As a podcaster, your main aim is to consistently put out highly valuable content via top quality podcast episodes. Secondary to that, you are mostly likely constantly looking for ways to cement your authority within your niche and grow and strengthen your group of loyal podcast listeners. And there are plenty of really effective ways to do this. You could (and should!) run a blog alongside your podcast, you could launch a video podcast or YouTube channel, or you could leverage Pinterest to help promote your show. But, for today’s post, we’re going to explore another way you could strengthen your authority and really grow your listener base – by turning your podcast into a book!

Many podcast hosts have had great success from branching out into author territory and sharing their podcasting knowledge in a different format. Two stand-out examples are Dave Jackson, founder and host of School of Podcasting, who enjoyed great success with his book Profit from your Podcast which was released this year, as well as veteran podcaster Eric Nuzum, whose book, Make Noise, was a real winner in 2019. 

But turning your podcast into a book is not limited to shows Roman Mars, host of 99% Invisible, along with the show’s producer, Kurt Kohlstedt, recently released their book, The 99% Invisible City. This book is a wonderful extension of the podcast, but the new medium allows for a more intricate exploration of the topics. In the same vein, hosts of the the ever-popular podcast Stuff You Should Know, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant (with Nils Parker!) are set to release their own book later this month, the aptly titled, Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things.

And these are just a few examples of podcasters who have expanded their influence and reach by putting pen to paper and turning to the written word.

And you and your show could be next! In this post, we’re looking at eight reasons why turning your podcast into a book may just be the next phase of your podcast marketing strategy.

Related read: How to Improve the Discoverability of Your Podcast

1. You Will Strengthen Your Niche Authority

One of the most compelling reasons for writing a book is that it is an incredible credibility booster. Having a book out there with your name printed on the cover is a great way to skyrocket you to “Expert Status” as books are viewed as one of the most credible sources of information. Through sharing your content in a text-based format, you will be able to further establish yourself as an expert on your topic, and as a result, people will see you, and by extension, your podcast, as a reliable and credible source of information, further strengthening your niche authority. In addition to this, by turning your podcast into a book, you will be putting out more content across another medium, which all serves to strengthen your authority within your niche, and is key to helping your podcast rise to the top.

Related read: 8 Strategies to Build Authority in Your Podcast Niche

2. You Have A Head Start

One of the strongest arguments for turning your podcast into a book is the fact that, as a podcaster, you have been given an incredible head start. Why, you ask? Well, because you will already have so much content to start with! One of the most daunting challenges of writing a book is the sheer amount of content writers need to produce, usually from scratch. As a podcaster, you will already have plenty of content to start with, especially if you’ve been faithfully transcribing your podcasts! (Just one of the many reasons why you should be transcribing, hint, hint!) And while you will still have to put in a lot of hard work and effort (you are writing a book, after all!) your workload will be considerably less than if you were starting your book from scratch. And as an added bonus, as you would likely have had to have done plenty of research for your podcast episodes, you’ll have all that research ready and waiting for you to turn to as you start your book-writing project. 

Related read: The Top 5 Benefits of Transcribing Your Podcast

3. You Can Repurpose Your Content

Speaking of all that research and work you’ve already done for your podcast brings us nicely to our next reason for turning your podcast into a book. It gives you a great opportunity to repurpose your content, and really make all that hard work you’ve put in to your podcast now work for you! And while any research you do for your show is never really wasted, whether it goes into the final product or not, if you do choose to write a book, it definitely won’t be wasted as the research phase of book writing will largely be done already. Also, through your podcasting experience, you should already have a good handle on the type of content your audience wants, you know the direction you need to head as you prepare to write your book. You can leverage this knowledge to your advantage by using it to create a book that they will be all too eager to get their hands on!

Related read: How To Write Stand-Out Blogs for Your Podcast

4. You Already Have an Eager Audience

For many would-be authors and writers, the fear that they will simply not be able to sell any copies of their book is enough to halt the project before it ever has the chance to see the light of day. But, as a host of a podcast with a strong base of loyal listeners, you already know that there are people who are interested in your area of expertise and would be eager to purchase your work in print. Podcast listeners are some of the most loyal and dedicated fans out there, which means you will already have a huge amount of support for your book. You will still have to do plenty of marketing to really boost your exposure, but the support from your podcast community will be really beneficial to your book’s overall success. And on top of that, all that support from your eager audience can also be a great motivational force for spurring you on to complete your writing project! 

Related read: How To Build a Strong Podcast Community

5. You Will Reach New Audiences

One of the main goals for any podcast host is to get their content into as many ears as possible. There are many ways that this can be done, from promoting your show via different social media platforms to looking for guest opportunities on other podcasts or creating discoverable content for your podcast-related blog. However, writing a book could be just the marketing strategy your podcast needs! Whether it’s in physical print, an e-book or even an audiobook, each type of book has their own unique platforms to reach potential readers and listeners, as their points of sale and distribution channels are unique. Each platform also has its own audience, depending on what type of content readers like to consume. So by putting out your content in a completely different format, you will be reaching a whole new audience, which you can then convert to podcast listeners.  

Related read: How to Promote Your Podcast if Marketing is Not Your Strength

6. You Can Fulfill a Dream

Back in 2002, a survey was conducted which revealed that 81% of people want to write a book “one day.” Many of us harbor the dream of one day writing a top-selling book, but, usually, we think that this is just a pipe-dream, or something we will try on that allusive “one day” when we feel we will actually have something to say, or when we have the finances and opportunity to do it professionally. For many podcasters, this may be the reason they got into podcasting in the first place as it was an accessible way to get their story or voice into the world, without having to get their book picked up and published. But now, as a podcaster, with all the work you’ve put into your show, and by constantly putting out valuable content, you’ve done a lot of the groundwork of establishing yourself as authority with your niche. Add that to all the work you’ve done to build up a strong podcast community, and your dream of writing a book starts looking a lot more like reality. But even if becoming a fully-fledged author was not on your to-do list, as we saw in Reason #1, being able to put “author” behind your name can only serve to cement your voice as one of authority and expertise in your subject.

7. You Can Create an Additional Stream of Revenue

Creating valuable content means that there is always potential to turn that content into another stream of revenue. And this is especially true of a book. Once you’ve put in the hard work to get your book published, and you’ve covered any costs you may have incurred through the editing, printing, and distribution processes, any sale of your book will see you bringing in additional revenue. Writing a book can also open up other opportunities for audience exposure and additional revenue streams. Anything from speaking engagements, key-note speaker opportunities, or convention sessions all become a greater possibility when you’ve built up your credibility and authority within your niche by putting (best-selling!) “author” behind your name.

8. Publishing is More Accessible than Ever Before

No book deal (yet!)? No problem! Now, more than ever before, self-publishing your book is a viable option! Self-publishing is becoming more and more popular, with many new authors choosing to go this route, as they can then maintain way more control over their content, as well as how and where they advertise their book. Obviously, going the self-publishing route will require a lot more effort from your side in terms of marketing and advertising strategies. You will have become quite comfortable with the fact that you will need to do a lot of self-promotion, both via your podcast as well as your social media platforms in order to reach new audiences. But on the plus side, if you’ve already built up a loyal fan base around your show, you will not need to “push” the promotion of your book too hard in order to get the ball rolling, as you will already have a great group of people around you who love your content and are excited to support your new adventure. If they have grown to trust your voice and opinion on your niche topic through your podcast, converting them to becoming buyers of your book should be a natural next step.  

Closing Thoughts

Turning your podcast into a book could open up many new doors and create the potential for a whole host of new and exciting opportunities. Of course, the thought of writing, editing, and publishing your own book can also be really daunting! But, as you can see above, there are some really great benefits to putting your amazing content out there in a new format and reaching a whole new audience. But above all, taking up the challenge of writing your book, and reaching a wider group of people with your content will also gain you more listeners for you podcast. So take a page out of our podcast marketing strategy, and start putting pen to paper. You’ll then be well on your way to becoming a fully-fledged published author and both you and your show will reap the benefits.

Related read: 7 Benefits of Turning Your Audiobook into a Podcast