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How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters (Clickable Timestamps) - SEO

Adding Spotify Chapters (clickable timestamps) to your podcast show notes is easy and you should do it on every episode. Watch Emily’s tutorial video here.

Read more about the SEO and UX benefits of clickable Spotify timestamps for podcasts here.

Here’s what the clickable kind look like (what you want):

Example Spotify podcast chapters (clickable timestamps) which are great for SEO and UX (user experience). This is “The Game w/Alex Hormozi”, a podcast that figured out the Spotify Chapters trick earlier than most.

It’s Like Google Featured Snippets

On Google, Featured Snippets get 35.1% of all clicks. (The boxes featured at the top of search results which answer a specific question.)

Clickable timestamps are like the Featured Snippets of your podcast. They tell listeners and search engines how specific parts of your episode essentially answer a specific question.

Steps: How to add Spotify podcast chapters (linked timestamps):

  1. Using AI or a manual method, generate 8-10 timestamps for every 60 minutes of content.

  2. In your RSS feed host such as Acast, Libsyn, Podbean etc., click to edit the “episode description” (show notes).

  3. Put the timestamps on separate lines beginning with the minutes and seconds, either one or two digits for minutes and two digits for seconds, with a colon in the middle such as 4:34. BUT:

  4. Instead of just writing the time plainly like 4:34, you need to put the time in parentheses to make it clickable in Spotify (a Chapter). Like this: (4:34).

    1. Example of a clickable timestamp / chapter when written in the RSS feed episode description (back-end): (4:34) Investors who lost their password made more money

That’s it. Watch Emily’s tutorial for more details: How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters / CLICKABLE Timestamps


Related Podcast Tip videos:

Playlist: Podcasting Tips and Gear

Podcast Mic Review: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7. Plus Riverside + Descript Promo Links

Which podcast microphone should you buy? Watch Emily’s review below of two of the most popular and beloved podcast mics: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7.

Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7 Full Review, Sound Comparison, and Gear Setup Tips

Part 1: The Two Best Podcast Mics

Mic 1: Shure SM7B (the gold standard, the Thriller mic)

  • Price point: $399

  • XLR microphone

  • Additional gear required:

    • Add gain with Cloudlfiter

    • Audio interface / pre-amp: Scarlet Focusrite (the Solo is fine for a single person recording, get the duo for two people)

    • Boom arm

    • Two XLR cables

    • Get an Anker dongle, trust me

Shop it: Full SM7B gear list on Amazon here

Everything you need to sound great on the Shure SM7B - shop our gear list


Mic 2: Shure MV7: The SM7B’s little brother

  • Price point: $249

  • USB or XLR microphone

  • Design is less sexy but still fine

  • Portable and simple: plug-and-play single USB (or XLR option) with no extra gear needed

  • Sounds good (not great like SM7B) but many podcasters like Bethenny Frankel use it

  • Great for travel e.g. bring to your hotel room and record on the go

  • Buy the one that comes with a tripod or we prefer the look of a boom arm (here’s the only bundle you need). Note: Any regular boom arm you buy will be standard size and fit standard mics like either of these so don’t worry about compatibility

Shop it: Full MV7 gear list on Amazon here (either get the option with tripod OR the boom arm; buy the plain mic if you already have a stand):


Mic chosen. Now let's record and edit with the BEST user-friendly podcast tools for beginners or advanced!

Part 2: The Two Best Tools/Apps for Podcast Recording & Editing

Riverside lets you easily record quality audio or video remotely. Share and edit clips. AI tools included.

Tool 1: Video / audio podcast recording with Riverside.fm

Riverside is your online studio for high-quality podcast and video recording and editing. Powered by AI, built for human conversations.

Invite your guest to meet in your virtual studio. Screenshare, present slides or charts, have multiple guests. Recordings are stored in the cloud and can be exported for fine editing, or use the built-in AI to create Magic Clips quickly sized for social media (vertical, horizontal, square, and YouTube size).

Hear how it sounds:

This is a podcast episode that we produced for Satovsky Asset Management (see case study for Wisdom, Wealth, and Wellness podcast). Jon interviewed the legendary investor Joel Greenblatt in a remote Riverside video recording (2 guests and 1 silent producer on the call).

Hear it: Play on Apple or Spotify.

See it: YouTube video below or watch a Short here

Sign up with this Riverside promo link for a discount.


Tool 2: Easy audio / video editing with Descript

Edit audio or video like a Word doc. Get a professional output without the learning curve. Try Descript with our promo link.

Descript lets you edit audio or video like a Word doc. People who use it are typically huge fans. It is not quite as granular as FinalCut or more complex tools but is much easier to learn and use. If you are using iMovie, stop and go to Descript - promise. It’s so easy it feels illegal. HT Mitch Joel for the original Descript tip a couple years back.

Copy, cut and paste text from the transcript and the output follows. This is so. much. better. than. iMovie. This is the fastest magic-feeling editing you'll ever do.

Create vertical video clips, Reels, Shorts, and YouTube videos or audiograms using templates. You can also record directly into Descript which is great for “talking head” videos or vlogs, or solo podcasts.

The voice dub AI feature lets you magically fix mistakes in recorded speech by dubbing over a speaker.

Try the best, easiest editing software with this Descript promo link.


Hear Emily’s latest mini-pod:

Instagram @beetlemoment

This post was first published on September 28, 2023. Updated March 11, 2024.

Top 5 Tips to Grow Your Podcast - Marketing and Gear

Get voice marketing expert Emily Binder’s top five tips for creating and promoting your podcast. Level up your podcast game with our most popular videos (links open YouTube):

  1. The #1 Mistake Podcasters Make on Social Media

  2. EASY Video Podcasting - Best Audio and Camera Gear (Zoom Friendly)

  3. Video: Spotify playlist marketing hack to promote guests (such as yourself)

    1. Blog post: How to Use Spotify Playlists to Grow Podcast Plays – Guest SEO Hack


This playlist includes two popular podcast expert interviews from the Beetle Moment Marketing Podcast:

1) Podcasts: Your Brand's Unfair Advantage | STEVE PRATT, Pacific Content

Steve Pratt is one of the co-founders of Pacific Content, a company that creates exceptional podcasts with the best brands in the world. Clients include: Facebook, Dell Technologies, Mozilla, Slack, Red Hat, NYT T Brand Studio, BMW, CBS, and Charles Schwab and more.

2) Tess Neudeck: What Podcasters Should Know - Acast

Tess Neudeck is Manager of Marketing for Acast in the Americas. Acast is the largest global podcast company. Founded in 2014, Acast is the best curated, fully integrated, fastest growing podcast marketplace in the world. Tess is responsible for shaping Acast’s marketing strategy across its 10,000+ podcasts, its advertiser business, and all of the products and services the company creates for podcasters, advertisers and listeners. Find out the advice a top podcast company gives to podcasters to grow their audience.

Get Emily’s mini podcast about marketing, tech, and business:

Under 5 minutes on Alexa News or podcast apps:

Follow @beetlemoment on Instagram: