The short answer: Publishing a podcast episode requires 15–20 distinct tasks across audio, metadata, show notes, distribution, and promotion. Most podcasters forget at least 3 of these every release.
This checklist covers every step in sequential order so you never publish an incomplete episode again.
Pre-Production Checklist (Before You Record)
Before you hit record, confirm the following are in place:
- Topic is chosen and outline or run-of-show is written
- Guest confirmed + pre-interview briefing sent (if interview format)
- Recording environment checked (quiet room, no AC/fan hum)
- Mic gain levels tested
- Recording software opened and test recording made
- Backup recording device ready (Zoom H6, phone app, etc.)
Post-Recording Checklist (After You Stop Recording)
Audio Editing
- Raw recording backed up to cloud storage
- Long pauses and filler words trimmed
- Volume levels normalized to -16 LUFS (Spotify standard) or -19 LUFS (Apple standard)
- Intro and outro music added and faded correctly
- Audio exported as MP3 at 128kbps mono (minimum) or 192kbps stereo
Transcript
- Transcript generated (AI tools like EpisodeOps take under 5 minutes)
- Speaker labels reviewed and corrected
- Transcript file saved as .txt or .docx for accessibility
Metadata Checklist
Good metadata gets your episode discovered. Every field matters.
- Episode title — includes your primary keyword; under 60 characters
- Episode description — first 2 sentences are compelling; keywords used naturally; 150–500 words
- Season/Episode number — correctly incremented
- Guest name — spelled correctly in title and description if applicable
- Explicit tag — correctly set (clean or explicit)
- Episode artwork — 1:1 ratio, 3000×3000px, under 500KB
Show Notes Checklist
Show notes are your SEO asset. Well-structured show notes rank in Google and provide LLMs with content to cite.
- Summary paragraph (2–4 sentences) covering what the episode is about
- Key topics covered — 5–10 bullet points
- Guest bio and links (if applicable)
- Resources mentioned — every link, book, tool, or article referenced
- Chapter timestamps — e.g., [00:00] Intro, [03:45] Main story
- Call to action — where to subscribe, leave a review, or follow on social
Time saver: EpisodeOps generates all of the above from your audio in under 5 minutes. Try it free →
Distribution Checklist
- Episode uploaded to podcast host (Buzzsprout, Anchor, Transistor, etc.)
- Publish date and time scheduled or set to "Publish Now"
- RSS feed verified — episode appears correctly
- Spotify — check episode appears within 2–4 hours
- Apple Podcasts — check episode appears within 24 hours
- Google Podcasts / YouTube Podcasts — verify syndication
- Transcript uploaded to your podcast host (if supported)
Promotion Checklist
Distribution is not promotion. Most podcasters stop at distribution. This is the second phase.
Day of Release
- Episode teaser or clip posted to Instagram (Reels perform best)
- LinkedIn post — insight or quote from the episode
- Twitter/X thread — key takeaways formatted as a thread (3–7 tweets)
- Email newsletter sent to subscriber list
Week of Release
- Episode embeds in any relevant blog post
- Guest (if any) tagged and encouraged to share
- Podcast episode added to your website as a blog post (repurposed show notes)
- 1 audiogram clip created and scheduled for mid-week
Review Prompt Checklist (For Active Shows)
- Review request added to episode outro (spoken)
- Link to Apple Podcasts review page in show notes
- Reply to or acknowledge any recent reviews in a future episode
Tracking Checklist
Don't publish and forget. Track what works.
- Episode added to your publishing calendar
- Download numbers noted at 7 days and 30 days
- Best-performing social post noted for content strategy learnings
- If using UTM links: verify your analytics tool is tracking correctly
The Fast Lane: Automate 60% Of This List
The items that take the most time are also the ones most easily automated:
- Show notes → AI-generated in EpisodeOps
- Transcripts → included in every EpisodeOps Release Pack
- Chapter markers → auto-generated with timestamps
- Social posts → platform-optimized copy in your Release Pack
Start your free EpisodeOps trial → — your first episode is free.