Smash Notes
How Smash Notes Works
Smash Notes writes down the most useful moments from podcasts. Each note is one question, a short answer, and the minute it was said, with a link back to the episode. Kirill Zubovsky started Smash Notes in 2019. This page explains how we pick, write, check, and correct notes.
What a note is
Every note has the same parts:
- A question. It's written the way a curious listener would ask it.
- A short answer. It's a plain-language summary of what was said, written by us.
- A timestamp. It's the minute the answer starts in the episode.
- The source. That's the show, the episode, the speaker where it's clear, and the publish date, with a link to the episode page and the original audio.
Each note has its own permanent page. Episode pages list every note from that episode in order, and topic pages group notes from many shows around one subject.
How we pick moments
We look for moments that answer a question people actually ask: practical advice, a clear explanation, a surprising fact, or a story that captures who someone is. We favor answers that still make sense outside the full episode. We skip ads, small talk, and moments that only work with the full context. Choosing a moment doesn't mean we endorse the view. A note records what a guest or host said on the show.
How notes are written and checked
Many notes are drafted with help from AI working from the episode transcript. Our policy for new notes is that a person reviews each one before it's published and checks it against the transcript and the audio. The reviewer confirms the question matches what was discussed, the answer reflects what the speaker actually said and meant, and names, numbers, and titles are correct. When a summary simplifies something, we try to keep the speaker's meaning and leave out details rather than add our own.
Some older notes were written before this policy was in place. If you find a mistake in any note, old or new, please tell us (see Corrections below).
How timestamps are checked
Timestamps come from the episode audio and its transcript. Under our review policy, the reviewer plays the audio at the timestamp to confirm the answer starts there. Podcast hosts sometimes re-upload episodes or change their ads, which can shift the timing, so a timestamp can drift by a few seconds or more. If one is off, let us know and we'll fix it.
Sourcing and attribution
Every note credits the show and the episode it came from and links to the episode page, where you can play the original audio. Transcripts, where we have them, are linked from the episode page. The ideas belong to the people who said them. Our job is to help you find the moment and then go listen to it.
Quotes
Notes are our own summaries, not transcripts. When we quote a speaker directly, we keep the quote short and attribute it. We don't republish full episodes or long transcript passages as notes.
Independence and sponsors
Smash Notes is independent of the shows it covers. The one exception is Rad Dad, which is hosted by our founder, Kirill Zubovsky. Sponsor spots on the site are clearly labeled, and sponsors have no say in which moments we pick or what notes say.
Corrections and removal requests
If a note gets something wrong, has the wrong timestamp, or misattributes a speaker, email editor@smashnotes.com with the link to the note. Podcasters and guests can use the same address to ask us to update or remove a note about their show. We review every request and correct confirmed errors as quickly as we can. When we change a note, we update the date the page shows as last modified.