Podcast journey – Week 3 – Production possibilities

So, last week, I worked on the foundation of what my podcast would be about. I decided that with the responsibilities that I have at the moment, I was going to work on a solo informative podcast.

Now, lets start with the production side of the podcast. What does this mean? What does this include? How does one produce a podcast?

Well, first, I wanted to check out the difference between video podcasts and audio podcasts. What is the difference between these two? Why do they exist? Is one better than the other? Do podcasters use both mediums?

Let’s break it down.

Video podcast (AKA Vodcast, Video show, Vlog)

• These are done in a static location (usually) where the host and potential guests are on camera and talk into their own microphones.
• Requires planning of location, aesthetic, and camera quality
• Focus on engagement with audience
• Helps build brand recognition
• Visuals allow for more information to be conveyed to the audience
• Requires more skill with editing
• Better for social media promotion
• Content can be made into audio only format

Podcast

• These usually have thumbnail art for the episode
• Contains only audio content
• Consideration is solely on audio and information quality
• Need for dynamic listening experience (ie voice moderation)
• Audio can be recorded anywhere
• Does not allow for multiple learning styles
• Limited in ways to convey complex information
• Not easy to covert audio only content into a video format
• Length of podcasts are usually consistent

So which format would I use? That is a good question. I am not very comfortable in front of a camera. The introvert in me tends to shy away from being the centre of attention. If the video was merely infographics, I would be more comfortable. However I understand the importance of how these are able to be better promoted on social media. So, I guess the question goes back to what my purpose is in this process? Am I looking for brand recognition and use of multiple learning styles aided by visuals, or am I looking to simply get the information out there and count on my articulation skills to express the information? As a teacher, my heart tells me that this needs to include multiple learning styles to have the largest impact. When dealing with complex theories and specific concepts, infographics and visuals are essential. As much as I hate being on camera, I can create a plan so that my camera time is limited.

But why would you create two formats? That seems like overkill. It feels like those who want the exposure (and to monetize as much content as possible) have their content on multiple platforms in multiple formats. Now, this can be confusing depending on what format you choose. Jerry Potter has created a great breakdown of the choices you can make and what the best results are. Basically, if you only want an audio podcast, you can connect between your audio hosting sight and Youtube, so you don’t have to double post. If you choose to do two versions of your podcast (Vodcast and podcast), you should post the audio only on your hosting site (he uses Buzzsprout), and then separately post the vodcast to Youtube. If you are only choosing a Vodcast, you would just post to Youtube.

My take aways from this week were:

1. There are multiple benefits from using Vodcasting
2. You can use your vodcast to create a podcast
3. While podcasting allows for more flexibility, it has some substantial drawbacks
4. Hosting your material is much more complex than I anticipated.

I never realized that there were hosting sites that would upload your podcasts on to multiple sites. Apparently, there are multiple hosting sites. Podcast Nut gives a runs down on the two of the largest platforms. However, these aren’t the only hosting sites. But, there is so much more to explore before we start talking about hosting sites. I think one of my future blogs will be about the different hosting sites. I am excited to dive into this area later!

 

So, what is on the docket for next week? Well, as I mentioned last week,  I have found an AI that will help determine if my idea is viable. I will be using the AI tool Alitu Showplanner to help with the process. I will then compare this process with how other platforms help you plan out your podcast.