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Add a Podcast Episode to the website#

Record Podcast Episode (Podcaster)#

  1. Contact Production Services to arrange a recording time.

  2. Record Audio with Production Services.

Create the Podcast Episode Audio File (Production Services)#

  1. Edit audio file.

    1. Audio file size should not exceed 100 MB.
    2. Reduce size of file by encoding in Mono at 96 MBPS. Sample Rate 44.1 kHz
    3. Split larger recordings into shorter episodes.

  2. Add ID3 Metadata to Audio File.

    1. Why? Metadata must be added to all audio files or the podcast episodes will not be pushed out to publishing channels. Edit the ID3 metadata of the audio file using an MP3 encoder, like Mp3Tag.
    2. Specifications:
      1. Use ID3v2.
    3. Tagging instructions:
      1. Title: Should exactly match the title used in the episode's web entry.
      2. Artist: Use Nashville Public Library
      3. Album: Use Podcast Series Title (Just Listen, Family Folk Tales, etc.)
      4. Year: Use the year the episode will be published
      5. Track: Use episode number - this will help sort episodes chronologically
      6. Genre: Leave blank
      7. Comment: Include a brief summary of the episode, including narrator name
      8. Album Artist: Leave blank
      9. Composer: Leave blank
      10. Discnumber: Leave blank
      11. Directory: Attach the podcast logo as the image. Image should be square, 300px by 300px, Under 200kb, use rGB color space, and be a JPG or PNG file.

  3. Do not leave spaces between words in the file name. This will cause errors in the podcast.

  4. Save finished audio files in a shared folder on Google Drive or INK.

Add Podcast Episode(s) to the Website (Podcaster)#

  1. Log in to the website: https://library.nashville.org/user

  2. Go to Content > Add Content > Podcast Episode

  3. Add a title.

    1. Format: (Optional Episode #:) [Episode title]
    2. Episode number is optional.
    3. DO NOT include the date or series name in the title.
    4. Examples:
      1. YES: The Terrible Head
      2. NO: Family Folktales for November 9, 2015: The Terrible Head
      3. YES: Episode 45: Who Shot Haynie?
      4. NO: Back in the Day, Episode 45: Who Shot Haynie?

  4. Add podcast information in the Information tab.

    1. Episode Date: Refers to the date the episode is published to the public. This is CRITICAL; it must be the date the episode will publish.
    2. Podcast Series: Choose a series from the drop-down menu.
    3. Episode Audio: This is where we will upload our MP3 file.
      1. Click Select Audio.
      2. Click Add Audio to Upload a new file to the website.
      3. Browse your computer (or wherever audio is saved) to find the audio file. Where it asks, “Include file in display?” do not check this box.
      4. In the title field, add the title of the audio file. This title will display to the user, so it needs to be a title for what the audio file contains.
        1. For example, on Family Folktales Podcast, the title of the audio file would be the title of the story being read.
        2. For example, on a blog post including a StoryCorps audio file, the title would be a title of the StoryCorps file (like "Interview with Michael Scott").
      5. Save Audio
    4. Thumbnail Image: This image will display on the blog landing page and in blog swims.
      1. Click Select Image.
      2. Click in the “filename” box and search for your podcast name. For Family Folktales, type “family” or “folktales,” then click Apply.
      3. Select the box next to the podcast logo.
      4. Scroll down and click Select Image.
    5. Episode Summary: This is CRITICAL. Summary will show up in the XML feed and display on all platforms that offer the podcast (Apple, Spotify, etc.). Give a brief description of who/what the recording contains. Assume the listener has no context, then let them know what to expect to hear. The ideal length should be between 50 - 150 words. When you're within this range, your podcast summary is more likely to get shared, attract new listeners, and fit perfectly as a meta description for search engines. Summary will also appear on the podcast series page on the NPL website.

  5. Add episode notes in the Content tab (optional).

    1. Show notes are anything you mention in the podcast that users may want to reference later. For example, if you mention library books or online resources, put the links to the books or resources in the episode notes. Episode notes will display on the episode page on the NPL website. If you have images you would like to display, Notes are the best spot to load them.
    2. You can add links or lists or headings to your show notes to make them easily scannable.
    3. If you draft your post outside of Drupal, use Notepad or another text editor. Copy your text from your document and paste it into the text box.

  6. Schedule your post to publish in the Scheduling Options box.

    1. Important info:
      1. Podcast Episodes are unpublished by default. In order for your post to publish, you must schedule it for a day/time.
      2. You must match the date in “Episode Date” to the date you select in “Scheduling.” Schedule the post, then put the date it should publish in the “episode date” field.
    2. Step-by-step:
      1. On the right side of your screen (or at the bottom if you’re on mobile), open the Scheduling Options tab.
      2. Click in the Date box and select the date you want your episode to publish. This MUST BE the SAME DATE you put in the “Episode Date” field.
      3. Click in the time box and type the time you want your post to schedule. We often publish at 08:00 AM, which is easy to type.

  7. Save your post.

  8. Review your post to make sure it looks as expected.

  9. If you click Edit, you’ll see a confirmation message in Green if your post is scheduled successfully.