Does My Podcast Need Video?

When podcasts emerged, one of the most exciting things about the medium was how accessible podcasting was to everyone. The format was highly DIY, with many successful podcasters producing their own shows from their basements, garages, and closets. All you really needed was a microphone and an internet connection. 

(How to Start Podcasting: A Checklist for Writers.)

The simplicity of this format meant that early creators had maximum time and brain space left over for researching and writing great episodes. Podcasters I work with have mentioned that they miss the ‘authenticity’ of the early days of podcasting, before they had to worry so much about production and social media. In recent years, podcasting has gone mainstream and audiences now expect higher production value as a standard. Currently, most top creators (but not all) have added video to their podcasts, and new podcasts in 2024 typically launched with video.

Podcasting and social media platforms have begun promoting and favoring video over audio-only formats, putting immense pressure on podcasters to adapt. This new pressure lands on top of existing pressures and learning curves that writers experience when adapting from written word to podcasting. Despite insistence from platforms, networks, and advertisers, I feel strongly that video is not a good fit for every podcast. It can be an incredible tool for some but can end up being an awkward, cumbersome, and non-additive choice for others.

When is video a helpful addition?

Including Extra Media:

Many podcasts could greatly benefit from launching a YouTube channel that complements their audio content with documentary-style images and infographics. This approach provides listeners with context and depth, making complex subjects more digestible. 

For example, History Hit seamlessly combines expert commentary and interviews with visuals that include historical sites and relevant diagrams. This enriches the storytelling experience and caters to diverse learning preferences. 

Many audio-only podcasts prompt listeners to visit their social media accounts to see images or diagrams referenced in the episodes, but not every listener is going to take the time to search Instagram. By adding photos or clips directly into the episode, podcasters can create a more seamless experience.

Para-social Connection:

Whether it’s our favorite book characters, TV characters, or the podcasters we listen to every week, we tend to get the feeling that we know these people or characters. We become so familiar with their personalities and lives that it can almost feel like they are our friends even though we have never met. 

In other words, we develop a para-social connection. Para-social connections foster deep loyalty in the listener and often create a desire to share beloved podcasts with our real life friends. Para-social connections are certainly created in audio-only podcasts, but adding visuals can amplify the effect. 

The space you record in, clothing or costumes, facial expressions and gestures all provide the audience with subtle but important information, giving them a greater feeling of knowing the hosts and guests. Celebrity interviews, for example, thrive on this format. The same can also be true of non-celebrity podcasters because to a dedicated audience, a small-time podcaster can feel like a celebrity.

Understanding how the target audience best connects with content they enjoy can help podcasters determine if video is a good choice for them.

Secondary Skills:

Some podcasters combine storytelling with a secondary, sometimes unrelated, skill that adds visual interest. Bailey Sarian’s Murder Mystery & Makeup is a great example. 

Sarian starts her episodes with a fresh face, and as she tells a murder mystery story, she applies her makeup so that by the end she has a completed, trendy makeup look. Viewers are drawn not only by the intriguing narratives but also by the makeup artistry. This format allows Sarian to engage a broader audience – those looking for mystery stories and those interested in makeup videos. 

Not all writers would want to apply makeup on camera while telling a story, but the concept of performing a secondary skill is an interesting (albeit risky) strategy decision. For those who are seeking Sarian’s storytelling but not the makeup looks, she also releases a podcast called Dark History in both video and audio-only formats.

When is video an unnecessary hassle?

If one or some combination of the above applies to your podcast, then video may be a good choice for you. It’s important to remember that adding video is adding another layer of storytelling to the podcast. If video does not enhance the storytelling or further engage the audience then I don’t feel it is necessary or a good idea. 

To bring it back to the literary world, not every novel should be adapted into a film, and not every novel needs to have pictures, maps or family trees included. I advise my podcasting clients to carefully weigh the pros and cons of adding video partly to avoid unnecessary expenses but also to prevent burnout that can come from working in a medium that doesn’t serve your work well. Here are a few things to consider:

Multi-tasking Listeners:

Visual content requires more of your audience’s attention, which can sometimes be a turnoff. Many people still prefer to listen while doing other things like commuting, working out, or household chores. This is especially true for audiences over the age of 30. 

For this reason, I feel it’s important that podcasters who choose to add video also provide listeners with an audio-only version, and that the audio makes sense without video or images.

Authenticity and Imagination:

Some listeners appreciate the lower production nature of audio-only podcasts, and find that high production podcasts can feel less authentic. Writers who podcast may find that their storytelling shines through more effectively in an audio format where they are free from concerns about how they appear on camera. 

There is also greater potential to engage the imaginations of your listeners when there are no visual elements. I think we’ve all had a movie depiction of a book character replace what we’d imagined on our own while reading.

Simplified Production:

Producing a podcast solely in audio can significantly streamline the publishing process. Without the need for video editing or camera setups, creators can concentrate on researching and writing high-quality episodes and maintaining a consistent release schedule. This approach allows podcasters to prioritize their content quality and strategy, and engage with their audience more frequently without getting weighed down by complex production requirements.

After working on podcasts with a broad range of creators and writers, I feel that there is one key advantage to adding video to your podcast. If you record a video of your podcast, then you have the ability to release clips on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms. Social clips have been the number one way that my clients have launched themselves out of obscurity without the help of a major network. In order to drive audience growth, it’s important for listeners to be able to share podcast clips with their own social media network, many of whom will likely be interested in the same kinds of content.

If video isn’t for you, there is a fairly easy workaround to this issue. Some of my clients have opted to record their podcast as both video and audio, but they only use the video for social clips. These podcasts are released as audio-only, but in order to have a social media presence these creators film their recording and choose key moments to turn into social clips. In these cases, social clips are the only video that exist from the podcast. This takes the pressure off of performing for the camera the entire episode and also reduces the time and cost of production as there is no full-length video that needs to be edited, just a few 30- to 90-second clips.