As a video marketing coach I help business owners with video content, coaching them how to use it to get more customers. And because we often talk about Youtube, I get this question a lot: 

“Victoria, should I start a Youtube channel or a podcast?” 

And my answer usually surprises them!

The truth is, I’m a huge fan of podcasts. I listen to many different shows religiously, and I refresh my feed every Monday when a new episode drops of Armchair Expert. 

And of course, I also love Youtube…I think that’s a given 😉.

If you’re currently torn between podcast vs youtube, here are the key things to consider on what’s best for you and your business.

Rather watch than read? Head on over to my Youtube channel and consider all of these factors! 

Because I have such an appreciation for both Youtube and podcasting, the first thing I always tell someone is… 

Are you doing it for the money? 

👉🏻 If so, don’t do it. 

I do want you to make a living from your business, but starting a Youtube channel OR a podcast with the intention of monetizing it immediately (or it being the single focus or reason why you’re starting it in the first place), is NOT the way to go.

I know I’ve talked about the ways you can make money on Youtube, however I really want to stress that you never want to start out with the intention of just making money. 

Why? Because that energy will not sustain you when it comes to creating weekly content – regardless of if it’s for a Youtube channel or podcast. 

Monetization also just works differently on these channels. 

On Youtube 👉🏼 It takes 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to start getting paid.

Bottom line: It will take time to build up those numbers.

With a podcast 👉🏽 you only get paid if you are getting advertisers to sponsor your episodes.

Bottom line: Unless you already know advertisers who want to sponsor your episodes, you’re going to have to go out and get your own advertisers and show how many downloads you’re getting per episode.

Starting either of these just to make money is going to use up all of your energy, and you’re not going to enjoy the process in the long run. 

Do you think podcasting is easier?

This is a common misconception because I don’t think it’s easier.

Sure, with a podcast you may not have to be “camera ready” but you still have to set up your recording area, make sure that you’re recording everything properly, and edit your episodes.

I personally think it’s harder to only speak into a microphone with no visual context of how you’re coming across. If you remove the visual aspect of communicating, it can put more pressure on you because you have to be super clear on what you want to say.

How much more work is podcasting vs. Youtube? 

When it comes to podcasting, you will need to work a little bit harder to get SEO (search engine optimization) over Youtube. If you want your podcast to show up in search, you have to create show notes of all your episodes on your website. You can repurpose your transcripts into blog posts and optimize them accordingly.

So unless you already have a large community to which you can promote your podcast to, it’s going to be trickier to get in front of new people without your show notes pages. No matter which direction you choose – podcast vs youtube – you’ll have to put in the leg work to promote it through word of mouth and SEO.

Finally, what’s your preference? 

When we ask ourselves these questions, we often already have the answer within ourselves. 

Deep down, you know if you want to be on camera or not. You know if committing to video is going to be harder to maintain right now, or not. You know if you’re ready to step in front of your business and want to speak directly into someone’s eyes.

What it comes down to is doing whatever works best FOR YOU. 

I may be a video marketing coach, but I would never tell you to start a Youtube channel just because of that. You should go with what feels good in your gut and really listen to your intuition.

If you want to start a podcast, please start one. And let me know so I can listen to it! And if you’re leaning more towards starting a Youtube channel, let me know as well 🥳. I’d love to watch your videos! 

Whichever direction you decide to go, remember:

✅Know what you’re committing to

✅Do what feels good for you

I hope my answer gave you some clarity on podcast vs youtube and I’d love to hear what you think. Let me know down in the comments which direction you’re leaning! If you’re looking to start a Youtube channel, download my FREE Youtube Jumpstart Guide and let’s get you set up within the hour!