. Attempt it!
3. By no means say “https://” or “www.”
It isn’t the ’90s anymore. It has been actually many years since anybody wanted to kind “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 proper place with out together with the “www.” (Which, by the best way, 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 large internet”!)
However you have 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 stunned if poetic justice comes after you by making your neighbor mow his yard proper once you need to report your podcast!
4. Simplify your URLs
If you happen to do converse a URL in your podcast, make it so simple as potential!
I bear in mind a industrial a few years in the past from Epson—you understand, one of many largest printer producers who ought to have identified higher? The one factor I bear in mind about their industrial was as a result of I—as a young person—acknowledged how unhealthy their name to motion was. I believe the URL they spoke was “www.epson.com/what-if-you-could.” And sure, they really mentioned “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. Contemplate the speakable URL for this very episode: “theaudacitytopodcast.com/sharingurls.”
This additionally goes for exterior assets, too. As an alternative of sending folks to “patreon.com/[your podcast slug],” ship them to a “/patreon” 307 or 302 short-term redirect by yourself area. And even higher, remove the third-party brand name completely and make it a generic URL like “/help” or one thing significant to your viewers!
This not solely reinforces your model, however it additionally makes your calls to motion future-proof as a result of you’ll be able to redirect that URL everytime you need (particularly if it is a short-term redirect) and to wherever you need, even to a totally completely different model! Like what if you happen to 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 smart 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 spotted that my episode numbers didn’t actually matter; and secondly, even I was having a tough time remembering which numbers went with which episodes, so I might assume my viewers would have a fair tougher 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 a substitute of “theaudacitytopodcast.com/391” (which is the pointless variety of this episode).
That is simple to do with Pretty Links Pro! You may make as many short-term 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 Pretty Links Pro (and particularly the paid model) is that I can create the “fairly hyperlink” proper in my submit or web page editor, so it goes stay once I publish, decreasing what number of issues I must do exterior of the submit or web page editor.
6. Say “slash” not “ahead slash” or “backslash”
You’ll be able to name this a pet peeve if you would like, however it’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
Though URLs haven’t got areas, that does not imply it’s best to converse like they do not have areas!
It may be okay to say your individual URL quicker when it precisely matches your model that you’ve got already mentioned a number of occasions in your podcast. For instance, the web site for The Audacity to Podcast is—duh—theaudacitytopodcast.com!
However when talking any completely different URL, or particularly if talking that URL in entrance of a brand new viewers, be sure you say it slowly and clearly sufficient to allow them to know what you mentioned.
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 in addition bear in mind to repair any incorrect URLs in your transcripts!)
8. Make clear or keep away from ambiguity
There’s the prospect that you’re going to 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 attention-grabbing company instance of this failure is Fifth Third Financial institution. Sarcastically for a financial institution, the safe URL “https://fifththird.com” would not truly work, however “http://fifththird.com” and “https://www.fifththird.com” do. Nonetheless, the precise web site (and redirection vacation spot) is “https://www.53.com.”
And I hope nobody sorts “5th3rd.com” into their browser, as a result of that is a totally completely different web site (“On-line since 2000”).
There are three other ways you can keep away from sending folks to the mistaken URL:
- Make clear any ambiguity, akin to 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 anomaly altogether—akin to 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 most likely additionally know “.org,” “.internet,” “.edu,” and “.gov.” However there are a whole bunch extra! A few of them are full phrases, like “.pictures”!
Whereas it may be enjoyable to have certainly one of these trendy TLDs, they may be costly. And so they may be complicated to non-savvy Web customers who most likely assume a “.com” for all the things (and likewise most likely enter all their URLs into Google!).
Contemplate That Story Show 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 would price you in each the area itself and certain what number of options you might need to seize to make sure anybody who mishears you continue to will get to the correct web site—and it would not get stolen and used for malicious functions!
10. Beware case-sensitivity
Case-sensitivity continues to be bizarre on the Web. It actually relies on the server configuration operating the web site.
Once I began my first web site, I particularly wished a Home windows server, as a substitute of a Linux server, as a result of I did not need 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 might 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 Pretty Links Pro for my podcast episodes), be sure you take a look at the hyperlink after publishing your episodes!
- 5-star evaluation for “11 Warnings about Utilizing AI in Content material-Creation (together with podcasting)” by Wealthy Bennett from April 19, 2024 on Goodpods: “Thanks for one more 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”
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Disclosure
This submit could include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I could obtain compensation out of your actions by way of such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
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