This short-form content format is genius, easy to make, and crushes

Today’s Tip: People are using fake podcast shorts to drive millions of views/leads for their businesses.

Can you tell which of these 2 clips is fake? (answer at the bottom)

1. Mystery Pod Clip 1

2. Mystery Pod Clip 2

Chances are, you’ve watched fake podcast clips on your For You feed without even realizing it.

The clips above are from Lillie Sun, who is seeing massive success using fake podcast shorts to promote her social app, Breezi.

She’s not the only one…I see this over and over and over again.

What’s the difference between a fake podcast clip and a real one?

A fake podcast clip comes from a single person talking off camera to no one. It’s just them in a room/studio by themselves.

The beauty of fake podcast clips:

• They are extremely easy to optimize for short-form (you can record quicker hooks that work best for short-form. Real pod clips are hard to make work on short-form because the pace of the conversation is too slow)

• You can batch record 20-30 clips in one session

• You can use as many takes as necessary because you aren’t interrupting the flow of a real conversation

• They don’t require high production/editing (people expect lower quality edits from pod clips)

• They don’t require the scheduling/logistics of booking guests

Why do fake podcast clips work so well?

Fake podcast clips work because real podcast clips work.

And the psychology behind why real podcast clips work is the fly on the wall principle.

When you watch videos where the creator is looking directly into the lens, it feels like someone is talking to you. It turns the creator <> viewer relationship into a first person POV. These types of videos can perform well, but subconsciously, people have their guard up because it looks the same as if they’re being sold to by a marketer.

Podcast clips are shot at indirect angles, so watching them feels like you’re getting a behind the scenes look into a conversation. It’s a third person POV…more like a fly on the wall.

When you’re a fly on the wall, you don’t feel like you’re being sold to and therefore lower your mental guard. In a way, you begin to relax more as you watch.

This is why “underedited” podcast clips can have insanely high engagement….people literally forget they are watching something and feel like they are in the room.

What’s the tactical playbook?

If you’re trying to come up with a repeatable short-form content format that works to drive leads for your business, fake podcasts should be in the rotation.

Product integrations that come up “naturally” in conversation are some of the best ways to generate interest without seeming like an ad.

Fake podcasts are the most efficient way to make this happen.

Try this and let me know how it works!

PS - If you want to become a master storyteller in your content, check out my full breakdown featuring lessons from Steve Jobs, Christopher Nolan, Casey Neistat, and the creators of SouthPark