Video podcasts are the only podcast format that will grow large enough to create the value needed to invest in producing. In 2024, Spotify announced its video podcast library had surpassed 300,000 titles. According to the 2024 Edison Research Infinite Dial, YouTube was the number-one podcast destination in the United States. As stated in a 2025 update for Spotify partners, video has become the expected medium for all new podcasts. If a creator or company chooses to do a video podcast, the only decision left to make is how to create a video that is going to be watched.
Here is the working producer’s guide to creating a video podcast, which I wish I had when I began editing video podcasts. This post explains the format of a video podcast, why they exploded in popularity, equipment necessary for creating a video podcast, recording software options available to record a video podcast, production workflows of a video podcast (recording -> editing -> publishing), decisions made while editing a video podcast that make the difference between a viewed and abandoned video podcast, distribution of video podcasts on YouTube and Spotify and Apple TV+, repurposing for short videos, actual costs associated with producing a video podcast, frequently asked questions received by prospects about producing video podcasts.
Video podcast definition and comparisons to other formats
A video podcast is a type of spoken media (podcast-style) that includes synchronized video. Both hosts and guests appear on camera. Listeners watch and listen to the content. Video podcasting is different than other formats due to overlapping terminology. Vodcast is an older portmanteau (video + podcast) still being used in certain industries. We consider vodcasts a synonym for video podcast. “Video podcast” is currently the most widely accepted terminology among both platforms and producers. “YouTube show,” “YouTube Series” are also related forms of content, however they differ from each other based upon how they are distributed and monetized.
There are three differences worth noting between these formats:
1. Audio Podcast: An audio-only file (typically MP3/WAV) that is delivered using an RSS feed and listened to on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast etc. No video is present.
2. Video Podcast: The combination of an audio file (delivered via RSS) along with synchronized video. Distribution typically occurs either via an RSS feed (that contains HLS video data for Apple Podcasts as of 2024) and/or via YouTube as a video upload. Content that exists as a video podcast can be accessed as both an audio-only experience (via RSS) or as a visual experience (via YouTube).
3. YouTube Series: Video-based content that is exclusive to YouTube. No RSS feeds exist for YouTube Series, therefore there is no corresponding audio-only podcast version of the content.
As of 2026, the majority of “video podcasts” fall under Category #2 with many YouTube versions having more listeners than their respective audio-only RSS feeds.
Factors contributing to the rapid growth of video podcasting in 2025 – 2026
Three factors converged to cause the rapid adoption of video podcasting in 2025-2026.
Factor #1: Consumer Behavior Shift
Edison Research’s 2024 Infinite Dial reported that audiences in the U.S. prefer watching their podcasts on YouTube over listening to them on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This trend did not occur prior to 2019. Consumers now expect the option to watch their podcasts even though they ultimately choose to consume them audibly.
Factor #2: Platform Investment
Spotify rolled out monetization capabilities for video podcasts within its Partner program in late 2024–early 2025. These terms were subsequently updated through mid-2026. Apple Podcasts has since supported video episodes via HLS video on iOS 17.4 (2024). While Apple Podcasts continues to improve user experience with regards to playback (seeApple Documentation), YouTube officially surfaced podcasts in a dedicated section beginning in early 2023–late 2024. With this, YouTube clearly indicated video podcast distribution as a priority area of focus.
Factor #3: Economic Changes for Creators
Each video episode provides significantly more repurposeable assets than traditional audio-only episodes including longer form videos, vertical clips for social media, thumbnails, social clip lengths, transcription documents, blog articles etc. Per The Independent Podcaster Report cited by The Podcast Host, approximately 53% of aspiring creators who intended to launch solo shows in 2024 chose to include video as part of their initial rollout strategy. The implication here is simple, unless you begin publishing exclusively audio podcasts today, you will be reaching a shrinking pool of potential viewers.
Video Podcast Format Options (Solo, Interview with Guest, Panel/Roundtable Remote or In-Studio)
Your format choice will dictate almost everything else about your show (your equipment needs, recording software choices, edit complexity/cost). Below are five common formats:
Format Option #1: Solo Episode
One host, one microphone, one camera. Generally best suited for educational content, commentary pieces and established personality-driven podcasts. This format is generally easiest to produce regularly. However, it puts high amounts of creative pressure on the individual host as he/she must provide consistent engaging material every episode. Approximately 53% of aspiring solo creators reported planning to produce solo podcasts in 2024 per The Independent Podcaster Report.
Format Option #2: Two-Person Interview in Studio
Host and guest(s) located in the same physical space. Ideally two cameras should be utilized with one positioned behind each person. Provides great opportunity for intimate conversations with good synchronization opportunities. Geographical constraints apply to this format.
Format Option #3: Two-Person Remote
Both host and guest(s) are physically separated and utilize their own cameras/recording devices (Riverside Pro/Zencastr/StreamYard/etc). Removes geographical limitations of guests appearing in studio; adds risks associated with syncing of audio/video from multiple locations/internet connections/audio quality issues.
This format is primarily used by Business-to-Business (B2B) podcast producers as executive guests cannot normally attend studios for interviews.
Format Option #4: Panel/Roundtable Episodes
Three to five guests participate in conversation with each guest appearing on camera. Multicam ideal. Will require the most amount of time spent editing compared to other formats as edits involving cuts/reaction shots/pacing become much more critical with additional people appearing on screen.
Format Option #5: Live/Hybrid
Episode is streamed live during recording with viewer interaction allowed during live stream; edited for subsequent on-demand viewing/distribution. Requires changing hardware (ATEM Mini Pro ISO recommended) and employing a capable producer.
Choose your format based on your guest pipeline and editing capacity versus selecting a format you aspire to produce at some point.
Equipment Necessary for Producing Video Podcasts
(Cameras/Microphones/Lighting/Switchers/Software)
Working two-guest video podcast equipment stacks in 2026 look like this:
- Camera Options: Mirrorless Bodies (Sony ZV-1 II @ $899 / Canon EOS R10 @ $879) which connect directly into HDMI USB Capture Devices or Plug & Play Kits (NearStream VM20 @ ~$150)
- Microphone Options: Shure SM7B with Cloudlifter for typical podcast audio requirements or Rode PodMic for budget-conscious shows. Do NOT use USB microphones for any show that wants professional-quality audio.
- Lighting Options: Softbox or LED Panels for each participant with a back light if you have depth on your set. Ring lights work OK for solo shows on limited budgets.
- Audio Interface/Mixer Options: Motu M2 (@ $200) for two microphones; Rodecaster Pro II (@ ~$500-$600) if you want audio boards/live pads for your shows.
- Optional Switcher: ATEM Mini Pro ISO (@ ~$1k) if you want the ability to perform live multi-camera switching while simultaneously capturing per-camera ISO recordings as insurance against any technical failures.
See our Equipment Guide for a complete list of camera/microphone/switcher options.
Recording Software Options for Video Podcasts (Riverside/Zencastr/StreamYard/Descript)
Four companies control nearly all remote video podcast recording options available today. Honest Comparison of Four Companies Follows:
For a more detailed comparison of Riverside Pro vs Zencastr Standard options, please refer to our Riverside vs Zencastr Comparison post. For information regarding Descript specific features and limitations, see our Descript Review post.
Honest Recommendation for New Shows Choosing Recording Software: Use Riverside Pro when building video-first content; Use Zencastr Standard when building audio-first content that includes hosted RSS; Use StreamYard when you need live broadcasting capability included in your recording; Use Descript when you are creating solo content and plan to self-edit.
Standard Production Workflow for Video Podcasts (Record → Edit → Publish)
While most shows follow a basic workflow, it looks very similar regardless of format:
- Pre-Produce: Schedule guest; Send pre-flight technical questionnaire (mic/headphones/lighting check); Prepare Q&A for interview; Set up recording environment/session.
- Record: Record local audio per guest at 48 kHz WAV; Record local video per guest at 1080P or 4K; Have a producer monitor levels live if possible.
- Ingest: Download WAV files and per-camera video files; Backup ASAP.
- Sync: Sync audio and video tracks in Premiere or Resolve; Build multicam source sequence.
- Rough Cut: Remove false starts/dead air/off topic discussion points; Aim for 70-85% of original runtime.
- Detail Edit: Remove fill words; Edit on reactions; Add B-Roll coverages for mistakes made by speakers.
- Audio Mix: Apply EQ/compression/noise reduction/loudness normalization to match broadcast specifications (-16 LUFS for podcasts/-14 LUFS for videos).
- Color/Graphics: Perform color correction pass per camera; Create lower thirds/title sequences/intros/outros; Add Captions.
- Export: Export final long-form video; Export final audio-only WAV/MP3; Export vertical clips for short-form distribution options.
- Publish: Upload final video to YouTube; Push final audio file to hosting providers (Buzzsprout/Libsyn/Transistor) to distribute content via RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify; Upload thumbnails according to each platform’s specifications
Editing for watchability: cuts, b-roll, captions, framing (editor’s point-of-view)
The five editing decisions that will determine whether your video podcast is viewable or not.
Cut on the reaction, not the line. In general, most amateur video podcasters cut to the host asking the question. The pro edits are cutting to the guest’s reaction before they speak. The reaction shot is the comedy. Single camera setups can’t do this — it’s why a Two-camera setup matters.
Use b-roll to cover stumbles, not as decoration. Most amateur shows pile b-roll on top of strong moments. Pro’s use b-roll to hide weak moments. Cut to b-roll for Two seconds while trimming the underlying audio when a guest has a moment where they stumble a sentence.
Captions are better burned into the video than toggled. All short-form platforms outperform closed captions. For long-form YouTube both work but default to open captions on platform aspect deliverables.
Camera quality does not matter more than frame quality. A $5,000 cinema camera with bad frame looks worse than a $300 webcam with good frame. Eyes at the top third of frame, head room tight, light from camera left and/or right never directly above background depth visible.
Intro shorter than 60 seconds and Cold open earlier. The first 30 seconds of your video podcast determines whether someone watches the rest. Cold open with the strongest moment from the conversation then Intro after, then start the episode. Episodes which get watched till the end almost always have intros less than one minute long.
If you don’t want to learn this layer our outsourcing team edits Riverside, Zencastr, Descript & SquadCast files on flat monthly subscription.
Publishing and distributing across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
There are three main distribution surfaces for video podcasts in 2026, each with different file requirements.
Youtube.
The dominant U.S. podcast destination per Edison Research 2024. Upload video as regular YouTube video upload. Check “set as podcast” option in YouTube Studio so video appears in YouTube’s podcast vertical. Custom Thumbnails perform better than auto-thumbs by wide margin.
Spotify.
Upload audio via RSS feed through hosting provider for audio only distribution. For video either link your YouTube channel to Spotify (auto syncs) or upload video directly through Spotify for Creators. Video shows must go through the Spotify Partner Program to monetize (terms updated quarterly; verify terms before reliance upon specific payout structure).
Apple Podcasts.
Apple supports video episodes via HLS video in RSS feed since iOS 17.4 (2024). Most hosting providers (Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Transistor) handle workflow to upload video apple easy. Still works fine for audio only episodes.
Realistic cost stack for most shows in 2026: upload video to YouTube primary, push audio RSS to Apple and Spotify, optionally upload video to Spotify directly via creator tools.
See our guide on upload specs and growth tactics for Spotify for additional info on growing podcasts on YouTube.
Creating Thumbnails for Apple video podcasts (per spec)
Thumbnails make a difference. Apple’s 2024 video podcast spec requires episode-level thumbnail images delivered alongside HLS video stream. Suggested size 3000 x 3000 pixels minimum, RGB color space, jpg/PNG. Thumbnail is what displays in library view or paused mode within Apple Podcasts.
Youtube Thumbnails follow different specifications: 1280 x 720 minimum, 16:9 ratio, less than 2 MB. We find custom Thumbnails over-perform auto-generated Thumbnails by 20 – 50% click-through rate across client shows using large text, high contrast and face elements.
Spotify uses same cover art provided as audio shows; for video shows typically syncs from the YouTube thumbnail.
Practical workflow: design 1 thumbnail per episode at 3000 x 3000 (satisfies all platforms meet Apple spec), export 1280 x 720 crop for YouTube, and publish all three.
Re-purposing content for shorts, reels, TikTok & clips
Each 60-minute video podcast creates between 25 – 40 short-form assets depending on clipping ability. Typical breakdown repurpose content:
- 8-15 vertical clip versions (60 – 90 sec each) for TikTok and Instagram Reels & YouTube Shorts.
- 3-5 audiogram versions (audio w/waveform visuals for Twitter & LinkedIn).
- 1 quote graphic version per strong moment for Instagram carousels & LinkedIn carousel posts.
- 1 long blog post created from a transcript.
- 1 newsletter excerpt with the best section of the transcript (approximately 200 words).
Video podcast repurposing math makes video podcasting economically viable. Audio-only podcast produces a fraction of these assets because there is no visual asset to cut up.
Refer to our step-by-step launch guide for full details on steps required to launch new video podcast series. If already recorded, send a sample episode, and we’ll edit the first free so you can compare your own pass against an experienced editor’s pass.
Cost of creating a video podcast (DIY, outsourced & agency)
Three real options in regards to costs in 2026.
DIY (sub-$2k initial year investment). USB webcams or mirrorless + webcam, USB mics, basic lighting, trial software of Riverside/Zencastr & self-edited in DaVinci Resolve (free version). Time: 8-12 hours per episode editing. Best for solo creators who are comfortable technically & have enough time.
Outsourced editing ($1500-$3000/month). Recordings done & editing services take care of post-production. Vidpros exists here @ $1499/month, unlimited episodes, reasonable. Resonate Recordings, Podigy & Podcast Magician offer similar productized tiers. Best for those who want consistent video quality without taking the time to edit them themselves.
Agency ($4000-$15k+/month). Strategy/guest booking/recording/edit/distribution/mktg. Lower Street, Content Allies, Caspian & fame for b2b. Best for brands that want a finished show without having internal operations.
Simple rule of thumb decision making: solo creator with time go DIY. Solo creator without time or brand wants consistency go outsourced editing. Brand needs a strategy & guest booking go agency.
Next steps & FAQs
Do I need to create a video podcast to compete in 2026?
No, but you’ll grow slower without one. According to Edison Research 2024, YouTube is #1 US podcast destination.
Can I use just a webcam to start?
Yes. Testing format & audience prior to investing in mirrorless would be fine with $175 Logitech Brio & USB mic.
Where should I host my audio if publishing on YouTube?
Standard hosting providers (buzzsprout/, Libsyn/Transistor) handle RSS for Apple Podcasts & Spotify. YouTube natively hosts videos; many shows utilize both.
What is the difference between spots’ audio shows & podcasts?
Podcasts spots hosts as video shows (via direct upload or YouTube link) play w/video; audio only podcasts play w/cover art. Same show can exist as both.
Must I have RSS feeds for a video podcast?
For Apple Podcasts & Spotify audio distribution, RSS feeds, yes. For YouTube, only video shows no; both yes.
Can I monetize my video podcast?
YouTube ads (any creator, any size; no minimums eligible for podcast), Spotify partner program (updated terms quarterly), Apple Podcast subscriptions (paid tier), sponsorships (most reliable >1000 listens per episode), Patreon (community gating).
If starting from zero, our step-by-step launch guide walks you through entire launch sequence in order. If already recorded, send a sample episode, and we’ll edit the first one free so you can see what your raw files look like handled by a human.
──────────────────────────────────────────────
Sources: Edison Research Infinite Dial 2024 (YouTube as #1 US podcast destination); The Independent Podcaster Report 2024 (53% solo format figure, via The Podcast Host); Apple Podcasts video spec (documentation); Spotify Partner Program (terms updated quarterly; verify on Spotify); platform pricing verified early 2026 via Riverside, Zencastr, Descript, Uscreen, and Libsyn.
