Treat Content As Your Product – Not Just Radio

Regardless of whether we like it or admit it, we’re not just in the radio business anymore—we’re in the content business. This is a struggle for a lot of us radio people to jump on board with. I struggled with it many years ago as a personality when everyone at Clear Channel was forced to blog on a daily basis. I even struggled as I started this podcast. Making this audio-only would be the quick way to go – and it was. A podcast only took 30 minutes when I started. 15 minutes to record the audio and another 15 to button it up and post it. Now, it’s a video podcast, blog article, and social media shares. Hours of work. Why? Because content is currency. And times and audience behaviors change.  I get it – most radio stations are already stretched thin, and the idea of doing more (more posts, more video, more podcasts) can feel overwhelming. But here’s the good news: you’re already doing most of the work—you just might not be capturing it with the right mindset.

Flip the Script on Your Radio-First Mindset

Instead of thinking of your digital channels as extra effort, think of them as multipliers for everything you’re already doing on-air. Long ago, our only competition was other radio stations, TV, and newspapers.  Now it’s every podcast, YouTube channel, TikTok personality, and news site fighting for your listeners’ attention. If you want to win, you need more, better, focused content and smarter distribution everywhere they are.

Here’s how to get serious:

1. Acknowledge the gap. If your station’s website hasn’t been updated in days, if your social media is on autopilot, and if your air talent isn’t podcasting—you’re leaving money and audience out there to be scooped up by someone else.
2. Invest—smartly. You don’t need a Hollywood budget. A few bucks into cameras, AI tools, and lighting can turn your studio into a content engine. No more “hostage video” interviews in front of wrinkled banners.
3. Record everything. Your morning show likely creates 40+ minutes of content a day—roll on it. Use AI clipping tools to generate short-form video reels for social, podcasts, and YouTube. And don’t sleep on the gold that happens when the mics are off.
4. Borrow brilliance. Influencers have been lifting tricks from radio for years—it’s time to return the favor. Watch what’s trending online and find ways to make it your own. You’ve got a built-in audience and studio talent to test ideas faster than any solo creator ever could.
5. Play the long game. Viral isn’t the goal—traction is. Every creator starts at zero. The secret is consistency, experimentation, and using your radio megaphone to drive traffic back to your digital platforms. Consider giving your best-performing content a little boost money—it doesn’t take much to amplify what’s already catching on.
6. Let your website be the anchor. Sure, short clips do well on social. But always bring people home—to your station website. That’s your digital headquarters. Embed videos, publish show blogs, archive interviews, and build a content hub that advertisers want to be part of. The more valuable your site, the more traffic you earn… and the more revenue opportunities you unlock.

If you’ve been putting off doing more with your digital content, this is your sign. Your website, app, and social feeds can’t be side projects—they’re part of your station’s identity. You don’t need to double your workload—just be more intentional with what you’re already doing.

When you are intentional about everything you do, you’re no longer repurposing what you do. You are pre-purposing what you do – it’s a mindset to capture everything with the intention of sharing it multiple ways (audio, video, blog post, etc). Do this and you’ll find that the work involved is worth the effort. Your audience—and your advertisers—are paying attention.