Why You Must Edit Your ID3 Tags

At the end of my last post on finding Podcast Theme Music,  I mysteriously alluded to this post saying it would cover a topic you may not have even thought or heard about before. The main reason you may be oblivious to it is simply that it’s technical and a little boring, but still vital for any podcast. ID3 tags.

What are ID3 Tags?

ID3 tags are the metadata you attach to mp3 audio files. In the same way that you can add metadata to a web page, which explains what the web page is about, the same can be done to mp3s to provide information such as the title, artist, description, album etc.

Why are ID3 Tags important?

Just as the metadata on a website can be read by search engine spiders and other programs in order to help the web surfer determine if the site is of interest to them, the ID3 tags will be read by different programs to see what the audio is about and catalog it. This is especially important for podcasts (and any audio that may be downloaded or streamed) because the tags are read by software and hardware like ipods, iTunes, Windows media player, Zune etc.

ID3 tags tell your potential listener everything they need to know about your podcast, and once the audio has been downloaded, the ID3 tags enable the listener to find your audio in whatever device you are using.

Your podcast could be obtained from just about anywhere – iTunes, podcast directories, rss aggregate sites, a friend – and if you want those people to find their way back to your site then you need to tell them where to find you. ID3 tags will do that for you. Without them your audio file will probably get lost on their iPod and they will certainly never know where to find you.

How do I add ID3 tags to my audio?

Most audio editing programs (including Audacity) enable you to add a few tags but unfortunately they are not comprehensive and can be inconsistent. Similarly, you can edit them in iTunes once your podcast is listed, but it’s better to have the tags in place before you ever upload your audio file.

I use the AudioShell ID3 Tag Editor which is freeware for Windows only. Once you’ve downloaded it every time you create an audio file you can edit the tags in the following way:

• Find the file and right-click on it – select Properties
• You will see 4 tabs – select AudioShell Tag Editor.
• Here you can add as much information as is relevant to the audio file/podcast including a graphic.

Formatting the ID3 Tags

ID3 tags are designed with music files in mind so for podcasts you have to adapt them to your own situation:

Title:

This should be the title of this particular episode of your podcast. Make sure you are consistent so that they are easy to find each time you create a new one. Be aware that your title may be truncated on some devices so if you use a generic title followed by the episode title you need to keep it short.

In this case, if I had started all our SWBN podcasts with the title Secret Women’s Business Network Episode # then some devices might show it as:

Secret Women’s Busine
Secret Women’s Busine
Secret Women’s Busine

And the listener would have difficulty distinguishing one from the other.

SWBN # means that they will still be able to see the episode number of the podcast and possibly some of the episode title in order to distinguish between them.

Artist:

This is YOU. I always use the email address I used when submitting my podcast to iTunes. I vaguely recall reading that this was the preferred format for iTunes, but now can’t see where I read it. If you find it let me know but I’m sure this is the case and it seems to be the accepted format on podcasts. Certainly it helps people to get in touch with you better than if you simply put your name.

Album:

Since this is not an album, I suggest the title of your podcast series or the name of your organisation.

Genre:

I have put speech here because AudioShell doesn’t have an option for Podcast, but I’ve since discovered that you can actually type this in manually and I would recommend you define it as a podcast if that’s what it is.

Year and Track number:

These kind of speak for themselves. The year of recording/publishing and the episode of your podcast series are probably the most useful options here.

Comments:

Whatever is relevant to that podcast. Make it as descriptive and useful as possible and adding your url is also a good idea for people who are finding your podcast away from your main website.

Artwork:

This should be a relevant photo or graphic for your podcast (.jpg of no more than 300 x 300 pixels)

Now you have your ID3 tags sorted you’re ready to start broadcasting. I’ll cover the confusing world of hosting your podcasts in the next post.