You’re already creating audio every day, and you’re good at it. Better than most podcasters, who are learning on the job what you’ve been doing for years. Podcasting is different, but the leap from a radio show to a podcast isn’t about acquiring new skills. It’s about packaging for an audience that finds you in a different way. When you repurpose content as a podcast, you’re creating a new distributed brand. To be successful, you must think of it this way.
The mistake most shows make is treating the podcast as a simple extension of the broadcast. They upload the show, call it a podcast, and link to it on their website. Done. That approach misses the opportunity and creates something that serves almost nobody well.
Repurpose Content To a Podcast: The Key Word is Repurpose
The first, and most important point:
A podcast should never be the full recording of your show.
Making the entire broadcast available as a podcast isn’t user-friendly, and it isn’t strategic. That’s not how the audience uses radio or podcasts.
Not even your best listeners sit through four hours of your show. They listen far more than anyone else, and don’t need the podcast. The listeners you’re trying to reach with a podcast are those who discovered you through search, were referred by a friend, or found a clipped segment on social media. They aren’t going to start with long, unfamiliar content. They’re going to click something short, decide in 90 seconds whether it’s worth their time, and either stay or leave.
If they like what they heard, they will seek more of it, so an effective podcast is not a dump of everything that aired.
The same editorial standard that governs on-demand audio applies here. Only repurpose content as a podcast if it is “A” material. The podcast is a brand. Every episode is a calling card for the show. Average content dilutes the brand on a platform where first impressions are permanent.
This is also important: It has promotional value, but is not designed to be a promotional vehicle. A podcast exists to serve podcast listeners on their terms, not to constantly remind them that the real show is on a radio station. A podcast that spends two minutes explaining what station the show is on and what time it airs is talking to the wrong audience. Serve the listener in front of you. Your radio listeners already know. The others will find you if you’re good.
