Apple Podcasts Video: The Benefits
episode
Podmastery: podcasting insights and advice for indie creators
8 min
1 speaker
7 chapters
transcribed 19 days ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why does the host caution against relying on video to fix a weak podcast?
In the previous episode of this podcast, I made the case to you that video won't fix a weak podcast. I said that adding a camera doesn't add substance. I said that Apple Podcasts video probably isn't a match for YouTube. And I said that if you're building your entire show around looking good on a screen, you're probably going to make the audio ever so slightly worse. And I stand by every word of that. But here's the thing about actually being honest on a podcast about podcasting rather than just sounding opinionated and bringing hot takes. Being honest means looking at both sides. And you know what? There is a genuine argument for using Apple Podcasts video HLS feature. And it's not the one that the LinkedIn gurus are making.
It's actually far more interesting than anything any of them have said. So let's look at the argument that most people are making for adding video to your podcast. It's usually centered around growth. Get on YouTube.
What is the common growth argument for adding video to a podcast?
It's the world's second biggest search engine. You'll get discovered. You'll get big. Okay, look, fine. YouTube is a discovery machine. That is true. There is an algo. That part, I'll give them. But here's the bit that everybody skips past. Apple Podcasts' video isn't trying to be YouTube. And that, that bit right there, is exactly why this HLS feature is worth paying attention to. There's a distinction that most people making noise about this have completely failed to grasp. That's why the moment that YouTube releases any kind of press release announcing exciting new features, they jump all over it, giving their pontifications around how this is great for the podcasting industry. What they don't get is the difference between discovery and delivery.
How does the episode differentiate between discovery on YouTube and delivery on Apple Podcasts?
Discovery is someone brand new is finding your content. Delivery is someone who already follows you reliably gets it. So YouTube is all about discovery. And this is the important thing. It's becoming increasingly terrible at the delivery piece. What do I mean by that? Well, right. You can have 100,000 subscribers on YouTube on your channel, and then you can post a video that gets maybe 1,000 views. Because regardless of what decision your previous viewers have taken around whether or not they want to see your content again, the algorithm overrules that and decides that it's not worth the push for that week. You know that bell notification that you pushed? Yeah, that's decorative at best nowadays. You've got to actively hunt for content from people you said you wanted to follow because YouTube now sticks in front of you whatever it wants to based on your search instead of delivering the stuff that the creator you subscribed to months ago has published.
So that's not delivery at all. It's a content lottery.
Why is Apple Podcasts’ video delivery considered more reliable than YouTube’s algorithm?
and you're not the one holding the winning card apple podcasts conversely has been doing delivery properly for over 20 years you follow a show it used to be called subscribe you then get the show in your playlist every single time a new episode is published there's no begging any algorithms and what apple's doing here with hls video support is they're extending that same delivery process into video. So, you follow a video show on Apple Podcasts, you get a video show every time a new episode is released. Automatically. I know, genuinely a revolutionary concept in 2026. Obviously, this is not going to make Apple Podcasts the new YouTube. That ship has sailed long ago. In fact, it's been recovered from the bottom of the ocean, recycled, and is now a fleet of kayaks.
YouTube has been doing this way too long. The audience is far too embedded. Apple Podcasts isn't trying to play YouTube's game. And that's actually what's smart about this. Apple is just trying to be what Apple Podcasts has always been, a reliable, algorithm-free pipeline between a creator and the audience that they're already building. And for podcasters who are producing video, that kind of changes the whole strategic picture quite significantly.
What workflow changes are needed to publish video podcasts on Apple Podcasts?
Because right now, if you're making video and you're pushing everyone to YouTube, what you're doing is you're handing control of your audience relationship to a platform.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Why does the host caution against relying on video to fix a weak podcast?
0:00–1:06
2
What is the common growth argument for adding video to a podcast?
1:06–1:58
3
How does the episode differentiate between discovery on YouTube and delivery on Apple Podcasts?
1:58–3:10
4
Why is Apple Podcasts’ video delivery considered more reliable than YouTube’s algorithm?
3:10–4:34
5
What workflow changes are needed to publish video podcasts on Apple Podcasts?
4:34–6:05
6
How can podcasters combine YouTube for discovery with Apple Podcasts for delivery?
6:05–6:56
7
What are the final takeaways and next steps for podcasters considering video?
6:56–7:57
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Podmastery: podcasting insights and advice for indie creators
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