Friday 10th January, 2025: Video does not a podcast maketh
Audio should always be king in podcasting, but the fiefdom is being taken over by video
There is a bit of soul-searching going on in the podcasting sphere. When our humble format started to rise, the joy was its DIY nature: anyone with a computer, microphone, and internet connection could create a podcast.
There were, of course, diminishing returns, amateurs can be amateurish after all, but that was the risk absolutely worth taking in a medium that was democratic.
And in any democracy, as well-intentioned as its original aims, money talks.
In recent years, there has been the aggressive takeover and surging neoliberalism of the podcasting sphere.
The ramshackle yet charming bedroom set-ups, an intimate peek into the lives of our hosts, have slowly been replaced by plush studios, abound with IKEA furniture and enviable audio and video technology.
YouTube, somewhat paradoxically, has become king. And arguably, with all of the riches being invested into video, paying their dues to the visual fiefdom, the audio peasantry is in danger of becoming poorer.
Do not sacrifice audio for the sake of video
YouTube, somewhat paradoxically, has become king. And arguably, with all of the riches being invested into video, paying their dues to the visual fiefdom, the audio peasantry has become poorer.
Podcasters should not be sacrificing audio for the sake of video. It should be a collaboration between the two, a combined team of excellence.
Over the years, I have noticed a haphazard approach to audio when it comes to video journalism. Professional news outlets have looked terribly amateur, hoping and praying that by simply pointing a camera at something, a miracle will happen.
Video is only powerful when the audio matches it. There is nothing more off-putting than godawful audio bursting the eardrums of our audiences. Those pointless Facebook Lives destroyed by shaky cameras and the wind destroying any attempt at presenting. Background noises overwhelming the foreground action.
Even in those feng shui studio set-ups, much attention may be paid towards the crispest of high definition, purveying every wrinkle and freckle on the hosts’ faces, but it is let down by the execution of audio; and this does not necessarily mean the equipment, but avoidable errors in microphone technique and audio treatment of the room.
Presentability over authenticity
There was an interesting insight from the Verge’s Andrew Marino published last month on what podcast literally looked like in 2024. He wrote that the idea of a home design crept into talk shows with large media companies adopting the aesthetic in order to show a “laid-back” style in their long-form interviewing.
These studio spaces have been made to replicate living rooms and basements. “No, no, not the comfy chair,” I would potentially shout, a la Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition (no one expected that).
They are an idealised version of a presenter’s home, but it all feels somewhat artificial - an interior design uncanny valley.
The humble origins of podcasting actually came from proper living rooms and proper basements, creating this air of familiarity.
Steven Ray Morris at Maximum Fun told Nicholas Quah, a critic for Vulture: “Part of the authenticity, intimacy, and integrity of podcasting originally was because it didn’t need to feel performative and done for a camera. It was about creating a space in the room that felt safe and encouraged discovery.”
YouTube sits on the Iron Throne - long live the King?
I attended a fascinating virtual event hosted by B2B Better’s Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn earlier this week. Answering FAQs on B2B Podcasting, he was posed the question whether companies should go “all in” with video for their podcasts.
Mr Bradwell argues that creators in any industry “will live to regret it if you forget to turn your camera on” when recording podcasts. With YouTube being the number one distribution platform for podcasts globally, and acting as the second largest search engine in the world generally, he believes it is a no-brainer to be video first.
It is abundantly clear that Mr Bradwell, and B2B Better, are superb at what they deliver. I was enthusiastically jotting down tips as he spoke, and I agree that YouTube should be a part of our any podcasters’ distribution strategy. Frankly, you would be a fool not to utilise it.
I appeared on a podcast this week with my Reach plc hat on, discussing how we deliver top quality community journalism in audio form on Journalism.co.uk’s excellent podcast. I was asked a question on where our focuses should be: depth or breadth, this platform or the other.
My response was: why not both? Why not all? And this is what I am trying to convey within this journal entry that I am not anti-video, as long as it is not anti-audio. We should be considering and using YouTube in our strategies - but we have to ensure that we have nailed the basics first, producing amazing audio in our storytelling.
Ozeal Debastos, founder of Pod Houston, gave his 2025 predictions to the superb PodNews, which is probably my top source for audio info. He agrees with Mr Bradwell that YouTube dominates the video podcasting space, noting that it has been “quietly revolutionising the podcasting world for a while now”.
Video, he writes, is not just a trend anymore; it is very much a core part of what we do as podcasters.
What made my heart sing is his prediction - and indeed, observation - that “audio IS the blue ocean”. Allow me to quote Mr Debastos:
“[Audio is] the most intimate, most soulful medium we could ever consume. And I will always be an advocate for protecting our RSS feed. RSS is the cornerstone of podcasting. That being said, with all the buzz around the reemergence of video integration into podcasting, I believe true AUDIO-only content is the blue ocean heading into 2025. Audio podcast content will stand out above the rest and if you are good at your craft as a storyteller and community builder—you will win in 2025!”
There is a danger now, according to Mr Quah, that embracing video so wholeheartedly can cede too much power to the likes of YouTube and the other Silicon Valley big boys.
He observes that it could “deepen the risk of podcast publishers being too beholden to the capriciousness of tech companies, which might change platform incentives on a whim”.
We have already seen what happens when we put too many of our eggs in one basket, especially as news publishers (I am looking at you, Facebook and Google), and there is a risk by totally committing to pledging our allegiance to YouTube, tailoring our podcasts specifically for that platform, we will remain forever their subjects.
I have always been more of a republican than a monarchist.