There is a range of options available if you’d like to put a podcast on YouTube.
- One approach is creating micro-content, based on your episodes.
- Another is to generate audiograms, which are artwork and audio combined.
- You might also choose to record video during your audio recording sessions, and publish the entire video-recorded episode.
- You can even animate clips from your podcast and have them turned into little cartoons.
- In this article, we’ll help you decide which is best for your podcast. We’ll also answer frequently asked questions about podcasting on YouTube.
YouTube is one of the biggest search engines, and one of the most popular websites on the planet. And whilst YouTube isn’t actually a podcast hosting provider in the technical sense, it has now started to roll out some dedicated podcasting features for listeners and creators.
So, how do you put a podcast on YouTube?
First up, there are a few things to consider.
Have You Launched Your Podcast Yet?
Does your podcast already exist? That’s the first big important question here.
If not, then the best place to begin is our free, step-by-step guide on how to start a podcast. That’ll walk you through the entire process of getting your show up and running.
Topic and content aside, though, a key factor behind your podcast is where it actually lives online. A central hub where you create your show, and upload your episodes. This is where podcast hosting providers come in.
Once you’ve signed up with a podcast hosting provider, created your show, and uploaded your first episode, then you can think about pushing out your content to additional platforms, such as YouTube.
Why Can’t I Just Use YouTube as My Primary Podcast Hosting Provider?
You can put a podcast on YouTube, but it shouldn’t be your sole podcasting platform. If you uploaded your episodes here, and nowhere else, then you couldn’t get your show listed in apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and the million other places podcasts are consumed.
At the moment, YouTube’s official move into podcasting is very limited. It’s a US-only feature which enables podcasters to re-skin their channels as “podcasts” and be discovered and featured on podcast pages. But I’d still treat this as a YouTube channel companion to your show, rather than it being the podcast itself.
What Kind of Podcast Content Should I Put on YouTube?
So, let’s assume you’ve created your show inside your media hosting account. You’re publishing audio episodes, and they’re being pushed out to platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.
You now want to add YouTube to the list of places where folks can find your show. There are a few different options available.
Full Podcast Episode as Video Content: Option 1
This is where you actually film yourself recording, and upload the entire episodes as visual content as a YouTube video.
You can use a webcam to film the episode if you’re recording locally. You can also use multiple cameras and mix up the different angles and shots, if you want to get fancy. This is an affiliate link, but check out Manycam if you’re looking for a great video tool packed with lots of options and features.
If you’re recording with remote guests, lots of call recorders record video as well as audio, so you can use this to publish your podcast episodes to YouTube.
And if you want to add an extra layer of polish and professionalism to your videos, then VEED’s video editor has lots of options and flexibility, too.
Audio With Static Image as ‘Video’: Option 2
Here, the full episode is published on YouTube, with the visual aspect simply being a static image. Commonly, this will be the podcast’s cover art.
If you host your podcast with Libsyn, they give you the ability to link up your podcast hosting with your YouTube account so that your episodes are published there, in this manner, automatically.
Another hosting platform that’ll create a “video” out of your audio is RedCircle, though you need to upload it to YouTube manually if you’re using their free tier.
If you’re using Alitu to record and edit your podcast, there’s a quick and easy ‘export as video’ option in there too. It’ll create your episode as an audiogram-style video. An Audiogram is typically a background image with captions and a dynamic sound wave running over it. They can be great for promoting and sharing your podcast. Here’s our beginner’s guide to audiograms. That’ll point you in the direction of how to make your own, and if you like it, you can publish it on YouTube.
If you’re not keen on filming your episodes, but also want something a little more dynamic than a static image, you could try PowerPoint. That would enable you to mix up your images, as well as add in some text here and there.
Create Micro Content From Your Episodes: Option 3
This is the best option, for a few different reasons – but also the most time-consuming. Few people will sit through entire podcast episodes on YouTube, especially if there are no real visuals, like in option two. So putting your podcast on YouTube in a more bite-sized and searchable form can yield much better results.
An example of this could be our own podcast, Podcraft. One of our episodes was all about the best podcast mics on the market. We could take a 1-2min segment from this episode, discussing why we think the Samson Q2U is the best microphone for podcasting. We could then upload it as a self-contained YouTube vid with a searchable title.
This video will point back to the full episode, and podcast as a whole. But it would work well as stand-alone content that answers one single question, performs well in search, and is very shareable.
Turn Your Podcast Into a Cartoon: Option 4
Yes, this is really an option. You can take a short clip from an episode and have it animated into a little cartoon. Who doesn’t like the thought of that? Check out our full post on audio animation for more details, as well as our own case study examples!
Summary: How to Put a Podcast on YouTube
Let’s have a look at the key takeaways, then.
- Firstly, your podcast should exist primarily somewhere other than YouTube. Here’s how to start a podcast, and here’s how you upload one and get it in places like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
- Once your podcast exists in its main audio form, decide on the kind of podcast content you want to put on YouTube.
- Will you film your episodes and upload the video?
- Will you use a static image, audiogram, or slideshow as your video?
- Will you create micro-content from your episodes and upload short, shareable clips to YouTube?
- Will you create cartoons or animations from your audio? This is ideal if you run a fiction or audio drama series.
How to Put a Podcast on YouTube: FAQ
Still searching for an answer to a particular question about podcasting on YouTube? Here are some of the most frequent ones we get asked.
Can a YouTube Channel Be a Podcast?
Though YouTube is “getting into podcasting”, some would argue that it isn’t really a podcast unless it has an RSS feed, which then lets you publish to all the other podcasting directories.
Even if you can access the early iteration of YouTube’s podcasting features, it’s worth thinking of this as companion content for your main audio podcast. But your listeners and viewers don’t need to know or care about these details, and you can openly tell them that the podcast is available on YouTube.
Can I Upload Audio Files to YouTube?
Audio files like MP3s and WAVs can’t be uploaded to YouTube. You’ll need to use another tool or software to give them a video component, even if that’s just a static image of your cover art, or, done in the more dynamic audiogram style. Podcast hosting platforms like Alitu, Libsyn, and RedCircle can create these for you automatically.
What’s the Best Video File Format for YouTube?
MP4 is the best file format for YouTube. In YouTube’s recommended upload encoding settings they also suggest video codec H.264 and audio codec AAC-LC. Most modern video recording or editing tools will have dedicated ‘export for YouTube’ settings to help you automate this, if it all sounds a bit confusing.
What Equipment Do I Need to Podcast on YouTube?
If you are going with a static image or audiogram approach, your existing podcast equipment will be totally fine. You won’t need to buy anything else. Even if you’re recording video of yourself and your guest, you might see this as “good enough” when using your built-in webcams.
If you’re looking to take your visuals to the next level, though, then we cover equipment in our video podcast guide. These are things like HD cameras, tripods, and lighting.
Recording audio for podcast videos is no different than recording audio-only. A cardioid dynamic microphone like the Samson Q2U is a popular choice because it’s forgiving of less-than-optimal recording environments, and will help minimise background noise. Some podcast hosts like to invest in a high-quality microphone because they love gadgets, but you can achieve great sound quality on a budget with the right tools.
Where Can I Find Music for My YouTube Podcast?
The same rules apply for using music on YouTube as they do for podcasting as a whole. You can’t use copyrighted music. This means pretty much anything you’re likely to hear on the radio, or on a music streaming service like Spotify. YouTube has a pretty robust copyright detection system in place, so you need to take this seriously, or your content will be removed.
Instead, opt for Royalty Free or Creative Commons material. Here are the best ‘podsafe’ music platforms where you’ll find loads of safe, legal, and sometimes free options.
What Are The Benefits of Podcasting on YouTube?
Extra visibility is a big factor for any content creator. That isn’t to say you’ll get millions of views (though it is possible if you hit the right note!), but all extra traffic you find on YouTube can be directed towards your audio podcast, where you can encourage potential listeners to subscribe or follow the show.
Because YouTube is a “walled garden” video platform, it can offer you enhanced stats, too. Some of these stats are harder to find in podcasting because listening is spread across so many platforms. On YouTube, you’ll see things like drop-off and completion rates. Treat these as a sample size, but they can be useful in finding out which content is hitting the mark with your audience, as well as what isn’t!
YouTube comments can be great for low-barrier engagement, too. You might even end up with a bit of a video podcast community on there.
Is Podcasting on YouTube Going to Be More Work?
It can be. But if you’re already creating content – like a podcast – then trebling your output doesn’t necessarily mean trebling your workload.
In Colin’s Content Stacking series, he went into this in a lot of detail. For example, this is where your podcast script can also work as the framework for your shownotes and blog post. It can be used as content for your email subscribers, too, if you run an email list. Then, you can have both an audio and video version of your podcast. That’s a lot of output based on the same tasks you need to do anyway, even if you take a “bare bones” approach.
Need Any More Help?
Only you can decide whether or not it’s the right move to put your podcast on YouTube. With that said, it can be done with very little effort, and potentially reap high rewards.
Be sure to check out ‘podcast-maker’ tool Alitu if you’re looking to streamline your workflow and save on multiple subscriptions and logins, too. Not only can Alitu auto-generate audiogram-style videos of your episodes for YouTube, it does a whole host of other things too. These include simple but intuitive editing tools, automatic production of stuff like volume levels and noise reduction, auto-generated transcription, and you can host your podcast there too. Try it out, free, for a week and see for yourself!