Content: Podcast

Guides podcast strategy, content creation, distribution, marketing, and SEO. Podcasts compete in a crowded space (3M+ active shows, 500M+ listeners globally); discoverability is the primary challenge. Discovery channels: ~32% search engines, ~28% podcast apps, ~24% social media, ~16% word-of-mouth.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read for audience, positioning, and content strategy.

Identify:

Stage: Planning, launching, growing
Format: Interview, solo, co-hosted, narrative
Niche: Target audience, listener personas
Goals: Downloads, authority, lead gen, repurposing

Content Strategy

| Element | Guideline | |---------|-----------| | Niche focus | Define audience through listener personas; tailored content cuts through noise | | Quality over gimmicks | Sticky, unique, valuable content; most hosts see major growth after 5–6 months of consistency | | Episode structure | Intro, main content, CTA; consistent format aids retention |

Distribution & Discovery

| Channel | Share | Optimization | |---------|-------|---------------| | Search engines | ~32% | Transcripts, show notes, SEO-optimized titles/descriptions | | Podcast apps | ~28% | Title, description, cover art; category selection | | Social media | ~24% | Clips, quotes, repurposed content | | Word-of-mouth | ~16% | Cross-promotion, guest appearances |

Multi-channel: Repurpose across platforms to multiply discovery surface.

SEO for Podcasts

Search engines cannot listen to audio. Text-based content is essential:

| Element | Guideline | |---------|-----------| | Transcripts | Full or key-moment transcripts; indexable, accessible | | Show notes | SEO-optimized; pull organic search traffic; include keywords naturally | | Titles | ≤60 chars; keywords; engaging language | | Descriptions | Episode-specific; keywords; voice-search friendly | | Backlinks | Build links to show notes, guest posts, directory listings |

Schema: Use PodcastEpisode and PodcastSeries for rich results. See schema-markup for implementation.

Cross-Promotion & Partnerships

| Tactic | Use | |--------|-----| | Feed drops | Swap episodes with similar-sized podcasts | | Ad swaps | Promote each other's shows | | Guest appearances | Tap into pre-existing engaged audiences |

Repurposing

| Format | Use | |--------|-----| | Clips | Short-form for social (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, X) | | Blog posts | Expand show notes; pillar content | | Newsletter | Episode summaries, key takeaways | | Quotes | Pull quotable moments for social |

Output Format

Strategy (niche, format, distribution mix)
SEO checklist (transcripts, show notes, schema)
Launch checklist (cover art, description, category, RSS)
Repurposing plan (clips, blog, newsletter)

Related Skills

schema-markup: PodcastEpisode, PodcastSeries schema
video-marketing: Video content; podcast-to-video repurposing
copywriting: Show notes, episode descriptions, social copy
content-marketing: Content strategy, repurposing framework
youtube-seo: If publishing podcast to YouTube