How to Customize Your Podcast to YouTube

When we think about podcasts, we think of them as an audio medium. However, the number of listeners discovering podcasts on YouTube is growing. Plus, with YouTube giving podcasts a dedicated page, it warrants audio creators paying special attention to the medium. YouTube recognized this and has shared a 67-page guide on podcasting on the platform. However, that can be a daunting place to start for new audio creators so let’s start with small but significant steps. Here, Recordical offers five tips to customize your podcast to the video platform. 

Before we dive into how to customize your podcast to YouTube, let’s establish a why. 

(If you already have a solid why established, jump straight to the tips.)

Be where your listeners are

While YouTube is not necessarily an audio-first platform, it is a discoverability engine. Tom Webster, previously of audio analytics firm Edison Research, shared results from the Podcast Consumer Tracker ’21 and an internal study done with NPR to drive the importance of YouTube in podcasting. The biggest takeaway: listeners who say they primarily listen to podcasts on YouTube state that it’s their “findability point.” Essentially, YouTube’s prowess as a content discovery engine easily extends to the world of podcasts.

As of Spring 2022, more than six in ten weekly podcast listeners in the US prefer podcasts with video. It’s edging Spotify and Apple Podcasts out as the platform where listeners access podcasts. 

This is where the audience is going to answer the ever-burning question: what should I listen to next? 

Think about it as a listener. When someone recommends a podcast or when we’re looking for one on a specific topic, the first thing we’re likely to do is to search on Google. YouTube, being owned by Google, is usually one of the top results to show up. When we look at the data with that in mind, we’ll venture to guess that we’re not the only ones going “duh.” 

The platform has taken note of this enough to make moves in the industry; from creating a dedicated podcast landing page in the US to appointing a Podcast Lead to welcoming questions from podcasters. 

Of course, a content discoverability engine filled to the brim comes with its unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to standing out. 

Recordical recommends these five ways to do just that.