Podcasts in several genres, including sports, entertainment, comedy and pop culture, are increasingly utilizing visual media to market their brands, reach new audiences and generate additional revenue, said podcasters, production executives and media experts, according to Morning Consult.
“If your goal is to find the largest audience possible and you’re not figuring out a way to put it on YouTube, you’re pretty shortsighted,” said Rachael King, founder and CEO of production company Pod People.
This is the new era of podcasting, in which the once audio-only format has evolved toward a hybrid model of distribution that often prioritizes video — specifically YouTube and live paid events. Video has allowed fans to know not only what their favorite podcasters sound like, but also what they look like and who they are on a much more personal level.
“I see the hybrid model becoming just as large, if not larger, in a short time period than audio-only formats,” said Scott Purdy, national media industry leader at KPMG US.
A recent Morning Consult survey suggests these initiatives are working: U.S. consumers now arguably see podcasts as more of a video-based medium than an audio one.
The business case for video podcasting
Morning Consult found that nearly a third (32%) of Americans said they prefer listening to podcasts with video, compared with 26% who prefer them with just audio, according to the late October survey.
Active podcast listeners (those who have listened to one in the last month) preferred video too, 46% to 42%. Among the top reasons consumers preferred a podcast with videos were to see facial expressions and reactions from the hosts and guests (51%) and because video helps them to better focus on the podcast (50%).
Some executives said incorporating video into the podcast medium produces a variety of opportunities: It enhances a program’s discoverability, helps to reach younger audiences, provides more engaging content, develops additional revenue streams and gives marketers new ways to advertise with podcasters, including product placement and tailored on-screen graphics.
Logan Swaim, head of content for Colin Cowherd’s podcast company The Volume, said prioritizing video is part of a “three-fold” initiative for the network, including “discoverability, marketing via social media and monetization.”
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