Six years in the past, I used to be sitting on what I assumed was a fantastic podcast, however just a few folks had been consuming it, which was irritating. After tons of of failed experiments, I modified that by adopting a robust new manner of promoting your podcast episodes: content material stacking.
By investing about 10-20% extra effort after you report and edit, you’ll be able to improve your viewers attain by as much as 40 times greater than if it had been an audio-only podcast episode. I do know this as a result of, for the final three years, I’ve been getting these forty instances outcomes episode after episode, have seen different manufacturers do it, and have shown other brands how to do this with our video podcast-specific content material stacking technique.
This information supplies an easy course of for creating 24 high-quality content material items from a single episode, masking audio, video, written and picture content material. It’s a direct plan designed to reinforce your podcast’s promotion effectively and cost-effectively, serving to you to realize vital progress with out additional frustration or monetary burden.
“Quantity Negates Luck”
– Alex Hormozi
Again to 6 years in the past and my podcast. I used to be just a few episodes in, however I knew I had one thing to assist folks with their well being, health, and wellness. I noticed video podcasting carried out by the extra outstanding manufacturers and media corporations and saved pushing it off, saying, “Not now; I’m not prepared; it feels too advanced and costly.”
Round this time, I learn The Podcast Host’s guide to combining podcasting, blogging, and video and stumbled upon Gary Vee’s well-known “How you can make 64 items of content material in a day.” I additionally began to see clips from private branded video podcasts like Alex Hormozi, and I requested myself how I might content material stack my podcast episodes sustainably and effortlessly.
I needed the podcast clips to do three issues:
- Function stand-alone content material and ship worth with out leaving the social platform—not direct ads or promotional trailers.
- Slowly and persistently construct belief for my model throughout platforms with high-value and high-volume content material.
- Tie all of it again to the primary episode in order that if somebody influences somebody, they’ll click on off the platform to my web site and change into a deeper fan.
I need to take what the extra outstanding media manufacturers and influencers do with their content material advertising efforts and make it relevant and advantageous for smaller podcasts with fewer sources.
This deep information is a cumulation of my final 4 years of speaking to consultants, researching, and experimenting to assist make it as simple as doable to get probably the most attain out of your podcast episode. Any podcast in any trade can do that. And no, you don’t must be an nearly bare mannequin, create memes/relatable ironic jokes, do stylish dances and stunts, or put a digital camera in your cat.
The important thing to all of that is to make use of your current content material in a number of methods, which lessens your workload however retains your content material working successfully – that’s content material stacking at its core.
Right here’s one other manner to consider why you need to content material stack: You’re probably leaving listeners and viewers on the desk who’re able to get worth from you and your content material creation model. Why not strive it?
Who Am I?
I’m Daren Lake, and I’ve been within the professional audio manufacturing and podcasting area for over 20 years. I’m additionally the founder and govt producer of Pod Paste in Sydney, Australia. We assist corporations, entrepreneurs, and companies create content material that sticks by saving them tons of of hours, amplifying their content material’s attain, and permitting them to deal with what they do greatest: working their enterprise.
The Framework Of This Information
This information consists of 4 principal sections:
- What To Do Earlier than You Hit File
- Recording and Modifying of the Episode
- Common Overview of Clipping Out Content material
- FAQ, Bonus Suggestions and How you can Begin Proper Now
Part one, ‘What to do earlier than you hit report,’ will deal with defining your focus assertion, making a content material recreation plan, organizing friends, conducting analysis, and outlining to make sure a hassle-free recording expertise.
Part two, ‘Recording, Modifying & Common Manufacturing’, will deal with methods that simplify each technical and artistic manufacturing, find out how to remodel the uncooked podcast into advertising supplies like brief movies highlighting the highest takeaways, and the instruments I take advantage of.
Part three, ‘Common Overview of Clipping Out Content material’, is the meat and potatoes of this information. It lays out, in a easy cookbook model, find out how to find, clip, and create the entire content material items from a podcast episode.
Part 4, ‘FAQ, Bonus Suggestions and How you can Begin Proper Now’, tackles steadily requested questions (FAQs) and consists of tips about my gear and find out how to entry Notion’s content material database well. It wraps up with a real-world process, letting you strive these techniques on a brand new or current audio or video podcast to see if content material stacking can assist you ramp up your content material recreation.
How are you going to squeeze all of the juice out of your episode fruit and get 24 items of content material? We’ll reply that by moving into the primary part.
What Is Content material Repurposing vs Content material Stacking?
Earlier than I outline this, I need to make clear the distinction between content material repurposing and content material stacking. Content material repurposing is extra prevalent in content material advertising and is extra of an afterthought technique. You make content material: weblog, video, podcast, white paper, and so on., and then you definately look to place it on completely different channels. Video is the best factor to repurpose. Nonetheless, I’ve seen a keynote speech with poor convention room audio too many instances, and the video has changed into a podcast and social media snippets. The primary goal of the content material was to do the keynote speech, not flip it right into a podcast or social snippet. Due to this fact, high quality audio, digital camera, concise sections, and so on., weren’t baked into the muse of the content material, making the repurposing fall a bit flat.
Then again, content material stacking for a video podcast is fastidiously planning and organizing the episode to make acquiring the clipped content material items simpler and to make the podcast simpler on the platforms. It’s thought of earlier than you hit report and draft your define or questions.
Unpacking the 24 Items of Content material
Beneath are the 24 “content material stack items” I’ve discovered to be probably the most “vital” to assist market and promote an episode:
- Audio file – full episode (one)
- Video file – full episode (one)
- Written article/weblog put up (one)
- E-newsletter (one) – That is just like a weblog however can differ relying in your model
- Brief video clips (5)
- Lengthy video clips (three)
- Quote images and abstract carousel (ten)
- Infographic (one)
- Transcript (one)
- Audiograms (zero) I clarify in part 4, “FAQ”, why you shouldn’t use these ever
The 24 items of content material are related for many podcasts, that are a median of 20-60 minutes lengthy. The one variation that would happen is having fewer or extra brief and lengthy video clips, relying on which might correlate with the size of your episode, respectively.
Are you able to make lower than 24 items and nonetheless be efficient? In fact. I take a look at it just like batch-producing t-shirts in a manufacturing facility. A one-off shirt run would value $150, however printing 1,000 shirts would convey the associated fee down exponentially. The value distinction is as a result of beginning and setting one thing up takes probably the most sources, often a mixture of time, power, and cash.
24 items additionally give the algorithms sufficient knowledge to higher perceive your content material and to find out who to serve it to.
There’s a restrict to going too far underneath or over. From my analysis and expertise, 24 items are the best center floor for efficacy. Be at liberty to tweak this quantity to match your present goals, capability to supply these content material items, and model’s content material advertising model.
A word on the rise of Opus clips and related apps guarantees viral fame from one podcast episode on the click on of a button. Whereas we use them at instances, I discover, after many months of utilizing them, that solely a small share are useable. Additionally, they solely leverage one sort of content material, which is brief video clips. Different content material codecs will be created out of your podcast that can show efficient in your content material. I’ll deal with serving to you try this slightly than clip out a bunch of flat, brief movies only for numbers sake.
Why Use Content material Stacking In Podcast Promotion?
“The content material you create isn’t the compounding asset – the viewers is. Although the content material goes away, the viewers doesn’t. The viewers retains rising so long as you put up constant, high-value content material. ”
Alex Hormozi
Content material stacking takes your podcast episode additional by turning it into completely different codecs, guaranteeing it reaches and resonates with a broader viewers. It additionally forces you to deal with your podcast like a model.
As a lot as I really like audio (I’m a musician, music producer, and audio engineer), it’s nonetheless within the minority relating to digital content material consumption globally. Podcast listeners need extra in-depth exploration, knowledge dumps, and human-relatable storytelling.
However there may be one other world of people that eat brief movies, written content material, and social media content material. Whilst you might by no means convert these folks to podcast listeners, why not serve them brief clips and summaries of your podcast episode and meet them the place they’re? This end result is the place content material stacking goes the gap. I’ve individuals who love my video social clips, YouTube deep dives, and publication however don’t hearken to the audio podcast. If I by no means put out the content material stacked items, I’d have by no means served them and constructed my model.
“The extra content material you set out for extra viewers demographics and segments, the extra you’ll be able to perceive what they reply to and refine what you’re placing out based mostly on precise knowledge – as an alternative of solely relying on the subjective opinions of resolution makers.”
Gary Vaynerchuck – “Quantity can be the gateway [to] quality – a new way to think about content.”
Content material stacking can assist you attain different individuals who might by no means hearken to a podcast by making your podcast obtainable through video, written materials, and visible infographics.
Most podcasts ought to try to create as a lot evergreen content material as doable. Not like the non permanent attraction of “now” content material that shortly will get misplaced within the fast-paced information cycle, evergreen content material stays related and precious.
This consistency varieties a dependable base for ongoing model consciousness, engagement, and the sharing of insights.
Content material stacking is superb for this, as you’ll be able to hold placing out extra content material associated to the episode to assist convert these informal impressions into lifelong customers of your podcast.
Let’s get into the primary and most crucial a part of content material stacking: outlining your episode.
Part One: What To Do Earlier than You Hit File
Define Your Episode Earlier than You Guide Your Visitor
In my podcast manufacturing firm’s expertise, many purchasers e-book the visitor after which determine the podcast angle based mostly on the individual’s attributes. That sequencing creates double the work and a headache later after we attempt to content material stack the podcast episode.
Issues come up as a result of the consumer will shoehorn a number of ideas into one episode—ideas like their model’s curiosity, the viewers’s curiosity, the visitor’s curiosity, and the visitor’s expertise. If we had a Venn diagram of this, the world the place one thing is of worth to your viewers can be a tiny dot.
The easiest way to begin your define is by defining the aim and worth of your episode. The define will guarantee your content material resonates together with your viewers and simplifies visitor choice. If you happen to can tie this idea to your model’s mission/id/core, you may get extra return out of your define work.
Once more, the podcast framework is ideal for content material stacking. When you’ve got the capability, an excellent podcast often begins with written phrases, a top level view or questions at minimal, and a fleshed-out script at most. This technique is just like YouTube scripting as a result of it begins with a phrase.
Let’s see how this appears in the actual world.
A Actual World Instance
I’ve a working podcast that helps runners enhance by one p.c day by day of their coaching, racing, and lives. I purposefully keep away from hacks and fast fixes and deal with life-long habits, processes, and reasoning from first rules for brand spanking new and artistic options. I not too long ago had an episode concept about trainers, a sizzling matter within the working world, however I knew I needed to method it from a distinct perspective.
Whereas the subject was “trainers,” I discovered a deeper angle: “Why toes and trainers are so vital as you age.” It is a extra substantial cause as to why this could exist.
By specializing in the precise advantages of trainers for ageing runners, I might immediately handle my viewers’s pursuits, making a focused and compelling content material creation effort.
Begin With Questions
An ordinary observe we use on our podcasts and with our shoppers is to begin with questions. Not simply interview questions for the visitor. I’m speaking about asking your self inquiries to filter out the most effective content material. Ask your self who this can assist, why it should assist them, and the way you’ll do it.
In some circles, similar to narrative podcasting writing, that is referred to as a spotlight sentence, as made famous by Jessica Abel. To take it one step additional, you may ask, “How am I greatest suited to current this to my trade, and what can I do that’s distinctive to me?” or, extra bluntly, “Why does this have to exist in your trade?”
With our focus sentence, we will slim it down to 1 step. Let’s retake my podcast for example.
I used to be eager to discover dietary supplements for runners however shortly realized this was all over the place. On the lookout for a brand new twist, I thought of what end result dietary supplements have for runners – they assist them bounce again faster after exercises, boosting their efficiency.
I then crafted the title, “Seven science-backed dietary supplements that can assist you after laborious runs.” This title turned the filter I ran by means of as I drafted questions and the define for my co-host to debate. This focus assertion additionally gave me the course for my advertising materials, making all selections in pre-production, recording, and post-production way more accessible.
So now that now we have the framework, what’s subsequent? In fact, analysis, define, and write it!
Organizing Your Paperwork for Researching, Outlining, & Writing
Nice content material begins with strong analysis and a transparent define. Whether or not you’re obsessive about digital instruments like Notion or extra of a pen-and-paper individual, getting your concepts organized from the beginning will save time and sharpen your focus.
Researching
Researching is once you discover and accumulate the information that helps your focus assertion. In case your focus sentence is “Seven science-backed dietary supplements that can assist you after laborious runs”, search for what dietary supplements have been advisable with science-backed proof, what’s anecdotal, and what doesn’t really work. File your sources to make use of in your quotation and present notes later.
Does the subject you’re exploring serve the general function of getting your finish client to a greater place and serving to them? In that case, then discuss that. If you happen to need assistance discovering one thing that can assist your target market, let’s talk about the fundamental rules for avoiding constructing a skyscraper (the content material stack) on unstable land.
How you can Analysis a Matter
- For science-backed proof literature, you need to use PubMed and library analysis databases.
- If you wish to use some AI-augmented looking together with citations, perplexity.ai is a good device.
At this level in analysis, it’s a wonderful time to examine what others are writing about on this matter. If you happen to can contribute to what’s on the market in a novel manner, go forward and make content material about that. However in case you really feel prefer it’s a crowded area, pivot to the alternative angle or someplace you’ve received an unfair benefit to talk on. Taking a number of additional minutes on this can pay dividends afterward in your content material items’ content material stack and publishing course of.
Outlining vs Scripting
You’re somebody who does one or the opposite. I want a hybrid, making a unfastened script and detailed define. When I’ve a top level view, I rant with out being concise sufficient. But when I increase my define with a unfastened script, I can converse to the script and adapt it as I learn it for the recording.
Right here’s a fast breakdown of every.
Outlining
The define serves two functions:
- Creates your intro and abstract in your podcast episode
- After the episode wraps recording, the define turns into a street map in your content-stacking
This course of may be very easy. It’s the desk of contents in your podcast episode. The extra granular you will be, the higher. I set up this with headers, subheaders, and bullet factors to assist me visualize the episode’s circulate.
From right here, you are able to do one among two issues – converse from the define or write to the define and create a unfastened or totally fleshed-out script.
Scripting
If you happen to write a script in your questions and solutions, put your define to work and write a concise and arranged long-form weblog. I counsel you write it the way you converse in order that it comes naturally and casually. Earlier than publishing the written model, you are able to do a closing go to make it learn extra natively as a written piece.
Scripting your podcast prematurely permits you to create content material with readability and focus, avoiding the dread of determining find out how to market it after already spending time modifying it.
One minor drawback of scripting is that you need to attempt to learn it whereas a digital camera or speaking to your visitor. The awkward script studying can degrade the listening/watching expertise if that you must enhance at studying a teleprompter and memorizing. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered that individuals will forgive a lower-quality supply and efficiency (i.e., teleprompter-locked eyes) in favor of concise and well-considered ideas and concepts. To fight this subject in your video modifying, you’ll be able to experiment with AI-assisted instruments to assist right the “teleprompter-locked eyes” subject.
I lean additional into scripted content material for non-interview/non-fiction podcasts like solo and co-hosted exhibits that talk on drilled-down particular matters.
Scripting might not be related if you’re an interview, speaking head, or chat-style podcast.
Minimalist, filmmaking and podcaster YouTuber Matt D’vella has a fantastic outlook on scripting vs outlining. “Even people who find themselves nice at freestyling off the highest of their head [talking to camera with no script], everyone might inform a greater story in the event that they deliberate it and wrote out as a lot as doable.
Interviews and speaking head podcasts would have a greater end-user consumption expertise in the event that they took extra time to collect their ideas earlier than hitting report. Free scripting additionally makes recording extra accessible and ensures a cleaner circulate of crafted concepts, minimizing double speak and creating much less unfocused back-forth banter.
If you happen to’re on this however don’t know in case you have the sources or abilities to content material stack your podcast, we’d love that can assist you. Proper now, we’re providing up a trial recording and/or modifying of your podcast, after which we are going to stack the content material. Take a second to fill out this short form, and we’ll be in contact 🙂
Part Two: Recording and Modifying of the Episode
What you’ll be taught on this part:
- Recording now for environment friendly content material stacking later
- Cut up your modifying into two phases
- Content material modifying and key takeaways for future content material stacking
- Fast hack to make a precious key takeaway from any podcast
- Greatest instruments to make use of to do that
At first, content material stacking may appear expansive and onerous, which is a standard feeling. One ought to examine off over 100 steps as they go. Creating the least friction at every step may appear negligible at first look, however compounding that over 100 instances saves over 100 minutes. Extra content material is required to succeed in extra folks once you need to construct up your model.
Recording Now for Environment friendly Content material Stacking Later
The primary goal of recording video and audio ought to be to seize your concept simply to be able to repeat it whereas sustaining enthusiasm. Sure, there are higher methods to report that obtain larger “technical, stylish YouTube high quality.” Nonetheless, until you’re a podcast that makes entertaining content material for social media, we don’t care about these distracting edits.
All the pieces ought to be able to go earlier than you report. Spend 10-Quarter-hour getting ready your digital camera, lighting, microphone, teleprompter/notes, and background. You need to keep away from preventing know-how and kit whereas making an attempt to report your video and audio tracks. Create a guidelines and discuss with that record pre-recording for the least friction throughout recording. On the finish of this part, I’ll contact on the gear I take advantage of to report and the instruments I take advantage of to edit.
Obtain: Example Recording Checklist
Cut up Your Modifying Into Two Phases
Subsequent, you need to take into consideration modifying, like utilizing two completely different brains. There’s editorial or inventive content material modifying, which includes the precise phrases and concepts you’ve had, and technical modifying, which includes manipulating the audio wave recordsdata and video frames.
Technical Modifying
Editing a podcast is a private desire. As this text is targeted on content material stacking, I’ll go away you with a number of issues to deal with. Do as little or as a lot as that you must get the podcast episode carried out. I do that immediately after organizing my uncooked recorded recordsdata.
- Take away distracting filler phrases (don’t be too heavy-handed right here, as you’ll be able to suck the life out of a dialog)
- Take away the well-known interview model “messy talk-over” that permutates speaking head podcasts
- Common mixing, sound cleanup and mastering
Content material Modifying and Key Takeaways For Future Content material Stacking
I content material edit after technical modifying which helps me be clear on what is alleged and the way clearly it’s mentioned. This mindset means your content material modifying focuses on the most effective takes and efficiency. The main focus assertion can assist you filter out throughout this part.
A pleasant bonus through the content material and technical modifying part is that you could begin placing in your content material stacking hat and desirous about what sections can function what I name “Key Takeaways.” Key takeaways are the dad or mum container for what’s going to change into content material property like brief clips, prolonged clips, infographics, quotes, and so on.
Typically, these key takeaways will be a number of content material sorts. Please break the content material modifying part into two passes. One go can be round discovering the most effective takes, and the opposite can be deciding and marking what key takeaway would flip into sure content material. This may save time later, so you’ll be able to deal with producing your content material stack piece slightly than considering, “What quotes ought to I seize?”
I used to do each concurrently underneath the umbrella of modifying, and it could be a multitude as I jumped between duties, lacking basic issues. We’re shaving minutes off every step to avoid wasting complications later, which I’ll clarify in additional element in part two.
Fast Hack to Make a Useful Key Takeaway From Any Podcast
If you happen to battle to seek out vital takeaways buried in deep and significant rants from an interview format present, discover the highest three issues somebody might be taught or take away from this episode. That could be a very important content material piece and can be nice as an infographic or a brief video that you simply or your visitor report on the finish of the recording. If it’s a listicle format podcast (e.g., The High Seven Methods to Wash Your Cat), you’ve seven issues to placed on the content material stack piece.
Greatest Instruments to Use to Do This
It’s exterior the scope of this information to get into the weeds about particular recording gear and modifying instruments. Listed below are some devoted in-depth guides on the next matters:
As an alternative of a technical, in-depth information, I’ll present a number of instruments broadly used within the video podcast area and broad common tips to be able to apply no matter instruments you employ in your workflow.
Use any audio or video editor you’re comfy with to reduce time at this stage. Strive to not edit audio individually in a single app and video in one other. If you’re most effective at modifying your audio in your video editor, please try this. It’s extra vital so that you can spend time studying content material stacking than studying find out how to use a brand new editor.
If you happen to want a conventional audio editor or digital audio workstation (DAW), I like to recommend Reaper. It’s one of many few DAWs that handles video exceptionally nicely. Reaper’s video modifying is primary however highly effective. When you get used to the video interface, you’ll see that its light-weight nature makes modifying and exporting environment friendly for content material stacking.
The one factor Reaper can’t do on the time of this writing is speech-to-text modifying. Descript is a good place to begin with speech-to-text modifying.
Speech-to-text modifying is a time saver for content material stacking manufacturing. Seeing the phrases through textual content psychologically makes it simpler to leap round and mentally digest even probably the most prolonged podcast episodes.
After we export and set up the 24-piece stack, I can create markers and sub-compositions/periods that maintain the important thing takeaways for future content material asset manufacturing.
The final device I’d like to say shortly, whereas not a direct recording or modifying device, is Notion. I want Notion over most content material administration methods due to its modular talents. The flexibility to bounce between the three phases of content material stacking—manufacturing, publishing, and platforming—is vital in maintaining your sanity and wrangling your advertising content material with supportive descriptions, manufacturing data, publishing dates, and so on.
I’ve created a Notion manufacturing, publishing, and platforming template for video podcasters who need to have every part organized in a single place to stack content material simply.
If you happen to’re on this however don’t know in case you have the sources or abilities to content material stack your podcast, we’d love that can assist you. Proper now, we’re providing up a trial recording and/or modifying of your podcast, after which we are going to stack the content material. Take a second to fill out this short form, and we’ll be in contact 🙂
Part Three: Clipping Out Content material
“Going viral is usually what occurs with a enterprise that, not understanding who its meant viewers is, tries to attraction to just about everybody. If you need a bit of content material for your small business to generate a billion views, you most likely don’t perceive the aim of that content material or whom it was actually created for. Engagement and connection together with your area of interest are extra vital and much less expensive to generate.”
Alex Beauchamp, former head of content material at Airbnb (direct Quote here) from the e-book “Company of One” by Paul Jarvis.
This part is the juiciest of our sections and the stage the place all of the laborious work and cautious planning from the final two sections pays off.
As acknowledged earlier than, this framework of content material stacking includes repurposing your podcast episode into varied types of content material. These content material items will be lengthy and brief video clips, written articles, infographics, quote photos, and extra. The strategy I lay out will make sure you use the least time, cash and power to get probably the most out of your episode.
Content material stacking continues to be comparatively new within the long-form content material world. Among the wording and definitions are imprecise, however “clipping” appears to be the most typical time period. From the first episode, we’ll clip out some already-made content material whereas creating brand-new content material from the concepts.
A warning earlier than I soar in: Throw your perfectionism out the window. You need to get issues nearly as good as they are often, exported, and revealed. If you happen to get caught up in small particulars, these additional one to 2 minutes you spend on all 24 items can add up shortly, leading to frustration and burnout. Observe this information and simply get it out. It’s one of many few instances in content material advertising the place amount might trump high quality.
Clipping Lengthy-Kind Video (Medium Size)
The What
Export a 3 to fifteen-minute part out of your podcast episode. The size of the prolonged clip will range relying in your sort of podcast, the ultimate run time of the episode, and the standard of the content material you’re clipping out. I like to recommend making the side ratio commonplace 16×9 “wide-horizontal-normal” for this content material sort.
An instance of an extended video clip from this text’s content material stack.
The Why
The purpose is to get extra content material onto platforms that like long-form content material. On the time of writing, these platforms are YouTube, LinkedIn, and Fb. “Lengthy-form” content material is one other imprecise time period, however I just like the rule that something that takes longer than two minutes to eat is long-form content material.
The How
A easy instance is clipping out one of many high 5 issues from a listicle-style episode. You probably went deep on every level and spent a couple of minutes on it. This nice stand-alone beginning-to-end content material piece will give worth and assist/entertain somebody.
One other instance of the interview format is a superb question-and-answer trade. You get all of the nuances of the reply, and because it’s a podcast, they probably went deep, so that you will be gentle on the edits right here. You need to have carried out your entire modifying within the technical/content material modifying part of manufacturing, which was from part two.
Once more, utilizing Descript has confirmed to be the best factor for me with its capability to deal with speech like textual content. Creating sub-compositions, markers, and highlights makes exporting the precise part you need simple.
The rule of thumb for a thirty to sixty-minute podcast is that you could get about two to a few lengthy clips. Do no matter you are able to do persistently with out burning out. Say no to perfectionism.
Clipping Brief-Kind Video
The What
Export fifteen to sixty-second sections out of your podcast episode. The size will range relying in your sort of podcast, the general dimension, and the standard of the content material you’re clipping out. The side ratio ought to be a 9×16 vertical portrait; see YouTube Shorts, TikTok, FB/IG Reels, and LinkedIn.
The Why
I’ve aimed for the shortest video whereas maintaining the primary concept intact. The candy spot is between 20 and 40 seconds for clipped-out podcast-specific clipped-out content material. We’re not gaming the short-form platform algorithms.
We need to put our greatest foot ahead right here and get to the purpose as shortly as doable whereas being a stand-alone piece of high quality content material the place the tip client can take one thing away from it with out going off the platform. Have somebody eat this 4 or 5 instances, and also you begin constructing belief and confidence in your model from the tip client. A type of instances, they could find yourself clicking into your bio or the hyperlink you’ve supplied to go and take a look at your entire episode.
That is why it’s essential to have high-volume, constant, and high-quality content material. You possibly can play only a bit with algorithms with out altering your content material creation construction.
The How
A fantastic instance is a sizzling take, the place somebody’s opinion is gold or a fast trade between two folks. Additionally, from our long-clip instance, you may take a type of listicle gadgets that had been three or extra minutes lengthy and minimize it right down to sixty seconds, eradicating double speak, filler phrases, and so on. This could add time to the method, so I counsel selecting one thing that’s already near sixty seconds, as we need to spend solely a few of our time modifying shorts on this content-stacking journey.
A device that we use to assist with this and save a while is Opus Clips. It makes use of AI engineering to seek out fifteen or extra “viral clips” out of your long-form podcast. It then resizes your clips to be vertical 9×16 format. It often is aware of who’s talking and can select the best individual within the shot when they’re talking.
It additionally generates nice-looking captions on the video. That is feeding three birds with one scone as a result of we don’t kill birds, and it’s a good time saver. Sadly, it’s AI, and also you do have to play operator and repair some errors it could make.
Opus is fascinating as a result of it finds what it thinks are the most effective brief clips out of your podcast, titles them, and offers you a rating and report card based mostly on virality. Don’t be offended by this stylish Tik-Tokky suggestions; it’s fairly generic and never optimized for area of interest video podcasts. Sadly, Opus Professional AI solely works on podcast-specific speaking heads model content material, not an audio-only episode with inventory video/photos.
Descript now makes use of AI and gives the same characteristic to Opus clips, the place it analyzes your full episode and recommends brief clips. As time goes on, they’ll each get higher, and the device that’s greatest for you need to change into extra obvious.
Clipping Lengthy-Kind Written Content material
The What
Podcasting is a writing-heavy medium. You’re outlining your episode’s top-line vital takeaways in a reader-friendly manner. Suppose extra fleshed-out present notes however not the total transcript. One thing within the center: complete however very concise.
You might additionally discover very particular subtopics or concepts that had been shortly touched on within the podcast and flesh them out in a stand-alone weblog piece. They are often as brief or so long as you need; I’d keep throughout the boundary of 500-1500 phrases for time and web optimization concerns.
The Why
Folks like to learn. If you’re directing audio and video visitors to your web site, you need to have the weblog give them probably the most worth with out consuming your entire episode. They might not hit play or solely pay attention to twenty seconds, however they may learn half of the article.
In case your model’s power is written content material, that is the place you may invert my content material stacking mannequin. You are able to do much less video/visible stuff and extra written items.
On Tim Ferriss’s podcast, Matthew Mullenwig acknowledged that he thinks each podcast has 10 to fifteen weblog posts price of content material. He additionally steered that Tim and different podcasts might create a dense podcast-specific Wikipedia of matters, friends, and so on., all associated to the podcast.
The How
Give attention to three to 5 key sections that inform the entire story of your episode. There is no such thing as a want to enter element. I’d keep away from guidelines however deal with the rules that this content material ought to give worth to a reader.
Sprinkling in quotes and infographics you’ve created will assist make the weblog put up or publication extra visually stimulating.
One other thrilling option to make a weblog put up is to compile your dense quotes. You are able to do a mixture of quote textual content photos of what the individual is saying or who the individual is and textual content quotes. The Podcast Host’s episode concerning the top promo and growth lessons does a fantastic job of this. Bear in mind, folks like to skim issues and browse. These wikis might assist increase web optimization in your web site.
Clipping Quote and Podcast Abstract Carousels
The What
Discover or sum up succinct phrase passages that evoke a response from somebody swiping. The perfect picture format is the common 1:1 sq., 1000×1000 pixels.
The Why
Folks like to skim, swipe, react and share. 25% of individuals you present your content material to might by no means hearken to or watch your podcast. These quotes give them a condensed model of your nice work to allow them to get a common concept about it.
The How
The shorter the copy, the higher.
A level in graphic design just isn’t crucial. You possibly can select from 1000’s of quote templates on Canva and on-line. Don’t get cute and spend an excessive amount of time overdesigning this. Use your model colours, logos, and so on. and be constant. Folks care concerning the message, so make sure that the copy is evident, and your chosen phrases resonate with them. Relying on the platform, I like producing 5-10 photos carousels. LinkedIn, Fb, and Instagram have a restrict of ten, whereas YouTube posts have a restrict of 5.
Once more, there are not any strict guidelines, however we’ve discovered that combining passages, summarizing rants, and immediately quoting elements from the episode makes producing these content material items simpler.
Bonus—When you’ve got podcast followers who like dense stuff and browse issues, you’ll be able to hold dense, longer quotes as they’re. The difficult half can be maintaining the picture clear and clutter-free.
Clipping Infographics
The What
Infographics are knowledge and word-rich visuals based mostly on completely different ideas in your podcast episode. They’re simple for folks to digest whereas scrolling their feeds. Similar to the quote format, the most effective picture format is 1:1 sq., 1000×1000 pixels.
The Why
Once more, folks like to skim, and an infographic with one thing that pursuits them, like “The highest 5 body-weight solely power workout routines for runners,” is an effective way to get them to grasp the general gist of your episode. The entire worth is within the picture.
These are additionally nice to insert into your web site’s weblog put up or publication or for different advertising property like promoting creatives, and so on.
The How
With plentiful on-line templates, you don’t want design abilities to do that. I strive to not overthink it and keep away from creating one thing too summary or advanced to place into one easy picture. A number of easy-to-replicate codecs that work with most ideas are listicle, execs/cons comparability, and interactive resolution tree: If/else choices
Create a brief bullet level description earlier than you design this or if another person is creating it.
Canva has some nice templates, however you might have to edit them to get them the place you need them. Don’t overdesign. Be certain that all phrases and icons/graphic photos you employ are easy. Keep away from placing an excessive amount of textual content in there, as issues can get complicated for the tip client.
Bonus—Be at liberty to create multiple infographic in case you have a number of juicy ideas that may be distilled into a picture. Most of my episodes find yourself having multiple. I’ll search Google for infographic concepts and frameworks and ask for permission to put up and/or give full credit score to the unique supply if I take advantage of it.
Closing
This content material stack is only one variation of many. You possibly can modify what items you create to fit your model’s goals or cater to your talent units and pursuits. Different codecs embody animations, illustrations and even utilizing the transcript creatively that may very well be precious content material in your viewers.
Do not forget that the important thing to getting this proper is outlined by the workflow you’ll be able to maintain for tens and tons of of episodes. You could want an adjustment interval to get your processes, methods and workflow proper.
You might need some questions or objections about find out how to really do that in your podcast, so let’s transfer on to the following part to hopefully reply these.
If you happen to’re on this however don’t know in case you have the sources or abilities to content material stack your podcast, we’d love that can assist you. Proper now, we’re providing up a trial recording and/or modifying of your podcast, after which we are going to stack the content material. Take a second to fill out this short form, and we’ll be in contact 🙂
Part 4: How To Begin Now, FAQ, Bonus Ways, & Case Examine
“Content material advertising isn’t a brief recreation; it’s a sluggish burn. And that burn nonetheless kindles into a hearth sooner or later, but it surely takes effort and time to get there.”
Regularly Requested Questions
How a lot time ought to I realistically count on to spend doing the content material stacking?
For most conventional podcasts, plan a 3 to 5 hours studying curve to start with. When you get processes and methods that give you the results you want, it will possibly take one to a few hours, relying on many elements. Whereas helpful, brief video clips take probably the most effort from our expertise. Watch out losing your time with these.
If you happen to’re critical about rising your podcast, handle your expectations and plan time to start with to actually determine it out. It’s an unrealistic expectation to assume you’ll be able to spend thirty minutes and spin out 24 items of content material.
James Clear on the Creator Science podcast posed a novel framing round going the additional mile:
“The distinction between doing A-plus work and A-minus work. Any type of media supplies infinite leverage. The entire returns are on the tail finish. Doing A-plus work just isn’t like 1, 2 or 5x higher. It’s 100 or 1,000x higher.”
Why didn’t you cowl video podcasts?
I purposely omitted video podcasting as a result of I coated that in a free thirty-two-minute webinar about why you should use video in your podcasts.
Abstract of that video:
- Video podcasts increase attain and engagement.
- Perfect and non-ideal candidates for video podcasts.
- Advantages of repurposing video content material.
- Enhanced web optimization by means of YouTube.
This information additionally avoids in-depth social media advertising methods to deal with content material stacking, amplifying your model’s visibility and attracting listeners preferring shorter content material.
Persist with audio in case you want it. You possibly can nonetheless flip an audio podcast right into a weblog, publication, and quotes. Including video gives extra advantages, but it surely’s optionally available!
What traps do folks get into that lavatory them down?
Don’t overthink and over-engineer your content material stack. Give attention to creating a fantastic video podcast episode first; then, every part else is simply additional.
Don’t get caught up on the unending hamster wheel of social media methods once you first begin content material stacking. This may drain you shortly.
Prioritizing one focus permits you to excel. Content material stacking enhances your model’s visibility and attracts listeners preferring shorter content material. It helps discover these prone to click on by means of to your video podcast. Attempting to recreation algorithms can waste time and power.
How lengthy till I do know that that is working?
I’m sorry, I don’t know. Not a fantastic reply, huh?
Sadly, you received’t actually know till a minimal of 5, if not ten, episodes. Relying on how steadily you publish episodes and the content-stacked advertising property, this may very well be anyplace from three to 6 months. It’s essential to additionally keep constant and shortly adapt if issues have to be fastened.
You have to be output-focused. It means placing out the best quantity, high quality, and consistency of content material that you could. For some folks, that’s one episode stack monthly, and for others, that’s one smaller episode stack per week.
You’ll know when your different profiles begin rising, together with episode listens. It is a sluggish grind and isn’t attractive, but it surely works. The issue is that most individuals fail as a result of they should keep it up, be constant, and put out precious content material for the best folks.
Will I annoy folks with a lot content material?
If it’s precious and high quality content material, no, in no way. Have you ever ever advised somebody to cease entertaining you and making your life higher due to all of the belongings you’re studying? Precisely. It’s additionally not 2005 Myspace, and chronological feeds are useless.
Due to the algorithms, most individuals don’t care about you and received’t see all of this content material. Even when they do, they’ll cease following you quicker than earlier than as a result of your content material isn’t a match for them. That is what you need. And to the individuals who do care about you, they’ll admire the truth that you present up persistently of their feeds with insightful stuff.
How a lot ought to I fear about algorithms on platforms?
Establishing a content material stack is sort of a leap for many indie podcasters.
The one factor you need to fear about algorithm-wise is persistently getting numerous good things on the platforms.
Most of them work as a result of they want knowledge out of your content material, your account and the way folks work together. This takes months and numerous content material earlier than it understands what you’re and who likes it. The extra area of interest, the higher, however you should be as particular as doable.
If you’re a broad and common podcast, this would possibly take longer than somebody specializing in underwater basket weaving for single mothers of their 30s and 40s dwelling in Canada.
When you get comfy, you can begin researching and experimenting with what works greatest on particular platforms.
These smaller hacks and optimizations do work, however they’re just like taking vitamin dietary supplements if you wish to stay a more healthy life. Specializing in the core tenets of well being: consuming nicely, getting sleep, and exercising will repair most of your issues. In content material advertising, the first core tenant to all the time deal with is creating content material that’s precious to the best folks.
What platforms ought to I publish my content material on?
The selection of social media platforms depends upon your target market. It could assist in case you determined the place you naturally like hanging out on-line, discovered the place your viewers spends their time, and centered your efforts on these platforms.
The platform you select is subjective to your podcast or model’s wants. Whereas I keep away from being prescriptive, I’ll change to being prescriptive for a second that can assist you higher perceive the platforms.
In a unfastened order based mostly on how most podcast content material advertising performs:
I begin right here as a result of it has probably the most functions for podcasts and treats video, picture and textual content equally. This platform is superb for each content material sort.
It’s also great if you are active on LinkedIn, and when you post, you receive decent engagement. I’ve seen a lot of things work there and a lot of things bomb. It plays by similar rules to all the other platforms but prefers B2B marketing and work-related content.
Unless you are Gen-Z, Facebook has had a comeback in the last few years, and its organic reach is pretty good. Similar to LinkedIn, it likes all content formats. Millennials, Gen-X, and Boomers are active on this platform, which is a large population of people who listen to podcasts. It also does well with niches outside of the business type that LinkedIn tends to focus more on.
Facebook also does FB Reels, competing with Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
X, formerly known as Twitter.
I personally have never cracked the X/Twitter code, but I know that people on Twitter read things. Readers like long-form content and will also listen to a podcast or watch a long video. Even though I don’t have experience here, I know through observation that many journalists and podcasters are on here and doing well.
While X is not a video-first platform, video content still performs well.
YouTube
I would have put this second, but YouTube is a video-first platform. While it does have static images and text-formatted posts that do well if you have an engaged audience, the algorithm is suited to pushing your video podcast episodes. Their YouTube Shorts strategy, which is a competitor to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook Reels, is quite generous to accounts with low followers. If your video is good, it will show many people you don’t know.
With my sub-1,000 YouTube subscription account, I have consistently had short videos get a few thousand views and have converted to subscriptions. I didn’t have to make any new content because it was clipped out from my full episode.
You can also relate a long video, such as the entire episode, to your YouTube short video clips. The stats are inconclusive as to whether this drives up your long-form consumption, but I’m just happy more people are consuming the stuff that I’ve created, so I’ll take it.
This is a great visual platform for most industries, niches, and audience age ranges from Gen Z to Millenials. I have a lot of experience on this platform over the last seven years. Unfortunately, if you are not visually appealing and use good video, starting out here with a small following niche audience will prove challenging for growth. It’s not impossible, but I would try the above platforms first.
Anecdotally, short video platforms prefer short 20-40-second video clips that feature someone with a microphone in front of their face. These clips get to the point, tell people something they never knew, or entertain them.
Instagram is also great for valuable carousel photos and infographics.
You can utilize the Instagram Story direct links feature if you create good behind-the-scenes style content and have an engaged audience.
Putting the direct link to the full episode on a short video clip story may get the standard 1-3% click-through rate to convert your audience to full episode listeners. On Instagram, people tend to read the descriptions in your posts, allowing some people to microblog with images and short videos to help promote their podcasts.
TikTok
This platform is still a mystery to me, and I haven’t cracked it quite yet. The rules that work on YouTube Shorts and Instagram also work here. However, this platform skews towards the Gen-Z and younger age demographic. The shorter and more to the point your video is, the better. I also found that longer short videos in the 40-60 second range work well if you say something that the algorithm and other people think is good.
Photos and infographics tend to perform below average. Unlike Instagram and FB Reels, only a few people read the captions here, so I put very little energy into that.
Threads (Instagram)
This is Instagram’s latest answer to X/Twitter, and after a year, it’s actually going better than most predicted. I haven’t really been on here, but I will look to start posting more text-based content here and lightly promote my podcast episodes.
I still need to experiment before I comment on this, but please try it out if you like text-based short content.
I’ve been using audiograms to promote my podcast; why can’t I just keep doing that?
Audiograms were trendy and cool in 2018 when most social apps weren’t video-first. Things have changed quickly, and people find them boring, so they don’t perform well. Darren Lee and others assume they do extra hurt than good to a podcast.
If you happen to don’t have a video podcast, a simpler method is to have you ever or your visitor use their smartphone digital camera to report a thirty-second video explaining what they’ll be taught within the episode.
Annalise Nielsen from Pacific Content explains more in-depth why they don’t work, together with some nice proof, examples and different options.
One thing that has respectable engagement is what I’ve referred to as a “videogram”. It’s shifting photos and video with kinetic-style textual content on high. These are hit-or-miss engagements that take a little bit of manufacturing time to get proper. The laborious nature of this format is why I didn’t embody them within the content material stack. That mentioned, we do provide these to shoppers who’ve audio-only podcasts and no video to clip from.
How ought to I arrange my podcast web site?
Briefly, have all of your content material stacked in your web site. The purpose is to direct all visitors to the podcast web site, the place they’ll eat it nonetheless they need. Here is an example of a podcast episode on my website.
I’m making an attempt to provide somebody the trail of least resistance to consuming it nonetheless they want. I don’t have granular exercise stats on what folks do once they hit the web site, however I’ve grown my publication and different platforms on the similar charge since most of my visitors comes on to my web site.
I even have a web page with all of my podcasts in one place, which I hyperlink to from all my bios on my social media websites and e mail signatures.
Is that this overkill? Some say sure, however we’re content-stacking machines, and our purpose is to be in as many locations as doable with the least effort.
How you can Get Began ASAP With Content material Stacking
If you happen to’ve gotten this far, you’re probably curious about how this could search for your podcast model.
All through this text, I didn’t sugarcoat content material stacking as an easy-button method for podcast success. It’s the alternative of simple however doesn’t must be advanced.
The best option to get began is to method this like a software program developer and create a minimal viable product process (MVP).
In software program improvement, an MVP is a model of a product with simply sufficient options to collect validated studying. Equally, in content material stacking a podcast episode, an MVP method includes creating the best and most important content material items to check and refine their effectiveness earlier than scaling up.
Relying on whether or not you’ve a video in your podcast, you’ll be able to method this in one among two methods. You possibly can observe some or all of my suggestions, and it’s greatest to begin out with what you’ve a pure curiosity or power for.
For Video Podcasters
- Create a blog post or newsletter based mostly on the podcast episode however nonetheless providing additional worth.
- Create lengthy video clips between 5-Quarter-hour.
- Clipp and create short-form content material from video
- Create quote carousels that sum up your episode.
- Create infographics summarizing a number of factors or zoom in on a particular advanced framework or concept.
For Audio Podcasters
- Create a weblog put up or publication out of your episode.
- Make a inventory video and picture b-roll video to accompany your audio-only episode.
- Create lengthy clips from the above full episode by which you manually add inventory b-roll video/photos.
Clipping and Creating Brief-Kind Content material From Audio
- Use inventory video and picture b-roll video to clip out to brief clips.
- Sum up or have an LLM (Chat GPT, Claude, Gemini, and so on.) sum up your podcast into three brief 30-40-second movies so that you can learn to your cellphone whereas speaking to the digital camera.
- Create a quote and episode sum-up carousel for social media sharing.
- Create infographics based mostly in your content material.
- Create a videogram. These are way more efficient than audiograms, which persistently carry out poorly. There is no such thing as a proper manner to do that, however the extra photos or movies you’ve in vertical format with fascinating transcripts or captions, the higher. 20-30 seconds in size is greatest, and edit right down to the most effective elements utilizing thrilling photos/movies. You’ll discover an instance of a videogram beneath.
Content material Stacking Case Examine
Over six months since first publishing, the content material stacked episode achieved 39 instances extra attain. And over 12 months, it was as much as 40 instances the attain, which is proof the lengthy tail of lengthy and short-form content material may be very lengthy. Here’s more in-depth case study data on content material stacking the episode.
Enjoying the Recreation of Belief
“Step 1 – Make as a lot good things as I can
Step 2 – Submit it all over the place I can
Step 3 – Study as a lot as I can”
Alex Hormozi’s “Fancy” Content Stacking Plan grew him from 0 to 7.8 million subscribers in 40 months.
If you happen to’ve gotten this far and really feel prefer it’s quite a bit to soak up, you’re proper; it’s a lot. That is difficult, and there are not any hacks to skip over. You must go the additional mile to actually squeeze the juice from the fruit.
However I promise, it’s price it.
Initially, it should really feel messy, however I hope this information makes it cleaner.
You have to be on as many platforms as doable. I agree with that, to a restrict. However, you need to discover the place the place folks need your stuff and do extra of it. You’ll know when you’ve tried quite a bit, assessed it, discovered and repeated it advert nauseam.
I need to prevent the headache and heartache so you’ll be able to deal with doing what you do greatest: making your podcast shortly and simply delivery it out to as many individuals as doable. If you happen to observe this information, it should try this for you.
By shifting to considering of your podcast as extra of a model, you are able to do extra and let the compound curiosity of time and content material items on many platforms assist your model develop.
Whenever you content material stack for some time, you begin determining how the algorithms on social platforms work, what codecs and varieties of content material resonate with folks and the way folks eat your full episode. You could even begin making new objectives round changing folks from one platform to your podcast, which is the exception greater than the rule. That’s all nice, however bear in mind what recreation you’re taking part in by means of all of those slick content material advertising techniques – You’re a podcaster first!
Algorithmic progress is just nearly as good because the content material, and word-of-mouth progress is as a result of the content material is so good folks inform different folks about it. Which might you slightly do? At all times prioritize your greatest podcast content material in your viewers and your self. Content material stacking comes after that.
Jay Clouse from Creator Science has a fantastic tackle zooming out of this content material creation and advertising recreation. I refer again to this after I need assistance making content material, and it’d assist hold you centered as you begin your content-stacking journey on completely different platforms.
“Your tradition is obsessive about reaching new consideration. It’s obsessive about the flashy self-importance metrics of followers, subscribers, and views. I’m telling you, it’s the incorrect factor to chase.
The well being and viability of your small business aren’t based mostly on how a lot consideration you’ll be able to seize—they’re based mostly on how a lot consideration you’ll be able to retain. To take it a step additional, it’s not even about consideration as a lot because it’s about belief.
Folks purchase from these they know, like, and belief—full cease. Capturing consideration helps folks know you, and it’d even assist them such as you, but it surely doesn’t assure belief.”
In case your model is curious about content material stacking however doesn’t have the inner sources to execute it, my firm, Pod Paste, has mastered this course of and bundled it in a horny end-to-end package deal for any podcast or firm. Take a second to fill out this short form, and we’ll be in contact 🙂
Trending Merchandise
