How to Easily Repurpose Podcast Content and Why

"Work smarter, not harder." Industrial engineer Allen F. Morgenstern, coined the phrase in the 1930s after he developed a work program to help increase productivity using less effort.

Like most business owners, podcasters are struggling to operate effectively within an increasingly content-saturated industry. Podcasts are by definition an audio format, which can be seen as a marketing nightmare for creating promotional materials.

But, what may seem to be a weakness could actually be a strength. 

There's still an opening for some old-school marketing strategies in this auditory industry. When done well, repurposing podcast content can reveal powerful new growth opportunities; here's how. 

What is Podcast Content Repurposing?

Content repurposing is the process of recycling a piece of content. For many marketers, repurposing can mean taking a piece of content (say, a podcast episode) that's intended for one channel and reformatting it for another (audiograms for social media). 

"Repurposing content means taking one asset and reusing it somewhere else. It involves adding to or heavily modifying your content to add more value."

-     Claire, content marketer at Lower Street

Dips and plateaus in podcast listens can stem from multiple industry changes; how audiences digest content, the frequency, and quality of new content being produced, or even the relevancy of content. 

By taking an existing piece of content and reformatting it for multiple channels, you can add a fresh perspective and broaden your reach.

Why You Should Repurpose Podcast Content

For the naysayers touting that podcasting hasn't experienced any meaningful change within the last decade, to them, we say "BALONEY!" 

While the tech, metrics, and availability regarding podcasts have drastically improved over the years, so has the quality level of content being distributed.While that's great news for consumers, from a promotions standpoint, herein lies the problem. As big-name creators have the resources to put out top-shelf episodes, other podcasters need to be inventive if they want to stand out. And this is the beauty of podcast repurposing.

Podcast repurposing helps to expand your reach. Anyone can leverage their podcast and create highly targeted, omnichannel content at scale. 

If you want to understand why content repurposing key to an effective marketing strategy, you need to ask how content distribution has changed direction over the years. 

Instead of the traditional push strategies (where a company pushes their brand towards the consumer), it's all about the pull. Brands are thinking less about bullish tactics and are instead focusing more on drawing listeners in with educational, informative, or entertaining content. By breaking up your existing content and repackaging it to fit into any three of these categories, you're more likely to bring in quality audiences. 

Repurposing Podcast Content Benefits SEO

In 2019, Google announced that it's making it much easier to find, and listen to, podcasts. Previously, Google indexed podcasts based on their titles or meta-descriptions alone. But now, they're able to analyze audio and bring users the most relevant content- all thanks to AI and natural language processing.

While space-age audio content categorization is cool, it's still not 100% accurate. So, anyone looking to market a podcast effectively shouldn't discount the importance of old-school SEO practices. 

By repurposing your podcast content and adding targeted keywords, backlinks, internal links, imaging, transcripts, and video, you'll help boost your podcast's visibility and authority.

The 'Rule of 7'

Famous marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant helped revamp the 'Rule of Seven' saying for the modern age. But, it was the film industry during the 1930s that kick-started this notion. Consumers need to see your brand's messaging a minimum of seven times before taking action. While you could think this directly applies to the more prominent brands, this rule does have its place within podcasting.

Potential podcast listeners need to constantly be informed of a podcast before they tune in. Although it's much easier to reach people now than it was during "The Golden Age of Cinema," the world is a content-noisy place. That's why podcast repurposing is so effective- it's a way to create and distribute a lot of content, and promote it across numerous channels quickly. The more content you can create and post, the more people will see and recognize your brand.

Expand Your Reach

Yes, improving your SEO can increase numbers, and utilizing cross-promotion and advertising to create awareness is essential in growing your listener base. Although all these avenues have their place, you should never underestimate the power of organic reach. As our networks continue to grow, the concept of "recommend-ability" suddenly becomes an essential component to any marketing strategy. 

Even with in-depth data on our side, predicting the changing preferences of an audience is getting harder. To get around this, ideally, you want to look into how people are discovering new shows. According to Tom Webster, Edison Research Senior Vice President and creator of the "I Hear Things," podcast, it's all about recommendations. 

"I can assure you that organic reach is more potent today than it was ten or even five years ago because our networks are growing every day," says Tom. "There are a million shows on Netflix. But each season, we talk about one or two. Those become the "hits" of the season. The rest--don't, because people don't talk about them."

The bottom line is, you want to make your show easy to recommend. But, thanks to the audio nature of podcasts, it's complicated. Take YouTube or TikTok videos; if you want to recommend them to someone, you can easily share them on someone's Facebook feed. Simple. 

But podcasts have to go one step further. Repurposing episodes into small, shareable samples is how you effectively increase your organic traffic. By using text, imaging, video, and audio from your episodes, then cross-pollinating over multiple channels will only boost your chances of having the "share-ability" element.

Repurposing Content Builds Authority

There's usually a reason why someone wants to start a podcast – they know a lot about a topic, so they want to talk about it. Pearls of wisdom are a significant asset for any brand, and giving away your insights freely to an audience, puts you in a position of authority.

Authority creates trust- something that is vital for any brand or business.

By repurposing content across multiple channels, you are repeating your messaging and expertise while creating an ecosystem of trust that will continue to draw listeners back.

Brand Awareness 

It's 1988. You hear three words "JUST DO IT." A simple, ubiquitous phrase invented by the athletic titans, Nike. 

This small, seemingly innocuous saying became a powerhouse for content repurposing and generated brand awareness and authority beyond anything they expected. 

While we have to give credit to the relentless advertising team and opportune timing (the body worship craze of the '80s was in full swing at this point), the delivery of this content was impeccable. 

Nike became masters at evoking a visceral emotional response. That feeling of, "if these guys can do it, why can't I?" The classic "swoosh" tick, accompanied by the phrase, soon became the trope of a generation. Largely thanks to the innovative TV adverts, merchandise, outdoor billboards, and print media. But then they started to explore new, untrodden marketing territory. Graffiti art, documentaries, and even a series of posters aimed towards female empowerment IN BRAILLE! 

Just Do It: 너를 외쳐봐

Now, you have to understand that your podcast will probably never reach the dizzying heights of Nike's fame.

But, if a brand can take a single phrase, repurpose it to the millionth degree and take a company from $877 million to $9.2 billion in just under a decade- then it might be worth taking note.

Brand awareness stems from being visible. So when you take something as simple as your podcast episodes, get inventive, repackage the content, the more likely you'll be seen- and most importantly, heard. 

How To Repurpose Podcast Content

Many creators fear getting hit by a duplicate content penalty. Getting that digital slap-on-the-wrist may be a big reason why an overwhelming portion of podcasters aren't repurposing.

However powerful these search engines appear to be, and "officially" reserve the right to penalize your content, they can only do so if you're unreasonably copying and distributing media. 

But repurposing content isn't duplicating. Instead, you're providing something new by tailoring the content to the needs of each channel and audience. And, there are so many ways to do so, here are just a few.

1. Create Video Content

According to Riverside.fm, only 17% of podcasters record video podcasts. Then, you have to consider that nearly one in five listeners choose YouTube as their primary podcast service, and you're looking at an entirely untapped arena when it comes to content repurposing.

Why are podcast videos so beneficial?

• When a listener can see you and your co-hosts/guests interacting, it increases your authenticity and relatability. 

• Video podcasts can allow your audience to feel like they too, are a part of the conversation. 

• A study conducted at University College London found that video induced the highest level of trust compared to other formats. Videos are easy to access and stand out in social media channels more than a standalone image.

These facts may give a little insight into why Joe Rogan is still the top dog of podcasting. Rogan and the team spread their content across YouTube, condensing a two-to-three-hour long interview into bite-sized segments. 

Video Record Your Episodes: If you're already recording audio, why not film video too. That way, you can post your podcast episodes on YouTube in full and condense them down into smaller, highlight segments. 

Use video for social media highlights: 

• Facebook videos: Are great for targeting a specific audience. They are smart, shareable & personal.

• Twitter videos: Ideal for engagement: They're direct, social, and feel authentic.

• YouTube videos: Perfect for building a loyal audience. 

Pro Tip: Record a time-lapse video to share with your audience, providing a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to record your podcast.  

 2. Podcast Transcripts

Transcription is the process of translating audio into easy-to-read text. Not only are they great for listeners, but creators too. Investing in transcripts is one of the most invaluable resources a podcaster can have to hand. From a content standpoint, they are a treasure trove for content, and a repurposing dream. Pull out quotes, topics for blogs, snippets for social media, and more. 

1. Inclusive: Podcasts rely on hearing audio to participate. According to the World Health Organization over 500,000,000 people suffer from hearing loss and podcast audio can be a major obstacle for many. Transcribing your podcast episodes can only expand your audience further while simultaneously upgrading your reputation as an inclusive podcast that's accessible to all.

2. SEO: When optimizing your podcast for search engines, transcribing your podcasts will also help with SEO. Google can crawl the text which in turn boosts your searchability. 

3. People Prefer Reading: It's not just deaf or hard of hearing audiences that benefit from transcripts, but also those who prefer to read, or find it convenient than listening.

4. Social Media Friendly: Transcripts make your podcast immediately easier to share on all social media platforms, especially when pulling quotes, highlights, or interview segments. 

3. Blog Posts

Any podcaster worth their salt knows that they have to create a good solid set of show notes for each episode. But show notes are just the tip of the content iceberg.

Almost 55% of marketers say that blog content creation is their number one inbound marketing priority- because blogs drive traffic. Remember, Google is (almost) deaf to podcast content. It may be the search engine goliath of the internet, but it still struggles to index audio content effectively. So, you've got to come up with other ways to implement white hat SEO tactics across your content, and optimized blog posts are the way to go. 

First off, blog posts are the ultimate opportunity for podcasters to stoke conversations further and provide extra value. It's the prime spot to dive into and expand on the topics you discussed in your episode. 

Secondly, you can condense down long interviews. Let's face it, podcast interviews can hold a wealth of information- but sometimes way too much for a standalone blog post. Include between 40%-60% of the interview's content and keep quotes to a minimum. Remember, your blog isn't a full-length transcript. Instead, it should act as a standalone piece that directs readers towards your show.

4. Infographics

Over 90% of marketers use visual content in more than half of the articles they publish. Infographics provide a host of benefits as standalone pieces of content. They're eye-catching, which makes them highly shareable, can help you connect with your audience and even improve SEO.

1. Infographics sustain the attention of readers

2. Visually laying out facts & figures allows readers to process content more efficiently by dissecting complex subjects into an easy to follow format

3. Infographics are ideal for online sharing, can boost search engine rankings

When drafting your infographics, treat them like a blog post. Make sure it has a gripping headline, clear topics with supporting facts or examples, and a conclusion. There are many infographic generators online, including Piktochart, CopyPress, and Canva. 

5. Social Media

According to Brian Dean, the SEO master and founder of Backlinko, in 2021, the number of people using social media was just over 3.96 billion worldwide. Within that figure, the average user had over eight accounts on different networking sites. That means the potential reach for your podcast is enormous, but it's so underutilized. 

You already have dedicated social media channels set up, so why not repurpose your podcast into pieces of micro-content to leverage their potential. For example, grab a powerful audio segment, create a short video or image, and tease listeners with a two-minute episode clip. 

The founder of The Hustle, Sam Parr, is the master of highly engaging social media content and can lend some inspiration. 

Templates. Templates. Templates. Social media templates make content creation a much more streamlined process. Utilizing free online design and publishing tools such as Canva means it's as simple as dragging and dropping assets to form a social media visual; that way, each post is guaranteed to be on brand and consistent.

Facebook: According to Facebook, live videos get 10x more engagement than regular video content. Your audience will more than likely have questions after an episode airs, so hosting a Facebook Live Q&A will help drive a stronger connection. Live videos can also be served up as additional content for other platforms, i.e. your website, Instagram etc. 

Facebook is great for longer posts, so use content from your podcast transcripts to build a mini-blog or guest "hero" post, highlighting some of the key takeaways and information.

LinkedIn: Content creation on LinkedIn increased by 60% in 2020, and so did engagement rates. When posting on LinkedIn focus on educational materials. LinkedIn users are looking for information and relevant content within their field. 

Blogs and teaser videos with targeted captions work incredibly well. According to LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to re-share a video post- which is something to keep in mind.

Twitter: Try a Twitter thread for your podcast. Threadsare a series of connected Tweets. With a thread, you can provide more context, mention updates, or go deeper into a point by connecting multiple Tweets.

6. Audiograms

An Audiogram is a shareable video that's has been converted from an audio file. Podcast audiograms include a dynamically generated waveform and a cover image as background. Generally, audiograms are between 30 seconds to two minutes long. Audiograms are simple to create, embed, and share – making them ideal for social media engagement.

"Don't leave it to your listeners to have to become audio editors. Isolate the best moments and share them." – Tom Webster.

Primarily, podcast audiograms act like movie trailers by giving a sneak preview of what's in store. The most effective audiograms layer audio, branded imaging, and text elements to grab viewers' attention. For social media scrollers, audiograms are far more enticing than a line of text with a link or static image.

So, what's their reach? In a recent study, the Audiogram production service Headliner presented a podcast episode on Facebook in two different formats. One with a static image, the second with a podcast audiogram. The audiogram brought in 5x more traffic!

A few things to consider:

• Optimize audiograms for each platform. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, require different dimensions for images and videos.

• ALWAYS add transcription/subtitles to your podcast audiograms. Videos with subtitles are watched over 90% of the way through, compared to 66% for videos without captions.

• Use appealing images. Impactful images can increase your click-through rate by up to 95%. Use an image that syncs with the content of the episode or branding.

• Keep it short. Ideally, your podcast audiograms shouldn't be over 2 minutes long.

Lower Street words of wisdom; Audiograms haven't proven to be highly effective at connecting listeners to an entire podcast episode. So, it seems their impact isn't as high as, say, native video content. However, they are incredible in terms of engagement, brand awareness, and interaction on social media platforms. Also, audiograms do stand out in social media streams as they hold that coveted FOMO aspect.

7. Quote Graphics

In amongst the chatter of a podcast episode, there are often many quotable nuggets that could be converted into shareable graphics. 

When it comes to social media marketing, the posts that do well are the ones with added visuals. For example, Tweets with graphics are re-Tweeted 1.5x more than those without. On Facebook, graphic posts get up to 37% more engagement. 

Try to find a quote that tells a story or hits on an emotional level. It needs to resonate totally on it's own, so it better hold some kind of gravitas. What also matters is that it's visually appealing. There are many podcasters who go down the DIY approach for these kinds of visuals, but sometimes it pays to have a professional step in to effectively match these quotes to your branding. 

8. Podcast Show Notes

Countless podcasters take their episode transcripts, do some light editing and publish them as is. But, if you're not tailoring your show notes for every episode, you're missing an opportunity.

Show notes provide a whole host of SEO value for your podcast's website. Plus, when crafted just right, they give the listeners extra details, links, and resources relating to both the episode and your guest. 

Use your podcast transcripts to construct an outline of any key points discussed within your podcast. Then, condense it all down into an enticing summary. Ideally, you don't want your show notes to go over 300 words where possible. 

Don't rely on podcast app searches for discoverability. 

Anyone trying to market their podcast understands that SEO for podcasts leaves something to be desired. Most podcast apps and distribution platforms don't index podcast content to any notable degree. Therefore, optimizing your show notes is one of the best directions to go in.

Small things like including a guest's name in the episode title will help, especially if they're the kind of name people will search for. Don't skimp on your keywords, and utilize additional links to guest information, internal links, and resources. 

9. Email Content 

Email marketing is dead, right? Well, not quite. 

Even in this social media-dominated world, email newsletters are still one of the best channels for developing a stronger relationship with your prospects and listeners. If you've got just a micron of branding and marketing ingenuity, you should already have a newsletter in place. According to McKinsey Researchers, you're 40 times more likely to get new customers from email marketing than Facebook or Twitter. 

For your podcast email campaigns you want to be promoting any news, bonus material, or behind-the-scenes content. Discuss key takeaways from a current podcast episode and include graphics, videos, and audiograms to keep up engagement and bolster any talking points. 

There's no end to what you can include in your podcast newsletters but featuring guest profiles, affiliate links, and sponsors with almost case study-like copy and content are the ideal. 

10. Turn Your Podcast Into an eBook or Course

Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. An eBook or a course can fit the bill for anyone who has been podcasting for a while.

Whether you realize it or not, your podcast holds a wealth of content. Valuable content. Content that can help serve others beyond just your audio. 

The content heavyweight, Tim Ferriss, pieced together the Tools of Titans book out of the hundreds of hours he recorded on his interview-based podcast. 

Course creation extraordinaire, Steph Taylor, helps entrepreneurs by leveraging their intellectual property (aka a podcast) and build lucrative online courses. Taking this route can strengthen your niche authority, reach a new audience and even create an additional revenue stream.  

• Pick a theme: This is the hook for your book or course. It will be the central theme that you hang your chapters off. 

• Brainstorm a table of content: Every individual topic you choose will be a subtopic or a supporting topic to your main theme. Go through your podcast episode archives and decide which ones fit in with the items on your table of contents. 

• Where are you missing material? If you're missing material, fill in the blanks with additional copy. 

Pro Tip: If a book seems too daunting, why not opt-in for content upgrades instead. Design downloadable checklists, infographics, resource lists, step-by-step guides, templates, free courses, and other bonus content.

Summary

Many great podcasts tick by quietly in the background without getting the notoriety they genuinely deserve- usually thanks to bad distribution planning.

From social media to email newsletters, every distribution channel can have its place within a podcast's overarching marketing plan. While a one-off wonder episode can boost your organic traffic, long-term growth is the product of a much more targeted approach. 

Remember, seven is the magic number here– it's the number of times someone has to see your brand before they decide to dedicate their time to you. Repurposing podcast content from previous episodes into smaller chunks gives you the "Rule of 7" edge and a broader reach. 

Be sure to test the new content out. Tweak it to fit your own goals. Try something new, again — but above all, keep creating. The best podcast marketing strategies are the ones that keep evolving.