How a Podcast Can Feed Your Content Creation Strategy (a 6-Step Process)
Yes, people are willing to listen to you talk for an inordinate amount of time.
That’s right. People will listen to you for hours if you have valuable information to share. We’re talking about the content gold mines that are podcasts.
Edison Research shows the number of Americans (12 and older) who have listened to at least one podcast has grown to 17% totaling 46 million people in 2015, and for good reason.
On the listener side of things, podcasts are typically free, easily absorbable, and have a more personal feel than other communication mediums. For the creator, they are inexpensive, easy to produce, and a catalyst for content creation.
[Tweet "Feed your hungry content strategy: start a podcast."]
Record podcasts as the meat of your content meal, and craft transcriptions, blog posts, click to tweets, quote images, and detailed content as scrumptious side dishes.
1. Record
Podcasting is a minimalist form of media. There are no graphics, photos, or design templates to make you sound better. So, preparation is key.
For each episode, you’ll need to find a balance between preparation and candid conversation. Preparing the overall structure and a few descriptions (of the podcast itself, introductions of co-hosts or guests, and a short list of topic items) adds legitimacy and creates a solid foundation to build upon.
One of the best things about podcasts is they are easy to produce. Do you have a smartphone? Great news! You already have everything you need for production. Opinion Podcasts is a fantastic app for recording and editing podcasts.
If you’re looking to produce higher sound quality, Blue Yeti microphones are some of the top rated mics and easily connect with a USB output. If listeners, guests, or co-hosts call into the show through Skype, check out Call Recorder as a useful recording tool.
For your listeners, refer them to the Overcast app. Both Lifehacker and The Verge rate it as the top podcast manager.
2. Transcribe
Wait...I thought you said the purpose of podcasts was so that people can absorb content on the go. Now you’re telling me I have to write it out too?
You bet we are! The purpose of transcribing a podcast is to convert the audio recording to text in order to make the content searchable, shareable, and marketable.
Audio content is great for the listener, but not as stellar for your search engine rankings. [Tweet "Audio content is great for the listener, but not as stellar for your search engine rankings."]
Transcribing can be a pain when paying for expensive services that make your content read like a loose translation of the English language. But it doesn’t have to be!
Rev is our favorite go-to tool for transcriptions. Their low price of $1/minute makes it affordable, and their promise of 99% accuracy makes them, without doubt, the transcription service of choice for the efficient podcaster.
3. Blog
If you take a look at our blog, we have an extensive collection of podcasts turned transcriptions turned blog posts. Podcasts are kind of like the Madonna of online content, constantly reinventing themselves.
Converting the content from audio to text increases our SEO and strengthens the connection from our podcast to our blog and vice versa. Read about Hubspot’s checklist on How To Make Your Blog Posts SEO-Friendly.
For an excellent example from our own blog, check out How To Get Your Audio Transcribed (Podcast) - it began as a podcast, and after transcription was turned into a blog post. We know, we’re so meta.
4. Click to Tweet
The main job of any Click to Tweet is to make sharing content a total no-brainer. Click to Tweets interactively engage your reader by giving them predetermined content to tweet with a click of a mouse.
In addition to making your content more fun for your reader, you can also track your analytics and click mapping.
5. Quote Images
Everyone enjoys sharing quotes that pump them up.
We have full confidence that if you record a valuable podcast, transcribe it, and write a blog about it, you too will author some share-worthy quotes. Create images with gut-punching or rock-their-world quotes to add dimension and interactivity to your blog.
Not a graphic designer? Fiverr is an inexpensive website to get some quick image designs.
6. Full-Length Content
Through full-length content, a deeper dive into your podcast is an invaluable resource for your readers. A 30 to 60 minute podcast can't cover all of the detailed information you need to convey while still keeping it interesting for the listener.
You also don't want to be reading multiple URLs or going through detailed, step-by-step tutorials ‘on the air.’ So, use the full-length write up to go into any technical details of your message.
In other words, your detailed, written content stems from you podcast as a content interview.
Conclusion
Are you pumped? Are you itching to launch your podcast?
Click here to check out 17 of our favorite podcasts. Listen to these shows to gather tips and inspiration for what a successful podcast can be.
The Sweet Fish team produces the Tick Tock podcast, and we think you’ll love it. The show is dedicated to sharing timesaving tools for busy entrepreneurs and marketers. Subscribe and start saving more time!