Yes, it is 2022, and podcasts are still a thing!
Did you know that there are currently 850,000 active podcasts with over 48 million episodes? Moreover, let us not forget that the number of active podcasts and podcast listeners is exponentially increasing daily!
But what is it precisely that makes podcasts so essential? A podcast is a great way to share your expertise in a specific industry. Podcasts that provide accurate information aid in establishing a company as an expert and an authority in the industry. What could be better than a company that understands the industry landscape and builds trust among customers?
And while it's evident that you should join the trend and create a podcast for your brand, it's also important that you find a strategy to make your podcast stand out from the saturated market.
How to do that, you may wonder? Enter the world of video podcasting!
According to studies, just 17% of podcasters incorporate video in their podcasts. But video is amongst the most popular types of content in the world! Here's why, regardless of the sector or business you're in, recording video podcasts is one of the finest techniques this year for standing out from the crowd. And this article will show you how to do that!
So, if you feel ready to level up with implementing video podcasts to your business strategy, make sure you're also knowledgeable about the benefits video marketing can provide for your brand.
Simply put, a video podcast is a standard podcast in which the media format is video rather than audio. The video component may be as basic or as elaborate as you wish. It is frequently made out of a single static picture or video footage of the podcast hosts and guests.
Podcasts were traditionally recorded and distributed in audio format. However, to make their podcasts more entertaining and accessible, marketers increasingly put video aspects into them. Now podcasts continue to evolve by including facial gestures, body posture, and colorful visuals. That helped brands see higher engagement and revenue than ever before.
When comparing video and audio podcasts, it's essential to consider several things, including podcast objectives and the platform you utilize. Both audio and video podcasts have their benefits and drawbacks.
The barrier to entry may occasionally work in your favor - viewers are intrinsically more engaged than listeners due to the concentration necessary to consume the material. Users' attention will be more fully engaged with your content when they tune in to your video podcast, enhancing the total engagement rate of your video.
There are even techniques to customize your video content to maximize video engagement. Video creation might be intimidating to a novice, but the process is surprisingly simple with the right video podcast equipment and software.
And here is what you need:
On your list of essential video podcasting equipment, there should be:
You can use your smartphone or webcam, but because you'll most likely be uploading your video to YouTube or Facebook, you should make it as good as possible in terms of quality. We recommend that you use a camera that can capture 1080p movies.
Bear in mind that a podcast lasts approximately 30 minutes, so use a memory card for your camera that can contain at least 30 minutes of full HD video in MP4 format.
No matter where you're filming from, a solid tripod is required to support your camera and achieve the necessary shooting height.
When it comes to audio quality, utilizing the built-in microphone on your camera or laptop is not a smart idea. Make sure you use a microphone explicitly developed for podcasting.
If you use an XLR microphone, you should know that you cannot plug it straight into your laptop. You'll need a decent audio interface to transform the analog audio signals from your microphone into digital signals that your computer can understand.
A decent podcasting mixer is more than necessary if you have more than two podcast hosts. It will combine the audio signals into a single digital audio file, balancing the audio levels from the various microphones. That is required to prevent the microphones from dominating one another.
It will be simple to correct unequal sound levels if you record a non-live podcast. When it comes to live podcasts, though, you will undoubtedly want a high-quality pair of podcasting headphones if you want to check the audio levels in real-time and make immediate modifications.
After you've finished recording, the work on a computer will take up most of your time. You'll need a good one to import the file, update it, and then submit it online. Consider raising the audio and video separately as well as together. You may then target listeners on the most popular podcasting sites before uploading the audio-video clip to YouTube and Facebook.
Non-live video podcasts, as opposed to live ones, provide you with greater control over what you broadcast. You may combine audio and video, make necessary edits, boost audio levels, and more.
There is free video editing software available, such as Windows Movie Maker, allowing you to connect your camera and microphone to your computer and edit the files as soon as they are recorded.
Of course, where would we be if we didn't have this one? Once you've completed all of the editing, exporting, and meta-tagging, you can connect to the internet and submit your video podcast whenever it's convenient for you, but make sure you stick to a specific weekly and hourly schedule.
Now that we've covered everything you'll need to create a video podcast, let's move on to the next important section of this article: what kind of video podcasts are there.
This type of video podcasting consists of a basic recording of a podcast played over a single picture, usually the podcast's logo or a subject in concern. Video podcasts using simply a static image might be an excellent way to get started in the field of visual storytelling. But, while they can help you reach new audiences, they do not result in high levels of interaction.
In this podcast format, a presenter and a guest sit down to discuss a particular topic. The number of guests for this type of show might vary – you can interview a single individual or a group of people.
A well-lit room and a camera devoted to each participant are essential components of this sort of video recording. The more guests you invite, the more difficult it might be to carry off. More people means more cameras, chairs, lighting, and microphones. Not to mention the greater likelihood of bloopers and retakes, which implies more time spent editing later.
When the hosts and guests of a podcast are in separate regions, this form of interview allows for a dialogue from the comfort of each participant's home. With today's focus on digital communication, it is one of the most prevalent varieties of the video podcast.
This format is more accessible to record than the others on this list. Unlike an in-person interview, this comprises a video conversation with podcast guests through a platform, such as Skype or Zoom. We can't deny that many aspects of the world are becoming remote. That is most likely one of the reasons why these kinds of podcasts have grown so popular.
This form of video podcast includes various visual content, such as videos, images, and more. It's a blend of b-roll film and a typical podcast session. For example, if a guest mentions a movie, news story, chart, or a specific topic, you may show a video clip or an image of it before switching back to your or your visitor's face. Simply put, these podcasts include a visual depiction of the subject matter being addressed. That is an excellent way to increase the value and engagement of your podcast.
This video podcast is appropriate for business professionals or individuals with an important message to communicate, a captivating story or experience to share with the audience, or exploring future ideas and expert views on a particular issue.
In this type of podcast format, the presenter is the single focus of attention because he talks alone for the show's duration.
As we mentioned above, according to research, just 17% of podcasters create video podcasts. However, video podcasting has numerous advantages that make it preferable to audio-only podcasts. Let's look at some of the reasons why you might consider joining the 17s:
Videos are highly visual elements, and we, as humans, are visual beings. That is why the majority of viral networks, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, are built for video rather than audio.
We build emotions depending on the facial expressions of others because we can read people's faces and thrive off their reactions. A video component will broaden your reach and make your audio material more compelling for social audiences and attract the right people to your channel.
One of the primary reasons video podcasts are becoming so popular is their simplicity of use. Listeners may effortlessly access YouTube without joining up and begin watching their preferred podcast. It would be best to think about adding captions to your video to make it even more accessible. In addition to the title and meta description, this will bring essential SEO benefits, like ranking the video higher. As a result, Google will identify the text file and the keywords used, and the video's rating in search engines will improve.
People enjoy watching and sharing videos. Thus video podcasts are more likely to be shared than audio-only podcasts, according to Wordstream research. If you upload your podcast to YouTube, you can include it on your website or share it on social media, and people can share your video by only clicking one button.
If well-known hosts or guests don't support your podcast, visual recognition is an excellent approach to establish credibility. According to research, if the audience can see the speaker rather than only hear him, they are more inclined to trust him. Because viewers are more likely to associate a person's face with a specific brand, video podcasts can help drive brand affinity.
Now that you know what a video podcast is, what kind of equipment you'll need, and the many varieties of video podcasting, it's time to get to the heart of this article:
Below, we outline a five-step guide to getting your new video podcast up and running:
Of course, what is a podcast without a topic? But not just any issue; choose a trending topic where you are confident your audience will be interested. If the content is uninteresting or out of date, the audience will not only not listen to the entire podcast, but they will most likely not even click the link in the first place.
Assume you are an independent creator looking to create podcasts on various themes. You might explore subject suggestions from your viewers, or you can perform your study on a specific one to determine if it has the potential to attract an audience.
However, if you're a business and your video podcasts' audience is essentially your existing and future consumers, the themes should be well-researched and attempt to answer one or more overarching concerns connected to your unique sector and specialty.
To conclude, whether you're an independent podcaster or a business one, consider different methods to keep the video podcast relevant to your viewers by delivering value in the form of solutions or expertise.
After you've decided on a topic, you should consider the format in which you'll record your videos. Above in this article, we discussed several types of video podcasts that are often utilized.
A word of advice: before you pick the format for your video podcast, think about the audience you want to target and accentuate on subjects that include their interests and would grab their attention. This will help you determine what format fits best for the purposes of your podcast. You should also ensure that you and your guests have the necessary equipment to carry out the format in the proper manner.
We also recommend that you also draft a catchy script. You will avoid making terrible blunders if you eliminate unnecessary phrases and noises.
The recording technique for one format may be completely different from another.
For instance, if you've opted to use a static picture format for your podcast, you'll need to record the audio and select the appropriate image.
To record an in-studio interview, you must first prepare the space by arranging cameras, lighting, seating, and testing microphones.
To record a remote interview, you will only need to hit the record button on your laptop.
Using your preferred editing program, enhance the aesthetic of your finished film by altering the colors, adjusting the audio levels, merging the video pieces, and inserting titles and transitions.
You'd have to lip-sync the audio and video files if you utilized an external microphone to record your podcast. Applying filters and transitions to videos can also help enhance their quality, but it's essential to understand the difference between editing and over-editing. Don't spoil your podcast by cramming it with distracting visual elements.
The last step in video production is customizing your video thumbnail to persuade visitors to click through to your video.
Consistency in thumbnails can help your viewers know your videos without looking at who submitted them. That is why, to establish that recall factor, we recommend keeping to a particular style, color, and font.
The final step in getting your video material live on the web is uploading it to a hosting platform, but don't forget about the most crucial step: sharing it. To enhance the reach of your video podcast, use social media amplification across many platforms.
When it comes to video platforms, what is better than YouTube! Consider adding strategic and well-researched tags to your YouTube videos after you've uploaded them. Doing so with SEO in mind will help rank your videos for your target keywords and help users find your content easier.
It's also a good idea to publish your podcast in several formats, such as video, audio, and text. Of course, this will help you reach a larger audience.
Another thing to consider is that instead of posting the complete video, try extracting intriguing bits from the podcast and publishing them with a link to the full video so that the audience may view it.
It's no secret that video podcasts are a rising trend, and estimates indicate they will continue to increase in the future as more people spend time watching videos on the internet.
Without question, we can say that entering the field of video podcasting is crucial for your company!
