At We Edit Podcasts, we most definitely love podcasts and we think they are awesome! They entertain, they educate, they keep you on the edge of your seat, whispering “Just one more,” as you let the next episode roll on. But with more than 700,000 active podcasts in over 100 different languages1, the question is, with all these podcasts competing for attention, how do you get more people to engage with yours?
Promotional Problems
A problem many podcasters face is the problem of discoverability, getting people to actually find and listen to their podcast. There are just so many podcasts out there! And while the goal is getting listed on podcast directories, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, people actually need to know about your podcast before they can go looking for it in a directory. Successful podcast promotion as well as generating and engaging with listeners is simply not something that can happen solely on podcasting platforms.
Related read: How to Promote Your Podcast if Marketing is Not Your Strength
Social Solutions
On the other hand, social media platforms have honed the art of user engagement and interaction, allowing users to like, share and comment on what they see. In addition to this, these platforms, Instagram in particular, make it easy to search for content you’re interested in by allowing you to follow hashtags as well as particular people and pages. It’s also important to note that when browsing social media platforms, viewers are essentially searching for content. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to bridge the gap between the audio content you’ve created and the visual appeal of the content on social media platforms?
Related read: How to Get More People to Actually Listen to Your Podcast
Enter The Audiogram
An audiogram, by standard definition, is a graph compiled by audiologists to show the results of a hearing test. In other words, it is a visual representation of a person’s hearing. So what does that have to do with podcasting? Well, nothing actually, except for the name. In the podcasting world, audiograms are one of the tools available to podcasters to broaden their horizons and enable them to engage with viewers on social media platforms, with the aim of turning these viewers into podcast listeners.
An audiogram, in this context, refers to an audio clipping that has been converted to an animated waveform and placed on top of an image. The end product is a video, which can then be shared on a variety of social media platforms. An audiogram creates the opportunity for podcasters to interact with viewers by making use of the features of social media posts. The benefit of using audiograms is two-fold, giving viewers a bite-size taste of what your podcast has to offer, as well as giving your audience something visual to share with their followers and friends.
Related read: 7 Benefits of Turning Your Audiobook into a Podcast
How To Create Audiograms
Programs such as Wavve, Audiogram, and Headliner makes it easy to create eye-catching, attention-grabbing audiograms in a matter of minutes, which you can then share across the different social media platforms.
These programs can also automatically transcribe your audio clip, making subtitles and captions super easy! You’ll just have to do a quick proofread to double-check spellings and punctuation. In addition, these programs give you the choice of different aspect ratios, so you can create the perfect sized video for the different platforms, as well as customizing the time length of the clip to suit each platform’s requirements.
So, how can you as a podcaster use podcast audiograms to engage with your listeners on social media platforms?
1. Think About Your Image
As viewers are scrolling through Instagram, Facebook or other social feeds, they are bombarded with visual material. You will need an eye-catching image to halt the scrolling. Think outside the box here! You could try your hand at a number of different options and styles the different programs offer. Think about using an image that will convey part of your podcast’s message, or, if you’re interviewing a guest on your show, use their photo, or some behind-the-scenes images.
2. Think About The Audio
The audio you pick for your audiogram is obviously vitally important! This is what will get the viewers intrigued and hopefully convert the view of the audiogram to a download of your podcast. Remember, your aim is to use the audiogram to engage your listeners and get them to like, share, or comment on your post.
When picking the perfect audio clip, you could try some of the following:
An Out-Of-Context Snippet
This can be a fun way to get viewers interested, particularly if the clip is intriguing but also makes no sense without listening to the rest of the podcast. It can really whet the viewer’s appetite and make them tune in for the whole enchilada!
The Build-Up To The Crux Of The Story
Another interest-building technique is using the audio from just before the story reaches its climax. This gives viewers a little insight into what is going on, but doesn’t reveal the resolution, and should leave them going, “What happens next?!” and hurriedly clicking the link to the episode.
Use Shareable Content
Think about including audio that has value outside of the podcast. This could be an inspirational takeaway point or something practical that listeners can apply to their own lives, for example. Using ‘valuable content’ as part of your audiogram gives the viewer opportunities to share your content with their followers, or tag their friends who they feel will find the content interesting.
Record A Summary
Many of the audiogram-making apps allow you to record your own audio for the audiogram. This gives you the option of recording a brief overview of the podcast episode and as well as giving some motivation as to why the viewer should check it out.
Bonus Tip: Make sure the audio clip you pick or record is of good quality! It is not uncommon for people to have based their decision to subscribe to a show or not based on the sound quality of the audiogram!
Related read: 8 Strategies for Faster Podcast Editing
3. Make Use of Subtitles and Captions
Even though your audiogram makes use of an audio track, it is highly recommended that you also include subtitles or captions for the audio. On most social media platforms, videos start playing automatically but often require a click or a tap to play the video with sound. That means that information can be lost if the user has no intention to turn the sound on. However, if your audiogram contains subtitles, the information is immediately transmitted to the user. It is also common practice whilst commuting or scrolling social media platforms in public spaces for users to not turn the sound on. If your audiogram has captions, viewers can still engage with your material, without the dependency on sound.
4. Have a Catchy Headline
Along the same lines as having an eye-catching image, a catchy headline will also help engage viewers with your audiogram. Use a quick, catchy phrase, an interesting statistic or a funny quote from the episode to really grab the user’s attention, and send them on to your podcast.
Final thoughts
Podcasts are made to be heard. And while sharing links to your podcast in your bio on Instagram, or tweeting about your new episode can get people tuning in to your show, there is little scope for immediate audience engagement on the content of your show. The use of audiograms can, therefore, be a real game-changer, as they allow you to repurpose and distribute your content in a format that is accessible on a number of social media platforms.
You can then use the functions of these platforms to engage with your listeners and grow your audience. Audiograms are also a great way to visually enhance an auditory message and a great tool to encourage viewers to find and listen to your episode and hopefully, binge listen all the other great episodes you’ve made!
Have you ever made use of audiograms? Have you ever found a new show based on seeing an audiogram? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below.
Sources:
Music Oomph – https://musicoomph.com/podcast-statistics/
