How To Start A Video Podcast

The world loves video. TikToks and Instagram reels are more popular than ever, and more sites are introducing short video formats (such as the case of Youtube’s Shorts). Video opens the doors for a different kind of engagement by giving the audience a face to connect a voice with. The video maker has even more parameters in which to flex their creativity. 

So why is it that in 2019, The Podcast Host reported that only 17% of podcasters were utilizing video for their podcast?

While watching video content can be a great time, creating video content has its challenges – both the overall challenge in creating anything, and the unique challenges that come from recording video.

Your Video Podcasting Audience Avatar

When it comes to how to start a video podcast, it follows many of the same steps as starting an audio-only podcast. You will still want to take the time to figure out how you want to craft your video content, as well as working out how your workflow will fit into your daily life.

Where starting a video podcast branches off is your audience avatar. We’ve spoken before about what an audience avatar is, but here’s a recap: 

Your audience avatar is a fictional stand-in for your audience that has the characteristics of your perfect podcast listener. By targeting your content to this audience avatar, you’re creating an experience that will be more appealing to your intended audience than you would by simply trying a “one size fits all” approach to your content. 

Depending on your topic, your audience avatar might vary depending on the format – you may have to target your podcast differently depending on if your podcast is video or audio. Stats show that video content tends to skew more towards a younger audience, so that may have an effect on your podcast content.

FAQ About Starting A Video Podcast

Q: Will my video podcast be accessible on and be pushed to all the regular directories?

A: Not every directory accepts video podcasts. Choosing to do a video podcast means that you’re limited what directories you can submit your content to. Platforms like iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, and other directories don’t accept video, however you can be sure that Apple Podcasts and Podbean do. 

Another point to consider is if your RSS feed contains mixed media (both audio AND video). In this instance, many directories that do not accept video podcasts in your RSS feed also do not accept these mixed media RSS feeds. They may only show the audio content that you publish, or they may stop pushing content from your RSS feed altogether. 

If you are looking into pushing your video podcasts to your RSS feed, our suggestion is to create one podcast channel feed for your podcast’s audio version, then create another podcast channel for your podcast’s video content. 

You can easily manage multiple podcast channels under one login with Podbean. Click here to learn more. 

Q: Will my video podcast’s audio split off to go to these directories?

A: Your podcast feed is one entity and the file will not be split into an audio file from your video. Having an RSS feed with a video podcast in it will not split the audio off to be sent to other directories. However, there may be directories such as Podchaser that will play the audio of your video podcast, but will not show the video playback. 

Q: Can I record video with the Podbean app?

A: At this time, the Podbean app supports audio recording/editing only.

Where to Record Your Video Podcast

If you’ve got what your content is going to feature figured out, the next step is going to be how you’re going to record your video podcast.This is going to run along a similar vein as audio recording in regards to cutting down background noise and pacing yourself, but there will be a few extra things to consider.

First off, your recording space. When it comes to audio podcasting, there was never much coverage of how to visually organize your space; the most important part is ensuring the best sound quality you can get with the tools and area you have available. However, when it comes to video podcasting, you now have to ask yourself, “What aesthetic am I aiming for?” 

Having an audience avatar put together will help you sort out the type of vibe you want to go for, but at the end of the day you’re the one that has to live with your background. Crafting one that fits your aesthetic and your space will take some trial and error, but it’s better to have one that suits you than to have one that you change constantly.

For example, do you like the look of shelves and collectables behind you, or would you prefer just a plain backdrop or even a green screen? Do you want signs with your name/your podcast’s name on display, or do you want to keep the area bare? Is this going to be a specific area that is a permanent fixture, or is this something that you set up and take down with each recording session? Do you even want to be in the video at all?

With a whole new vector in which to create your content, these types of questions will pop up. It’s just as important to nail these down as it is to nail down the questions about your audio content before you start.

How to Record Your Video Podcast

Just like there’s no wrong way to record an audio podcast, there’s no wrong way to record a video podcast. Your goal, of course, is to create content that is both clear and engaging, but beyond that the possibilities are endless.

• You can use your phone! Modern phone cameras are gaining the ability to shoot in HD and 4K, in the ballpark of 60 FPS. The limit with phone recording is lack of memory in the device, which can usually be solved with an SD card or expanded cloud storage.
  
• You could also use a straight-up digital camera if one is available to you! Digital cameras give you a lot more storage space and video options than phone cameras, but the trade off is the price. A camera is an investment for your podcast, much like other podcast equipment.
  
• Your computer also has a camera, and there are many cameras that plug in to your laptop to act as HD webcams! Recording straight to your computer also gives you the benefits of having a larger recording space, but the tradeoff here is losing some of the portability. That’s not the worst thing, especially if your setup is permanent with your computer, but it is something to keep in mind.
  
• You can also record in your browser using external recording/streaming sites like Restream. 

The Difference Between A Video Podcast and A YouTube Channel

When figuring out your content, you will approach the monolith that is Youtube with some questions. Should you share your video podcast to Youtube? Should you just host your video podcast on Youtube itself? 

The key thing to remember is that a podcast is a podcast by virtue of being downloadable for viewing offline. While Youtube offers a lot of great tools for creators, it limits the ability to download for users by paywalling it with Youtube Premium. Youtube also does not use RSS feeds, so anything you publish on Youtube will stay there, and not be distributed anywhere else.

However, this doesn’t mean that Youtube is out completely; if you host with Podbean, you have the ability to link your Youtube account to your Podbean account, and share your content directly to Youtube. Once again, there’s no RSS feed involved so your Youtube stats won’t appear in your backend, but it allows you to get your content in as many places as possible with minimal effort.

At the end of the day, it’s your podcast and you ultimately choose what works best for you. Just keep in mind what your main goal is with starting a video podcast, and follow the podcasting path that suits those goals best.