About five or seven years ago, podcasts didn’t usually get the glory they deserved. In most cases, they were for a brand’s hardcore fan base but weren’t usually very popular among the larger audiences.
Today, the number of podcasts has grown significantly. Just think about it—there are 850,000 active podcasts in the entire world. And, among these podcasts, there are also a few well-known brands—General Electric, Shopify, Sephora, and even Slack.
Say you want to launch your own business podcast, too. But here’s a dilemma—which one should you choose, a more traditional audio one or a more innovative video podcast?
Surely, an audio podcast is a rather nice idea for a brand, but ‘rather nice’ is not really enough for successful brand marketing.
Obviously, we’re rooting for a video podcast, and here are our reasons.
Perks of making a video podcast
The advantages of a video podcast format for a business are not always obvious, but they are deeply rooted in human psychology and connected to the way we usually perceive information.
1. People unconsciously start preferring stuff they see all the time
Psychologists know this phenomenon as a mere-exposure effect or, in laymen’s terms, the familiarity principle.
The mere-exposure effect proves that people develop a preference for things that appear around them all the time.
The keyword see is important here because the majority of us are visual learners and tend to memorize stuff better when we see it.
The familiarity principle is the first reason why you should choose a video podcast. It’s been proven that familiarity increases liking. So, if people regularly see you during the podcast, they will be more likely to become loyal listeners.
2. We simply like to look at people’s faces
Another reason to choose the video format for your podcast is the connection between verbal and non-verbal means of communication.
Think about it—when people just hear you talk, the only way they can decipher your emotions while speaking is the intonation.
But, when they can see you, they also look at your facial expressions to better understand how you feel about the topic you’re speaking on. Hence—they better understand your point of view in general.
Psychologists also proved this point. Hannah Scott, a professor from the University of London, confirmed via a study that people like staring at others because their faces provide lots of useful non-verbal information relevant to the conversation.
3. A video podcast provides a behind-the-scenes look
This reason is not directly connected to psychology but still proves why video podcasts are better for brands.
You might have noticed that people like behind-the-scenes content and that it works well for increasing customer lifetime value in general.
It lets people get closer to their favorite brands and feel like they are participating in creating something exciting.
A video podcast works in this way too. Podcast footage is rarely tampered with, so the viewers get a chance to look and assess a brand as it is, without edits, embellishments, and exaggerations.
Essential tips for making a successful video podcast
Have we convinced you at least to consider making a video podcast? Awesome!
Now, let’s take a look at what it takes to actually launch it, and you’ll see that this is a really exciting journey to embark on.
1. Get to know your target listeners and their interests
Remember—a podcast is not just about having fun. It’s a strong marketing tool that can also help you build a successful relationship with your customers.
That’s why you can’t launch it without researching your target audience first.
Here are a few essential things to keep in mind:
- Pay attention to the psychographics. You already know that a target audience persona requires demographics. But, if you want to find the video podcast topics that will truly engage your audience, study the psychographics (needs, wants, hobbies, etc.) as well.
- Go through social data. This data is found on social media platforms and can provide you with a myriad of useful details.
For instance, you can analyze the reach and engagement of your posts. Those that got the most engagement can give you ideas for podcast topics:
- Do some social listening. When researching your target audience, ask them directly where they want to watch your video podcast.
Maybe they think that a podcast would help your business stand out on Facebook, or they might prefer you to upload your episodes on YouTube.
Taking public opinion into account will also help the engagement.
Since we started talking about social listening, here’s one more idea, how you can do it passively.
If you go to forums like Reddit and type in keywords related to the main topic of your video podcast, you might find some interesting insights people are discussing or questions they need answers to:
You can do the same trick on Quora:
You can browse through these entrees to find some topics that might fit the goal of your podcast. But try to pick the most discussed ones since they have more potential to engage larger audiences.
2. Prepare podcast equipment
The next point in making video podcasts is preparing a setup. This step is divided into two smaller ones—picking the equipment and choosing the format of your podcast.
Let’s start with the first one.
When it comes to picking podcast equipment, the goal is to create visuals that are simple but that also show the speakers from several angles.
Hence, you might need the following hardware for your video podcast:
Cameras
Since we mentioned that it’s better to show the podcast speakers on the video from different angles, you’ve probably guessed that you’ll need at least a couple of cameras.
At this point, the price of the camera will depend on the quality of the video you are looking for.
If you want cinema-quality video, a camera like Sony FX6 or Canon EOS C300 will work perfectly. These cameras allow you to shoot 4K videos as they have very high sensor resolution. As a result, they will be perfect if you’re also planning to take your podcast outside of the studio.
But, if you’re just aiming for a studio format, for now, Sony a5100 or Panasonic G85 could be great. These cameras allow you to shoot high-quality videos, and they are very inexpensive—about $600, which is perfect for a business on a budget.
Microphones
Here, there is no bargaining—the quality of the sound should be very good. But since there are so many microphones on the market, here are two characteristics you can keep in mind to find a really good one:
- Choose a dynamic mic over a condenser one. Dynamic mics block other sounds around you, meaning that your voice is the only thing that a mixer will record.
- Pick a mic with a pop filter. This filter is essentially a piece of foam inside of a mic, which stops all the unnecessary noise.
A good microphone should make your voice sound natural and not tamper too much with it. So, it is perfectly natural if you try several mics before you find a really good one for your video podcast.
Lighting
Lighting equipment is essential, especially if you are going to film your podcasts in the studio. It should be good enough for the camera to pick up your facial expressions (and you already know how important they are).
So, depending on your setting, you can choose among the following types of lighting equipment:
- A ring light would be enough if you’re filming your video podcast by yourself.
- A two-piece is a perfect solution if you’re filming a podcast with one more person.
- A three-piece is a requirement if your video podcast is filmed in a complex setting, which needs a lot of light.
In general, when choosing your equipment, do it based on your budget. And, of course, this choice will also depend on the format of your video podcast, which we will discuss next.
3. Choose the format of your video podcast
Running a video podcast opens the door to creativity. You can bring to life any idea that you have and film a podcast about it, and a video allows you to do it in any setting.
When it comes to the format of a video podcast, you can choose among five possible options:
- An interview. Doing a video podcast in the form of an interview allows you to bring more interactivity to an episode without having to leave the studio. An interview podcast can also be done online.
- A conversational podcast. This format involves several hosts and is a perfect way to create an active discussion. For instance, a conversational podcast can be a great idea if you want to invite college students for some networking about the future of your industry.
- An educational podcast. Such a format provides great learning value to the viewers and can be used on a recurring basis.
- A solo-cast. This podcast usually involves only one host and is great for brands on a budget.
- This is a creative format that involves several people. Such podcasts are usually filmed in different settings.
As you can see, there are a lot of ideas for you to choose from. However, try not to stick to the same format all the time. Instead, diversify your episodes, at least with interviews and conversations, to keep your audience engaged.
Wrapping up
Running a podcast is a fun adventure, but running a video podcast is an even more exciting one.
A video podcast creates more opportunities for you to share your knowledge with your audience and connect with them.
And it’s not that hard to make a video podcast if you have a great idea in mind. Just make sure you are on the same page with your audience, have all the equipment, and are following an engaging format.
Then, with the magic of editing your video podcast will be ready to conquer the world!
If you need help with editing your footage, then get in touch. Our video junkies would love to help 🙂
This post was written by Dorian Martin. He is a content writer, editor, and proofreader at GetGoodGrade.
Dorian also has his own blog, where he shares useful content marketing insights with small business owners.