Podcast Tracking Links

Create unique, trackable URLs for each podcast appearance so you can attribute inbound traffic and leads back to specific episodes.

Tool Options

| Tool | Method | Best For | |------|--------|----------| | PostHog + UTM params | Native analytics with UTM parsing | Default stack — no additional cost | | Dub.co | Link management API with analytics | Vanity short links + click analytics | | Rebrandly | Branded short links | Custom domain short URLs | | Bitly | Short links with click tracking | Simple click counting |

UTM Parameter Schema

Every podcast appearance gets a unique tracking URL. Format:

https://yoursite.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=guest&utm_campaign={{podcast_slug}}&utm_content={{episode_date}}

Parameters:

• utm_source: Always podcast (the channel)
• utm_medium: Always guest (the type — guest appearance, not your own show)
• utm_campaign: Slugified podcast name (e.g., the-saas-podcast, founders-journal)
• utm_content: Episode air date in YYYY-MM-DD format (differentiates repeat appearances)

Create a Vanity URL

Podcast listeners hear URLs out loud. Complex UTM URLs are useless verbally. Create a short, memorable URL:

https://yoursite.com/podcast → redirects to the UTM-tagged URL

Or per-show:

https://yoursite.com/saas-podcast → redirects with that show's UTM params

Dub.co API

POST https://api.dub.co/links
Header: Authorization: Bearer {DUB_API_KEY}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://yoursite.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=guest&utm_campaign=the-saas-podcast&utm_content=2026-04-15",
  "key": "saas-podcast",
  "domain": "your-short-domain.co"
}

Response: { "shortLink": "https://your-short-domain.co/saas-podcast" }

Rebrandly API

POST https://api.rebrandly.com/v1/links
Header: apikey: {REBRANDLY_API_KEY}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "destination": "https://yoursite.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=guest&utm_campaign=the-saas-podcast",
  "slashtag": "saas-podcast",
  "domain": { "fullName": "your-brand.link" }
}

PostHog Tracking

PostHog automatically parses UTM parameters from page views. No additional setup needed if PostHog JS snippet is installed. To query podcast traffic:

PostHog Insights → New Insight → Trends
Event: $pageview
Filter: utm_source = podcast AND utm_medium = guest
Breakdown by: utm_campaign (shows traffic per podcast)

To track conversions from podcast traffic:

PostHog Insights → New Insight → Funnel
Step 1: $pageview (where utm_source = podcast)
Step 2: lead_created OR meeting_booked OR trial_started
Breakdown by: utm_campaign

CTA Script for Podcast Appearances

Give the founder a standard verbal CTA for every podcast appearance:

"If you want to check out [product], head to [yoursite.com/podcast-name] —
I set up a special link just for [podcast name] listeners."

This makes it natural, trackable, and gives the host a sense of exclusivity.

Error Handling

• Forgot to create link before episode airs: Create it immediately and update the episode show notes. You lose verbal CTA traffic but capture show-notes clicks.
• Short link domain expired: Fall back to the full UTM URL in show notes.
• UTM params stripped: Some email clients strip UTMs. Use Dub.co or Rebrandly which track clicks server-side as a backup attribution method.