Learn how to publish your first podcast episode using the Podcast Websites WordPress system in this informative guide by Mark Asquith. Mark walks you through the essential steps, emphasizing the importance of configuring your episode title, show notes, and linking your MP3 file correctly. He highlights the significance of adding a featured image to engage your audience, although it's optional. Additionally, Mark explains how to insert a podcast player into your show notes for easy access. By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to publish your podcast efficiently, including tips on scheduling future posts for greater convenience.

Mark Asquith’s insightful podcast episode serves as an essential primer for those ready to publish their first episode using the Podcast Websites WordPress system. The discussion provides a detailed roadmap for navigating the various components of the WordPress interface, from crafting a catchy episode title to integrating show notes and an MP3 file. Throughout the episode, Mark emphasizes simplicity, breaking down the necessary steps in a clear and accessible manner. This supportive approach is particularly beneficial for new podcasters who may feel daunted by the technical side of publishing their content.

The episode goes beyond mere mechanics, exploring the significance of effective show notes and the role they play in engaging listeners. Mark explains how show notes serve not only as a summary of the episode but also as a valuable resource for SEO, helping to attract organic traffic to the podcast. He encourages podcasters to invest time in crafting thoughtful notes that encapsulate the essence of their discussions. Additionally, the episode touches on the visual appeal of a podcast post, discussing the importance of featured images. Mark outlines how these images can enhance the overall look of the podcast’s web presence, making it more inviting for potential listeners.

Towards the conclusion, Mark shifts focus to the publishing process itself, elaborating on the options available for saving, previewing, and scheduling episodes. He highlights the flexibility that the WordPress system offers, allowing podcasters to manage their content efficiently and strategically plan their releases. By the end of the episode, listeners are not only equipped with practical tips but also inspired to take ownership of their podcasting journey. Mark’s engaging delivery and expert advice make this episode a must-listen for anyone eager to dive into the world of podcasting with confidence.

Takeaways:

• To publish your first podcast episode, you must configure your post properly in WordPress.
• It's essential to delete this demonstration episode before publishing to iTunes or Stitcher.
• Make sure to include an MP3 file in your post for listeners to access it.
• Adding show notes can be done directly in the editor or pasted from another source.
• Consider whether you need a featured image for your episode to engage readers on your site.
• You can schedule podcast episodes for future publication, allowing for efficient content management.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Podcast Websites
• iTunes
• Stitcher

Hi, this is Mark [email protected], and I'm here to talk you through how to publish your first episode using the podcast website's WordPress system. Now, this episode is actually a demonstration.

So what I'd like you to do is once you finish listening to this, once you've figured out how we've configured this for you, please, please, please go ahead and delete this episode because you don't need this when you publish to iTunes or to stitcher or wherever else you send your show.

So what I'd like you to do is listen to this until the very, very end, but then login to your WordPress dashboard, head on over to podcasts on the left hand side, click on edit and take a look at how this post is configured. And you know, it's actually really, really simple.

There aren't really that many components to think about when you're publishing a specific podcast episode. There are only really a few that you need to use. The first one, of course, is episode title.

You're going to need to pop that right at the very, very top in the box, which is very obviously labeled title. And then what you're going to need to do is actually put your show notes.

Now you can type these show notes directly into the large editor in the center of your screen when you're editing or publishing a new post. Or of course, you can paste them in from something like word or ia writer, something that you use to actually author your show notes.

And then what you also need to do is of course, pop in an mp3 file. Now it's very important that you link an MP3 file up because that's what iTunes will pull in and that's what people will listen to.

Now, if you're using the podcast website's media hosting, that's very, very simple and there is separate help available for that. But you will see everything that you need the editing screen of this post to help you see how we've done that.

Likewise, if you're using an external media host, it's very, very simple to paste the link in to the relevant place there as well. So that should be all very, very straightforward for you. Take a look at how this post is configured behind the scenes.

Now, the only other thing that you'll need to do is twofold.

You will need to, number one, figure out whether you need a featured image for your episode, which can be configured using the box on the right hand side of the editing screen. And you can just simply drag and drop an image into there and that will actually display on your website.

Now, that's not the episode artwork for iTunes. That's very simply the featured image for the post on your website.

Something to entice readers, something to engage readers and grab their attention to read the post and eventually listen to this episode that doesn't get pulled through to iTunes. So that is optional.

And the second thing that you're going to need to be aware of at this point is right at the very, very top of the show notes editor. What you will see is a little black play button. It's like a triangle pointing to the right.

You will need to pop your cursor to the relevant place within your show notes that you would like to place your podcast player. And then once you've got your cursor in the right place, typically the top or the bottom, most people do do it at the top.

Pop the cursor at the top, hit that play button up on the editor, the black triangle, and that will pop in a short code that says square bracket, open SPP player, close square brackets. And what that does is that tells WordPress that you would like a simple podcast press player to be inserted at that point. And that's it.

As easy as that. Now, the next thing you need to do just to finish this off is over on the top right.

You will see in the editing screen, the top right holds the publishing section. So this is where you dictate what you want to do.

Once you've got your post ready to go and you actually have three options, you can save it as a draft, you can preview, or you can quickly publish. Now, those three things are very, very obvious. It's very easy to see what those three options actually do for you.

But there is, there is another option.

If you were to set a slightly different publishing date by clicking on the word edit right next to where it says publish immediately, then you could set this episode to publish on a different date. So for example, perhaps a future date, you would actually see that publish button change to the word schedule.

And that means that you can start to future publish things.

So on a Saturday morning, you can set up all of your posts for the week, all of your podcast episodes for the week, and you can set them to publish Monday through Friday very, very quickly, very, very easily. So have a play around, guys. Look at how I've configured this for you.

And if you need anything, if you need anything at all, all you need to do is head on to support over on the left hand side of your podcast website's WordPress administration panel where you'll find everything you need to get in touch.