Anyone who has spoken to me about video podcasting will know that I was very on the fence with video podcasting. There are of course some great benefits but it is also a lot more work. However, the latest news that YouTube Music will prioritising podcasting in its 2023 plans has definitely placed me on #teamvideopodcast. But let’s run through some pros and cons of video podcasting.
YouTube has over 2 billion active users. That is about one third of the world’s population. To put that in perspective Spotify is the world’s largest streaming site and has 498 million active users. And now that YouTube will be optimised for podcasting there is no reason not to be on there. I believe that video will play a bit part in the future of podcasting.
YouTube and podcasting
It is not yet clear exactly what YouTube is planning but we do know one thing: podcasts are a big part of their 2023 priorities. Here’s what we know so far:
- YouTube recently revealed that background play and other capabilities are coming to YouTube Music for podcasts
- YouTube launched a new podcast page for users in the United States last year
- YouTube is currently developing RSS feed integration so podcasters won’t need to manually upload episodes to the site
Cons of video podcasting
You might be looking at this and wondering why I didn’t always think video podcasting was the way to go. So let’s jump right into the cons past and present.
YouTube did not have RSS feed integration (past con)
When you release a podcast episode you will upload and schedule it on a host site like Anchor or Castos. These sites will distribute your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and all the rest. However, usually they will not automatically distribute it to YouTube. Castos has a plan that includes YouTube distribution as an extra but this is not standard.
However, this will be changing soon with YouTubes RSS feed integration.
Video podcasting will demand more of your internet connection (present con)
Do a short test of your internet connection before the interview and be prepared to deal with any potential technical difficulties, such as echo, the “robot voice,” and time delays. Give your guest advance notice to let you know if something sounds off so you can stop and start again. The same goes for you; if you detect a delay, echo, or anything else, pause, then begin the phrase or topic again to make sure you can edit it out.
More work editing (present con)
Editing video is a different game to editing audio. In audio editing you can edit out ‘ums’, ‘ahs’, pauses and mistakes pretty flawlessly. But in video editing the viewers can see every time there has been an edit. It is best not to edit video in that way unless there is a really big mistake.
With video I recommend just topping and tailing the podcast (cutting to the start point and cutting at the end) and adding in your intro and outro.
If you still want to edit out your ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ you might want to do two edits, one to the audio and one to the video. Although this would obviously take more time.
One thing that will help with this is recording in Riverside where you can actually edit right on the website after recording.
Pros of video podcasting
Now that we got all the negativity out of the way, let’s look at the pros.
YouTube is prioritising podcasting in 2023
As we said above YouTube has over 2 billion active users and now that they are optimising their services for podcasting it really is the place to be as a podcaster.
You have more content to play with
You can repurpose video content into many pieces of content for Youtube, TikTok, Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Spotify video podcasts
Spotify started supporting video podcasts last year so you can upload your video to Spotify as well.
Develop trust and authority
People like faces. It is as simple as that. When people can see your facial expressions they are more likely to trust you.
Learn more about identifying your target audience.
What do you need to start a video podcast?
The good news for any budding video podcasters is that you do not need much. You can start with just your webcam if you interview guests online. Podcast recording sites like Riverside already offer a video recording option.
If you did want to ensure the best quality the Sony Alpha A6600 is widely regarded as one of the leading cameras for video podcasting. The Panasonic LUMIX FZ80 is another excellent option that is slightly more budget friendly.
Read next: Starting a Podcast