Should You Put Your Podcast on YouTube?
When you think of YouTube, a lot of things probably come to mind before you think “podcasts.” In reality, YouTube is the single most popular place to listen to podcasts, exceeding both Spotify and Apple Podcasts by a long shot. I know. It’s kind of crazy. Now, some might argue that a podcast on YouTube is not a podcast at all because it doesn’t have an RSS feed, but we will leave that for someone else to debate.
The real question is should you put your own podcast on YouTube? Just because something is there doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take advantage of it--nor should you. Let’s break down the pros and cons to decide whether YouTube is right for you.
✴ Why you should put your podcast on YouTube
The big argument for putting your podcast on YouTube is that it’s another avenue for new listeners to find your content. And with so many people actually turning to YouTube as their source for podcasts, it would be great to tap into that potential audience.
Another plus? It’s way easier to get your audience to engage with content on YouTube. You don’t have to plead with people to go through the cumbersome process of leaving a review on iTunes. Your listeners can just leave a comment, right there below the video.
YouTube also has much better analytics than your traditional podcasting service. You can not only see who your audience is and where they came from, but you can also see how long they listened to an episode.
Related: 7 Ways To Market Your Podcast
✴ Why you shouldn’t put your podcast on YouTube
On the flip side, there are reasons to stay away from YouTube. Mainly, if you don’t have the proper amount of time to devote to a new medium. It may seem like you can just upload what you’ve already got, throw on a static image to accompany the audio, and call it a day, but that’s not the case.
YouTube is its own medium. Specifically, a video medium. This means that its users want to watch videos--even if they’re listening to a podcast that’s traditionally only audio.
Without engaging video to accompany your podcast, you run the risk of low listener engagement. Sure, you might get some clicks, but the second the audience sees a static image, they’ll click back out. So, at the very least, you’ll need a camera to capture video of your podcast recording. Plus, you’ll need the time to properly edit the video.
✴ How to start a podcast on YouTube
Okay, so you’ve decided you have the time and the dedication to give to YouTube. Fantastic! Now, where do you start?
If you’re super popular (think Joe Rogan), then you can simply film yourself recording your podcast with your guest and upload that. Or, if you’re doing a remote interview, you can screen capture Zoom calls with your guests.
If you’re not Joe Rogan (and that’s the vast majority of us, so don’t worry), then you might want to think about alternative ways of using YouTube for your podcast. Namely, maybe don’t upload the entire episode.
Instead, think of YouTube as a complement to your regular podcasting. You want to tap into the potential audience of YouTube users, but these users aren’t necessarily people who are going to sit through an hour-long video. In general, YouTube users prefer shorter, bite-size pieces of content.
Think about uploading just the highlights from your podcast. Pick one topic discussed in your hour-long podcast and upload that. You can even do this with the entire episode, by simply dividing it up into mini chapters. Try to keep videos around 5-7 minutes for maximum engagement.
Or, you can use YouTube to upload additional content. Maybe a part of your interview got cut because it was off-topic but was still super interesting. Or perhaps you have an update to an older episode, which doesn’t require an entirely new episode, but a short 5-minute video would do the trick.
Also, keep in mind the type of content that YouTube users gravitate towards. The top four content categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and “how-to.” If your podcast falls into one of those categories, or can be reframed with them in mind, then you’ll have a much higher probability of success with YouTube.
Not sure where to start? Try brainstorming in the “how-to” category. Pretty much anything you talk about can be reframed in terms of “how-to.”
✴ Final verdict
Whether you bring your podcast content to YouTube or not is a personal choice. Don’t feel like you have to do it just because everyone else is. You’re better off waiting and doing it well when you have the time rather than rushing and giving it a half-hearted effort.
If you do choose to use YouTube to your advantage, then remember that at its core, it’s a video medium. Therefore, you need to create video content to supplement your podcast. Try to find new and engaging ways of providing your podcast content. Who knows, you might just find a brand-new audience on YouTube.
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