Your Podcast Should Be More Than Just Audio
When we think of podcasts, we think of audio – after all, that’s the basis of a podcast, right? It’s basically a pocket sized broadcast you listen to usually while you’re on the go, at work, or generally doing other things. (Side note: did you know that podcast was a portmanteau of “iPod” and “Broadcast?” Pod-Cast.) At its purest form, a podcast is all ABOUT voices telling stories, sharing facts, having debates, discussions…what is a podcast if not AUDIO?
But if you’re not filming your podcast, you’re missing huge opportunities in terms of marketing and monetization.
While there are plenty of marketing opportunities based in audio (like on Pionaire’s network), there’s a big market for visual marketing, both paid and unpaid, especially on social media.
Podcasts are targeting TikTok with clips of their show to get in front of new eyes. The potential audience reach on Facebook with video is huge. Clips on Twitter go viral all the time. Instagram Reels is a HUGE focus for Meta right now, and podcasters are taking advantage of pushing content on that platform. If you’re not capitalizing on your content by pushing it out in all its forms, you’re missing opportunities in both exposure and monetization.
Whether you have the budget to promote your podcast or you’re coming at it from a purely organic angle, a visual aid is going to get you much, much farther than just audio (or audio laid over a static image).
Feeling overwhelmed and like you don’t have a budget to do all this? Don’t stress, it’s so much easier than you think. It doesn’t need to be a fancy production; lighting and high definition cameras are great, but you’d be amazed at what you can do with a ring light (you can find these for cheap online) and your phone camera (pro tip: if you have an iPhone, use the back camera rather than the selfie camera; it’ll capture you in a higher resolution.) You can even use your laptop – record a Zoom or capture video with a service built specifically for podcasting, like Zencastr or Riverside.
If you’re worried about editing, programs like Apple’s iMovie or movie-editing apps like Splice are super easy to learn and navigate and make fast video editing a breeze.
Don’t sell yourself short – there’s a lot of competition out there, and you work hard on your content. It deserves to be heard beyond your podcast.
