So, you may be wondering about a new direction that YouTube is taking. Soon you will be seeing / hearing more podcasts on YouTube. YouTube has been around since 2005 and since that time it has faced down many similar sites and new forms of competition. 

Hold onto your Shorts

With the rise in demand in consumption and creation of shorter, vertical videos, YouTube expanded its platform by introducing YouTube Shorts. Similar to TikTok, these videos can be consumed quickly. It’s become a great way to capture the ‘flavor’ of a YouTube channel and can serve to gain subscribers from that audience.

Now THIS is Podcasting!

I’ve long held the belief that podcasts were born out of blogging. Many creators in the past have used blogging to do reviews, raise awareness for important topics, etc. This naturally evolved into podcasting where it can be done more interactively, in the form of discussion with others. I believe the best podcasts have a group of 2-3 (or more) people who are bouncing ideas off each other and allowing the listener to be ‘in on the conversation’. We are the proverbial fly on the wall.

“Pictures Came And Broke Your Heart” – The Buggles

The concept of podcasts naturally evolved and became more engaging by having these conversations and interactions on video. This is where podcasters / vloggers are able to introduce a visual dimension to their discussions. 

Ready Player One

With so many successful podcasts reaching significant audiences, YouTube wants to enter the game more fully. Many podcasters already post audio content with a static image, I do this myself now and then. YouTube appears to be planning to encourage podcasters to include more visual elements to draw and retain more viewers.

Loose Lips Sell Ads

A recently leaked slide deck shows that YouTube is looking at ingesting podcast RSS feeds directly. A Podcasts Home Page has been established showing familiar thumbnails. There also seems to be plans to push for Google-sold audio ads to help podcasters make money. 

 What does that mean for me? / Conclusions

If you enjoy podcasts you will have the opportunity to use YouTube as your central hub for consumption. If you produce podcasts, this will be an excellent new avenue to generate money with a monetized channel. This is definitely a step forward for YouTube and for producers of audio content to draw more listeners!