Should You Start A Video Podcast?

In this episode, Jordan joins me to talk through the real tradeoffs of starting a video podcast. Together, we break down what adding video to your podcast actually costs you. Most importantly, we bring the conversation back to the question that matters most: what does your audience actually want from your show? 

If you have questions about starting a video podcast, reach out to us on the Podcaster Success team by emailing support@buzzsprout.com

Keep podcasting!

Transcript

Welcome to Podcasting Q&A

Cara Pacetti 0:00

Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you by the people at Buzzsprout. I'm your host, Cara Pacetti, and I'm bringing you the best tips and strategies to keep you podcasting with confidence. Today we're talking about starting a video podcast. With video becoming more and more popular in the podcasting space, I want to know: have you been feeling the pressure to start a video podcast? If you are, let me know about it. I want to know if you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just plain confused. Just click the Send Us fan mail link in the show notes and let me know what's going on. I'd love to cover this on a future Podcasting Q&A episode. Today I'm not answering a specific listener question, but instead, I'm answering a question that is becoming super popular in the Buzzsprout support inbox. I want to tackle the question, should I start a video podcast? This is a pretty broad question and it's not easily answered with a straightforward yes or no. So I want to walk through three things to consider when it comes to starting a video podcast. To help me with this, I knew I needed someone with experience producing both audio and video episodes. So I've brought in our podcast producer here at Buzz Sprout, Jordan. Jordan, thank you so much for helping me with this one. As a successful podcaster yourself, I can't wait to hear your perspective on this. And I know our listeners will appreciate it too.

Jordan Blair 1:27

Yeah, I'm so excited to talk about this with you. I have also seen so many posts in like social media communities and like on threads and in Facebook and Reddit about starting video. And I think that people are starting to see that it's getting integrated into more podcasting apps in like different ways. And so they're going, oh no, should I start video too? And it's I think it's like the hot topic right now. So it's great that we're covering this.

Cara Pacetti 1:55

It definitely is. And even though the options are out there, we need to consider is it worth the extra work that goes into it? So that's what we're gonna talk about today. I want to first

The hidden time cost of recording video

Cara Pacetti 2:06

start with what it's gonna cost you. So not money. We'll get to that in a second.

Jordan Blair 2:10

Yeah.

Cara Pacetti 2:10

I know that's what you're thinking, but no, I want to talk about the time and effort it takes to record and offer a video podcast over maybe an audio podcast that you're already doing. The first point I want to touch on is think about your recording space. This one's funny to me because your recording space needs to be camera ready if you're gonna be offering video. And I know that I've offered this advice in the past, but if you are trying to make your recording space suitable for the best audio quality, you might be recording in a closet. And that's not always camera ready. And so you need to think about that. If you have pillows stacked around your microphone so that you can get the best audio quality, it's gonna take a little bit of effort and planning and time to get that space to look aesthetically pleasing for these new video episodes. So that's something to take into consideration.

Jordan Blair 3:01

I will say that I have noticed Gen Z really leaning into the authenticity with their podcasts. Have you seen the video podcasts where they're literally in bed holding their microphones? Like. So I don't know. I guess if you were leaning into super authenticity and you just don't care, then that's fine too. But yeah, I think for professional podcasts, you probably do want to have a little bit more of a polished background than your closet or bedding, like sitting under your covers. Right.

Cara Pacetti 3:34

Exactly. The other thing that you may want to be camera ready is yourself.

Jordan Blair 3:39

Oh yeah.

Cara Pacetti 3:40

If you're going in front of a camera, and again, maybe it's uh more work for others. I know for myself, I want to make sure I am done up, whatever that entails, but it's gonna take me a little extra effort than if I were to just throw on my mic with nobody around. I want to be able to be presentable. So that's what I mean by just considering that your recording process might be a little more time consuming than it once was. Yes.

Jordan Blair 4:05

I know for me, um, one of my podcasts, it's not my main gig, you know? And so the thing is, is like sometimes I would record late at night or first thing in the morning where I still have my hair up in a messy bun, I'm in my like pajamas and not lick a makeup on. Right. There is not a chance that I would be doing a video podcast or something like that. Right.

Cara Pacetti 4:26

I think that's very relatable, Jordan. Yeah. So in addition to getting your space camera ready and getting yourself camera ready, this is something that you really need to think about. And this applies to how prepared you want to be. You have to come into a video recording with a different mindset. So you can hide behind your audio-only episodes as far as body language or facial expressions. Nobody's seeing that. So if you say something wrong, or if your guest says something that you maybe don't agree with, you've got to watch your expressions and you've got to watch that body language. And to me, that is a skill. So that takes a little bit of time and a little bit of effort and definitely some intentionality when you're recording these video episodes. Would you agree?

Jordan Blair 5:13

Absolutely. There's so many things that you don't think about when you're recording just audio that you have to think about when recording video. You know, maybe you are mid-sentence and you put your hair up in a ponytail, and then you realize that you have to cut all the bits where you're putting your hair up in a ponytail. Well, if you're on video, the cut is going to look like your hair is down and then suddenly it's up or, you know, whatever. Yeah. But there's just there's little things like that you have to think about. Absolutely, yes.

Cara Pacetti 5:37

And that's learning a new skill. So learning how to be camera ready. And speaking of learning a new skill as far as the one who is on camera, Jordan, you are both on camera and you are the producer. So you get the editing side. What do you think the learning curve is here for someone who has been producing an audio podcast successfully and is now trying to transition into making edits to video episodes?

Jordan Blair 6:03

Yeah, I mean, when you are an audio first podcaster, which I have been for the last seven years, you get used to that and you get used to like cutting things, and I call it frankenbiting, like you, you rearrange your audio a little bit, and you can't do that with video as much. And so I actually had to learn a completely different editing software. So I think that there's definitely a learning curve with video and figuring out how to cut things and with time you get better with everything. We all we all know

What video podcasting actually costs

Jordan Blair 6:36

that.

Cara Pacetti 6:36

Absolutely. You know, that's what we're focusing on here is the time that it costs you. So you may be thinking to yourself that it doesn't intimidate you the time to learn the new skill and what that might cost you, but you are concerned about what is it actually going to cost you. So money. And so I do want to touch on that because there is a cost associated with that. And if you have to get a new recording software, if you want to move to something that's premium, there's an extra cost. So yeah, video hosting can cost more. The video file sizes are significantly larger than audio file sizes. Here at Buzzsprout, we are a hosting company. So we see that. We see the cost to not only store those video files, process them, and also the bandwidth needed to deliver those video episodes to your listener. So it's all a lot larger than if you are distributing and hosting audio files. Yeah. For example, a 45-minute mono audio wave file that can range anywhere between 250 to 400 megabytes. A 45-minute 1080p video file that ranges typically from two to four gigabytes. Whoa. Yeah. So that means that your audio files can be 10 times smaller than your video files. And think about how much space that's taking up even on your computer, too. Exactly. So when you put it in perspective like that, now I know that this is just kind of a range. There can be smaller audio files, smaller video, but just to give you kind of an idea that the video files are a lot larger. So to work with them is going to cost you a little more. So you may see the hosting fees go up a little bit. And that's just something to consider if you want to go ahead and move to that upgraded plan to now start offering video. Another cost associated with offering a video podcast could be equipment. But Jordan, with what we know about video so far, what would you say the cost difference is for getting started with a video podcast versus maybe getting started with an audio podcast when it comes to the equipment that you would need?

Jordan Blair 8:39

Yeah, I think that podcasters nowadays are in a really good spot. I think if you had asked me this question like five years ago, I'd be like, ah, it's gonna be hundreds and hundreds of dollars. You know, all these companies are really making gear that is for streamers, for content creators. And so I don't think it's that much more, especially if you have a good laptop or even like a tablet or a phone. Nowadays, some of the best cameras we have access to are actually like in our pockets. My iPhone can record 4K video at like 60 or whatever frames per second, which is insane. That's like cinema level. And so it's so cool because I also have a Samsung Q2U that has a USB port that I can actually plug directly into my cell phone. So I could potentially just use my Samsung and put my phone up on a pile of books or something and record a video. So I think that you could spend a lot of money to start a video podcast, but you also might have the tools necessary available to you right now. Yeah.

Cara Pacetti 9:51

Okay. That's good to consider. The fact that you could get started now makes it a little more easier to accomplish. So we've talked about the cost with your time and your effort for learning a new skill, the actual cost of the equipment setup or maybe your hosting

Does your audience want video?

Cara Pacetti 10:05

fees. The third thing that I want you to consider is is video something that your audience is asking for? So would offering video benefit your listeners? Jordan, what type of podcast or podcast audience would benefit from now shifting this audio first podcast into a video podcast?

Jordan Blair 10:25

Yeah, I definitely think that we need to put a lot of emphasis on this section because what the audience is looking for and what the audience needs is going to dictate a lot of your podcasting experience. In the video realm, I think that podcasts that would benefit from a visual aspect could absolutely do well with video, especially if you're someone who wants to have more of a social media presence. You want those talking head videos, and you want to have visual elements. So we're talking about like history podcasts, um, maybe tech podcasts, or I think that a lot of like pop culture and society podcasts could also benefit from visuals. Yeah. Um, you know, if you're reviewing, for example, like red carpet looks at the Met Gala, right? Oh, yeah. Like that would be really nice to have that and you can talk about it because there's plenty of podcasts where they discuss visual elements, the ability to have like a video version of it that could really lend itself to benefiting your audience. I have a bedtime stories podcast. It does not make sense for me to have video because my listeners are going to sleep. Why would I have video for my podcast? That doesn't make any sense. This is an audio only sort of thing. You know, one of the considerations is are you creating video just for the sake of creating video? Because you're feeling like other people are creating video and you don't want to get left behind. Well, you know what? Podcasting is amazing because it can go to the gym with you. It can come with you on your commute to your drop your kids off at school or went to grocery shopping and stuff like that. And it doesn't need video just for the sake of having video. But if there is a visual aspect of it, if you want it for promotional items and repurposing, go for it.

Cara Pacetti 12:11

I absolutely agree. You know your audience best as the podcaster. So you know what they want and don't let that pressure of, okay, now that video is available, I have to do it. Now, yeah, if you are considering it and you're kind of on the fence, you're like thinking to yourself, how could I incorporate this? Ask your listeners. Ask for feedback. Yes. Throw a call to action at the end of your episodes. You know how you're communicating with your listeners. You can ask for fan mail, you can put a poll on your social media accounts. So however you get feedback from them, which I recommend doing often anyway, if video is something that you are considering, I would definitely start with asking your listeners and then also give it a try. So there's nothing wrong with just testing out a couple of episodes here and there, maybe as in the form of a bonus episode, or, you know, just giving it a shot and just testing the waters before you fully commit to that. If you have an audio podcast that you've been doing for years and it is successful, you have a successful workflow and it's not going to add you stress to try to throw in a new element to see how you like it, then go ahead and try it out. But I would definitely recommend checking out your audience, checking in with yourself. Where are you in your podcasting journey? If you're still learning the ropes, do not add pressure to yourself thinking that you have to do video. Master what you're doing now and then incorporate video along the way. Fully agree. All right. But if you do have specific questions about starting a video podcast or the new process of getting your videos to Apple Podcasts, reach out to us on the Podcaster Success team by emailing support @buzzsprout.com. Jordan, thank you so much for being here. I love hearing your opinion on this. And I know our listeners are going to have a lot to take away and to think about. Be sure to join us every Monday to kickstart your week. Thank you so much for listening. And as always, keep podcasting.