Video podcasting is being pushed more and more. But should you be adding video to your podcast in 2025?
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. While many popular podcasts are now offering video versions of their shows on YouTube and Spotify, whether doing the same is right for you will depend.
Here I’ll outline the pros and cons of adding video to your podcast workflow. Then you can decide whether to start producing a video version of your podcast or not.
The Pros of Doing Video
Companies like YouTube and Spotify are putting a lot into video podcasting this year. While YouTube have added the ability to pull in a podcast to their platform via its RSS feed, they’re also pushing more polished video podcasts to viewers via the algorithm.
Spotify meanwhile have added the ability to upload video versions of podcasts to their platform, giving users the choice to listen or watch depending on their preference.
YouTube’s podcasting push is certainly something that can be a positive for podcasters. By adding your podcast to YouTube, whenever you say it’s available “wherever you get your podcasts”, you’ll be telling the truth. And there are plenty of people out there who do use YouTube as their podcast consumption app of choice. So you will be reaching those people more easily.
Another pro is in showing your face to your audience. People like faces and allowing your audience to see you will help form that special connection with them that makes it feel like they know you. It’s why many podcasters have been putting photos of themselves on their artwork for years.
The last thing in the pro column is advertising revenue. YouTube’s partner programme is well known and many people are able to make a decent amount of money through the adverts that play on their content. If your podcast is big enough, you’ll be eligible to join the partner programme and start to make some money back on those adverts.
You’ll also still be able to work on getting your own sponsorship deals, just like with your audio podcast, but the amount you charge could be slightly bigger. No promises!
Spotify have also announced their own partner programme that will work in a similar way to YouTube’s. So you could double up on your advertising revenue through utilising both and having a large enough audience on both platforms.
The Cons of Doing Video
The first, and most obvious negative of doing a video version of your podcast is time. You already spend a decent amount of time making your podcast, so by adding video production to your workflow, it will only take longer.
You may even have to learn a new skill – video editing – which will also take you time to master. Of course, you could always hire someone else who already knows how to make videos, to do it for you. But that brings me on to the second negative. Cost.
Video costs a lot more to make than audio. You’ll need new equipment, such as cameras, and you’ll need video editing software to put it all together.
Of course, just like audio production, there is free video editing software out there, but you may want to use something like Adobe Premier Pro, which costs around £50 per month.
And if you decide to hire someone to do the editing for you, you’ll likely pay double what you might pay an audio editor.
Something which isn’t necessarily a reason not to do video, but I think is something you should be aware of is that there is no evidence to suggest that adding video to your podcast will grow your audience.
As I said before, you will be able to add your podcast to another platform, which may well entice more people to engage with your content, but it may just be that your existing audience transfers from listening on apps like Apple Podcasts to watching it on YouTube.
The reason why YouTube and Spotify want podcasters to start making video versions of their shows is because they can sell advertising on video more easily – and probably at a higher price – than they can audio. It’s all about them making more money. Maybe podcasters will see some of that money filtering down to them over time. But if you have a small show, you’ll probably not be able to start holidaying in Barbados three times a year.
My other worry is that if you already utilise dynamic advertising through a network, the money you earn from that could decrease. Why? Well if your audience stops consuming your podcast on audio listening apps in favour of YouTube or Spotify video, the metrics that determine how much you earn will decrease and therefore so will your earnings.
So should you start adding video to your podcast in 2025?
My answer is still it depends. If you can afford to add video into your podcast workflow then I’d say what have you got to lose? But if you don’t and your podcast is working well for you as it is, maybe you should keep going with what’s already working.
As a go-between, you could add your RSS feed to your YouTube channel but make sure you’re not supplying a feed that includes dynamic ads from a network. It’s against YouTube’s terms of service.
If you want to explore adding video to your podcast, I can help. Send an email to me at charles@vibrantsoundmedia.com.
