Podcast vs YouTube: Which is Best for Your Business?

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Podcast vs YouTube, which form of content is best to start?

Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer to this.

Here’s the thing: both YouTube video content and podcast episodes are incredibly popular and valuable. At the same time, both forms of content are very different, and they lend themselves best to certain brands and scenarios. 

To sum up the podcast vs YouTube debate, in short, the content you choose should depend on:

  • Your brand
  • Your skills
  • Your audience
  • Your content goals

That’s essentially the bottom line. 

But, how do you know which one is right? 

We’ll break down all of the specifics of each type of content in our guide below. This should help you establish whether you should focus on a YouTube channel or create podcast episodes for your content marketing plan. 

Let’s get into it!

  1. Podcast vs YouTube: Which One is Best?
  2. Podcast vs YouTube: Getting Started
  3. Podcast vs YouTube: Growing Your Audience
  4. Podcast vs YouTube: Monetization
  5. Podcast vs YouTube: Extra Features and Versatility
  6. Podcast vs YouTube: Pros and Cons
  7. Podcast vs YouTube: Which to Choose?

Podcast vs YouTube: Which One is Best?

There’s a lot to think about when choosing between starting a podcast or a YouTube channel for your business. Both have their clear advantages and disadvantages.

The most important thing to consider is which content format works best for your business. 

Some brands excel at creating video content, some have their strengths in podcasts, and some are brilliant at using both in different ways. 

Let’s quickly go over the main ideas surrounding each type of content.

Why Start a YouTube Channel?

YouTube is massive. With over 2.6 billion active users, it’s one of the most popular websites in the world. A YouTube channel is also one of the best places for any brand to build an audience. 

You can use YouTube to publish highly engaging videos on any kind of topic. Everyone loves video, which is the most engaging form of online content. 

If you want to use YouTube to promote your business, then it’s the perfect place to display what you do. In fact, 94% of marketers say that video has helped them increase the understanding of their product or service. This is because, unlike podcasts, YouTube videos have a visual element to them. 

YouTube is a lot more engaging than written content (like your blog posts), and it lets you get creative in many different ways. You could experiment with different types of videos, from interviews to product videos, customer testimonials, animations, how-to videos, day-in-the-life videos, and more. 

If you want to explain something and get your audience to visualize it, then YouTube is ideal.

The YouTube community is also highly engaged. Users watch YouTube often throughout the day. When a YouTube channel attracts subscribers, those subscribers will be very involved in watching what the channel publishes.

Overall, starting a YouTube channel is a more popular and versatile choice. YouTube video content lends itself well to all kinds of scenarios, and it’s easier to target a vast audience on the video-sharing platform.

Why Start a Podcast?

Podcasts are still a major form of content. Podcast listeners have grown nearly 30% in the last three years, and this growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. 

Although they don’t involve any visual elements, podcasts are still incredibly engaging forms of content and can be good  YouTube alternatives.  They are more animated than written content, and they let you express your voice in a more natural way. 

Podcast listeners listen to podcasts very actively. For example, they might listen each day when they drive, go to the gym, or work. This means podcast audiences are also often very engaged. 

You can use podcasts to dive deep into a subject. They’re a great form of content for explaining things, revealing your personality, and having conversations with guests.

Although they’re strictly planned, podcasts also follow a more conversational approach. This makes them more natural than a blog post or video, and they are more flexible in their subject matter. 

Podcasts are also a lot easier to create compared to videos. The barrier to entry is low, so creating an amazing podcast isn’t as difficult as creating an amazing video. 

Podcasts also span many different platforms. This includes Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more (you also find some great podcasts on Youtube). 

Overall, releasing podcast episodes is best for when you want to dive deep into a topic in a less structured, and more conversational way. It requires a lot less to create a podcast episode (as it’s just an audio file), so they’re also easier to experiment with. 

Podcast vs YouTube: Getting Started

One of the most important things to consider when creating content is how what it requires from you to get started. Let’s break down the requirements for starting a YouTube channel vs starting a podcast.

YouTube

Creating high-quality videos requires a lot of work, knowledge, and equipment. 

First, you need a camera, filming skills, editing software, and editing knowledge. You might also need a good microphone, lighting, props, and more.

Sure, you can create videos very simply, but if you want to produce a high-quality video, then it’s best to invest in the right equipment. 

Filming and editing a YouTube video is generally a lot more technical and time-consuming than creating a podcast, as there are more elements involved. If you need to invest in the equipment and professional editing tools or services, then it’s also more expensive.

Podcast

One of the best things about podcasting is how easy it is to get started. 

You can buy a USB mic for around $60, and that’s really all it takes to produce a high-quality podcast. In fact, you could record a podcast for free through your smartphone, or on a platform like Zoom. However, the audio quality won’t be the best. 

Editing a podcast is pretty straightforward. You can use free tools like Garage Band (Mac) or Audacity (Windows) to do this. 

This means podcasts are much cheaper and easier to create than YouTube videos.

Podcast vs YouTube: Growing Your Audience

Once you’ve recorded and published your content, you’ll need to attract an audience. Let’s compare the differences between the two platforms in these areas.

YouTube

YouTube videos are more popular and more widely consumed than podcasts. 

The great thing about YouTube videos is that they are so easy to share and distribute. You can easily embed them onto your website and get views directly from social media channels. You can also use YouTube videos as part of your SEO strategy, as these videos appear on Google search results pages. 

People generally watch YouTube videos more impulsively. Podcasts, on the other hand, are reserved for special moments – like driving in the car. 

And if new users crack the platform’s algorithm, their video can go completely viral. This generally results in attracting a loyal following, which will result in the rest of your videos gaining more views. 

YouTube is a search engine, so tactics like YouTube SEO can help you gain more visibility.

Podcasts

Generally speaking, podcasts are more difficult to grow. They’re more niche, and you deal with multiple platforms – as opposed to a single channel (YouTube). 

For example, Spotify and Apple Podcasts have two very different audiences, and they both work differently. If you distribute your podcasts on both platforms, then you need to gather two separate audiences. 

Although you can embed podcasts on your blog and share them on social media, people tend to save them for convenient times. This makes it difficult to ramp up your listens very quickly. 

People also don’t listen to podcasts as impulsive. It’s easy to binge-watch videos and fall down a YouTube rabbit hole after clicking on recommendation after recommendation. Because podcasts are longer, people generally just stick to one at a time. 

Podcast vs YouTube: Monetization

If you’re a creator wanting to earn a revenue stream from your content, then it’s important to understand how the different platforms fare up in terms of monetization. 

On the whole, YouTube is the winner here. 

YouTube

YouTube is widely known as an excellent platform to earn money from. Famous YouTubers earn millions, and there are many different ways that you can monetize your content and start a professional YouTube channel.

You can earn money through ads, you can do paid promotions in your videos, sell merch, join crowdfunding platforms (like Patreon), and more. 

Follow our complete guide on how to make money on YouTube for all the strategies that you can use for making money. 

Podcasts

Podcasts aren’t as easy for making money. 

Unlike YouTube, podcasters rarely make much money directly from people streaming their podcasts. Instead, money comes from paid promotions, ads, and brand deals. 

If you build up a large audience, then you can tap into this to generate revenue in various ways. However, podcasts themselves generally aren’t money makers in the same way that YouTube channels are. 

Podcast vs YouTube: Extra Features and Versatility

Whether you’re a business or a content creator, you’ll want to make sure you make the most of your content. Let’s explore some of the main features of podcasts and YouTube.

YouTube

Youtube is the clear winner in terms of features and flexibility. There is SO much you can do with a YouTube channel. 

You can create YouTube Shorts or long-form content. You can use YouTube videos with search engines to boost your SEO. You can repurpose your videos on social media. You get great insights into your audience engagement, watch time, viewer demographics, etc. You can join and participate in YouTube communities. You can do a live stream. Heck, you could even create a video podcast if you wanted to try both types of content.

Podcast

When you create a podcast, you create a podcast. That’s pretty much it. 

Because a podcast episode is just a straightforward audio file, there’s not that much else you can do with it. 

Different podcast platforms provide different insights into your audience and engagement. You can also get podcasts appearing

Podcast vs YouTube: Pros and Cons 

There’s no clear reason why you should choose one form of content over the other. This really just depends on your brand and what you want to achieve. 

Here are some of the main pros and cons of each form of content. 

The Benefits Of YouTube

Here are a few of the main reasons why you should consider using YouTube as a channel for your content marketing strategy. 

YouTube Videos are More Engaging

People love YouTube. Videos are a lot more engaging and they’re a lot more enticing compared to text links. Whether you’re sharing a video on your website or through social media, there’s a much greater chance that people will want to watch a video compared to another form of content. 

YouTube Videos Boost Search Results

YouTube videos are integrated into Google search results. If you target specific keywords in your youTube videos, these could show up on search engine results pages, like this:

This can take your SEO strategy to a new level, allowing you to earn more clicks and opportunities from your keywords. 

YouTube Videos Offer More

Podcasts are just audio, YouTube videos are audio and visuals. This gives you more room to experiment and publish different types of content.

You can use videos to display things, like products, show yourself as a presenter, and create more of a connection with your viewers. Podcasts, on the other hand, are more one-dimensional. 

YouTube is More Popular

Yes, podcasts and audio platforms are massive, but YouTube remains the leader in terms of popularity. People visit YouTube all the time and consume content at all times of the day. These videos are generally shorter and easier to digest. This lets you target more viewers. 

Podcasts, on the other hand, are more suitable for length, in-depth discussions, and series. People spend hours listening to them, so they aren’t as easy to consume. 

The Benefits Of Podcasts

Here are a few of the main reasons why brands should consider using podcasts in their content marketing strategy. 

Podcast Production is Easier

As we’ve already established, it’s a lot easier to create a podcast. This makes the barrier to entry lower, allowing anyone to start their own podcast – regardless of equipment or technical knowledge. 

Podcasts Include More Personality

OK, this isn’t always the case. However, as a business, podcasts generally give you a better platform to show off your authentic personality.

This is because podcasts take a more free-form conversational approach, while YouTube videos are more strictly planned and scripted. If you want to create content that is more natural and more human, then podcasts are a great way to do this. 

Podcasts are Easier to Repurpose

It’s pretty easy to turn your existing forms of content into podcasts. For example, you could use a blog post you’ve written as a basic podcast script, or you could grab the audio from a webinar and turn this into a podcast. 

Videos require more effort, scripting, and production to make this happen. 

Podcasts are Still Popular

Before you think that podcasts are a dead trend, think again. Podcasts are as popular as ever, and their popularity is only growing. They’re also very versatile. You can also publish podcasts across multiple channels, use them as lead magnets, sell them, or hand them out for free on your website. 

Drawbacks Of YouTube

Being a larger platform also means YouTube is more competitive. Chances are, there are many highly successful YouTube channels that already exist within your niche. You’d have to compete with these. 

YouTube productions are more complicated and time-consuming. This means that you’ll have to dedicate a lot more time to creating YouTube videos. If you want to maintain a consistent posting schedule (which you should) then this can be a very hands-on task. 

YouTube also requires greater financial investment, in terms of camera equipment, lighting, microphones, props, and so on. 

Only choose YouTube if you have the video production skills and are willing to make a big dedication.

Drawbacks Of Podcasts

Podcasts are great, but they do lack the engaging format that YouTube videos offer. The great thing about YouTube is that you can show things visually, and create a wider variety of content. Podcasts are trickier to consume, and so people listen to them more sporadically. 

Podcasts don’t contribute to your SEO, so they can also be more difficult to market and gain organic traffic. You also need a great podcast host, where you don’t always have to have a host in YouTube videos. 

Finally, even though podcasts are easier to make, they still require a lot of time and effort to get right. 

Podcast vs YouTube: Which to Choose?

So, podcast vs YouTube, which channel should you start?

This comes down to what type of brand you have, where your strengths lie, who your audience is, and what your content goals are.

The bottom line is that neither approach is best. The best approach is to make the most valuable content. 

So, if you are uncomfortable behind a mic or hate the sound of our voice, perhaps consider YouTube. If you love chatting and don’t have the concentration to edit videos, then consider podcasting. 

Podcasts are best suited for informative, education, and in-depth topics. For example, if you’re going to cover an entire business strategy or if you want to interview someone on their success, then a podcast works well. 

If you want to illustrate something or provide actionable content, then YouTube is better. For example, if you want to show how to use a product or introduce your team, then video format is better for this. 

Most importantly. Consider your audience and what channel they prefer. This will help you find more success in whichever strategy you take. 

Podcast vs YouTube: The Bottom Line

Choosing between starting a podcast vs YouTube channel is tricky. Both are very time-consuming, and most businesses don’t have the time or resources to commit to both. 

It really just depends on your strengths, your brand, and your audience. We say dive straight in and try out either one. You can always switch channels, or even utilize both. The only real way to find out which is best for you is to start creating content and see what your audience responds best to. 

For more like this, check out our guide on YouTube vs TikTok.

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