Episode types help richly integrate your podcast with third-party services like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more. This article outlines when it may be appropriate to flag an episode as any one of these options and the benefits of good episode-type signposting.
When creating a podcast, you will be putting a lot of time and hard work into planning and recording your episodes; carefully curating content that your audience will love and keep coming back to week after week. Perhaps you want to take things a step further and create additional content to tease upcoming episodes, surprise your subscribers with a special episode or simply give new listeners a flavour of what your podcast is all about.
Timbre allows you to flag episodes of your podcast as any one of the following:
- Full Episode
- Trailer
- Bonus Episode
Full Episode
Most of your podcast content will likely fall under the category of "Full Episode", referring to full-length content you release to your usual release schedule.
Full episodes appear in third-party listings in your episode list and are displayed in the desired listening order specified by the "Podcast Type" parameter in your podcast settings (Serial/Episodic) on Timbre.
If your release schedule is separated into seasons, setting appropriate Season/Episode numbers for your 'Full Episodes' will improve integration and searchability on most third-party platforms.
Trailer
Trailers are typically short episodes (less than 5 mins) with a host-read description of your show or a highlight reel to show potential subscribers what they can expect from your podcast.
Whether your Podcast is new on the scene or you are just about to launch your 20th season, trailers are a great way to give new listeners a taste of your content or tease longtime fans with a new series. Set an episode as a "Trailer" type so it gets pinned next to your podcast info on major Podcast platforms and Apps.
The screenshot below shows how a trailer episode will appear on the Spotify app.
Bonus Episode
A bonus episode is an episode that sits slightly outside the usual broadcast schedule or full episode type. It may be a shorter piece of content, a follow-up to a previous episode, a fan Q&A or a holiday special. As it strays from your usual content, you may want to flag this episode as a "Bonus". This will show as such on Major Podcast platforms and Apps.
Adding Bonuses and Trailers alongside your full episodes goes a long way in making your podcast look that extra bit polished on the major podcast apps by exploiting these more advanced features for deep integration. It also helps subscribers navigate your podcast and know what they are in for when they click 'play' on an episode.