Topic: Podcast Transcripts

Maya and Tom introduce the season finale of How to Get Discovered by presenting a thought experiment involving two identical podcasts. Show A invests in discoverability through proper transcripts, custom domains, and optimized show notes, while Show B continues with audio-only distribution. The experiment tracks the divergent paths of these shows over a twelve-month period to illustrate the long-term impact of technical SEO.

Tom reflects on his past dismissiveness toward podcast SEO, admitting his eye-rolling was a defensive mechanism to avoid additional work. He clarifies his stance on listener loyalty, noting that while it is vital, it is not opposed to acquisition since every loyal listener begins as a stranger. He also acknowledges that his initial rejection of transcripts was based on outdated, poor-quality versions of the technology.

Technical infrastructure elements like transcripts, structured pages, and custom domains serve as surfaces that allow a podcast to present itself as an authority. Shows that become "canonical" on specific topics are often referenced by journalists, researchers, and authors because they are findable through search during the research process.

The hosts conclude the episode by previewing next week's technical deep dive into transcript indexing and domain authority. The upcoming segment will explore why transcript pages are treated differently by search engines compared to standard show notes.

The back catalogue was processed through PodHerd to transcribe, structure, and index every episode into sectioned pages with timestamps. After three months, episodes that previously received zero search traffic began seeing consistent weekly listens. One forgotten interview about switching from agency to in-house work emerged as a major driver of new listeners, proving that existing audio holds untapped value if it is made findable.

Hosts Maya and Tom introduce the episode "Whose House Are You Building?" for the podcast How to Get Discovered. The discussion focuses on the unglamorous mechanics of podcast searchability and why the specific URL where transcripts are hosted is a critical factor for long-term discoverability.