Traditionally, if you were a podcaster that wanted to use YouTube, you would have to video record your podcast and upload it to be viewed.
Well now even if you’re camera-shy, YouTube is possibly creating a feature for you to be able to upload your podcast like you would on Spotify or Apple Music. I say ‘possibly’ because this information that was written by podnews was apparently leaked and Google has not yet commented on whether it is indeed true or not.
That being said, YouTube has over 2 billion active users watching videos and listening to music, which means you now potentially have an audience of over 2 billion people who can find your podcast.
Spotify has just over 400 million users, Apple Music 78 million and Soundcloud 76 million. This makes YouTube undisputedly the best platform for a podcaster to get a bigger audience. Some of the features YouTube may be including are as follows:
- A RSS link which means you won’t have to manually upload every episode but can link your original podcast platform.
- Audio ads which mean that the same way YouTube videos can be monetized through adverting, your podcast could potentially be monetized through the audio ads.
- The last feature they may be introduced is analytics. For the first time, podcasters will be able to measure their work against industry-standard podcast platforms.
All these features are quite exciting for one important reason: Expansion!
The way the current YouTube monetization works is that you need to have a minimum of 1000 subscribers, 4000 public watch hours and have zero Community Guideline strikes in order to be eligible for monetization.
If the same requirements are needed for the new podcasting feature, it could be easy for you to monetize your podcast if you’re a veteran podcaster with an existing audience on other podcasting platforms.
However, there are some potential problems: How do you convert audio loving audiences to a video-centric platform? Who is to say that your audience is willing to jump from listening to you on Spotify to potentially listening to you on YouTube? And if they aren’t, how are you going to attract a completely new audience and keep them entertained?
If you feel like migrating to YouTube pressurises you to make podcast videos, don’t. The reason YouTube is even considering a Podcast feature must be because audio content is in demand.
So OG podcast listeners who appreciate OG audio podcasts – meaning that they will find you and listen to you.
HOWEVER, making podcast videos would benefit you if you are targeting the existing 2 billion viewers who enjoy video content.
Going back to one of my previous questions “Who is to say your audience is willing to jump from listening to you on Spotify to potentially watching you on YouTube?”.
When you think about this long enough you may then want to ask yourself the following: “Do I even want to?”. Would you want to disturb your audience by asking them to migrate?
If you are already earning money on a different platform like Spotify, then there would be absolutely no reason to disturb that avenue.
You will have to start from zero like everyone else and find a new audience. Viewers might give you more credibility if they research you and find you on other platforms, however, you’ll still have to work hard to build a new audience on a new platform so that you can keep your eggs in more than one basket.
If you have however never thought about being monetized and would like to use YouTube as an opportunity then here are some suggestions for attracting a new audience:



Market, market and more marketing!
Use Audiograms to give your audience a taste of what’s in store. If you can afford to, have giveaways, do weekly challenges, and give people a reason to want to listen and engage with you.
Be a Brand
Looking professional before people even decide to listen to you is absolutely key in building an audience. Have a logo that you use consistently, a font, and various colours and images that people will be able to recognize as yoru brand.
There are amazing apps like Canva that can help you create a professional brand image that will make you stand out.
Consistency
People love consistency, if you say you are going to drop episodes weekly, bi-weekly or whatever, do so! People love routine and they love habits, so make your podcast a part of their weekly routine. Stick to your schedules. Post on your socials consistently so people know you are active.