Podcasts & Video: Aren't You in the Long Form Conversation Business?

How should you think about your show?

Previously on Matt On Audio… The move to video for podcasters isn’t because audio is dead or dying - of course people are always going to want something that works just in their ears - but because consumer behaviour has been changing and video is the platform that many users, particularly young ones, are using for personal, speech-based content.

Simultaneously, in the same way that Serial and Apple Podcasts on the iPhone defined what podcasting was for many people in 2014, in 2024 the press showing video of Joe Rogan or Call Me Daddy and endless clips of people speaking into microphones on TikTok, has defined what podcasting is today.

Consumers don’t define podcasting by platform - broadly listening to an MP3 file on a phone - but by content type - people having long-form conversations (on whatever platform). For many of these people, because they grew up with YouTube and see this content on YouTube, they regard podcasting as something that is video-first.

Of course, many audio OGs look at this with horror! We should defend podcasting as an audio medium. By doing video we are losing the key things that made (audio) podcasts successful. There’s also very valid discussions that (audio) podcasts aren’t just chat shows. There are documentaries, dramas, things that would be unable or very uneconomic to make video versions of - which of course is hard to argue with.

My friend James Cridland, from the excellent Podnews, in his Podnews Weekly Review podcast, thinks podcasters should concentrate on what he sees as one of it’s core USPs: “Entertainment for your ears while your eyes are busy”. He thinks that the medium should very much be audio-first.

I don’t think audio is going away at all. Audio podcasting is popular, with about a quarter of the UK tuning in. If I was making something that was a long-form conversation, I think you would be mad not to make it available as a podcast.

I do have some worries though, about putting all my eggs in the audio-only basket. Firstly, non-TV video consumption has been growing fast, from YouTube but also from TikTok and the like. Consumers are spending large amounts of time there. The mobile nature of much of this consumption whether on a train or a sofa can more obviously eat into time previously allocated for audio-podcasts. I would worry about doubling down on entertainment for your ears while your eyes are busy. Podcast and radio’s success has often come from it being background consumption. The challenge with mobiles is that much of the consumption is video, which comes with its own audio through the same headphones. Any active mobile use significantly reduces podcast consumption. Sure, you’re less likely to consume video on a run or in the car, leaving that to podcasts (or owned music) but why should we be retreating to leave podcasting in just certain environments?

Audio-only podcasting does also seem to have a growth problem. Whilst there’s always new shows that launch and do well and there’s some big hitters doing phenomenal numbers at the top of the charts, many historic shows have been plateaued. They’re finding it hard to grow new listeners. Now, this is partly the result of increased competition and also a lack of focus on marketing. Previously that wasn’t something most shows had to worry about. The sector’s growth meant a rising tide carried all ships. If the influx of new listeners has perhaps slowed and there’s more competition, the fight for people’s time is going to be harder.

Most people create content because they want it to be consumed. Podcast creators are focused on their listening numbers, but they also get excited about TikTok views, social shares, or someone writing about their work. They’re excited when more people get their stuff. Now, of course, there needs to be discussion about getting value (cash or otherwise), but getting people to listen, watch or read is all good.

Now podcasting has been an efficient way to make content, distribute it and monetise it. But as I talked about yesterday, a separate group of people were doing something similar in the YouTube world at the same time and more recently, another bunch of folks were making short-form video for socials.

Most podcast creators are in the long-form conversation business. They came to audio as it was the easiest, or most efficient for them, way of producing their material. The audio ecosystem allowed that to be catalogued and distributed relatively easily to consumers through apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Additionally ad-networks like Acast or Audioboom allowed them to monetise these conversations.

To me, the choice of podcasting for most creators is rarely about audio. It’s more about it being an efficient system for content creation and distribution.

The fundamental challenge though is new audiences that previously gravitated to audio-only podcasting have been redirected to places that deliver video content. Video content consumption is also in more environments - the living room’s big screen, tablets and mobiles in and around the home including in bed, the screen at work and the mobile in environments in which you wait - like a bus stop, a train journey, the doctor’s office.

Also, for many, video content is no longer just something that you give your full attention too. How much scrolling do people do when they’re watching TV? How many people have a YouTube video running in a second tab (or second screen) whilst doing some work? Video is starting to occupy the background listening need-state that podcasting (and radio) have always owned.

I’m also not saying that no audio is consumed in some of these video places, or that there aren’t great audio environments like a smart speaker at home, driving a car, walking the dog etc - but audio faces a strong competitor in the battle for people’s time.

If you are in the long-form conversation business, I think it’s essential to be focused on your potential consumers and how they spend their time. To be successful, you need to distribute your content in the ways that best appeal to them and make them more likely to consume it. If you’re trying to sell a product, you want it to be in every store and not just in Sainsbury’s (no matter how successful it is doing there).

If someone does not listen to podcasts but watches YouTube videos in your genre, should you be trying to teach them to try podcasts, or should you put your content in a place they are already visiting?

I don’t think it’s any surprise that I am suggesting that if you make an audio-only podcast that could be visualised, then you should be thinking how it can be adapted to suit both audio and video environments.

I’m not suggesting a pivot to video away from anything else. As I said before, if you’re making long-form conversation content, of course it should exist as a podcast in audio-only places, but I think it would be strange to maroon it there whilst consumers elsewhere would like it too.

Now I completely understand that adding a full video episode to your output is likely to be a complex thing from both a production perspective and likely from a monetisation one too. There’s definitely significant implications if you go down this route.

So tomorrow let’s talk about some examples of where video has been added to podcasts and what the effect’s been. I’ll see you then!

This is part two of series about video and podcasting. Read part one here and part three here.