How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters (Clickable Timestamps) - SEO

Adding Spotify Chapters (clickable timestamps) to your podcast show notes is easy and you should do it on every episode. Watch Emily’s tutorial video here.

Read more about the SEO and UX benefits of clickable Spotify timestamps for podcasts here.

Here’s what the clickable kind look like (what you want):

Example Spotify podcast chapters (clickable timestamps) which are great for SEO and UX (user experience). This is “The Game w/Alex Hormozi”, a podcast that figured out the Spotify Chapters trick earlier than most.

Watch video- how to create Spotify podcast chapters:

It’s Like Google Featured Snippets

On Google, Featured Snippets get 35.1% of all clicks. (The boxes featured at the top of search results which answer a specific question.)

Clickable timestamps are like the Featured Snippets of your podcast. They tell listeners and search engines how specific parts of your episode essentially answer a specific question.

Steps: How to add Spotify podcast chapters (linked timestamps):

1. Using AI or a manual method, generate 8-10 timestamps for every 60 minutes of content.

2. In your RSS feed host such as Acast, Libsyn, Podbean etc., click to edit the “episode description” (show notes).

3. Put the timestamps on separate lines beginning with the minutes and seconds, either one or two digits for minutes and two digits for seconds, with a colon in the middle such as 4:34. BUT:

4. Instead of just writing the time plainly like 4:34, you need to put the time in parentheses to make it clickable in Spotify (a Chapter). Like this: (4:34).

   1. Example of a clickable timestamp / chapter when written in the RSS feed episode description (back-end): (4:34) Investors who lost their password made more money

That’s it. Watch Emily’s tutorial for more details: How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters / CLICKABLE Timestamps

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Related Podcast Tip videos:

Playlist: Podcasting Tips and Gear

Podcast Mic Review: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7. Plus Riverside + Descript Promo Links

Which podcast microphone should you buy? Watch Emily’s review below of two of the most popular and beloved podcast mics: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7.

• Click to jump to Part 2 for two best tools / apps to record and edit your podcast.

• Need full gear recs including podcast lighting and camera? See WealthVoice 2-option complete podcast equipment list here.

• Looking for an RSS feed host? We recommend Acast.

Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7 Full Review, Sound Comparison, and Gear Setup Tips

Part 1: The Two Best Podcast Mics

Mic 1: Shure SM7B (the gold standard, the Thriller mic)

• Price point: $399

• XLR microphone

• Additional gear required:

  • Add gain with Cloudlfiter

  • Audio interface / pre-amp: Scarlet Focusrite (the Solo is fine for a single person recording, get the duo for two people)

  • Boom arm

  • Two XLR cables

  • Get an Anker dongle, trust me

Shop it: Full SM7B gear list on Amazon here

Everything you need to sound great on the Shure SM7B - shop our gear list

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Mic 2: Shure MV7: The SM7B’s little brother

• Price point: $249

• USB or XLR microphone

• Design is less sexy but still fine

• Portable and simple: plug-and-play single USB (or XLR option) with no extra gear needed

• Sounds good (not great like SM7B) but many podcasters like Bethenny Frankel use it

• Great for travel e.g. bring to your hotel room and record on the go

• Buy the one that comes with a tripod or we prefer the look of a boom arm (here’s the only bundle you need). Note: Any regular boom arm you buy will be standard size and fit standard mics like either of these so don’t worry about compatibility

Shop it: Full MV7 gear list on Amazon here (either get the option with tripod OR the boom arm; buy the plain mic if you already have a stand):

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Mic chosen. Now let's record and edit with the BEST user-friendly podcast tools for beginners or advanced!

Part 2: The Two Best Tools/Apps for Podcast Recording & Editing

Riverside lets you easily record quality audio or video remotely. Share and edit clips. AI tools included.

Tool 1: Video / audio podcast recording with Riverside.fm

Riverside is your online studio for high-quality podcast and video recording and editing. Powered by AI, built for human conversations.

Invite your guest to meet in your virtual studio. Screenshare, present slides or charts, have multiple guests. Recordings are stored in the cloud and can be exported for fine editing, or use the built-in AI to create Magic Clips quickly sized for social media (vertical, horizontal, square, and YouTube size).

Hear how it sounds:

This is a podcast episode that we produced for Satovsky Asset Management (see case study for Wisdom, Wealth, and Wellness podcast). Jon interviewed the legendary investor Joel Greenblatt in a remote Riverside video recording (2 guests and 1 silent producer on the call).

Hear it: Play on Apple or Spotify.

See it: YouTube video below or watch a Short here

Sign up with this Riverside promo link for a discount.

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Tool 2: Easy audio / video editing with Descript

Edit audio or video like a Word doc. Get a professional output without the learning curve. Try Descript with our promo link.

Descript lets you edit audio or video like a Word doc. People who use it are typically huge fans. It is not quite as granular as FinalCut or more complex tools but is much easier to learn and use. If you are using iMovie, stop and go to Descript - promise. It’s so easy it feels illegal. HT Mitch Joel for the original Descript tip a couple years back.

Copy, cut and paste text from the transcript and the output follows. This is so. much. better. than. iMovie. This is the fastest magic-feeling editing you'll ever do.

Create vertical video clips, Reels, Shorts, and YouTube videos or audiograms using templates. You can also record directly into Descript which is great for “talking head” videos or vlogs, or solo podcasts.

The voice dub AI feature lets you magically fix mistakes in recorded speech by dubbing over a speaker.

Try the best, easiest editing software with this Descript promo link.

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Hear Emily’s latest mini-pod:

Instagram @beetlemoment

This post was first published on September 28, 2023. Updated March 11, 2024.

Emily Binder's Top Three Podcast Tips (Videos)

Get your podcast or Flash Briefing / WealthVoice Alexa skill up and running with these three must-know starter tips. Voice marketing expert Emily Binder covers the best microphone options for beginners to advanced, the top marketing mistake many podcasters make, and the number one podcast SEO tip.

1) Podcast Microphone: 3 Best Mics (Review)

Get the perfect microphone for your podcast whether you're a beginner or advanced. Emily reviews three great choices (one is free: your phone!). This 7-minute video includes the famous Shure SM7B. Whether you choose Blue Yeti or Shure, ALL the equipment you'll need is linked in the YouTube description or here:

A) Blue Yeti, the top USB mic in the world. The Blue Yeti Amazon Idea List includes:

1. Blue Yeti USB mic

2. Boom arm / desk clamp with pop filter

3. Extra USB cable (have 1 as a backup)

B) Shure SM7B podcast microphone bundle (everything you need).

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2) Avoid the #1 Mistake: A Better Way to Share Your Podcast on Social Media

“Don’t make this common mistake when sharing your podcast on social media! Here's a free solution that I use for my podcasts and suggest to all my clients. A universal podcast link. Get your show's 1-click Plink link: https://beetlemoment.com/plink

It’s a single podcast smart link and it will cover your bases for all the major podcast apps. This way you don’t alienate any audience and get the benefit of one simple CTA in your social posts. Sharing your podcast on social media is a key way to grow your audience, so don't make the mistake of sharing only the Apple Podcasts or Spotify or show notes page link!” -Emily

Get your podcast Plink link.

3) Top Podcast SEO Tip: Your Episode Descriptions

“This is my number one tip to get SEO value out of every podcast episode. It's so simple and effective. Google search will scrape keywords but especially outbound links (hyperlinks) that have rich anchor text (keywords that make up the hyperlink).

This means your podcast episodes can outrank blog posts, especially for unique search terms relevant to your brand or business. I show you an example of how my search for ‘onramp invest alexa quick link’ turned up a four-month old Spotify podcast episode I had done where I used similar text in a hyperlink in that episode's description.” - Emily

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Subscribe Free to the Mini Podcast: Voice Marketing with Emily Binder

Best Easy Podcast SEO Tip: Descriptions

This is our number one tip to get SEO value out of every podcast episode. It's so simple and effective. Google search will scrape keywords but especially outbound links (hyperlinks) that have rich anchor text (keywords that make up the hyperlink). This means your podcast episodes can outrank blog posts, especially for unique search terms relevant to your brand or business.

In this video, Emily shows you an example of how a search for "onramp invest alexa quick link" turned up a four-month old Spotify podcast episode where she used similar text in a hyperlink in that episode's description.

The Description for your podcast episodes has big SEO potential for getting your content ranked in Google search.

Wondering what microphone is best for your podcast?

Check out Emily Binder’s podcast microphone review and setup video covering three great podcast mics:

1. Your smartphone (yes really) - perfect for a mini podcast or quick WealthVoice broadcast on Alexa

2. Blue Yeti USB Mic

3. Shure SM7B

Want help with your podcast marketing?

Are you subscribed to Voice Marketing with Emily Binder? What are you waiting for?! Get marketing and business insights and tips twice a week in under 3 minutes.

Also available as an Alexa Flash Briefing (enable Voice Marketing here).

Tips: Marketing Your Alexa Skill with a Voice Hub Page - Industry Examples

What should you put on your Alexa Skill landing page or voice experience information page? You have to educate your audience on how to use something new, like an Alexa Skill or Google Action.

Your voice hub page is the perfect place to showcase any voice marketing you’re doing, whether it’s an Alexa Skill, Google Action, Flash Briefing, or podcast.

Why you need a voice hub page:

You’ve heard of the Marketing Rule of Seven: it typically it takes seven exposures to incite a purchase or new behavior in someone. Clear messaging and a single hub page explaining a new service is key to adoption when it comes to new technology like voice.

Imagine you post on social, send an email, tell someone verbally, and then post a few more times on Instagram or Twitter about your Alexa Skill. You will need to “Link in bio!” your audience about seven times til they finally act. Make sure when they do, you have the clear actionable info for them to enable your voice experience or subscribe to your podcast wherever they listen.

Amazon Alexa has about 70% market share for smart speakers and the number one category for requested content is music, news, and weather (including podcasts). Watch Emily Binder’s 60-Second Definition of Voice Marketing

Uber was an early adopter of ordering a rideshare through Alexa. They feature these commands to educate users on how to get a ride using Alexa.

We rounded up several good examples of voice hub pages from different industries. These should inspire you to create your own page that serves as a home for your voice app(s) whether it’s an Alexa Skill, Google Action, both, or other. Whatever you have going on related to smart speakers and/or podcasts or flash briefings, you need a hub page. You should throw your podcast subscribe widget in there too (like right below). If you want a tool to make sharing your podcast easy and 1-click, check out Plink.

We picked pages that make it clear to a new user how to access and use the voice experience. They don’t have to be super stylized or complex. Simple works.

Key components of your voice marketing hub page:

TD Ameritrade’s voice hub page features an effective button to enable their Alexa Skill. The green button is eye catching and the simple button text “Ask Alexa” lets users know where the button will take them: the Alexa Skill page on Amazon.

1. Clear buttons to enable the voice app (links are good too, but make sure you include a colored button with a 1-3 word CTA that the eye is drawn to, such as “Enable on Alexa”)

   1. Feature your Alexa Quick Link for 1-click skill enablement from any device (example: Plancorp Perspective - Alexa Quick Link)

2. Sample commands or phrases to navigate the voice app, such as “Alexa, ask Onramp Invest for the latest update.”

3. Pleasing graphics (smart speaker stock photography or branded graphics using non-photograph imagery)

4. Bonus tip: Create and embed a Spotify playlist of your or your team’s podcast appearances: watch video below to learn how.

Example Spotify podcast playlist embedded:

Learn how to create and embed a Spotify podcast playlist to promote your content:

This is such an underutilized marketing tool!

Alexa Skill or Voice Hub Page Examples - Inspo

🍕 Food/QSR:

• Domino's Anyware hub page

• Grubhub Alexa Skill hub page
  

💸 Financial services:

• TD Ameritrade Alexa Skill and Google Action hub page

• TD Ameritrade AdvisorClient® for the Amazon Alexa PDF

• Morgan Stanley Alexa Skill page

• Plancorp, LLC Alexa Skill page for Plancorp Perspective (Alexa Skill built with WealthVoice)

Plancorp, an RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) with over $4 billion AUM (assets under management) built their custom Alexa Skill with WealthVoice. Plancorp Perspective’s voice hub page makes it easy for clients to enable the skill with their Alexa Quick Link. Suggested commands make it easy for clients to interact with their voice experience and get hands-free updates.

💄Beauty:

• Garnier USA voice hub page

📰 News:

• NPR: Listening to NPR with Alexa

  • Featuring this handy PDF of phrases - you should consider creating one like this

• The New York Times on Your Smart Speaker

Note on language: In online marketing, a landing page, sometimes known as a "lead capture page", "single property page", "static page" or a "destination page", is a single web page that appears in response to clicking on an organic search result, marketing promotion, marketing email, or an online ad. What you want to create is a regular page on your website, but we know people often call these “landing pages” so that’s why it’s in the title. You get it.

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How to create your own Alexa Skill and send hands-free updates:

Want to create a custom branded Alexa Skill like this and send your audience voice updates anytime? Request an invite to WealthVoice. It’s a voice CMS (content management system) and we can build skills for any industry. It’s like Wix or Squarespace, but for Alexa skills. Watch demo video.

Learn more about our voice marketing and podcasting services:

Get briefed!

Five minutes, twice a week. Subscribe free for marketing and business updates on Voice Marketing with Emily Binder. It’s a mini-podcast and an Alexa Flash Briefing.

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Insta: @beetlemoment

Top Three Brands with Alexa Skills - Voice Marketing

Which companies have the best Alexa skills? Which brands are succeeding with voice marketing?

It’s the ones who understand that voice is all about enhancing or improving the customer experience. Keep it simple. Make things easy on people. That’s the “killer” app.

Your customers want convenience. The best voice apps offer it. It’s that simple. The Starbucks Reorder skill and Domino’s Pizza Alexa skill accomplish this.

By 2021, the number of US voice assistant users will reach 122.7 million, representing 42.2% of US internet users and 36.6% of the US population (eMarketer). Digital voice assistants in use will triple to 8 billion by 2023 (Juniper Research).

Amazon Alexa has maintained market share for smart speakers so let’s look at which brands are succeeding on Alexa and why. Note, these brands also have Google Actions but we’ll just examine their Alexa skills here.

Here are three slam dunk examples of major brands using Alexa to drive sales and/or add value through voice-first content marketing.

Which brands have the best Alexa skills?

1. Starbucks Reorder Alexa skill: you can:
   – Reorder your Usual from one of the last 10 stores you’ve ordered from
   – Check your primary Starbucks Card balance
   – Switch between your last 5 previous orders

   1. Why we like it: This lets customers easily order hands-free. It’s convenient to do while you’re busily getting ready to head out the door. This makes Starbucks even more ubiquitous and reliable, two of their brand success hallmarks (consistency of experience, much like McDonald’s provides so well).

2. Domino’s Alexa skill: With the Domino’s skill, you can build a new order from scratch, place your Easy Order or your most recent order. You can ask Alexa for your order’s status with Domino’s Tracker®. Available only for orders placed in the U.S.

   1. Why we like it: Thanks to the AnyWare suite of technology, customers can place their favorite order via text, tweet, TV, smartwatch and more. Domino’s Alexa skill is just another channel making it more convenient for people to buy pizza. It demonstrates a commitment to ease of use. This will drive sales because like Starbucks does too, this removes friction and makes Domino’s ubiquitous.

3. TED Talks Alexa skill: Explore TED's vast library of inspiring talks and ideas worth spreading by world-renowned speakers and thought leaders from around the globe. You can play the latest TED talk, play random TED talks, or search for talks by topic or by speaker name. You can also play talks that are funny, inspiring, persuasive, courageous, or jaw-dropping. New TED talks are available every weekday and are always free to the world.

   1. Why we like it: This is the best example of content marketing unrelated to voice shopping or commerce. Content marketing works when it adds value and is published consistently. This checks those boxes. Read more on TED’s blog: “Alexa, open TED Talks”.

Starbucks Reorder

Reorder your usual coffee, check your Starbucks Card balance, and switch between your last five previous orders.

TED Talks

With their Alexa Skill, nonprofit organization TED allows you to play the latest TED talk, play random TED talks, or search for talks by topic or speaker name.

Domino’s

With the Domino’s Skill for Amazon Alexa you can build a new order, reorder your most recent order, place your Easy Order, or track an order using Domino’s Tracker®.

Takeaway:

Voice offers your brand an opportunity to be of service. Help before you sell.

And look, don't be intimidated by voice! You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Look how simple the Starbucks, Domino’s, and TED Talks skills are. They just voice-enabled the most common customer activities. Reduce friction, increase sales. Convenience for the win. It’s what Amazon sells, after all.

Domino’s AnyWare is the strongest example of the real driving principle behind all of this: it’s not about the specific channel (be it voice, SMS, or social media); it’s about being widely and easily available where your customers are. Voice just happens to be the fastest growing consumer technology, and an obvious and growing use case for voice commerce (AKA v-commerce), expected to be over an $80 billion market by 2023 (via Juniper Research).

Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, knows that customers want to be able to order their pizzas from anywhere, at any time, on any device including Alexa. Thanks to the AnyWare suite of technology, customers can order via text, tweet, TV, smartwatch, and more.

What you can do:

Identify the top three or five things that your customers want or need. That could be simply re-ordering or asking an FAQ or checking their account balance. Then voicify it. We can help.

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Your Brand and Voice Marketing in 2021

If you need help creating a custom voice experience, whether that's an Alexa skill or a Google Action, or adding voice or chat to your mobile app, reach out to us. Get ideas here: check out our case studies from clients we’ve helped.

Learn more:

Binge our 3-minute daily briefing podcast about voice marketing with Emily Binder:

Or hear Emily’s briefing on Alexa News (new episodes every weekday). How to listen:

1. Enable Voice Marketing with Emily Binder - Alexa Flash Briefing here

2. Then say, “Alexa, news.”

Top 5 Tips to Grow Your Podcast - Marketing and Gear

Get voice marketing expert Emily Binder’s top five tips for creating and promoting your podcast. Level up your podcast game with our most popular videos (links open YouTube):

1. The #1 Mistake Podcasters Make on Social Media

2. EASY Video Podcasting - Best Audio and Camera Gear (Zoom Friendly)

3. Video: Spotify playlist marketing hack to promote guests (such as yourself)

   1. Blog post: How to Use Spotify Playlists to Grow Podcast Plays – Guest SEO Hack

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This playlist includes two popular podcast expert interviews from the Beetle Moment Marketing Podcast:

1) Podcasts: Your Brand's Unfair Advantage | STEVE PRATT, Pacific Content

Steve Pratt is one of the co-founders of Pacific Content, a company that creates exceptional podcasts with the best brands in the world. Clients include: Facebook, Dell Technologies, Mozilla, Slack, Red Hat, NYT T Brand Studio, BMW, CBS, and Charles Schwab and more.

2) Tess Neudeck: What Podcasters Should Know - Acast

Tess Neudeck is Manager of Marketing for Acast in the Americas. Acast is the largest global podcast company. Founded in 2014, Acast is the best curated, fully integrated, fastest growing podcast marketplace in the world. Tess is responsible for shaping Acast’s marketing strategy across its 10,000+ podcasts, its advertiser business, and all of the products and services the company creates for podcasters, advertisers and listeners. Find out the advice a top podcast company gives to podcasters to grow their audience.

Get Emily’s mini podcast about marketing, tech, and business:

Under 5 minutes on Alexa News or podcast apps:

Follow @beetlemoment on Instagram: