Both YouTube and podcasts have seen a spike in popularity, especially when it comes to marketing techniques for early-stage companies. But what makes one option better than the other?

In this article we ask several experts to resolve the YouTube vs podcast debate once and for all, by pointing out the benefits of their favourite option.

This article is ideal for startup founders and entrepreneurs who are looking to expand their sources of incoming traffic, or are looking for the best medium to convey their message online. So make sure you make it to the end, where we share the main takeaways!

YouTube vs Podcast - Why you should choose video

Video content has several benefits over podcasts. Our contributors have lined up the information you should keep in mind based on their personal experience and marketing results. Let’s take a look at each feature separately.

1. Great for repurposing content

Always start with video. It. can be repurposed into a number of different formats, but there's something special about video. Done right, video is a connection that scales, and will directly translate into organic traffic to your site in a way that audio alone simply won't. Podcasts can be great, but they work in parallel to whatever else you're doing for marketing.

Videos, on the other hand, can be repurposed and turned into your marketing strategy across all platforms. You can tell compelling stories that connect with people in all stages of the buyer's journey, then repurpose that content 27 different ways.

2. Diverse range of content for marketing purposes

Thus far, we prefer marketing on YouTube because of the flexibility of content and video availability. I understand podcasts are huge these days, but YouTube gives us the ability to post marketing materials that are diverse in content and in a time frame that makes sense for us. My organization has a lot of projects going on at the same time, which means we always have new videos coming in that need to be chopped up and made into stories we can use for marketing purposes. YouTube allows us to do this and share the final product across our social media platforms without any trouble.

3. Video helps you connect with your audience

When it comes to the promotion of any startup, I will always recommend YouTube over podcasts. The biggest reason is simply that people love to watch content rather than listen to it. Secondly, the organic traffic one can gain on YouTube with evergreen content is limitless. With a little bit of keyword research and a consistent posting routine, getting to your target audience is almost effortless. Finally (and arguably most importantly), letting your target audience see your face and your personality through video will build trust almost instantly. These days, people just want to connect with the brands they love and YouTube allows them to do exactly what with minimal effort.

4. YouTube is a household name

No matter how much we deny it, we should come to terms with the fact that YouTube is slowly turning into the new cable provider people staple themselves with. People expect YouTube to have everything, may it be that favorite show they missed on cable, or that very old video people wanted kept already.

Apart from holding access to a lot, or almost all of the contents out there, YouTube has also proven itself as one of the most effective marketing platforms in the business sector, which is evident given the number of subscribers, popping vloggers who still get million dollar views as well. If these vloggers are able to dig a certain niche, then there's no wonder YouTube still has the crown on being a great promotion. People are necessitating information and entertainment both on this platform, which means YouTube is more likely to acquire more customers, whatever your business is.

5. Multiple search-friendly videos > one long podcast episode

Personally, I prefer making YouTube videos as opposed to creating podcast episodes. The reason for this is, YouTube videos tend to be more search-friendly, making them more discoverable.

Instead of taking the time to create a single long podcast episode, I can create multiple search-friendly videos that can be discovered organically by my target audience.

Remember, YouTube is the world's 2nd-largest search engine, and videos can rank in the search results for many years.

6. Video content is great for B2B exposure

When it comes to selecting our preferred marketing channel, we have found that YouTube is a more effective platform especially for a B2B business like ours that is looking to show off its features. After all, people would often prefer to see a visually creative representation of what is being offered, instead of either focusing on a text block or an audio podcast that explains the same information. Moreover, the benefit of using YouTube is that it has millions of active users every day and this level of popularity means that it is all the more likely to garner views faster, than if we put together a podcast, for instance. Moreover, YouTube videos will often show up on Google search terms, making them more visible to potentially interested parties thus boosting Google search rankings. And since we often implement partnerships with influential YouTubers with high subscriber counts, we are able to boost our ROI much faster and more efficiently.

7. Get instant feedback from your audience

Having run a podcast and YouTube channel in parallel for around a year, I prefer YouTube. YouTube gives you instant feedback from your audience in the form of comments and likes - so you know actually get an idea of what people want. The analytics built into YouTube are also a lot better than the ones you get through something like Podtrac - so you don’t feel like you are operating in the dark. Content can also live longer on YouTube. If a video’s content is “evergreen” it can keep growing over time, whereas podcasts are much more of an episodic thing, so people tend to look back through the older items in the feed so much.

Overall, running the YouTube channel has just felt more meaningful for me.

Podcast vs YouTube - Where podcasts are preferred

8. Listen anywhere, any time

I think that Podcasts are much more accessible to the average person than YouTube videos are. You cannot watch a video when you are working, driving, or anything that needs your focus, but you can usually listen to a podcast at all times. With the longer run times compared to videos, you get more engagement and you get the ability to connect with your audience faster, which is something not possible with a video. You need attention to be able to get people listening, but videos lose attention very quickly, with the average person only having the attention span of a goldfish.

9. Great tool for lead generation

One of the major marketing benefits of podcasting is increased engagement. Your listeners will engage if you create a podcast and promote it to a specific audience. This is a fantastic way to generate leads while building your startup, brand, or business.

One of the primary reasons for this is that a podcast is a medium that is not heavily regulated by federal laws when it comes to advertisements. In fact, you are free to blatantly push for the hard sell and even shamelessly promote your sponsors during your podcast. Although it may not be the best practice, you are free to do so if you feel compelled to. In any case, it appears that these liberties are more than beneficial to podcasting as a sales vehicle.

10. Low upfront costs

Podcasts are great for startups as they do not require a lot of upfront costs. One of the most common misconceptions about marketing is that it must be expensive in order to be effective. Podcasting is an excellent example of how deceptive this mindset can be. Podcasting is one of the most cost-effective content marketing strategies. To begin podcasting, all you need is some basic audio equipment and a topic to discuss. However, this does not imply that you can continue in this manner eternally.

As your brand becomes well-known and your audience grows, you may need to expand your operations. Fortunately, setting up your own studio isn't too expensive. You'll also require the appropriate area in addition to the audio equipment.

11. Download and listen anywhere

Considering how much we all enjoy consuming content on the go, it’s no surprise that more people are listening to podcasts than ever before. It allows you to get your audience’s attention on the go. Your listeners can download and listen at any time, including while they’re driving, grocery shopping, walking their dog, etc. Your audience doesn’t need to look at their screens to listen to your message.

12. Podcasts focus on hyper-targeted and niche listeners

Podcasts over YouTube 100%. Podcasts deliver hyper-targeted and niche listeners. They also force you to actively engage with different ideas, push you outside your comfort zone, and allow you to elaborate on different ideas. This is vital for growing organically.

You can spot someone trying to sell you something a mile away, and this is often the case for YouTube videos, where it’s easy to sneak a little product placement in.

But a high-quality podcast invitation is different. It gives you the arena to talk about your passions, thus proving a highly rewarding and enriching experience for you and the listeners of the podcasts. Podcasts listeners are expecting good quality and informative content. So if you meet their expectations, and they enjoy listening to you, they will surely be interested to find out more about your start-up company, and may eventually be your biggest customers.

13. Authenticity leads to a more holistic story

While YouTube videos are great (and can be very engaging), we have found that podcasts are an easier format for us to promote our brand. You have the opportunity to tell a more holistic story. You don't need to stress about production values (other than sound quality). The format is typically an interview which makes for a good conversation. And podcasts tend to be evergreen -- when someone finds one they love, they will go back and listen to a bunch, just like binge-watching on Netflix. You also have the ability to reach a new audience without spending anything. So assuming that your story is relevant to the podcast you're on, it's a no brainer.

Main takeaways

You should have a good overview of both sides when it comes to YouTube VS Podcast content. To briefly summarize the advice of experts, here are the main points you need to keep in mind:

• YouTube is best for content redistribution, SEO, and instant feedback from your audience. Startups can benefit from this, especially if the content is of educational nature (e.g. knowledge base)
• Podcasts are great for founders that want to promote their product to very targeted audiences. Since the discussions are not as scripted, you can let your authenticity shine, which in turn helps potential customers identify and engage with your brand in an organic manner.

You could also follow the middle path, which we often see with many brands across different industries: Create a video podcast and upload the content on YouTube, as well as other platforms. You can leverage the content even further by linking to it from your newsletter and Social Media bios.