Formatting Episode Descriptions for Different Apps

Podcast show notes can appear differently across various apps due to how each app renders HTML.

This guide provides insights on how different podcast apps struggle to handle show notes formatting and offers tips to ensure consistency.

Apple Podcasts 

• Headings render as regular plain text.
• It all renders as regular plain text: italic, bold, and monospace text don't work.
• Lists render with no space between consecutive items.
• Block quotes and images don't render.

Spotify

• Headings render bold but not sized.
• Double space between paragraph and lists on desktop.

YouTube Music

• Only paragraphs render with double spacing.
• Hyperlinks as plain-text URLs.
• Most other elements don’t work.

Best Practices

• Stick to plain regular text and avoid complex HTML elements like bold, italics, blockquotes, and tables for broad compatibility.
• Most other elements don’t work across platforms.

To ensure consistency across all podcast apps, simplify your show notes formatting by sticking to basic HTML elements.