Introduction
Are you a podcaster and looking for ways to ace YouTube? If yes, then this article is perfect for you.
Because we all know, YouTube is the most popular platforms for video creators, also in terms of statistics,
However, if you are starting your podcasting career or you want to use YouTube to extend your reach, but you struggle to get views, you might wonder how to get your YouTube video podcast channel seen.
If you have ever wanted to try your hand at writing a book, you have probably heard the expression, “Write like nobody’s reading.”
Of course, content is always the core of a good podcast: How you improvise, how you story-tell, how you connect with the audience, the value you provide.
But various strategies and tips can exponentially increase your YouTube reach, just like SEO can help a website to rank.
So, let’s see the tips and tricks to ace on YouTube!
How to start a Podcast on YouTube?
YouTube is one of the best places to host podcasts because it offers many different features, including a suggestion algorithm that may get new listeners for you who never heard of you before.
However, you can’t simply upload MP3s to the site; you must convert them into MP4s or other video formats. There are several tools available to do this conversion.
Here are the three different methods to prepare the Podcast for YouTube:
- Audio to Video (fastest way)
- Film your Podcast on a Webcam (best for engagement)
- Edit the Podcast on a Video Editing software (professional result)
METHOD 1 - Convert your audio file into a video
If you want to upload your Podcast onto YouTube without editing it yourself, there are several ways you can do it.
You could use one of the many free online tools to convert your audio files into videos, by providing your audio file. You should also add a static graphic to ensure it looks good.
Having a black screen will look bad and harm YouTube ranking. At the same time, having just a random photo won’t look that professional.
It is best to eventually add a nice looking image that includes additional information about your podcast or business, such as a website, additional related episodes, other social media platforms or a shop.
Below, some great social media graphic design tools that have a free plan and also many ready-made templates.
CANVA
SNAPPA
Make use of these tools to create a quality background image for your Podcast. Each of these softwares has thousands of great templates, so there is no need to start from scratch!
A minimum edit and time will work, like adding a logo, website URL, or any other relevant information that you want to include in the Image. We recommends 1920 x 1080 images for HD results.
Once you are ready with the Image and audio, it’s time to convert it into a video using the many free tools available, or also any video editing program.
How to Transform your Podcast Audio into a Video File? (+ best programs)
One of the benefits of adding a static image to your podcast videos on a video platform like YouTube is the increased visual appeal.
Because video (visuals) are the most essential feature of YouTube; with proper resolution and nice visuals, you have a higher chance of reaching your target audience!
Another vital aspect to think about is the quality of the video. Make sure that it is high-quality enough. 1080p is recommended, but 720p is a sufficient quality. 480p or less should not be avoided.
Once you are all set, as we mentioned, you can use some online tool or a video editing program. The first option will, of course, be much faster and is also web-based. So it is best for beginners or people who want to save time.
Below, a few sites we suggest for this purpose.
- OneImageVideo
- OnlineConverter
- Veed (professional, but paid for 30+ min)
With these tools is easy. Choose your audio file, upload the static Image, and wait till the process is complete; Voilà! Your Podcast Video is ready!
Reminder: it’s always recommended to use royalty-free images as background, even when using templaes. They are available for free and can be downloaded directly from websites such as Pixabay, Unsplash, and Pexels.
If you use the tools we mentioned before, like Canva, they include a built-in royalty free photo library you can choose from, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Video (visuals) are the most essential features of YouTube; with proper resolution and nice visuals, you have a higher chance of reaching your target audience.
METHOD 2 - ADD AN INTRO TO your Podcast
Many people are attracted to video content and want to connect with that person behind the Podcast. People like to see people’s faces, and there is no doubt that a video will drive more engagement than a static image.
In order to attract your audience, your Podcast needs to be unique. You have to stand out from the crowd. And almost every Podcast has static Images or multiple images with audio.
Even if your Podcast has “just” an intro clip, then it’s a golden opportunity to improve its quality and stand out. Considering a traditional static image podcast, your “intro clip podcast” will be perceived as different by viewers and grab their attention more.
Also, let’s not forget that more than 40% of users leave a YouTube video within its first 30 seconds, and that is when the viewers decide whether they want to watch your video, or not.
Having an engaging podcast intro can be a simple but very effective way to increase your podcast video performance!
If you are not sure how to easily create a professional intro, then check out the tools below. They all have a web-based editor and many ready templates.
And, if you are willing to record your own episode, and then edit it together with different camera angles, zoom-ins, and graphics, then you are delivering a top quality video podcast.
Let’s find out more below.
METHOD 3 - FILM YOUR PODCAST EPISODE fULLY
Adding a live video to your podcast can improve your audience’s experience, retention and engagement. In short, get more views and subscribers. However, there are some tips we have for you, before you start filming your podcast.
First of all, record with a quality camera. We often see on YouTube podcasts with low quality or laggy video. If you are going to record it, do it well to deliver a high-quality and professionally looking video.
Also YouTube became more demanding on what “high-defintion” is, with 720p no longer being enough to achieve HD. Hence, we suggest to film your podcast at least with 1080p camera quality.
You don’t need a large budget for this. Nowadays, even phones are able to properly record videos, or you can purchase a dedicated video camera for as low as 100$.
If you want to take your video podcast to the next level, of course the better the camera, the better the video quality.
But, we also suggest using 2 or even 3 cameras, in order to record your podcast by different camera angles and, during the editing part, creating an engaging and professional podcast video with camera angle switches!
Hence, even if you filmed it, remember to edit your podcast before you go for the big publishing day.
Yes, editing and checking the podcast is much needed. And editing should include different things that will enhance your podcast quality and its conversion rate. Examples are below,
- Camera angle switches
- Zoom in/out
- Color correction
- Graphics and lower thirds
- Subscribe and like animations (CTA)
- Text overlay with links to social media/podcast/website
- Eventually, background music
While this may seem like a lot of work, it’s an effective way to increase your audience’s awareness of your podcast, and overall video quality, which will obviously result in more YouTube traffic as a result, too.
You could also add an intro/outro music track to your podcast. This is a popular way of branding your show, so you should choose music that matches the style of your video podcast.
There are many free options to choose from, Like Audiohero, Soundraw, Flimstro, and Disctopia.
These music libraries hold commercial music that offers a broad range of tracks without restrictions and full commercial rights.
Or you can also hire a music producer to create a unique and custom track for you.
Best Video Formats for YouTube Podcast Videos
Is important to consider the size of the video. YouTube does not really have a max. size of upload, but a podcast is usually a long video, and having a large file size can be difficult to manage or taking very long to upload to YouTube.
So, the suggestion is to not use more than 1080p and use the MP4 format, which is the best available video format in terms of quality and size. Using formats like AVI or MOV will lead to extremely large file sizes, with a minimal gain in terms of video quality.
There, though, are all the various types of video formats available on Youtube.
- MP4 – High-quality video format, compressed. (best choice)
- 3GPP – 3GP
- AVI
- Web – (Good alternative to mp4)
- FLV – Flash video format
- MOV – QuickTime movie format
- MPEG4 – H.264/AAC+ MP4
- MPEG-PS – MPEG-2 Program Streams
- WMV – Windows Media Video
The 8-step method for a successful YouTube podcast channel
Our experts at SocialMarketing90 have prepared a simple yet effective “rinse-and-repeat” method for your video podcast series.
It will allow you to easily and methodically create high-quality video podcasts, get YouTube views, and growth both your YouTube channel and podcast show.
Let’s have a look at it!
1. Record your interview
The first step is to record your interview. For this, you’ll need a microphone and a tripod. A good quality camera is also recommended, or even 2-3 camera’s for different angles.
2. Edit your video
Once you’ve recorded your interview, edit it in a way that makes sense. It should be clear, concise, and engaging. Check our previous tips and implement them.
3. Add music
Now, add background music to your video. Make sure that the music fits well with the topic of your Podcast, and it has a low volume. A good background music can make your podcast much more engaging and make it stand out.
4. Upload your video
Upload your video to YouTube, by following our YouTube SEO practices.
5. Promote your video
Promoting your YouTube video is very important. You can promote your video by sharing it on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Also, you can post it on forums and blogs, or you can hire a professional agency such as LenosTube.
6. Earn more revenue
As we mentioned earlier, you can earn more revenue by promoting your video through other channels. You can sell ads on your video, use affiliate links, promote brands, etc.
7. Create new episodes
After you’ve promoted your video, you can continue to create new episodes. You can upload another episode after a few days.
8. Repeat the process
This is how you can keep earning money off your Podcast. Once you’ve created your video, you can repeat the process again and again, while repurposing your podcast videos into shorter clips to get more views and keep your channel active.
VIDEO IDEAS FOR YOUTUBE PODCAST CHANNELS
Usually, podcast hosts releas a new podcast once per week up, up to once per month – depending on the show.
For this reason, to have success on YouTube, is important to keep your channel active and upload content that goes beyond your podcast episodes.
So, let’s have a look at some video ideas which could help you to upload more content, get more views, and grow your whole podcast show.
Let’s start by thinking at those moments when you are interviewing someone or conducting a Q&A session? What if you could capture those moments and make them into something special, like a short video clip? For this reason, we also suggest filming your whole podcast, in order to be able to repurpose the film into shorter bits, easily.
So, what are the best video ideas?
You can start by creating videos that explain what your Podcast is about. This way, people who want to listen to your show can easily find it. And also, they will be hyped and on the look-out for future episodes.
Also, you can create short clips that highlight some of your past episodes. These types of videos work great as a promotion to your show, plus, YouTube Shorts get more organic views compared to long-form content.
Lastly, you can also make any video related to your podcast niche. It would naturally fit your channel and increase its niche-authority.
An example, is that your podcast show is about Meditation. Then, you can publish a video about “3 benefits of meditation”.
GROW YOUR AUDIENCE & EARN MONEY BY PODCASTING ON YOUTUBE
Did you know there’s a way to make a lot of money from YouTube videos? Yes, you read that correctly – making a lot of YouTube, even with fewer views.
If you want to make money with your podcasts, YouTube is the place to do it. You don’t even have to worry about hosting costs because YouTube hosts everything for free.
And, what you get, is
- YouTube Ads income
- Superchat
- Merchandise
- New viewers from their algorithm
- Ability to use affiliate links in video description, comments and cards
On top of that, YouTube offers some great tools to help you out. Let’s take a look at what those tools are and how you can use them to start a successful podcast.
YouTube Analytics
The analytics tab is the first thing you’ll notice on YouTube. This is where you’ll to find information such as views, likes, dislikes, comments, etc. This is probably all you care about if you’re just starting out. However, there’s much more to see here. For example, you can check the CTR, how long people watched your video, and at what moment they left. These metrics are essential because they tell you exactly what your audience wants, and what you are doing wrong.
Upload Schedules
You can schedule your videos to be uploaded automatically. This means you won’t have to wait for someone else to press “publish.” Instead, you can spend your time creating more content instead of worrying about uploading it, and at the same time, have a strategic publishing timetable. This means with regular intervals within one upload and the other, and by publishing each video at your audience’s peak time. (you can also see your audience peak hours in YouTube studio analytics).
Channel Homepage
This is another handy tool. It lets you display a custom homepage for your channel. You can customize this page however you like, for instance by putting all your podcast episodes on the front. You can also include links to your social media profiles and other pages on your website.
Playlists
Playlists allow you to group related videos. This makes it easier for viewers to navigate through your channel. Plus, it will enable you to highlight certain types of videos.
Video to Shorts
Using these available tools on YouTube, you can ace the podcasting game!
Bottom Line
Podcasting on YouTube is a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with your target audience, thanks to YouTube’s accurate suggestion algorithm.
Plus, it offers different ways to make money… and let’s not forget that podcasts are usually long form videos, which means more money from YouTube Ads.
If you’ve been thinking about having your podcasts featured on YouTube, it is an absolute yes. With the right tools, you can get started in no time.
However, before you start, ensure you know what you’re getting into. Because, simply uploading a video every few weeks and with a basic background image, won’t get you far. Likely, it won’t drive many views.
Understand how much effort it takes to produce quality content and promote your channel. Also, consider the amount of time (or, money) you’ll need to invest to be successful.
Summing up, YouTube is an excellent platform for anyone looking to launch their own Podcast or for people who already have their podcast show, and looking for new ways to make money and find listeners.
Just remember to put in the work, so you can reap the rewards later.