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Podcast Playbook: Helping Coaches & Advisors Convert Podcast Content into Clients
Not Every Podcaster Should Add Video (And You Might Be One of Them)
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Last week, Apple announced it's expanding its video experience, making it easier for video podcasts to live inside Apple podcast. This is a big signal because when Apple invests in something, the industry pays attention. And video has already been easy to publish on YouTube and Spotify for years. So naturally, the narrative right now is if you're not doing video, you're behind. And as someone who helps podcasters grow strategically and it would be easy for me to say, yes, add video everywhere immediately. Because on paper it sounds incredible. Expanded distribution, higher trust through the format, more discoverability, better content, repurposing. There are all kinds of upside that come with video podcasting. But for some podcasters, adding video is a distraction and in certain cases it's actually a liability. So today I want to discuss the types of podcasters who should not be adding video right now. Because your podcast isn't about chasing trends, it's about creating ROI for your business. I'm actually really excited about the news from Apple. Enhancing their video experience and making it easier to add video. Technically, you've been able to publish video on the platform for a long time, but I can tell you firsthand after helping a client get their video on Apple. And it was not simple or creator friendly, but this time it feels different. It almost feels like Apple is officially stepping into video podcasting in a real way. And honestly, I think that's great for the industry. I am far from an audio only purist. I'm not someone that thinks you have to have an RSS feed to be considered a podcaster. And I definitely see the congruence between audio and video podcasting. In fact, overall, it probably creates more upside than downside for the medium as a whole. But this news has sparked a lot of conversation with podcasters asking me essentially, should I be investing in video right now? Am I falling behind if I don't do this? And the honest answer is I don't think there's a blanket yes or no. I know that feels like a cop out answer, but I have to ask a couple of follow up questions. I'd need to understand your goals, your business model, your. Your capacity, your strengths. I've been asking these questions to a lot of podcasters and I started noticing a pattern. There are certain types of podcasters for whom video makes a lot of sense, and then there are others where it's a distraction or it's at least premature to start investing in video. So today I want to walk through the four types of podcasters who should seriously consider staying audio only or even dropping video if they're already investing in it. So let's start with the first type and that is the budget conscious business owner. It should be no secret that adding video is going to cost you way more than staying audio only. Here at Simple Pod, our packages are two to three times more expensive for our video podcasters versus our audio podcasters. And I would expect that to be the case if you're going to outsource your production to a agency like ours. But even if you don't plan to outsource your production, there are still costs that add up. The cost for gear can be really scary. Cameras and lenses are going to cost you a couple thousand dollars. There's extra batteries, there's tripods, there's lighting, there's your set design or your background upgrades, cables, memory cards, adapters. The hardware in the tech really adds up fast. On top of maybe needing to pay someone to teach you how to use that and or once again outsourcing those things so that you can get high quality video as a video podcaster. But not only some of the one time gear cost. There's also a lot of ongoing costs to consider. Editing your video podcast is going to require probably a more powerful editing software. There's also cloud storage and hard drives that are consumed much faster whenever you are keeping the raws and the finals for video podcast versus audio podcast. So if you are a budget conscious business owner, maybe you're new to business or just running a lean business. I think you should highly consider the additional cost that video podcasting is going to add. And sometimes that extra investment isn't going to result in extra roi. Paying two to three times more for your video podcast isn't always going to result in two to three times the amount of revenue that your podcast is going to drive for your business. And in all honesty, even if you're not a budget conscious business owner, it might not be the best use of your money. Instead of investing in video podcasting, you might want to consider investing in a higher point of leverage like paid ads to grow your audio only podcast faster, or investing into a production team to produce your audio only podcast so that you can gain time back to properly market your show. If you want a high quality show without adding major production cost, audio is a more affordable and sustainable choice. So I think the question isn't necessarily can I afford to add video? But instead is video the highest leverage use of my next dollar? The next type of person that should consider staying audio only versus adding video is the I don't want to Be on social media person. No judgment here, but many of the business owners I talk to don't want to be on social media. They don't enjoy social media, they don't want to be consuming social media more than they do, and they don't want to contribute heavily on a video forward platform like TikTok or Instagram. And the good news is I think that is completely okay. But a huge portion of video podcasting's upside comes from short form distribution platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. So if you're not planning to participate on these platforms, you're leaving most of the algorithmic growth on the table. And at that point you're just recording a second format. And to take it one step further, another myth that I commonly see is the people that just say, well, we'll just repurpose it. A lot of people think they'll record video and just repurpose clips. But if you're not posting consistently, you don't enjoy being on camera, you're not optimizing hooks for short form, and you're not studying retention. These clips are often going to underperform. And if you're not also considering your greater strategy on these platforms, you're not creating organic content content outside of your podcast for these platforms. You're not engaging with your followers, the community on these platforms as well. Your account in general will also probably underperform. All this to say, I think it's worth asking yourself, are you adding video because it aligns with your strategy, or are you just adding video because you feel pressured to do it? If you don't want to play the game of social media audio only, podcasting may actually be better aligned with your personality and your strengths. Okay, the third type of podcaster is the newer creator. If you're still finding your voice and refining your message, adding video too early can slow your growth instead of helping it. If you're a newer podcaster, especially if it is your first time creating content publicly, you are already learning a lot. You're learning how to articulate your ideas clearly, how to structure your episodes, how to speak without rambling, how to hook listeners, how to analyze retention, how to handle all the tech that you ordered. That is a lot. Now imagine adding camera presence, lighting, framing, on screen energy, visual branding, editing in two formats. That's not just a small add on, that's doubling your learning curve. In all honesty, you're taking your attention away from what you should really be focusing on. If you're still refining your ideal listener, clarifying your positioning, tightening your messaging, and learning what's resonating video can become a distraction from the real issue. I see it all the time. When a episode underperforms, it's really easy to blame the camera, the lighting, the thumbnail, the production quality. But in reality, it's usually broad messaging and weak hooks or unclear positioning or even generic content. Adding video doesn't fix strategy, it actually amplifies a good or bad strategy. So early on, your job isn't about maximizing distribution. It's actually about building clarity, developing your voice and learning who your audience really is. And most importantly, it's about getting reps. It's about practice. In an audio only format allows you to do that with less friction. And then once you start seeing your content consistently retain listeners, drive conversations, convert to calls, and start getting feedback, then adding video becomes a point of leverage. In the meantime, it's just overcomplicating your foundation. The fourth and the final type of podcaster that should consider staying audio only is the Time Strapped Operator. These are founders, business owners who are already maxed out. They're running teams, managing clients, traveling and selling and delivering. The podcast already requires intentional space on their calendar and is typically getting pushed down. And when your schedule is tight, friction matters way more than ambition. I don't care how much you want to be a video podcaster. If you're not making time for it, then you're not going to be a podcaster at all. And here's the thing, video adds extra effort. If you're diying production, you're easily got to spend two to three times the amount on your podcast versus an audio only podcaster. The big reasons are is you're going to be editing into formats audio and video. You're going to be working with larger files, so your upload and your download times are going to take longer. You have to create additional assets like your YouTube thumbnail, and you're going to be working on visual branding elements like lower thirds or watermarks. There is an expanded workflow that comes with video and that's why we charge more whenever we are working with video podcasters. And even if you're outsourcing your editing, there is still a ton of startup friction that happens. You have to get camera ready before you record. You have to turn on your lights, you have to frame your shot, you have to check your batteries, you have to make sure your SD cards aren't full. You have to upload those massive video files after you're done recording. It doesn't sound like A lot. But as you start adding up each one of these additional five or 10 minutes, all of a sudden there is a ton of additional work that comes with video podcasting. And here's another big reality. A lot of our clients, they are busy business owners who aren't always at their home studio. And you might be one of them. You might be traveling for work, at a conference, in a hotel room in between client meetings. And if a deadline is approaching and you need to record a episode, you can record audio almost anywhere, as long as it's a quiet environment. But video is way different. You have to have good lighting, you have to have a clean background, you have to have proper framing, and you have to have a quiet environment. These elements are sometimes really hard to find, especially whenever you're on the road. And that added friction can become an excuse to delay episodes. And then delayed episodes are going to turn into skipped episodes, and then skipped episodes are going to turn into pod fading. So here is the real risk. If adding video makes it harder to publish, easier to procrastinate, and more mentally draining, then that is not leverage, that is weight. So if consistency has been an issue for you in the past and you're already feeling stretched thin, video adds friction that audio just doesn't. So I want to be really clear about something. This episode is not an anti video episode. I am genuinely excited about podcasting expanding further in the video. I think it's going to help this medium so much. But I want to remind you that that expansion doesn't mean obligation. Video is a tool, and it is only a powerful tool when it aligns with your business model, your capacity, your strengths, and your current stage. If you're budget conscious, if you're already stretched thin, if you're still finding your voice and you're just not interested in playing the social media distribution game, staying audio only isn't a step backwards. It might actually be the most strategic move that you can make right now. I hope you enjoy this episode. I'll see you in the next one.