Marketers can use a podcast to fuel their entire content strategy. When you make a video podcast, you can share information with your audience using audio, written, and video content.
But many marketers struggle to sustain the production of a video podcast. And it’s mostly because of the complex workflow involved when creating a “video-first” series.
In this article, I plan to outline the key components of a video podcast workflow and demonstrate how your marketing team can consistently make a video podcast. The workflow is based upon how we run podcasts at Motion and stems from years of experience creating videos for nonprofits, Fortune 500s, and technology companies.
Here’s a snapshot of what I’ll cover:
- Key elements to define with your company’s video podcast
- Major tools & technology needed to record and edit a video podcast
- Resources needed to carry out the post-production workflow
How can you define the requirements for your company's video podcast?
Every company has different content marketing goals. And in a lot of cases, how you achieve your company’s goals depends upon the strengths of your internal team.
If your internal team has strong writers, then you probably won’t outsource that portion of your content. Likewise, if you have deep graphic design expertise in-house, then you might not need to use outside freelance designers for a video podcast.
So what if want to launch a video podcast and don’t have any internal expertise? What should your team focus on when creating a video podcast?
Here are some questions to help you get started:
- What kind of episodes do you want to produce? (i.e., solo interviews, roundtable discussion, how-tos, case studies)
- Who will be the hosts/speakers?
- How frequently do you want to release new podcast episodes?
- What is the overall tone/message you want to be conveyed?
- What format do you want your podcast delivered in? (i.e., video, audio, both)
- What length is appropriate for video podcast content?
Answering these questions upfront will help determine what options you have internally and what external resources you may need to find.
Once you define your major requirements, it’s important to craft a more comprehensive podcast strategy to ensure everyone on your team is on the same page. This helps to align your company’s leadership, internal team members, and any external resources you bring in to help with the show.
A video podcast strategy (at Motion we call it a “Strategic Action Plan”) typically outlines the following:
- Video podcast theme statement
- Video podcast episode structure
- Video podcast format
- Guest profile
- Video podcast host
- Video storyboards and other creative assets
- Video podcast workflow (covers production and post-production activities)
What tools & technology are needed to make a video podcast?
When your team decides to produce a video podcast, you have to figure out what equipment is needed and identify the best video podcast software.
But if you search for “video podcast equipment” on Google, you’ll get nearly 10,000 results. So what’s really needed?
I like to break down the tools & technology for video podcasts into three main areas:
- Video podcast equipment
- Video podcast recording software
- Video podcast editing software
What video equipment does your company need?
The type of equipment you’ll need for your video podcast will depend on a number of factors:
- The types of video podcasts your team wants to produce (there are multiple video podcast formats, what will you focus on?)
- The overall tone/message of your video series
- The location(s) where you’ll be recording video and audio content
- Whether you have in-house resources or need to outsource production
But, even though there are a lot of factors involved, you’ll need a minimum video podcast equipment setup to get the job done.
Here’s a quick overview of what we encourage our customers to start with when they plan to record remotely (and don’t have plans for in studio recording):
- Podcast mic
- Video podcast camera
- Video podcast accessories
- Teleprompter
What video podcast recording software should your company use?
At this point, if you’re working in marketing at a company that sells to other companies (B2B), then you’re probably familiar with Zoom. Zoom is the “go-to” platform for remote meetings and even larger virtual events. And Zoom is often the platform entry-level podcasters use to get their show started.
But if you want more flexibility in post-production and more control over how your show is recorded remotely, then it’s important to check out a platform dedicated to remote video podcast recording.
Here are a few popular video podcast recording platforms:
Zoom – often used as the initial “entry” platform to get a show started
Squadcast – the team focuses on audio quality while also providing the capability to capture video during recording sessions
Zencastr – used by many podcasters because it offers high-quality audio recordings and has a user-friendly interface
Riverside.fm – a platform used by many popular Youtube shows and video podcasters; has a focus on capturing high quality video when conducting remote interviews
At Motion, 95% of our customers use either Squadcast or Riverside to record their podcast episodes. However, some tech companies face issues using Squadcast or Riverside (due to security restrictions, firewalls, etc), so Zoom is a logical fallback.
“A podcast is so much more than an audio channel. A ‘video-first’ approach allows your company to communicate in the way your customers prefer.”
Tristan Pelligrino
Co-founder
Motion
What’s the best video podcast editing software for your team?
There are dozens of video editing software solutions out there. And most of the solutions can be used to edit video podcasts.
But the best one for your team really depends on how much experience you have with video editing, how much time you want to spend in post-production, what’s available within your budget, and which platform integrates best with your existing technology stack.
Some popular video editing tools include:
Adobe Premiere Pro – a powerful industry-leading video editing software that can be used to produce video podcasts
Apple Final Cut Pro X – a popular video editing software among YouTubers and podcasters
Davinci Resolve – the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics, and audio post-production in one software tool
Descript – a video podcast editing platform that allows editors to make adjustments to podcasts like they were editing a document
At Motion, our entire video podcast workflow starts by assembling a composition in Descript. From there, we make edits to the audio and video content and perform more complex editing (motion graphics, audio sweetening, etc.) by exporting to Adobe Premiere Pro.
For marketing teams, Descript is a very good choice for editing your company’s video podcast. It allows your team to collaborate (files and projects are stored in the cloud) on edits, produce audio & video formats, and repurpose content. And if you have more advanced video editing and motion graphics capabilities, you can export the timeline out of Descript to other tools (Final Cut, Premiere, etc.).
Want to see how other B2B marketers get the most from their podcasts?
Recorded Content is a show for small, scrappy marketing teams who are looking to launch & grow a successful B2B podcast. In each episode, we provide stories on how to overcome the challenges of launching, running and growing a show. We tackle issues with technology, content marketing, distribution and more. We help you become a B2B podcasting hero with an amazing show.
What are the resources & skills needed to produce a video podcast?
Now that you know what podcasting equipment and software to use, it’s important to understand what resources and skills are needed to produce a high-quality video podcast.
Here are the primary roles you need to fill to launch & manage a video podcast:
Producer/Project Manager – This role serves as your leader for the show. It’s a dedicated team member responsible for the day-to-day operations of the video podcast. This includes things like scheduling podcast guests, managing recording sessions, coordinating with hosts, managing post-production, and handling distribution.
Editor – For a video podcast, I recommend using a single editor with a “video-first” mentality. Once you have the video edit complete, it’s easier to produce the audio version of the episode. The editor is also responsible for making editorial decisions and integrating intros/outros, titles, subtitles, motion graphics, and music. Once the full episode is produced, the editor produces video clips in multiple formats (portrait, landscape, square, etc.).
Designer – The designer plays a big role in the strategy of the show. But, on an ongoing basis, the designer is accountable for producing the visual assets for each episode. A designer creates content like carousel posts, ads, social images, video thumbnails, etc.
Writer – The writer listens to each episode, adjusts the transcript, and develops show notes. The writer also helps identify quotes for social images and can even develop a long-form blog post from each podcast episode. The writer can also serve as a quality assurance resource to ensure the final audio and video content meets the company’s standards.
Distributor – In order for your show to work for your company, you need to have a strong commitment to distribution. This role is responsible for organizing the podcast distribution on the company’s website, in podcast directories, and across social media platforms.
A well-defined workflow helps maintain consistency with your company's podcast
Building a great video podcast requires a mix of skills including audio editing, video editing, writing, and design. And you need someone to manage all the tasks involved to ensure each episode hits the mark.
But if you can combine a clear strategy, a solid set of tools, and dedicated resources…you have all of the ingredients for a successful video podcast.
If you’re wondering how other companies manage the workflow for a video podcast, check out Recorded Content. Each week, we analyze how marketers use podcasts to drive their content strategy.
Written by Tristan Pelligrino
Tristan Pelligrino is the Co-Founder of Motion. He’s a serial entrepreneur who started his career as a consultant with large IT companies such as PwC, IBM and Oracle. After getting his MBA, he started and grew one of the fastest video production companies in the country – which was listed on the Inc. 5000. Tristan now enjoys leading the content marketing strategies of some of the most innovative B2B technology companies in the country. You can find him on LinkedIn and Facebook.
