Is a Video Podcast Worth It, or Should I Stick With Audio?
For most new shows, video is worth it. It costs more to make than audio, but a short clip someone shares is often how a new podcast gets found, and clips, reels and shorts all need video. One session can give you the full episode on YouTube, the audio on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and a set of clips for social. If the budget won't stretch yet, start with audio and add cameras later. Plenty of long-running shows have made that move.
Key Facts
- Short clips that people share are often how a new podcast gets found, and every clip format needs video.
- Many podcast clients ask for around 20 clips from a session, as well as the full episode.
- On an interview show the guests do about 80% of the talking, so the host's own view can go missing unless it gets its own clips or episodes.
- A repeatable format, with the same structure, runtime and release day, is what lets an audience fall into a rhythm with a show.
A podcast feels like an audio thing, so filming it can look like paying for extras. That instinct made sense a few years ago. It works against new shows now, because the way people find a podcast has moved to video, even when they end up listening.
Why Video Helps a New Show Get Found
New podcasts are hard to discover through the podcast apps alone. More often, someone sees a short clip of a good moment, shares it, and a new listener goes looking for the full episode. Reels, shorts, LinkedIn video and TikTok all need pictures.
Video also changes how people relate to the host. Seeing faces, reactions and the energy of a real conversation builds trust faster than a voice alone, which matters most for a business or expert show that wants to be taken seriously.
What You Get From One Session
Filmed with three cameras, a wide and a close-up on each speaker, one conversation becomes:
- The full episode as video, for YouTube and your website.
- The same episode as audio, for Spotify, Apple Podcasts and any podcast host.
- Short clips cut from the strongest moments, formatted for each platform.
So the comparison isn't video against audio. It's one recording that feeds every channel against one that feeds the podcast apps alone.
Design a Format, Not an Episode
A show that lasts is one an audience can fall into a rhythm with, like a Tuesday commute. Pick a structure you can repeat, with a fixed opening, the conversation, a wrap-up and a consistent sign-off. Put a hook in the first five seconds. Keep the runtime steady. For an expert organisation, a repeatable studio format means the expert walks in and only thinks about what they want to say, and the producer delivers a finished show season after season.
If you host an interview show, plan for your own voice too. The guests do most of the talking, so your point of view can disappear. A short solo piece to camera, filmed in the same session and cut into clips, gives it a home.
When to Start With Audio
If the budget won't stretch to video yet, starting with audio is better than not starting. Record somewhere that sounds good, keep the format consistent, and plan to add cameras once the show has found its feet. The habit of releasing regularly matters more than the format you start in. The one thing to avoid is filming without a plan for the clips, because the footage only pays for itself once it's cut and posted.
What It Costs
Video podcast production is often sold as a fixed package per session, which makes it easy to compare. At our Collingwood studio, a session with a producer, three-camera video, the edit and social clips runs from $1,299 to $2,789 + GST, depending on how long you record. Recording at your own office costs more, because it adds crew time and travel.
The takeaway: if you want the show to be found, record it on video and plan the clips before the first session. If you can't yet, start with audio and keep the door open.