How to build an Instagram Strategy for your Podcast

One of the questions we get most often when working with a Podcast client is - “how do I create Instagram content to promote a podcast without just posting audio snippets”. Though you can share audio snippets or announcement posts when you drop a new episode, those aren’t the best post structures to grow on Instagram - so you have to build a strategy for Instagram based on your Podcast. Let me explain! Keep listening…

What is cornerstone content?

If you have been a long-time listener to this podcast, you have probably heard me referring to “cornerstone content” and a podcast is in that box. This is content that is longer from, high value, usually educational or maybe inspirational content. In your case, this is a podcast episode.

Now how do we take one podcast and turn it into a week of Instagram content without directly posting the audio itself?

Weekly Instagram Schedule for Podcasts

The best place to start is by creating a weekly Instagram schedule that is intended to repurpose your Podcast episodes - this is actually something we just started for this podcast. We just recently started reviving our @creatorclubpodcast Instagram account and came up with a set schedule we will use to take this one podcast and turn it into 5 Instagram posts. Since doing this over the last couple of weeks on Instagram, we have already seen growth after being pretty stagnant over the last year. Here is how it will work!

📅 Monday: Reel Quote

The first type of post we create based on the podcast is a “Reel Quote” - this is a direct quote from the podcast that is specifically filmed for Instagram. Our podcast is currently audio-only, which just means we do not have a camera recording the podcast and don’t have a video version anywhere - but because I don’t believe a straight audio snippet would have much success on Instagram, we highlight one or two good quotes from the podcast once the script has been written and while in recording mode, I will take two vertical video clips from my phone of me delivering these quotes while I still have my podcast gear on and set up.

This makes it more obvious that this is a quote from the podcast and though the quote itself will be high-value providing some sort of education or encouragement, this might be just enough to make our Instagram audience want to click the link in bio to listen to the full episode.

📅 Tuesday: Summary Carousel

This is a pretty common one but a great way to repurpose your podcast and that is a summary carousel graphic. It’s time to take a full podcast episode and summarize it into a few, summarized points. Honestly, my theory with carousel graphics is the simpler the better. We use a very minimalist design, keeping it nice and tidy - and make sure the points we are using in the graphic are high-value. Though sure, Reels are definitely still a front runner on growth, it’s still good to keep a variety of content for your audience and your feed.

📅 Wednesday: Meme

Memes are a relatable, humorous way to deliver content. There are so many different types of memes you can create. You can do a GIF on a simple graphic background with little text that says something like “when I let imposter syndrome sneak in…” and pair it with a funny GIF video that shows someone running away, hiding, or looking terrifying. You could also do the other popular meme style, where you take an image from pop culture and add text, usually directly from Instagram. So, you will find something that relates back to the episode you are promoting, and that way the call to action can point them in that direction. If someone related to the meme, and that topic is covered in your podcast, it’s likely they would benefit from listening to your full episode.

📅 Thursday: Reel Trend

Now, you can always post a backup Reel Quote this day, if you don’t have the time to record a separate, dedicated Reel - but ideally, this is when you would post a Reel using current trending audio. You can just scroll through the Reels tab and find audio that you think would fit well with the topic of the podcast episode. I suggest finding audio or music that you keep hearing multiple times while scrolling and that displays the little up arrow, which indicates it’s trending. I would also recommend avoiding just “pointing” - as that trend has been fading and sticking with trending audio, music, or tutorial style is probably the way to go. Something I have actually been noticing on my own personal Instagram account is that my tutorial-style Reels are outperforming the rest - so maybe ask yourself if there is a tutorial you can do that would pair well with the podcast, maybe something that is easier to show or explain visually.

📅 Friday: Tweet Graphic

Finally, on Friday - it’s time to post a Tweet graphic. Just like memes, these are fun and relatable - and super easy to create. We just use a simple, minimalistic Canva graphic design that we created to emulate a Tweet - as if it was pulled directly from Twitter. If you are active on Twitter, you can just screenshot the tweet and drop it into a Canva graphic. We do two different styles for our podcast - if it’s a direct quote from the podcast, it will have the small Creator Club icon - showing it was something said by the podcast itself. If it’s a quote of mine that relates to the podcast topic, I will use my own personal Instagram profile picture for the icon, so it’s obvious the quote came from me and not so much the podcast episode itself. The goal here is just like the meme, this is something that will draw them in, and with a simple call to action, it will lead them to the full episode.

How much time do you need?

Now, this is the schedule that works well for us, but you can of course choose post types and posting days that work best for you and your schedule. We post our podcast episodes on Mondays at 7am EST, so we are able to create all of these content pieces a week in advance. If you can commit an additional 30 minutes to an hour a week, that will most likely cover the amount of time needed to complete these Instagram posts.

My recommendation is to create the carousel, meme, and tweet right after you complete the script/outline while everything is still fresh and you’re in podcast mode. If you have a few pre-created templates, this will take hardly any time at all. Fast-forward to when you recording your podcast episode, make that the time you record your Reels - both the quote and trending style. Then again, when you’re editing and scheduling the podcast, edit and schedule your reels too. This method is called habit stacking and is a great way to just add a little extra work to each stage of the process. But you can also just dedicate an hour each week to creating all of this content and batch it all at once - whatever works best for you.

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One of my biggest tips regarding social media is that you need to have an evergreen platform (like a podcast, YouTube channel, or blog) and a timely platform (like Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter) - and guess what? You’re already a step ahead of the rest by already having an established evergreen platform first, and then adding an Instagram. This will be a lot easier to add to your schedule than you think! If you have any questions, join us over at the @creatorclubpodcast Instagram and slide on into our DMs!