Ever wondered what the top YouTube podcasts are?

Thanks to the recent launch of YoutTube’s dedicated podcast page and the selection of new features, the platform plays host to some of the most engaging podcasts out there.

If you’re looking for advice on which to check out, you’ve come to the right place. In the following guide, we will look at the best YouTube podcasts and how to create your own.

‍

Why should you start podcasting on YouTube?

YouTube is the most popular place for listening to podcasts, and it’s about to get even bigger. Back in 2022, the platform launched YouTube’s Podcast Page and a selection of podcasting features available solely to US users. When you think that the platform boasts a massive 2.7 billion users each month, podcasting on YouTube is a no-brainer.

Benefits of video podcasting on YouTube

Thinking of podcasting on YouTube? There are many benefits to starting your journey on this platform. Here’s a quick breakdown of three reasons to do it:

Monetization

If your end goal is monetizing your podcast, YouTube can support you. The platform has a range of monetization options, such as earning revenue from display, overlay, and video ads. Using YouTube Premium allows you to earn a portion of the subscription fees too.

Read more: How to Make Money on YouTube in 2024: 8 Practical Ways

Expanded reach

Want to grow your audience? With 33% of listeners preferring YouTube, it’s the top place for listening to podcasts. For that reason, using the platform is a great way to expand your reach. The search and discovery features mean that your ideal audience member is likely to stumble across your content through recommendations.

You can also boost your reach on YouTube using relevant keywords. Creating optimized shownotes for each episode will help you along the way. Use Riverside’s AI show note feature to make the process automatic and simple.  

Podcast analytics

You should always look to improve your content wherever you can. That’s where the YouTube podcast analytics come into play. The platform allows you to gather insights and information about your audience members. The more you learn, the better you can tailor your content to meet their needs.

Easy Repurposing

With YouTube Shorts you can repurpose your long-form podcast into multiple reach-oriented posts. When new people come across these Shorts they can get a tase of your show without having to watch a long episode first. This will make new viewers much more likely to come across your channel watch your full episodes

The best part is that with Riverside’s Magic Clips, you can repurpose your podcast into Shorts at the tap of a button. This tool uses AI to turn your recordings’ key moments into short, shareable clips.

10+ best YouTube podcasts you must listen to

2 Best motivational YouTube podcasts

1. Motiversity

Motiversity is currently one of the largest motivational podcast channels on YouTube. The channel hosts exclusive speeches from well-known motivational speakers and life coaches like Marcus Tyler, Billy Albrooks, and Coach Pain. Motiversity’s high-quality podcasts cover diverse topics but share a common theme, encouraging you to unlock your potential.

Channel: @motiversity

Subscribers: 3.34 million

What we like: Motiversity has tons of high-quality episodes covering every motivational topic imaginable and it is all free of charge on YouTube.

Popular Episodes:

• Self-discipline - Best Motivational Speech Video (Featuring Will Smith),
• When It Hurts - Best Motivational Speech Video (Featuring Coach Pain)
• Failure - Best Motivational Video Speeches Compilation for Success.

2. The Mel Robbins Podcast

The Mel Robbins Podcast will help you change your life for the better. Celebrity author Mel Robbins has a direct yet compassionate style, which she effectively uses to tackle topics such as confidence, relationships, stress, and much more.

Channel: @melrobbins

Subscribers: 2.32M

What we like: Mel Robbins has etched her name in the motivational speaking industry and offers practical, relatable advice in her podcasts.

Popular Episodes:

• The Secret to Success & Happiness Nobody Talks About
• Do This Every Morning: How to Feel Energized, Focused, and in Control
• The Secret to Stopping Fear and Anxiety that Works

2 Best funny YouTube podcasts

1. Bill Burr's, Monday Morning and Thursday Afternoon Podcast

Bill Burr has always been that comedian with very hot takes on everything. If you like his style, then you‘ll be glad to know that he has been publishing two podcasts every week for the past thirteen years.

Channel: @BillBurr Official

Subscribers: 996K

What we like: Bill Burr’s podcasts have this weird contagious way of leaving us yelling at random things after every episode.

Popular Episodes:

• Episode 10-19-23 Thursday afternoon podcast
• Episode 9-21-23 Thursday afternoon podcast
• Episode 7-20-23 Thursday afternoon podcast

2. Spitballers Comedy Podcast

The Spitballers comedy podcast features three hysterical daddy bloggers; Andy, Mike, and Jason, who mostly chat about random stuff. One minute, they’ll be talking about navigating Airbnbs, and the next, they will be ranking candy.

Channel: @spitballers

Subscribers: 24.1K

What we like: How the hosts bring humor to random topics while keeping it PG.

Popular Episodes:

• Building a house and our favorite sports-EP 257
• Elevator Gaslighting-EP 261
• A genie grants you three wishes- EP-3

3 best educational podcasts on YouTube

1. Lex Fridman

Fridman has hosted top scientists, ex-CIA operatives, financial gurus, industry titans like Steve Jobs, and pretty much everyone noteworthy in society today. Watch and subscribe to his channel if you want to learn from the best while sharpening your mind in the process.

Channel: @lexfridman

Subscribers: 3.55M

What we like: Lex Fridman is great when it comes to conducting deep and thought-provoking interviews, even when the guest is way above his pay grade, like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.

Popular Episodes:

• Jeff Bezos: Amazon and Blue Origin
• Lex Fridman Podcast #405, 1984 by George Orwell
• Lex Fridman, Elon Musk: War, AI, Aliens, Politics, Physics, Video Games, and Humanity | Lex Fridman Podcast #400

2. Andrew Huberman Podcasts

Andrew Huberman is a Professor of neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine who has a fairly popular podcasting channel on YouTube. His insanely mind-opening channel mainly focuses on neuroscience and science-based tools.

Channel: @hubermanlab

Subscribers: 4.81M

What we like: Andrew Huberman is a well-read and celebrated professional and scholar who has decided to share invaluable knowledge free of charge on YouTube.

Popular Episodes:

• Sean Mackey: Tools to Reduce & Manage Pain
• David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength
• Rick Rubin: Protocols to Access Creative Energy and Process

3. Philosophize This!

Philosophize This is a great channel if you are looking for strictly educational content on philosophy delivered in an entertaining, easy-to-follow format.

Channel: @philosophizethispodcast

Subscribers: 134K

What we like: Philosophize This has a ton of high-quality educational content on philosophy, presented in an easy format for everyone.

Popular Episodes:

• Should we overthrow the government tomorrow? - Anarchism
• Are emotions a waste of time? -Neo Stoicism.

3 best sports and entertainment YouTube podcasts

1. Bill Simmons Podcast

Bill Simons is the popular founder of the Ringer, and he knows sports and pop culture more than anything else. In his popular podcast channel on YouTube, you can find conversations on popular American sports like the NBA and the NFL.

Channel: @BillSimmons

Subscribers: 118K

What we like: Bill Simons is always on-topic while still making his podcasts as entertaining and open-minded as possible.

Popular Episodes:

• Bill Simmons’s Favorite Belichick Moments
• The Genius of Bill Russell | Bill Simmons’s Book of Basketball 2.0
• Are the Clippers the Most Talented Team in the League? Bill Simmons Podcast

2. Jason Whitlock

Jason Whitlock teams up with other experts and sports fans to provide unfiltered commentary on current events in sports and culture. In his contrarian approach to podcasting, Whitlock is always skeptical on hot-button issues on my topics which makes his shows quite entertaining.

Channel: @realjasonwhitlock

Subscribers: 427K

What we like: We like how Jason and his crew blend sports with societal criticisms from what he likes to call “a radically independent” perspective.

Popular Episodes:

• Stephen A. Smith Trolls ‘America’s Team’ | Ep 598
• Jason Whitlock Responds to Stephen A. Smith’s Profanity-Laced Meltdown | Ep 596, ESPN
• Pat McAfee, Aaron Rodgers & Jimmy Kimmel Drama Is Playing Out like ‘Game of Thrones’ | Ep 595

3. The Right Time with Bomani Jones

Bomani Jones is one of the best cultural critics of American sports today. He has a popular podcast on the tube dubbed “The Right Time with Bomani Jones” where he offers thoughtful and sharp analysis across a spectrum of sports topics twice a week.

Channel: @righttimebomani

Subscribers: 23.2K

What we like: The podcast provides a platform to unpack popular sports culture in America and entertainment in general.

Popular Episodes:

• Houston vs Dallas, DJ Envy Fraud Scandal, and Parenting Advice,
• Joel Anderson on Naysayer's, Nick Saban's Future with Alabama, and Michigan vs Washington Preview

3 best true crime YouTube podcasts

1. Crime Weekly

In the true crime channel Crime Weekly, former law enforcement officer Derrick Levasseur and Youtuber Stephanie dissect various high-profile cases through investigation. They both apply their analytical tactics to unpack crimes that have captured public attention over the years.

Channel: @CrimeWeeklyPodcast

Subscribers: 241K

What we like: The hosts give an informative take on famous incidents and insight into all things forensics in crime.

Popular Episodes:

• Hae Min Lee & Adnan Syed
• West Memphis Three
• The Professor and the Prius

2. That Chapter Podcast

That Chapter Podcast stands out in the true crime genre by focusing on bizarre and lesser-known cases that are often overlooked by mainstream media.

Channel: @thatchapterpodcast

Subscribers: 83.4K

What we like: We like how the show ultimately aims to honor victims rather than enable villains through storytelling.

Popular Episodes:

• This is Not a Cute Family Story
• Teen Doesn't Realize He’s Going to Prison for Life

3. This Is Monsters

This true crime channel has an ominous name fitting its chilling subject matter. It examines the lives and crimes of some of history’s most infamous killers. In every episode, you will learn about a different criminal, tracing the acts from start to finish.

Channel: @thisisMONSTERS

Subscribers: 705K

What we like: This Is Monsters is a lesson in how to deal with a complex subject matter while also keeping the audience captivated.

Popular Episodes:

• Season 03: Episode 01 : Joel Guy Jr
• The Violent Murder of October Perez

Creating your own YouTube podcasts with Riverside

The best podcasts on YouTube all have one thing in common — they are high-quality. If you want to create your own video podcasts, Riverside makes the whole process simple. Capture 4K video and 48kHz audio resolution, invite guests to join you remotely, and customize your content when you’re done.

Let’s take a look at some of the key features:

• High-quality recordings: Record in up to 4K video and 48kHz audio resolution
• AI-transcriptions: Transcripts available in 100+ languages so you can repurpose your content effortlessly
• AI Captions: Add your own video captions and style them as you like
• Text-based editing: Trimming your video is as easy as deleting text in your recording transcript
• Clip creator: Instantly create YouTube Shorts with Magic Clips which turns the best parts of your video into shareable short videos.
• Audio enhancement: Background noise removal and level normalization to create crystal clear audio
• Built-in teleprompter: Follow a script easily while recording  
• Separate tracks: Record separate audio and video tracks for each participant to make editing easier
• AI show notes: Automatic show notes, summaries, chapters and descriptions to make it easy to optimize your podcast for search results

Step 1: Plan your podcast & invite remote guests

Before you get started, you should plan out your video podcast. You will be able to use the teleprompter feature on Riverside to copy and paste any notes you may have. If you plan to have guests join you remotely, speak to them and line up the session.

Step 2: Create a Riverside account & a new recording studio

Next up, it’s time to login to Riverside. Open it in your browser or in the app and use your unique login. (If you don’t have a Riverside account, creating one takes a few minutes!)

Go to your homepage and then select “+New Studio”. You can then name your studio and select the recording type as “Audio & Video”.

Step 3: Enter your virtual studio

When you’ve done the above, you can enter the virtual studio. If you are having guests join you, you can share a link with them via an email invite or a shareable link.

Step 4: Record your podcast

Once everyone is in the virtual studio, it’s time to get started. You can use the teleprompter feature to copy and paste any plans or script you have. When you are ready, click the “record” button at the bottom of the page.

Step 5: Edit your video

Now that you’re done, you can edit your video podcast. Use the podcast editing tool to complete your video. As we have covered, you can use the text-based editor, create YouTube Shorts using the Magic Clips tool, and add captions using AI transcriptions.

When you’ve done all of the above, you can customize your video. The editor allows you to add your own logo, change the background, and switch up the dimensions. Next, you can download your high-quality video file, ready for publication on YouTube.

FAQs on YouTube Podcasts

Where can I find podcasts on YouTube?

Go to https://www.youtube.com/podcasts and you will find all types of podcasts and podcast channels from popular creators.

What is the new podcast feature on YouTube?

The YouTube podcast feature was added to showcase the most popular podcast-format shows owing to the increased popularity of this content format.

Can you listen to podcasts on YouTube?

Yes! As we have covered here, you can listen to a selection of podcasts on YouTube, depending on your preferences. Check out the channels now and see which suit you.