Use case
Podcast to TikTok: cut an episode into clips made for the feed
By the KeyMo team · Updated
To get podcast clips onto TikTok, give KeyMo the episode as an MP4 or MOV, or a YouTube link on a paid plan. It returns up to 15 scored vertical clips with word-by-word captions and a face-tracking crop, no watermark. You download them and post in TikTok yourself. There is no free plan.
Why a podcast does not drop straight into TikTok
TikTok will take your full episode. Its Creator Academy says videos up to 60 minutes can be uploaded in TikTok Studio on desktop, up to 10 GB and 720p or higher, and that vertical and landscape both work. So the question is not whether the file will upload. The question is whether anyone on a For You feed will stay for an hour of two people at a table.
A clip fixes that by starting in the middle of the argument. The work is picking the right middle, cutting it cleanly, cropping a wide shot into a vertical frame and putting the words on screen. KeyMo handles that part for a whole episode at once and returns the clips ranked.
What TikTok's own pages say
| Topic | What TikTok says | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | Vertical and landscape videos are both accepted; do not add black bars to fake a vertical frame | KeyMo exports 9:16 only, which is a choice, not a TikTok requirement |
| Upload ceiling | Up to 60 minutes, 10 GB, 720p or higher in TikTok Studio on desktop | Clips of 15 to 90 seconds are nowhere near it |
| Quality tip | Make sure videos are 1080p or higher (Creator Rewards section) | KeyMo exports 1080x1920 |
| Rewards length | Creator Rewards covers original videos over 1 minute | See the length table below |
| Originality | Content largely repurposed from another source without creative edits counts as unoriginal; so does content with someone else's visible watermark | KeyMo adds no watermark on any plan |
The TikTok pages available for this article do not state an official organic caption limit, a recommended pixel size or safe-zone margins for ordinary posts, so none are quoted here.
Pick a clip length for TikTok
KeyMo offers four length choices. TikTok does not set one right length, so the decision rests on what you want from the clip.
| Choice | Range | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Short | 20 to 40 s | One point, one punchline, a quick answer |
| Medium | 40 to 60 s | A story with a setup, a turn and an ending |
| Long | 60 to 90 s | Clips you want to be longer than a minute |
| Auto | 15 to 90 s | Letting KeyMo size each moment itself |
If you plan to apply for TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, its rule is original videos over 1 minute. TikTok lists turning long videos into clips of 1 minute or more as one way in. The Long preset starts at 60 seconds, and exactly 60 seconds is not over one minute, so check the length of each clip you pick. The program also has account requirements that you should read on TikTok's own page. Nothing here is a promise of earnings.
From episode to TikTok clips in KeyMo
- Upload the episode as an MP4 or MOV (5 minutes to 3 hours, up to 10 GB) or paste a YouTube link on a paid plan. Link import fetches up to 1080p and asks you to confirm you own the video or have permission.
- Choose Auto, Short, Medium or Long.
- KeyMo scores each moment out of 10 and writes a one-line reason. Clips below 7 are not kept, and the maximum is 15 per video.
- Choose a caption style from the 12 (Pro Glow, Bold Pop, Clean, Punch, Classic, Spotlight, Pulse, Karaoke, Reader, Duo, Slide, Headline), or none.
- Let the face-tracking reframe make the 9:16 crop. Silence is trimmed.
- Open a clip in the chat editor to change it, add music by mood if you like, and download all clips as a ZIP.
Open with the line, not the intro
TikTok's advice for ads is a hook in the first 6 seconds, with the main point in the first 3. That is ad guidance, but it is a fair test for any short video. Use the one-line reason on each KeyMo clip as a check. If you cannot say in a sentence what the clip is about, a stranger scrolling past will not work it out either.
Ideas for the opening line are in TikTok hook ideas. For the way captions read on screen, see captions on TikTok.
Two cameras, one vertical frame
A video podcast is usually shot wide, with both hosts in frame or cut between two cameras. A vertical clip can only hold part of that picture. KeyMo's reframe tracks faces to build the crop. Check each clip anyway, because a vertical frame may not hold both hosts when they sit far apart.
Because TikTok accepts landscape video, you could post a wide cut as it is. TikTok says horizontal uploads get a full-screen button and asks for real landscape video, with no text on the margins. If you want that, post your original file. KeyMo will not make a 16:9 clip.
Originality and rights
What you get and what you do not
- You get: up to 15 vertical 1080x1920 clips, 30 fps, H.264/AAC, scored out of 10, captioned, with no watermark on any plan.
- You get: a ZIP of all clips, with source files kept 7 days and clips 30 days.
- You do not get: a free plan or trial. Starter is $12 a month for 300 source minutes, Pro $29 for 900.
- You do not get: landscape or square exports, or a link import above 1080p.
- You do not get: any promise of reach. The score ranks moments inside your episode. It does not predict views.
Compare the field on our KeyMo vs Opus Clip and KeyMo vs Submagic pages.
Sources: TikTok Creator Academy: creator portal (upload and orientation guidance) (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Creator Academy: Creator Rewards Program (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Creator Academy: Originality policy (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and authenticity (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Copyright Policy (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Ads Help: Creative best practices (checked 11 October 2026).