YouTube podcasts: Go beyond audio and create a show for your ideal customer

With more than 2,000,000 podcasts competing for listeners worldwide, it’s not a big surprise that major brands have launched their own show in recent years (Chartable’s CEO Dave Zohrob notes that over 600 branded podcasts were launched in 2021).

However, while podcasting is primarily considered audio content, video episodes have been increasing among podcasters, and most recording platforms are adjusting their services to accommodate this growing demand. 

In an episode of Motion’s Recorded Content podcast, SquadCast co-founder Zack Moreno discussed how surprised he was to discover that podcasters wanted to create video recordings to accompany or promote audio episodes: “[i]t blew my mind how much video recording was our most requested feature.” 

Combining video and audio recording gives podcasters and audiences more flexibility, and YouTube is the obvious video platform of choice when more than 2 billion people use it each month. But launching a YouTube podcast may seem like a colossal task if you’re new to podcasting overall. 

Don’t worry, though. In this post, we take you through the steps needed to get beyond an audio channel and launch a video podcast on YouTube.

“It blew my mind how much video recording was our most requested feature.”

Zach Moreno

Co-Founder

SquadCast

What's the difference between a podcast and a show?

YouTube is one of the biggest distribution channels for podcasts: one survey found that 43% of people go to YouTube for podcasts, while just 34% use Apple Podcasts and 23% use Spotify.

Some of the world’s biggest podcasters upload clips or full episodes on YouTube. And you don’t even have to be a big podcast host to take full advantage of YouTube’s audience. For example, companies like DriftHeadway, and Kinsta upload their episodes to YouTube so they can connect with their audiences on the platform.

But brands that go beyond an audio file view podcasts differently. The brands that have a successful podcast across different channels incorporate their show at the center of their marketing strategy. The focus is on the customer and where they hang out online versus just a group of podcast listeners.

At Motion, we created a framework that helps brands get more from their podcasting efforts. The framework incorporates the concept of a marketing flywheel rather than the outdated marketing funnel concept.

And rather than one flywheel, we help customers create a “conversation” flywheel that helps drive audio, video, and written content. Both flywheels work in tandem to help you build content that connects with your target customers.

  • Flywheel #1: Your traditional marketing flywheel, with your ideal customer at the center, contains three actions you must take to win their business: Attract, Engage, Delight.
  • Flywheel #2: Your conversation flywheel contains three types of content: Audio, Video, Written.

You can read more on our double-flywheel philosophy in our post “How to power your marketing flywheel using a branded podcast”.

What's the first step to launching a podcast for YouTube?

Now that we’ve established what a YouTube podcast is and why it can work for your brand, let’s consider what your content creators should do next. 

Video is one of the most widely consumed forms of online media, with more than 83% of the U.S.’s internet users accessing video content regularly. But the sheer popularity of videos out there, and the level of competition that creates, can be paralyzing when you’re not sure where to start. Zach Moreno told us that “video is much more approachable from the perspective of already being a podcaster than just to start with video”, which would be “a tall mountain to climb.”

Think about what your brand wants to achieve with your podcast—and not just in terms of increasing conversions. Consider your overall mission, then write an airtight theme statement for your show. 

A theme statement concisely describes who you’re speaking to and how the show helps them. This should remain at the heart of your strategy. 

Next, pick a niche for your podcast, just as you did for your business. Identify the problem you want to fix, and for whom, and take action. When you can definitively state what type of podcast you want to create, who it’s for, and why they need it, you’ll be more likely to stand out to your ideal customer. 

Read more on finding your niche in our post “How to find your company’s podcast niche and help your ideal customers.”

What are the key steps involved in producing a high-quality podcast for YouTube?

Develop a format for your show 

An interview podcast is a common approach to take with a branded podcast. This type of format involves a key host from your organization (or a hired subject matter expert) and a series of guest appearances to drive conversations.

But podcasters with guests isn’t the only route to take. The format of your show is flexible. And although an interview approach may seem like the most logical route to take, you have a blank canvas with your company’s show.

In fact, there are 6 podcast formats you can use to change up the way your company’s show reaches its audience.

Want to build a content marketing flywheel?

Content Logistics is a podcast we produce for B2B marketers looking to build a scalable content engine. Camille Trent, Head of Content at Dooly.ai, interviews the marketers behind the best content marketing flywheels to uncover the tactical aspects of content production — from first draft to first customer. This podcast teaches everything from developing a sound content strategy to drafting, optimizing and distributing that content to grow your audience. Listen in and figure out how to become the best content creator and distributor within your own organization.

Create a name and brand for your show

Sometimes, the perfect name for a podcast will come to you when you least expect it. But that’s unlikely to be the case, so brainstorm as many ideas as you can before you pick one. The brainstorming process can involve input from your team, AI writing tools like Jarvis or Copy.ai, or even talking with customers to get inspiration. Your podcast name should align with the show’s mission, values, and target audience. 

Once you’ve identified a few possible names for the company’s show, conduct research to ensure the name isn’t already taken. At Motion, we use ListenNotes to help pinpoint the availability of a podcast name. Read our post on naming and branding your podcast for more help.

Identify your host(s)

When you launch a podcast, your host is an important part of the process. Your host helps guide each episode and establishes rapport with the audience.

But there’s no “one size fits all” approach to finding the right person to host your company’s show.

The most efficient way we’ve found to get started is by finding a host who can bring their own personal knowledge to the show. Over the years, we’ve discovered that the most successful shows have podcast hosts who are curious and uncover details within each episode. 

Whoever you pick, have them record practice episodes and get comfortable with remote podcast recording software, the equipment, and the flow of public conversation. Find more tips on choosing a host for your business podcast.

Determine your guest profile

Choosing the right guests is paramount. Each potential guest must be relevant to your podcast niche, mission, values, and audience. 

They could be an author promoting a book packed with tips your viewers might find helpful, or an industry leader with practical advice around a specific issue your industry faces. Create a list of the type of guests you want to interview from the start, book them well in advance, and have contingency plans in case of cancellations.

For the most part, we find corporate podcasts focus on five major types of guests:

  • Prospects
  • Customers
  • Industry experts
  • Partners
  • Internal subject matter experts

Pinpoint key challenges from your customers 

Finding enough topics for a new podcast episode each week (or every two weeks) can be tough. But your customers are a fantastic resource. 

Explore queries, questions, and solutions your business deals with regularly for inspiration. What can you discuss that would make life easier for customers? How can you develop episodes with actionable advice to help your customers?

Establish a podcast episode structure (or script)

Obviously, discussions should flow organically and conversations with guests can’t be scripted. But hosts sometimes struggle to take their audience on a clear journey.

So that’s why it helps to have an overarching structure for your podcast episodes.

A clear structure will guide the audience from beginning to end. And with a structure in place, you’ll be able to tie back each episode to your show’s theme.

Develop a visual framework

Podcasts are more than an audio channel. But what happens if you don’t factor in both the audio & visual elements from the beginning?

You typically end up with cover art (or a single static image for your show) and an audio file.

When developing a podcast for YouTube, you need to factor in the visual framework from the start.

The visual framework for your company’s show incorporates these types of assets:

✅ Cover art
✅ Episode art
✅ Video thumbnails
✅ Quotecards & social images
✅ Video clips
✅ Logo intros & outros
✅ Episode trailers

Document your guest outreach & management strategy

Plan how your team will contact guests and invite them to take part in your podcast. Your guest outreach should be professional but humble: create a template for initial emails/messages that concisely describes the show, documents what would be required on the technical side, and how appearing on an episode would benefit the guest.

Confirm your technical setup for remote recordings

It’s easier than ever to record podcasts remotely, but you need to provide the right tools to ensure you get a quality audio file and a quality video file from each participant. Determine what hardware and software hosts and guests need well in advance. 

Establish your post-production workflow

What actions will you take after your podcast recording session is done? How will your episode ultimately make it to YouTube?

What about editing? Writing a complementary blog post? Promoting the episode on social media a few days before release?

It’s important to follow the same workflow for each episode to maintain consistency and efficiency, but refine it as you learn.

In order to ensure consistent production, it helps to stick to a consistent workflow using a tool like Asana, Monday, ClickUp, or even Notion.

Develop a podcast distribution plan

Once you publish your video podcast on YouTube, how else will you get it in front of your audience? 

One of the benefits of a video podcast is that it’s relatively simple to separate audio and then distribute on all of the major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In closing

A podcast is a great way to share information with your customers. And it helps showcase the expertise within your organization.

But a podcast is not just an audio channel.

When you create a show, your company can reach customers on YouTube, engage more customers on social media, and enrich existing written content. Take one genuine conversation and build an entire content marketing flywheel. 

Want to see how other B2B marketers use their podcasts on YouTube?

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.

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.