The definitive guide to your video podcast

Video podcasting is similar to audio podcasting, although in this case the content is video-based rather than audio-only. As with audio podcasts, the video is downloaded and viewed on a delayed rather than streamed live, although more and more people are going live thanks to free tools such as YouTube or Twitch.

Video podcasting is also sometimes referred to as videocasting, vodcasting, vpodcast or videocast.

One of the biggest benefits of making a video podcast is that you can repurpose content for social media.

Benefits of video podcasts vs audio podcasts

Video podcasts are an amazing way to generate cascading content for your podcast, as they can be easily split up and posted as video clips on social media. Video is more intimate because it shows your audience the studio and allows the audience to put a face to that voice behind the microphone, in short, it builds trust. Also, posting your video podcast on YouTube (in addition to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) makes your podcast available to a whole new audience and they can find you if someone searches for content in your niche on YouTube or Google search.

Create a video podcast and reach a new audience

Factors to consider

While video podcasts have some incredible benefits, there are also some serious downsides that you should think about before diving in.

  • It requires more effort on your part.
  • Video editing can add production costs (buying material and having a good computer). 
  • It requires very good lighting (more important than having a good camera).
  • You can't just record anywhere, you have to have a decent location acoustically and visually. This is not like an audio-only podcast that you can record inside a closet or inside a car.
  • Recording video adds stress to the hosts and guests, not everyone enjoys showing their face. 
  • It's a challenge to keep viewers engaged in the video for the entire episode of a podcast, unlike audio podcasts. 
  • And the big disadvantage for a freelance podcaster is time. A freelance podcaster edits his audios himself. Editing video is 100 times worse.

Types of video podcasts

There are several different types of creating a video podcast, some easier than others. You can choose the option that best suits your needs, and you can even mix and match some of the ideas.

Static image (the easiest)

The first and easiest way to make a video podcast is to simply create a video with the cover of the podcast. I don't recommend this method in most cases, because visually it is very boring and YouTube doesn't like static content. Because YouTube is a platform that prioritizes visuals, I recommend creating something that is more dynamic.

If you go this route, I recommend that you create at least one custom image for each individual episode of your podcast. Otherwise, your YouTube channel will just display a bunch of duplicate copies of the podcast cover, making it hard to decide which video to click on.

Visualizer (moderate)

A visualizer is a short looping video (much like a Spotify canvas ) that adds interest to an otherwise static image video. The benefit of this method is that it is much more visually exciting than a static image and much less work than being in front of the camera for an entire episode. It works especially well for narrative podcasts that are recorded over many different sessions.

For example, imagine a short video where the cover image of the episode appears, then the title appears and then the number of the episode or a photo of the interviewees. It's basically making a short animated video with 4 images.

Visualizer with audiogram (moderate)

This is a subformat of the "visualizer". The idea is to use a static image, or a looped video, and overlay the audiogram of the podcast's voice over it.

Some of the tools that allow this are headliner.app and getaudiogram.com among others.

It is an easy way to have a dynamic video from just the audio and an image.

Slides, B-Roll and PowerPoint

Adding slides, b-roll or even a full PowerPoint presentation to your podcast is a great way to enhance the video podcast experience. You can create a video podcast that focuses exclusively on slides, with no faces showing, or you can add slides over the main video of yourself recording the podcast. The goal of this method is to make the podcast more interesting and show your audience the content you are talking about (e.g. share the screen while referencing a website, a map, a newspaper headline, ... ).

Interview with guests

Interview-style podcasts are the most common type of program to launch video podcasts. This makes sense because, naturally, the conversation works best whenever you can see the faces of both guests, and it works especially well when the guest is famous. Physical video interviews are usually recorded in a studio set up for this purpose. Sometimes they require more pre-planning and work to make the whole thing look good, but the advantage of creating a high-quality interview video is that you can split it up and redistribute it across multiple channels (YouTube, Snapchat, IGTV, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok).

Remote interview

Remote recordings have long been a popular part of podcast culture. But in 2020 and 2021, the shift to working from home has created a huge increase in the number of podcasts recorded with tools like Zoom, Zencastr and Riverside. Typically, for remote interviews, full video of the host and guest is recorded and then embedded into a custom branded background. The most basic version of a remote interview is a full recording of your video call that you can upload to YouTube and cut into several short clips.

Talking to yourself

Solo podcasts can follow a similar setup to in-person interview recordings. You should create a cozy studio space for the recording, with good sound deadening and a nice background. This is not like audio-only podcasts, which can be recorded inside a closet or inside the car.

Conclusions

There are many different methods for creating a video podcast. I recommend at the very least creating a visualizer or recording your interviews to allow your audience to see your face and your guest's face.

Recommendations for recording a videopodcast

It depends a little bit on each personal case and the type of vpodcast you want to do.

If you are just starting out, I don't recommend you to waste your money on expensive equipment.

It is true that it will be easier to have a quality video podcast the better your equipment is, but it is more important the content and the format. So I recommend you to test and decide what kind of podcast you want to do and which one you are more comfortable with.

To start with, you can record the audio with the phone microphone or with a cheap condenser microphone of about 30€. If the place where you record is not soundproof (you can hear neighbors, cars, a dog barking, ...) or if you hear a lot of echo, then I recommend that you use a dynamic microphone. I will do a future article explaining better why you should have a dynamic microphone, but if you are in a hurry and don't want to wait for that article, what I recommend is the Samson Q2u microphone.

If you want to record your face, I recommend that you don't use your laptop's webcam. They are usually 720p. It is better to buy a 1080p or 4k webcam (I recommend the Brio 4K webcam). Another option is to record the video with your mobile and then join the video with the audio in post-production using a program to edit the video. If you want to have a very good equipment, then it is better to buy a good video camera and pretend it is a webcam (this is what "youtubers" do).

In the case of video calls, I do not recommend using the mobile as a camera. This is because we want to have the option to save the original video locally and then be able to use that video.

You can start your podcast with a cell phone. Then move on to videopodcast with a cheap microphone + mobile to record video, then for convenience have a cheap microphone + webcam 1080p, and depending on the case try to improve with a more expensive microphone, a dynamic one or trying to soundproof your studio.

A very important thing if you want to shoot video is lighting. No matter how good the camera is, if there is no light it will look bad. My recommendation is that instead of a good 300€ camera, you should invest in buying some led lights for "youtubers/influencers". Normally with a light that focuses on your face and another one for the background you should see a considerable improvement in the quality of the image.

Tools to record interviews remotely

On this point I will make a more detailed article in the future, but in summary, the important thing is that you have to use a tool that allows you to save a copy of the original video/audio.

The problem with videoconferences is that they compress the audio/video to send it over the Internet. This has an impact on the image and sound quality.

The easiest way to solve this is to use Zoom (allows you to save a copy locally) or use zencastr.com or riverside.fm.

Where to distribute your video-podcast

Video podcasts can be used in many versatile ways. Here are some of the most popular ways to distribute a video podcast.

YouTube

YouTube is the number one platform where you need to publish your video podcast. YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users. It is a massive search engine, just like Google, so you need to pay attention to SEO to grow your channel.

Twitch (less common)

Twitch has a talk show and podcast category with over 2.7 million subscribers. Many podcasters record their podcast live and then upload it separately to other podcast directories after recording it live. The benefit of this method is that it requires little or no post-production.

Spotify (limited availability)

Spotify launched its video podcast feature in 2020 , in preparation for adding Joe Rogan Show exclusively to its platform. However, it is currently only available for a select number of podcasts.

IGTV (advertise your episode)

Instagram's IGTV allows you to upload long videos from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length. With a verified account, you can upload videos up to 60 minutes. For most podcasters, the best way to use Instagram to promote your podcast is to upload video clips and add a link for users to watch the full video on YouTube.

Facebook (advertise your episode)

Facebook allows you to upload videos up to 240 minutes. But even if you can upload a full podcast episode, I recommend that you post short 7-12 minute video clips with a link pointing to the full video on YouTube.

Video-clipping strategy for your podcast

One of the biggest benefits of making a video podcast is that you can create repurposed content for social media. To get even more value from your video podcast, break it into 1-3 engaging clips and upload them separately to YouTube and social media with a link to the full episode.

This strategy is used by tons of podcasters, including Tim Ferris , Joe Rogan , Pat Flynn and Naval . 

How it works:

  • Extract 1-3 short clips from your podcast (7-12 minutes). 
  • Upload them in addition to your full episode (YouTube, social media). 
  • Add a link to your full episode along with each clip you post 

Conclusions

Video podcasts provide many opportunities to reach new listeners and generate additional content to promote the podcast. But they also require a lot more work and post-production. If you have the budget or the ability, I recommend that you create a video podcast strategy that fits your goals. 

Once you start your video podcast and grow your audience, the next step is to start considering how to monetize your podcast.

And remember that from WebiCaster we have filters to know which podcasters record video, and we also have a directory for sponsors. If you want to contact any of them, just register for free on our platform and fill out the form in their profile.