Do you want more engagement and discoverability for your podcast? Of course you do! In this article, you’ll learn what is a video podcast and why you shouldn’t ignore video if you want to increase your reach and grow your audience and brand.
What Is A Video Podcast?
A video podcast (also known as a vodcast) is a video version of an audio podcast. Video podcasts typically feature footage of the host and any guests speaking. They can be watched or listened to on YouTube or other video-hosting websites, or through podcast platforms that support video.
The popularity of video podcasts has grown steadily over the years. According to Morning Consult, 46% of podcast listeners said they prefer consuming podcasts with video, whilst 42% said they would rather listen to audio-only. They also found that YouTube is the most popular platform to consume podcasts with those whom they surveyed.
While this still shows that audio-only is a very popular way of consuming podcasts, it does show that there is also significant demand for video podcasts.
Is It Worth Creating a Video Version of My Podcast?
Let’s break down some of the positives and negatives of creating a video version of your podcast alongside your audio episodes.
Positives
- Discoverability – YouTube does a good job of showing people content that they might be interested in based on their search terms. YouTube is a search engine. And a much more effective one than most podcast apps. This means that YouTube could serve up an episode of your podcast based on what your potential listeners are searching for, so long as the title and description have been written with these search terms in mind.
- Engagement – Video can be more engaging than audio. When people watch your videos, they can see your face, giving them an opportunity to connect on a deeper level. It’s easier to get a sense of personality when watching a video and can help to get your audience to know, like and trust you.
- Marketing – Video creates more engagement on social media than audio and written word. Recording a video version of your podcast gives you more options when it comes to marketing your show. As you’ll already have the video recorded, the footage can be repurposed into video clips to share on social media. This can result in more click-throughs to your podcast feed.
- Options – Having a video version of your podcast available gives your fans options. Some podcast listeners simply prefer to consume video content over audio-only. Giving your listeners options that suit them increases the likelihood that they’ll stick around.
Negatives
- Time/Money – Creating a video podcast takes time. And if you’re outsourcing production and/or buying video equipment, it also means more of a financial investment.
Ultimately, if you want to maximise the reach of your podcast and grow it as fast as possible, it’s worth creating a video podcast?
The Three Types of Video Podcast
There are three main types of video podcast, and the one that’s right for you depends on your type of show and how much time and money you’re able to invest. Read on and see which type sounds right for your podcast.
- Online Interview
Interviews conducted over video calling software like Zoom or Teams are the most common type of video podcast. As video is already essential in facilitating an online video call, it makes sense that the video could be repurposed as a video podcast.
- In-Person
An in-person video podcast is where the host and guests are physically present in the same place and filmed on video. This can give a more professional feel and create a more engaging experience for viewers. If you’re a solo podcaster, you could record a ‘talking head’ style video. For shows with guests or co-hosts, a more elaborate, multi-cam approach could be taken.
- Audiogram
No video? No problem. If you don’t record your podcast episodes via online video calling software and you don’t have the time or budget to film in-person episodes, hope is not lost. Even if you haven’t recorded any video footage, you can still create a video file to post on YouTube.
How? Audiograms.
An audiogram is a visual representation of your podcast audio. There are various online apps such as Headliner and Wavve that let you turn your edited audio into a video file. You can even add custom graphics, animated sound waveforms and subtitles to make it more engaging than a static image.
How Do You Create a Video Podcast?
Want to give video podcasting a try? Check out our complete guide (coming soon) on how to create a video podcast for whichever type you want to go for.
