Video or Audio podcast

VIDEO OR AUDIO PODCAST

Should I create a video or audio podcast?

Before pressing record on your podcast recording equipment, you need to consider whether you want a video or audio podcast.

This guide will take you through what a video podcast is, including the pros and cons of videos and audio podcasts.

Video vs Audio podcasts

Podcasts are overwhelmingly done in audio, and are subscribed to in places like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Overcast. But, humans are inherently visual creatures and video adds visual complexity and emotional depth that audio may not. That’s one of the reasons video is quickly becoming the foundation of the modern web. 

Like aspiring actors flocking to Hollywood for more exposure, creators are translating their work into video for YouTube in hopes of growing their audience. 

The question you must answer is “Should I actually do a video or audio podcast?” This article explores several reasons to consider between creating a video vs audio podcast.

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What exactly is a video podcast? Should you make one?

There’s a tiny percentage of video podcasts out there too. The most popular place they can be found is Apple/iTunes, but some other directories support them too.

A video on YouTube technically isn’t a podcast. It’s a YouTube video. Of course, you can find loads of videos of podcasts on YouTube –famously The Joe Budden podcast.

People gravitate to the faces of other humans because we’re hardwired that way. We use other people’s facial expressions to develop emotional context. You need to look at people’s faces to find out.

So our brains react differently to faces. We prioritize them over other visual stimuli. 

What the hell does this have to do with making a video podcast? 

Well, if you put your face on camera, people are going to pay attention. It’s in our chemical makeup. And when people pay attention, your engagement goes up. 

Video gives your audience another reason to choose your content instead of the flood of other stimuli they see every day. A video podcast provides a different sort of appeal that audio podcasts alone cannot. 

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FAMILIARITY

Familiarity Principle – the more you’re exposed to something, the more familiar you become to it.

It’s the same reason why people deliver the news every night. It’s also why brands bombard us with advertisements we barely pay attention to. 

Use the same logic with your video podcast. By consistently repurposing your show to video, your audience will become familiar with your face. Which means they might come to prefer you as host to others they can’t see. 

YOUTUBE FANS

There’s no doubt podcasts are growing in popularity. In 2020, Apple reported that over 50,000 new podcasts were created as a result of the pandemic. But, YouTube is absolutely gigantic and has been around for much longer than podcasting.

Google estimates that over 1.9 billion people log into YouTube every month. That’s roughly 30% of everyone who uses the Internet. 

YouTube could be rocket fuel for growing your audience. Sure, you could upload the audio of your podcast over a static image, but then you’d pass up on the advantages I just outlined above. 

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How to record video & audio podcasts remotely

Whether you’re doing a traditional video podcast, or recording videos alongside your podcast, it’s worth checking out video recording platforms like Riverside.fm, Streamyard, Squadcast, Podbean, Castos.

On these platforms, you can record up to 8 people on both multitrack audio and video. What’s more, your audience can tune in live to episodes being recorded. You can even have them call into the show – or live stream your interview to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch simultaneously.

We don’t recommend using Zoom because the audio systems aren’t optimised for podcasting and audio quality.

4. Social is made for video 

Social media is optimised for video, not for audio. By default, the audio is muted on every video post. Not ideal if you’re trying to promote your new audio-only show. 

The emergence of wavegrams has made this problem a bit easier to solve. Learn how to turn your podcast into video in 60mins!

In the end, that’s what separates your content from everyone else on the podcast circuit. 

The main argument against video podcasting

Investment – Investing in your podcast will be in either one or two ways: money or time. Depending on your goals and budget, video podcasts cost more time, money and creativity. Recording and producing an audio-only podcast takes relatively little budget. You just need a decent microphone, a room that doesn’t echo, an audio recorder, and some editing software. 

With video podcasts, you need to consider other factors: lighting, editing. You also need to evaluate  the space you’re recording in. It doesn’t need to be the Taj Mahal, but it should look somewhat decent. 

If you’re inviting guests to your podcast, consider that some may not want to appear on camera but a little notice prior to confirming the booking will allow the guest to prepare themselves.

Video vs Audio podcast:

As you’re making your decision ask yourself this question:

Are you making content for people’s ears or their eyes?

With that all said, if you’d like more help with your podcast – from turning your idea into a podcast, structure, editing, monetising – then be sure to check out our free guides.

If you need 1-to-1 support, book your free consultation with us today! We also run live Q&A sessions on ClubHouse and follow us at BBEPodAgency for Q & A sessions.