Following up from my previous episode (#420) about using numbering your podcast episode, here are 5 times and places to not use episode numbers.
1. Don't use episode numbers when they would not matter to your audience
This should be an obvious thing. When episode numbers do matter to your audience, you should use them prominently. That is so much of what I covered previously, like using them for serial podcasts, frequent references, or file and folder organization.
But if your podcast is not serial, is not intended to be consumed in a particular order, and you are not frequently referencing other episodes, then you probably do not need episode numbers. Your audience likely does not need them in those cases. So then do not use them. If you really want to use them anyway even when your audience does not actually need them, put them at the end of your titles. For most podcasts out there, I think episode numbers really do not matter to the audience. If they do not matter to your listeners, they should not matter to you either.
2. Avoid episode numbers when they conflict with episode titles, or else reword
If you start a lot of your episodes with a number, I highly recommend using the actual numeral instead of spelling it out. Numbers in titles can be very good things, like 5 best cream sodas or 10 steps to success. That is a highly effective way to title blog posts, podcasts, and videos.
But if you display an episode number prominently right next to a title number, you run into a conflict. You end up with two numbers right next to each other that mean completely different things. For example, if episode 20 is titled “5 Best Cream Sodas,” it might look like “20. 5 Best Cream Sodas.” To a quick reader, that looks like “20.5 best cream sodas.” Are you talking about twenty and a half cream sodas?
That forces your audience to re-read the title just to understand it. When faced with this situation, consider dropping the episode number or rewording the title. You could change it to “Best 5 Cream Sodas” so it reads as “20. Best 5 Cream Sodas.” This makes the title much clearer. Even if you try separating them with punctuation like a hyphen or colon, I still think you will run into visual confusion. Avoid the conflict or simply reword your titles.
3. Don't use the episode's number within that episode
This takes some strategy, but it saves you from having to overthink things later. When you speak the episode's own number inside the audio, you lock that exact episode to that number. What happens if you pre-record several episodes and then decide to reorder them? Or what if you have late breaking information and need to squeeze a new episode in?
If your title says episode 100 but your audience hears you say “Welcome to episode 105,” they will be confused. It might be a bit embarrassing and make you look poorly planned. So if you can, simply do not say the episode's own number within the episode. This is also why I recommend using a customized URL rather than strictly a number-based URL. If you say a number-based URL out loud, you have firmly locked yourself into that specific episode number.
It is completely fine to speak the episode numbers for past episodes. Those are already published and will never change. But for the current episode, leave the number out of the audio.
4. Don't use episode numbers in website, social, or SEO titles
When someone is on your website, they can simply click a link to jump to an episode or get the show notes. They should never have to search your website for an episode number. Make sure any specific URL you speak in your episode takes them straight to the page, making it a perfectly seamless experience. Putting episode numbers all over your website clutters things up when they are not actually needed to navigate your content.
On social networks, nobody really cares what number your new episode is. They just want a compelling reason to listen, and a number is not a compelling reason.
Definitely do not let your episode number leak out into your SEO title. This is the title that displays when your page shows up in search results and the title that automatically embeds when shared on social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook. The number completely wastes valuable space in those places, so keep it out of your social and SEO tags.
5. Don't use episode numbers in the itunes:title tag
This is a very specific tag inside your RSS feed. Apple has been very clear that the <itunes:title> tag should contain only the clean title of your episode. It should not have the name of your podcast, the season number, and it definitely should not have the episode number. There is a separate <itunes:episode> tag where the episode number actively belongs.
Your normal <title> tag in the RSS feed can certainly have an episode number in it, but you need an publishing tool that lets you populate these tags separately. Unfortunately, some platforms just copy the exact same title from one field to the other, which means you are either breaking Apple's rules or missing out on backwards compatibility. Keep your <itunes:title> perfectly clean.
You can learn more about how to properly use episode numbers in your podcast metadata if you want to dive deeper into those technical mechanics.
Follow-up to my previous episode
I received some great feedback from people who were initially in disagreement with my recommendation to utilize episode numbers for keeping people inside podcast apps. Many realized that keeping the audience right there in the app is actually a tremendous benefit.
However, I have discovered some frustrations along the way. Beyond the issues with publishing tools mishandling the separate title tags, some highly opinionated podcast apps handle things strangely. Overcast, for example, appears to completely remove episode numbers from the title entirely. The developer might believe episode numbers are rarely relevant, so the app seems to strip them regardless of the metadata tags you use. In cases like that, you might have to type them out in a completely different way if you desperately want them to display. Just keep in mind that app behaviors can change over time.
Special thanks
- $30 from Stevie Taylor, host of The Gig Life Podcast, saying, “Hey Daniel. Thank you for all you do, sir.”
- $20 from Randy Black, host of Shooting It Straight, saying, “A small amount of support for a friend and podcasting legend who gives so much to the space with little given back in turn. Keep up the good work Daniel!”
- 696§ from Bryan Entzminger, podcast producer at Top Tier Audio
If you love The Audacity to Podcast and value the podcasting inspiration and education I provide, would you please consider giving back what it's worth to you?
Supercharge your podcast engagement and grow your podcast!
Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?
Try Podgagement to help you supercharge your podcast endgagement!
Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), see and share your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, follow your podcast rankings across nearly 34,000 global charts, discover networking opportunities, and more!
Ask your questions or share your feedback
- Comment on the episode
- Send a written or voicemail message here
Follow The Audacity to Podcast
- Apple Podcasts, Spotify, other Android apps, or in your favorite podcast app.
- Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast
- Follow @theDanielJLewis on X-Twitter
Disclosure
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
Related Content
