Refit, Revamp & Repurpose Podcast Content to Breathe New Life Into Your Show
There are plenty of opportunities to repurpose podcast content into something new. That way, you can grow your audience and bring in more money without doing a lot of extra work.
If you’ve been podcasting for a while, you probably have a wealth of content sitting there just waiting for a second chance. Most podcasters consider their back catalog simply “old episodes,” but there is an opportunity to take them further.
It’d be a shame to think that all the episodes you’ve published are one-trick ponies. That back catalog of content could be revived to bring you an entirely new audience. Or even reengage the old one.
Whether you want to create something new entirely, revamp something old or do a bit of both, there are plenty of ways you can turn old content into fresh, new ideas.
Why Repurpose Podcast Content?
Repurposing your podcast’s old content has four primary benefits:
- Save time
- Save money
- Grow your audience
- Grow your income
But this save and grow strategy does more than simply bolster your show; it can expand your brand. To me, that’s the real asset.
The biggest podcasts out there don’t get that way because they have an awesome show. Yes, that’s an important part of growth — one of the most important. But beyond that, they have strong brands. And stellar brands serve a specific audience in multiple ways.
How to Repurpose Podcast Content for the Biggest Impact and Profit
There are a lot of ways to monetize your repurposed content and grow your audience. But we’re going to focus on three set-it-and-forget-it methods that won’t add a lot of long-term work into your routine. You modify, optimize and monetize a piece of content, and once it’s published it works for itself.
Blog Posts
Blog posts are an easy win if you have formal scripts. But even if you don’t, you can use your show’s transcript as a base post to repurpose podcast content. However, you will have to modify it to ensure it’s formatted for a reader, not a listener reading.
A good, solid blog post is:
- Optimized for search traffic
- Easy to navigate with headings, lists, and other scannable tools
- Provides clear value to the reader
Most importantly, it’s not an exact regurgitation of your podcast. Each piece of content needs to function on its own. It won’t be consumed by listeners looking to follow along (that’s what a transcript is for), it’s for those seeking the same information in blog format.
How Do Blog Posts Grow Your Audience?
Chances are you understand the importance of search engine optimization. You may even use optimization tactics in your show notes and titles. But, due to their format, a written blog post provides a larger opportunity for searchability.
Turning your already-published episodes into blog posts can make it easier for new listeners to find you through Google and other search engines. Not only will they spend time on your site, but you can embed the episode into the post and possibly gain new audience members!
How Do Blog Posts Make You Money?
Blog posts are a good long-term, money-making strategy. By optimizing your blog posts for search engines, you create an asset that can continue to generate traffic and clicks long after it’s published. But you can take that one step further by monetizing that content.
High-traffic posts can make money on autopilot with display advertising. The more visitors, the more money you make. You can bolster that income by including affiliate links. When you recommend a product and a reader makes a purchase, you get a cut.
YouTube Videos
If you run an audio-only show and haven’t ventured to video podcasting yet, you’re missing out. YouTube is the second largest search engine on the planet. So, like blog posts, YouTube content is a solid long-term asset to add to your brand.
The good news is, that you don’t need a full studio and product team to repurpose podcast content into YouTube videos. You can easily turn your audio podcast into a video show with just a few tools and some simple editing. Then voila, you’ve got another brand asset and potential income stream!
How Do YouTube Videos Grow Your Audience?
YouTube’s search engine capabilities make it worth considering when you’re looking to expand. Unsurprisingly, it functions much like good ole classic Google search with an emphasis on the use of keywords and information-rich descriptions. That means that while good content is important for growing an audience, there’s also a little formula in action.
It’s worth pointing out that the same people who watch YouTube videos aren’t necessarily also listening to podcasts. If you decide to expand to video, you can do so without worrying about keeping time with your audio show. It’s OK to treat it differently, even if it’s technically the same piece of content.
How Do YouTube Videos Make You Money?
YouTube’s hands-off monetization methods also share similarities with blogs. The easiest way to make money is monetizing your traffic with Google Adsense. Google’s built-in advertising platform is the ideal way to make money off quality content that garners consistent views.
Affiliate marketing is the second primarily-passive way to make income via YouTube videos. These aren’t as straightforward as a blog post where you drop a link right into a text. You’ll need to mention the affiliate link right into the video, along with including it in the description. But, if you’ve got a high-traffic video and something relevant to promote, it can be a good monetization method.
Digital Products
When you’re looking to repurpose podcast content, digital products aren’t the first method that comes to mind. However, there are plenty of opportunities and you can often earn a larger profit.
While the digital products you can offer depend on your show, some examples include:
- eBooks
- Courses
- Templates
- Special edition content (like offering a purchase option for retired episodes)
- Event content such as attending a live recording session
Digital products are anything you can think of that provides value enough that people are willing to pay.
How Do Digital Products Grow Your Audience?
Audience growth with digital products varies depending on what you’re selling. If you’re a business-focused podcast selling templates, it can expand your audience beyond those that listen to your show to those that are interested in that product.
However, I would say that digital products are more akin to expanding your email list instead of your direct podcast audience. When someone opt-ins to receive a digital product, they usually provide permission to use their email addresses for marketing purposes. But if they’re on your list, you can tell them about your latest episodes.
How Do Digital Products Make You Money?
Digital products work like any other product, but you don’t give the purchaser anything physical. Instead, they “take home” a digital good like a PDF or access to a video, no shipping required!
The downside to working with digital products is that they tend to take a little more upfront work. But instead of making $0.30 when 1,000 people watch your video or $1.20 in commission sales for recommending a $100 pair of jeans, you make the entire profit minus program or transaction fees.
Digital products are also a one-time effort type of deal. You make it once and sell it as many times as you can. Sounds like a better deal, no?
Ready to Repurpose Podcast Content?
If you’re looking to start repurposing, start at your analytics and identify your most popular pieces of content. They’re already doing well with your current audience; chances are there’s a bigger audience out there just waiting for you. When you know what’s bringing in your audience, you can start brainstorming ways to refit, refresh, and repurpose it. Need more ideas on repurposing content? You can check them out in Colin’s content stacking series.
