How to Turn Your Video Show into a Podcast

In a recent post, we explored the pros and cons of creating a video show versus a podcast as part of a binge-worthy content strategy. One strong pro we mentioned in favor of creating a video series is that you can repurpose your video content into a podcast; it’s much easier to take this route than to repurpose a podcast into a video series.

Repurposing your existing content is a great way to reach a larger audience and get more mileage out of what you already have. We’ve seen success with this tactic at Wistia, so we wanted to pull back the curtain and share how we approach repurposing video content.

We chatted with the Wistia Studios team to dig deeper into how we transformed Brandwagon, an original video series, into The Brandwagon Interviews Podcast. Read on to learn about the cost of switching formats, how you can engage your audio fans, and much more!

Switch to a podcast format in three steps

Whether you’ve produced a robust video show for your brand or you’ve made marketing videos filled with valuable content in the past, you likely have audio files on hand that you can use to create a podcast.

1.) Figure out what video content translates well to audio

When you’re thinking about turning your video content into a podcast, you should also understand which elements of your video show can translate into an audio-first format.

Content that relies heavily on visual components won’t translate easily. If your original video content has a lot of entertainment value visually, you might risk diluting your brand by creating a podcast version. A few examples of things that are harder to explain with just audio are animated sequences, an unboxing series, or a webpage walkthrough.

On the other hand, video content with interviews, expert discussions about a subject, or an entertaining roundtable of guests translates more easily. This type of content already relies on storytelling, scripting, and speakers to be engaging.

You’ll want to carefully review your video content and see how you might be able to tweak your original creative and adjust specific segments to make an audio-only format work.

“You’ll want to carefully review your video content and see how you might be able to tweak your original creative and adjust specific segments to make an audio-only format work.”

2.) Edit your video content for audio

So, what are some ways you can manipulate your video content into an audio-only format? The Wistia Studios team has a few recommendations:

• Leave things uncut instead of editing. For example, if your original series was an interview-style show, you might have extra footage that never made the edit that you could offer in a podcast format. We did this at Wistia for our original video series Brandwagon where we took the uncut interviews of our CEO, Chris Savage, and guests and turned them into the podcast-version of the show.
• Utilize overdubs. If there are very visual elements in your video content, you can record audio over the sound of things from your video that would be happening on screen. You can also insert original sounds from your video and then insert an overdub of new small segments you’ve written that’ll help glue the visual pieces from your video together.
• Change the format. It’s easy to change the format of your podcast from your original video recording. Want to capture attention right off the bat? Try swapping out your video intro with a cold open for the podcast version. Or, grab a great quote from your video and place it at the beginning to lean into the audio-only format and pique interest. You can also easily cut or add new segments to better serve your audience.

This is where having a podcast producer or editor on your team can really come in handy. Understanding how to create engaging audio content and knowing how to maximize the medium takes time to master. If you don’t have an editor handy — don’t fret. We explore a few options below on easy-to-use editing software and options for outsourcing.

3.) Provide a unique value

To extend the world of your video content successfully, you should offer a unique value to engage your fans in a different way. Aside from uncut edits, other examples of supplemental content you could show include behind-the-scenes breakdowns or director’s cuts. A behind-the-scenes or directors cut could offer exciting insights for folks who loved your video series and entice new listeners to watch your series after hearing your podcast.

“To extend the world of your video content successfully, you should offer a unique value to engage your fans in a different way.”

We took the “director’s cut” route for Brandwagon when we repurposed the original video series into a podcast. The video interviews are shorter, around 30 minutes long, and cover each episode’s most exciting and interesting aspects. For the podcast version, we went with a longer format, about an hour long. Each podcast episode goes into more depth on the topics discussed and gives the listener a chance to really connect with the guest.

Here’s a look at a video episode and podcast episode:

Repurpose your video content on a minimal budget

You’ll be happy to know that repurposing your videos into a podcast won’t put a big dent in your marketing budget. It’s a low-cost way to extend the world of your video series or breathe more life into older video content that still has value!

You don’t need the fanciest gear or software to get spun up — technology is so advanced today that talking into your iPhone while you’re in a quiet room will almost always produce decent audio. But, if you want to add a microphone to your toolkit, we have a gear review post that covers three affordable microphone setups.

It’s a much lighter lift in production and post-editing than turning a podcast into a video series. If you do want to tackle some basic editing, try GarageBand. We’d say it’s the most beginner-friendly audio-editing program, and there are tons of tutorials on YouTube that can help you out along the way. Plus, it comes preloaded on all Mac computers! If you don’t have a Mac, try Audacity. We’re also huge fans of Descript. With this software, you can record, edit, mix, collaborate, and master your audio and video!

Don’t feel like you have to learn the ins and outs of a software program, either! There are plenty of talented freelance audio editors on sites like Fiverr and Upwork that can help you clean up your audio content.

Additional considerations for your team

Before you take all of your audio files and upload them to an RSS feed, here are a few more things your team should take into account before you ship out a podcast.

Think about shifting roles

Depending on how your team is structured, you’ll want to discuss whose roles might be changing. The promotion strategy for a podcast will differ from your promo strategy for videos. Who will lead the charge on your team for podcast promo assets? This could become more work than you initially thought, so it’s essential to be prepared and think three steps ahead.

Reorganize your budget

When you’re creating a podcast in addition to your existing video content, you’ll really need to think about getting a great sound designer. Going along with shifting roles, if you have a video editor on your team, you should understand if they can also edit audio or if you’ll need to hire a freelance audio engineer to get the project off the ground. From our experience, it’s a relatively small bump in your budget based on the complexity of a show to hire an audio engineer.

“When you’re creating a podcast in addition to your existing video content, you’ll really need to think about getting a great sound designer.”

If you already had a budget set aside for creating another video series, switching the format to a podcast would dramatically change your budget because you no longer have to pay for camera equipment or the personnel behind it.

Making the argument for audio content

Video content or audio content… why not both? By repurposing your existing video content into a new format, you’re extending the mileage you can get out of a single piece or project. You’re also making it more convenient for folks to find and consume your content and expanding your brand’s reach. It’s a win-win for all parties.