When Video Matters And When It Shouldn't
Humans, it seems, like to be all or nothing on things. It's a Twitter-killer or a Google-killer. Not here's another way to access content or do things. It's all or nothing. And that's frustrating
In a recent New York Magazine Vulture piece, author Nicolas Quah, who focuses on this type of media as a critic, says essentially that video is... wait for it... killing the audio podcast. Come on man!
Yes, video has an additional aspect that audio doesn't have – the visual. And yes, having an video component to your podcast is always a plus. But is it necessary? No! Not at all!
Podcasts are consumed at the computer, where people want to watch people chat and talk. But also while driving, where they better only be watching the freaking road.
The beauty of the audio podcast is that you can do other things while listening. You're not committed to watching people chat.
Now, this isn't saying that I don't enjoy the video side of podcasts. I do. I watch a bunch of my audio shows' YouTube channels to see what the hosts and guests look like and are talking about, but I don't NEED it or require it to enjoy the show.
I agree that distributing your content out in small clips for promotions in video is a good idea, but what I take umbrage with is when people say it's video or nothing.
Again... come on!
Even if you do indeed focus on video, don't ignore audio. Give your audience options.
Many of my podcasting clients are just getting started and not having to worry about one more thing helps them get started.
Podcasting has a bigger problem than just using video or not using video. It's that hosts don't stick with it.
As you can see from the above graphic, there are way more people seeking to be on shows than there are shows looking for guests. This is more of an issue, at least I think, than if you do video or not.
What do you think?
The Latest From The Entrepreneur's Enigma Podcast
Web Jawn
Jason Koebler
Rightfully so, Meta has some major issues stemming from their reversal of their moderation policy. Granted the moderation wasn't that good, but now going a whole 180 has lots of people concerned.
Automattic · January 9, 2025
This is just an example of how Matt Mullenweg is digging his own hole even bigger. What this means for the WordPress project isn't known yet. I do know there are talks of forking everything including the plugin repo.
Joseph Cox
Yikes this isn't good. Consider this a PSA.
andypiper
Andy Piper is a force in the decentralized social web and really good person all around. This is worth a read.
I still don't see Trump letting this happen. But if TikTok shuts down in the US, then I see that as a major win for Instagram and other players.
Sarah Perez
Eugen Rochko, the CEO of the Mastodon platform, has major concerns with where Meta is going with the lack of moderation. I know many admins and mods of Fediverse instances are blocking Threads.net from connecting (federating) with their communities because of what Meta's deciding to do.
Barry Schwartz
This is cool. See!!!! Audio isn't dead! 😜
Olya Ianovskaia
This is an interesting development. I'm not surprised by it, but it's definitely a move.
Chuck Price
Some good tips from Chuck Price to make sure you rank in Google.
Ernie Smith
Interesting take.
Ashley Belanger
Of course, why would X/Twitter tell the truth?
Kyle Wiggers
Oh gee thanks Zuck!
Lauren Forristal
Interesting play (pun not intended) on Spotify's part to get podcasting more into the app. But the barrier to entry to get any money is pretty damn high and limited to podcasters who use their podcasting platform. So for many this is a non-starter.
Ben Werdmuller
Matt is going nuclear on everyone. Ben has a good take on what's going on.
Paul Sawers
Honestly, bring on the fork. WordPress itself is a fork of older blogging software. Matt is such a ____. Insert your own word. 😵💫
Ghost
I'm so excited for this blog/newsletter to federate. I guess that's going to be this year! If you're not following John O'Nolan and team's trials and triumphs with making this move, you should follow the pug-filled newsletter above.
Ashley Belanger
Interesting, but good move on the leadership over at Mastodon.
🎙️New Offering: Podcast Coaching 🎙️
I've been podcasting since 2010. During those 12+ years I've learned a thing or two about the ins and outs of the industry and approaching it the right way.
I've recently decided to offer podcast coaching as a service to share the knowledge that I've accumulated over the decade-plus in the industry.
Web Find & Other Good Stuff
If you're looking for an alternative to Instagram, check out Pixelfed.org. There are a bunch of different communities that run instances of Pixelfed, including the main one Pixelfed.social. I'm on that one but help run Pixey.org. There is also a great directory of different servers you can join right here.
Marketer Tips
Goes to my point above.
Benj Edwards
Because why the hell not! 🤣 I love the Internet!
Download the podcasts you want from leading services easily. This can come in handy, especially if you're on a podcast and want to keep the recording.
Podcast Appearance
That's It For This Week! Keep Rocking It!
-Seth
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