I used to talk about podcast content repurposing. I actually based my whole business around it.
The idea that you could take one podcast episode and turn it into endless content marketing: reels, TikToks, YouTube videos, lead magnets, LinkedIn posts, blogs and, yes, emails.
But then, more or less simultaneously, two new AI-driven software giants supercharged onto the market: ChatGPT and … every content repurposing tool you can imagine.
There are tonnes of them: you subscribe through a fancy website, feed in your podcast episode and out spits your 30 x 1-minute videos, 3 x 10-minute videos, five images and three social media posts. It takes like a minute.
So I kind of didn’t have a job any more (and neither did like thousands of video and audio producers).
Hand on heart, I still think that I can do a better job of writing about podcast episodes than AI can. All that content at the click of the button and most of it just seems… soulless. Like comparing a full roast dinner to a lukewarm Drive-Thru burger.
But what really made me want to move on from content repurposing was when I started wondering just who all this AI-generated content was for.
Sure, theoretically it’s for new and existing listeners of your podcast. You let them know that you’ve got a new episode out and they can sound off in the comments.
But really, it seems more like it’s for the podcaster themselves, so they can say they’ve done it. Episode uploaded. Podcast promoted. Content calendar filled. Job done.
And when you look at it like that, you’re ignoring the reason why people listen to your podcast in the first place: because of you. They connect with you. You matter to them.
And the best podcasters I know want their audience to know that they matter, too. The relationship is real and it goes both ways.
When you view podcasting through the lens of human connection, there’s only really one form of communication that honours that connection: Email.
When you email your listeners, you talk to them one-on-one, with nothing between (is anything between us right now? Tap your screen real quick to check). Email is a space to share long-form concepts without having to preface them with an exaggerated shocked face thumbnail.
Sure, Gmail's inbox filters might mean you need to speak louder for attention, but that's nothing compared to screaming into the mosh pit of social media where everyone else is screaming too.
Also, a nice bonus of making email your primary communication platform is that you aren't supporting a company whose algorithms are designed to make teenage boys hate women and teenage girls hate themselves.
If you want to build a better relationship with your podcast listeners: email them.
Catch you next time,
~Sarah at CopyHop~
Sarah Hopkinson writes meaningful emails that help podcasters increase their revenue and build a community around their podcast.
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