The Importance of Editing Your Podcast into Short Form Content

Podcasts continue to hold their high position as a popular medium for sharing various types of information, from educational shows to personal stories and opinions. It’s been widely estimated that by 2024, the United States alone will be home to over 100 million listeners. However, the combined effects of social media prevalence and shrinking attention spans are changing the wants and needs of podcast audiences; that is, people want shorter, more digestible videos that they can watch on mobile platforms without having to stay engaged for 15-20 minutes, if not more, at a time. This has created an emerging need for short form content, which entails taking a full-length podcast episode and shrinking it down to highlighted points.

Given away instantly by the name, short form podcasts are shorter versions of released podcast episodes. They are optimal for social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, primarily when posted as a Reel. Full-length video podcasts require focused attention and usually aren’t something people watch on the go, and with the average human attention span consistently getting shorter, these longer episodes are at risk of losing traction. Providing your audience with the option of shorter videos that they can watch no matter where they are increases the likelihood of them actually watching your content in full, and more importantly, watching what’s to come.

Short form podcasts drastically increase accessibility since social media content is virtually guaranteed to reach an audience and build traction. Building traction on social media through short form content brings about the opportunity to build conviction for full-length podcasts through its accessibility. People who are reached on social media through short form content are likely to become captivated and interested in seeing more. In turn, they would then take the step to find the full-length content, wherever it may actually be posted. Maximizing this accessibility and reach is essential to maximizing podcast success; prospective audiences are far more likely to discover your podcast through social media platforms than through a random search. 

Short form content also gives you an upper hand when it comes to attracting a diverse audience. Engaging a diverse audience requires you to crank out content optimized for multiple social media sites since different demographics often use various platforms. For example, Facebook has a considerable level of middle to older aged users while Instagram and TikTok generally serve a younger demographic. Short form content is an immensely valuable tool for reaching a broad scope of demographics who are likely to be interested in what your podcast has to offer.

Short form content can act as an accessible, attention span-friendly entry point to a broader podcast. The more ways that people can access your podcast, the better, and there is no shortage of viable platforms in today’s world. HDM Edits provides short form content solutions for podcasts, giving you the ability to transform your podcast episodes into digestible, accessible content that spans countless digital platforms. If you’re looking for more ways to grow your podcast, contact us now.