Are YouTube Podcasts kind of dumb?

They weren't always called "podcasts" but gained the moniker because Apple made listening to them easier on an iPod (at the time they needed podcasts). They were also called "Netcasts," "Webcasts"," or "Internet Radio" (some older shows still have "radio" in their titles like "Gamertag Radio." I like Rob Walch's definition, he said in part that a podcast is an audio program with an RSS feed.

Tbh, youtube implementing podcasts seems to be a great thing for many creators, as it gives creators their own space to be discovered more easily

Here's another question, for YOU (and, for YouTube, by extension). Once the integration is complete, will every time someone LISTENS to a video from a Podcast playlist in YouTube Music, will it count as a VIEW? 🤔 And if so, will that WATCH TIME count towards qualifying for the YT Partner Program? 🤷‍♀🤷‍♂

As an audio only listener, I hate that you have to have YT open on mobile and when the phone turns off, the podcast stops. So, I don't consume podcasts on YT. It will be VERY interesting to see how YT implements RSS feeds. YT's analytics are top notch so I'm not sure how companies such as Podbean, Blubrry, Libsyn, etc. are going to compete.

I experimented with this feature and put an audio podcast on with a still image. I was horrified to see it show up in my main feed. And then surprised to see it do better than other videos. I am best known as a podcaster so that may have affected the outcome. But audiences may not have the difficulty we think. So, there’s one data point.

Great questions, Pat. I was actually just thinking about the possibility of setting video game let's plays as a podcast to test out. They share many similarities with podcasts - longform, episodic in nature, etc. - and with YouTube pushing this feature, it had me wondering if they may actually get more of a push by being labeled as a podcast. Also, that line of "same audience, same channel - different audience, different channel" is oh so hard to nail down as a creator!

"Same audience, same channel. Different audience, different channel." Good stuff Pat!

Podcasters have been posting their audio on Youtube as a video with just a stationary image showing on the screen for years. YouTube didn't call these broadcasts podcasts but that's what they were. These "videos" are how I got introduced to listening to podcasts back in 2016. It's also how I found some of the podcasts I listen to today. YouTube's new podcast service will help podcasters by giving them one more place to be found. I don't think podcasters should put a lot of effort into making their content into a video production. A podcast's unique value is that it can be listened to while doing something else. Last point, I don't foresee many podcast listeners making YouTube their primary source of content. Most will keep listening on platforms like iTunes, Stitcher and Overcast. Podcasters should not publish exclusively on YouTube but should treat it as a way to reach new listeners who will listen and subscribe on other platforms.

I have a small YT channel and was moving away from YT to create podcast content full-time... Some of my YT viewers were sad that I was leaving as they ONLY watch YT and wouldn't even consider listening to a podcast . They are now happy that they can listen to my podcasts on YT and don't care that there is only one static image for the whole podcast episodes. I tried creating a visual story to follow the podcast stories and it took MANY MANY hours to do and not worth the effort as the views show.

I’m super happy about this integration. I have been flip-flopping on different content strategy ideas for a long time and this actually incorporates everything I wanted to do. A longform podcast on top of a YouTube channel that can easily feed into each other. Thanks for covering this and I’m looking forward to anything else about YouTube podcasts :)

Honestly I'm behind this. YouTube is the main SM network I use by a ton and it'd be nice to do more things in one place.

Well, here I am, watching a YouTube video about whether YouTube podcasts are dumb... So who's the real genius here? 😂 Great insights into the platform debate!

Thanks for asking these questions Pat and being open that the answers aren't 100% clear (like most things in this world). We're going to try using our Video Marketing Podcast as video but a video highlight reel of what's more extended on audio. This info was helpful for me. Thanks! - Dane 🙋🏻‍♂

Ahhh we have been debating taking our podcast episodes off our channel and creating a new channel and focus on just YT viewers for our current channel. Now what do we do?? 😂😂😂

Wooooow.. interesting. A few months ago Google announced they would stop presenting the podcast carousel in search results. Some people wondered why they were dropping the podcast crawling experiment they've been doing for the last couple years. I guess this answers the question. 🤔

Some great questions raised here and I am interested in following these developments and how YouTube is going to change the podcasting landscape. Thanks for this.

My only question, can it play with the screen off? I'm only about half way through the video though

Great questions... I was also thinking "what's the point" of this new category.... glad you were just as perplexed! lol

Great video Pat. I'm glad you are asking the questions. As you have a larger audience definitely YouTube will be more inclined to answer quicker. :) Your information is great as always. Thank you for keeping us all informed. GREAT THUMBNAIL too. :)

Great probing questions Pat. I think it's still early 'daze' and the audience analytics will decide. I'm in Favor of anything that will help spread the word and build my audience. The big thing is the amount of time it takes to publish a podcast is much less than for a video.