A few weeks ago, we wrote about full-episode audiograms. We dove into our internal numbers, did some quick math, and explained our year-over-year trends. We also highlighted the sheer volume of full-audiogram exports – over 1.7 million and growing!! In case you missed it, here it is. We encourage you to check it out and give it a read.
BUT, TODAY… we want to take this opportunity to talk about the other side of what our core product, Make by Headliner, does– short-form podcast videos. In this blog post, we will explain the what, how, why, and who surrounding short-form podcast videos. We’ll also dig into some numbers again – so get ready, blog incoming!
What are short-form podcast videos?
Short-form podcast videos are snackable, bite-sized forms of content. Because they are “snackable” – short-form podcast videos are the perfect tool for promoting your podcast on social media as they fit most platforms’ best practices.
Short-form podcast videos condense your podcast’s full-length episode down to a single clip, typically ranging from 30-90 seconds. They quickly capture your audience’s attention and can even tease new or upcoming full-length content.
How to MAKE them?
Headliner is all in on helping podcasters everywhere easily create content to grow their podcast and achieve their podcasting goals. We’ve helped create MILLIONS of short-form podcast videos – 6.5+ million to be exact! AND with the help of some new, exciting updates (more on that later 😉), we are projected to break over 8 million very soon.
Currently, Make by Headliner offers two ways to create short-form video podcasts: short-form audiograms and short-form clips.
Short-form audiograms
Short-form audiograms are just like full-episode audiograms, they work by converting your mp3 audio file into an mp4 video file. They create a dynamic, engaging piece of content optimized and ready to share on social media. Best of all, they are super easy to make. All you need is your RSS feed and as little as 3 min (yes, we timed it) to create one.
Short-form audiograms also perform really well on social media! On average, short-form audiogram tweets perform 8x better than non-audiogram tweets. For Facebook, podcasters reported audiogram content outperforming non-audiogram photos and links receiving, on average, 73% higher engagement!
On average, short-form audiogram tweets perfrom 8x better than non-audiogram tweets.
Delaney Simmons, Director of Social Media at WNYC
It’s true for us too! To date, our top-performing post is an audiogram of The Headliner Podcast. The post has received over 1.3k views at a 23x stronger engagement rate than our non-audiogram posts and content.
Short-form video clips
If you are a design wiz or are looking to invest a little more time into creating short-form video content, then video clips may just be the perfect tool for you! Short-form video clips are pre-recorded video files that you can edit in Make by Headliner (Make).
Make has a slew of features that allows you to design visually engaging content for your social media and promotional platforms. In Make, you can layer multiple assets to create an engaging postproduction video using pre-recorded content or you can even create videos from scratch using stock imagery, GIFs, or Canva integrations.
MAKING short-form podcast videos
Like we said, MAKING, short-form podcast videos is easy with Make by Headliner (or Make for short). Make offers podcasters an easy way to quickly create content. Podcasters can either use their RSS feed or even create videos from scratch once an mp3 file is uploaded into Make’s Creation Wizard.
If you are interested in learning more about the process or want to dig a little deeper into some of the amazing design features, head on over to the Headliner Learn Center to, well, learn more!
Now that we’ve established the what- let’s dig into why.
Why use short-form podcast videos?
Short-form podcast videos aid in discoverability efforts, quickly grab your audience’s attention, and are highly shareable.
Aid in discoverability
Did you know, 17% of podcasts are found using social media? That means Tens of THOUSANDS of podcasts are discovered every day on social media.
Short-form podcast videos live in a unique space in the world of social media. To the platforms, short-form video content is native to and fits social media best practices – meaning, they are more likely to be pushed in a platform’s algorithm. Since they are clipped mp4 files, algorithms recognize them as engaging content, which increases their rankability, especially when compared to static images.
To the end-user, they really stand out too! Short-form podcast videos also typically receive higher engagement and higher ROI, when compared to other forms of content on social media platforms.
Attention-grabbing
Since short-form videos are clips of your full-length content, they are more likely to grab a viewer’s attention. Clips are quick and easy to consume – not only aligning with social media best practices but also aligning with overall viewing patterns. The average person has an attention span of 8.25 seconds when browsing, so short-form podcast videos are the perfect tool quickly capture and engage your audience.
Short-form podcast videos can even serve as teaser content. Teaser content gives viewers a taste of what they can expect from the full-length episode. They often highlight the most interesting or exciting part of your story – short-form podcast videos can even end on a cliffhanger, really drawing your audience in and leaving them wanting more!
Highly Shareable
Short-form podcast videos are also highly shareable -meaning your message can reach a wider audience. Viewers are 2.5 times more likely to share short-form video content and consider it more engaging than long-form video content.
Viewers are 2.5 times more likely to share short-form video content and consider it more engaging than long-form video content.
Tracey Witt, sproutsocial
Because short-form video content is so shareable, you are more likely to gain views and garner listenership using short-form podcast videos.
Who is engaging?
Short-form audiograms are compelling ways to connect with your audience and engage listeners at different levels. When considering the who, we will look at two key psychographic breakouts: “Super Listeners” and “Rookie Listeners.”
Super Listeners are people who listen to five or more hours of podcasts weekly. They are the loyalist of the podcasting community and are most likely to engage with podcasts – either through social media or via podcast ads. Super Listeners typically have established listening patterns and podcasts they listen to, but they report always being open to try out a new podcast! Rookie Listeners are people who have been listening to podcasts for less than 6 months. Unlike Super Listeners, Rookie Listeners do not have established behaviors and are usually still on the hunt for podcasts to listen to.
Edison Research and Ad Results Media sat down and surveyed over 1,000 of these Super Listeners and some Rookies as well to find out more about their listening behaviors and discovery process.
When Super Listeners were asked “Do you currently listen to podcasts through social media, 27% percent of respondents answered “Yes” to Facebook and 24% answered “Yes” to Instagram. When asked, “In general, how do you discover podcasts most often?” 13% of Super Listeners reported finding them through social media posts compared to 17% of Rookie Listeners.
So, as you can see, short-form podcast videos really and truly do drive discoverability and support engagement for podcasts!
Get started today & make short-form podcast videos
Using short-form podcast videos is an effective way to promote your content, especially on social media. They create additional touch points that aid in discoverability, are attention-grabbing, and are highly shareable. They are powerful, snackable pieces that create additional touch points while aiding in discoverability, grabbing your audience’s attention, and are highly shareable.
So what are you waiting for? Join the tens of thousands of Headliners who are already making short-form video podcasts and start promoting your podcast today!
