It can be hard to land your podcast in front of an audience, and that’s both our medium’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness. There’s no algorithm to chase and we don’t have to warp the work we’re making to go viral. But it is a constant uphill climb trying to get new listeners. 

Luckily, you can borrow some of that algorithmic magic, just for a little while. TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram’s emphasis on short-form video gives us a new opportunity to introduce our shows through our funniest moments.

But how do you add video in a way that doesn’t get in the way of actually making your podcast? With some planning, intention, and being quick on your feet, you can set yourself up for success.

Why video clips?

This article is not going to recommend that you post full-video episodes to YouTube. This is all about folding video in as a tool for helping more folks find your show. After all, the best way for someone to find your podcast is by having a listener recommend the show to them. And when you post video clips, instead of just “OMG I love this podcast,” it’s “OMG I love this podcast, here’s a clip from my favorite episode.”

This also gets ahead of the dreaded “Don’t start with the first episode…” problem. No one will start with your first episode—the one where you weren’t confident about the structure and had bad microphones—if they go to the new episode behind your latest clip.

As you post to social media platforms, you’re showing folks a little bit of yourself as quickly as possible. Potential listeners can sample your style, topics, and personality, and hopefully get hooked to listen to a whole episode. Every clip should be something that says, “You’ll love us; this is what we’re doing!"

My D&D podcast Join the Party is letting the Instagram D&D community know about us!

Let’s talk numbers

Video clips of your podcast should usually be 30–60 seconds long. That’s short enough to be engaging and easy to watch but long enough to give context for what your show is. Remember, your guiding principle should be to bring folks to your show, so you want to have enough information to show your branding and your vibe. Especially when you’re posting to TikTok and Instagram, you need to keep it to less than a minute to make the most of those short attention spans. However, you can go up to 1:30 or 2 minutes if your show works on LinkedIn or as thoughtful or smart YouTube content.

In terms of size/orientation, we’re almost always looking for 9:16, also known as vertical video. Those longer clips could be published in horizontal format (16:9) as “regular videos,” but then you’re running a YouTube channel at the same time as your podcast, which is what we’re trying to avoid.

A structured show is an easily clipped show

I always say there are a lot of people in the room when you’re recording a podcast. It’s the hosts, the eventual audience who will hear the show, and the podcast itself. And the structure of the show should be holding up its weight, even after you’ve recorded and you’ve moved on to the marketing phase.

If your podcast is structured with segments, you already have standalone ideas of what you can turn into a clip. Whether it’s a game show, a rapid-fire round, or a story corner, the structure will quickly provide the context needed for the clip.

A great example of this is Las Culturistas’ I Don’t Think So Honey. Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s longtime podcast bit gives them a minute to rant on any topic that is making everyone’s lives worse. The rules are: 1) it should be an actual grievance, 2) a timer is set, and 3) they have to start and end with “I don’t think so, honey!” As the show has continued to grow and get increasingly famous guests, it’s become the perfect breakout clip to have celebrities air their real-life frustrations. It embodies the silly and campy nature of their show, and social media loves the celebrities, so it’s perfect for them to clip.

Write down the best parts

When the camera was first invented, many people thought the process of photography was stealing your soul and printing it on film. I think about that every time I finish recording a podcast and I immediately forget what I said into the mic. My microphone steals my memories as soon as I put them down. The only way I can combat this and remember what clippable moments I can publish is if I write them down. With how good transcriptions have gotten lately, all I have to do is write down a keyword or two, and I can search for it later.

If you’re recording with podcast recording software like Descript, you can mark the moments internally and refer back to them when you’re ready to edit. Descript also has tools to help point you towards what kinds of clips work on social media, so it can find the moments with the highest engagement potential.

Video editing has never been easier

You have the marks or keywords written down, so just start making these clips! Don’t psych yourself out about how hard video editing is or wait around for your cohost to do it; just give it a try. It’s easier and faster than you think it will be, and no one knows your show better than you do. I know you’re wearing five hats already, but as long as you’re repurposing work you’ve already done, you can do it.

If you’re in Descript already, you can just use that video trimmer tool. And it’s never been easier to look like you have a massive video team working in the background. High-quality video and audio, clear and readable transcripts, and seamless editing between video tracks can be hallmarks of your professional work—and you’ll get more listeners as a result.‎