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How to Start a Podcast on YouTube in 7 Steps [2024 Guide]

YouTube is a fantastic channel for your podcast. Learn how you can start a podcast on YouTube in 7 simple steps.
Stephen Robles
Video & Podcast Creator
Last Updated:
March 4, 2024
10
min
Reviewed by
Ortal Hadad

It may seem like everyone has a podcast these days. Still, it’s for a good reason: podcasting is a cost-effective way to deliver content to an audience and develop brand awareness for yourself or your business.

And since YouTube is one of the most significant places for video and audio content on the web, it makes sense to include that platform in your plans. So, how do you start a podcast on YouTube?

We’re so glad you asked. In this post, we’ll cover the basics of starting a podcast from scratch, with YouTube being one of your end goals:

  1. Choose your podcasting equipment
  2. Record your podcast
  3. Edit and prepare your podcast 
  4. Set up your media hosting and podcast feed
  5. Decide on a video format
  6. Create a YouTube podcast channel
  7. Promote and Monetize your Youtube Podcast

Learning how to make a podcast on YouTube isn’t so hard! By the end of the following seven easy steps, you should have a solid understanding of the process and be ready to start your podcast on YouTube!

What is a podcast on YouTube?

This guide doesn’t tell you how to start a YouTube channel; it focuses on podcasts in the YouTube space. So, first of all, it’s essential to understand what exactly “having a podcast on YouTube” means. YouTube is a video search engine, not a podcast hosting platform. If you only upload your podcast to YouTube, it wouldn’t be a podcast anymore; it would simply be a YouTube channel.

Why does that matter? Well, it comes down to your goals. 

Youtube Channel or Podcast

If your goal is to build your own brand, then you do so with just a YouTube channel. This is basically your own profile and page on YouTube’s search engine where you can upload any video content you’d like. 

On the other hand, if your main goal is to break into the podcasting space, YouTube alone is not a podcast. In this case, you’ll likely want to get your episodes listed on all the leading podcast platforms out there (like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts). In that case, you need to start a podcast and then you may choose to take the additional step of uploading the episodes to YouTube as part of your audience-building strategy.

In short, a YouTube podcast is simply a podcast that’s shared on YouTube.

Although, we should add that this doesn’t mean YouTube doesn’t cater to podcasts. Recently, the Google owned company, released a page purely dedicated to podcasting. It’s likely more is to come from YouTube’s push to a podcast direction, but we’ll have to wait and see. 

YouTube podcast page

And with that cleared up, let’s get into the steps you’ll need to follow to start a podcast.

How To Create A Video Podcast on Youtube

1. Choose Your Equipment and Recording Software 

Before you get going the first thing you’ll need is a YouTube equipment kit. First, decide what kind of equipment and software to use for your podcast.

What do you need to start a video podcast?

If you're just starting off this is the basic video podcast equipment and software we suggest you need to create a video podcast.

  1. A good quality Microphone
  2. An HD camera, webcam, or even a phone camera can work
  3. A laptop or PC
  4. Headphones
  5. Recording software
  6. Editing software
  7. Podcast hosting software

Extra equipment and software you should consider include:

  1. Tripod
  2. Mic arm
  3. Audio Mixer and/or Interface
  4. Additional microphones and cameras
  5. A lighting kit

Most Popular Podcasting Microphones

When searching for the right mic for your needs, be sure to consider whether you’ll need a USB connector or a more advanced XLR connector with a mixer. 

You’ll also want to think about your recording atmosphere; if you’re in a studio setting with controlled background noise, your best bet is a microphone with a condenser (which brings out voice richness but is sensitive to ambient noise). If you’re recording outdoors or in unpredictable environments, you might go with a dynamic mic.

Here are a few of the most popular podcasting microphones on the market today:

For more information, read our guide about choosing a podcast microphone.

Most Popular Video Cameras for Podcasts

Especially if your goal is to upload your podcast to YouTube, you’ll want to be prepared at the outset with a quality camera to capture a video of your recording session. 

Most video podcasters opt for an external webcam for ease and crisper, clearer images than their computer’s built-in webcams. 

If you’re in the market for a webcam, check out some of the more popular brands below:

You may prefer a handheld camera instead. In that case, unless you have someone to hold the camera, the odds are good that you’ll be setting it on a tripod while recording. For this reason, most long-form podcasters avoid DSLR or mirrorless cameras. They also automatically switch off after 30 minutes.

Below are the top podcasting video camcorders in use:

For more information, read our guide about podcast cameras.

Recording software 

Finally, you’ll need to choose the software for recording and to edit your podcasts. 

If you’re serious about podcasting — and conducting a lot of video calls online — you’ll want to invest in quality software that will get you professional-level results. Many beginning podcasters simply use GarageBand (Mac users) or Audacity. Still, we must admit that we’re biased towards all of Riverside’s features for recording remote interviews with high quality and low entry barriers.

Whatever recording software you choose, be sure to look for something reliable and easy to use.

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2. Record Your Podcast 

Before recording it might be a good idea to plan and create a podcast script. This will help you figure out exactly what you might need to record. It might also be a good idea to think about any extra b-roll you might want to capture if you’re recording video content.

Next, you’ll need to determine your recording method, both for audio output on your media hosting platform and when you upload your content to YouTube.

Since YouTube has a visual component, it’s essential to think about what method you’ll use to present your podcast. 

It’s also important to note that there’s technically a difference between a “video podcast” and a static image with audio laid over the top. Many podcasters simply upload their recorded audio with accompanying image(s), but that is not considered a true video podcast. We’ll get into the three ways to record a podcast intended for YouTube below.

Record Audio-Only

As a podcaster, you’re likely drawn to audio media. When adding YouTube to the mix, it’s simplest to continue recording audio-only and then create background images to accompany your recording.

In this scenario, you’d simply convert your audio files to .mp4s (since YouTube doesn’t accept .mp3s) and create a simple background using graphic design software like Canva or Inkscape

When designing your background image, you don’t need to get fancy. Include things like:

  • Your podcast’s name
  • Your website URL
  • The podcast logo
  • The host and guest names for the episode. 

Suggested dimensions for YouTube images are 2560x1440 pixels or an aspect ratio of 16:9. 

One thing to keep in mind: YouTube podcasts without video don’t get as much listener engagement as video podcasts. So if you’re planning to use YouTube podcasting as the main component of your audience-building strategy, it’s best to level up your video game with one of the methods below.

Record a Video Podcast Using Your Computer’s Webcam

While we suggest using an external dedicated camera and microphone, some might be strapped to start with the bare minimum. In this case, you can record with your computer’s built-in webcam and its built-in microphone or an external mic. If you run an interview podcast, this low-cost setup may be the best solution for you. That said, we stand on using an external microphone and camera for better recording quality. Most computer's don't offer the best resolution when it comes to their built in cameras and microphones.

If you choose to record remote interviews, remember to also invest in quality recording software. Many video meeting software options are limited by your internet speed or the quality of your connection, which is why Riverside records up to eight participants locally on their own devices, eliminating worry about poor connection speeds. 

With up to 4K video resolution, separate audio and video tracks as well as quick repurposing tools, it's no wonder why creators like Gary Vaynerchuk and Marques Keith Brownlee use Riverside for recording. The great news is that you can start recording on Riverside too!

Record a Video Podcast Using External Cameras

Finally, you may decide to record your podcast with an external camera or two. Many people who conduct in-person interviews or conversations choose this setup. 

There’s no need to purchase expensive equipment; you can even use your iPhone to record a podcast. It might be worth getting a tripod, but even this isn’t always necessary. 

Just remember that since you’ll be recording parts of your room as the background, you should be mindful of your “set.” At the very least, set up your camera to record and get a good idea of the portion of the room that will be in the frame. Then, arrange the background the way you would like.

3. Edit and Prepare Your Podcast for Publishing

Once your podcast episode is recorded, it’s time for the post-production stage. While many YouTube podcasters don’t edit their podcast recordings, they still need to prepare the product for an end result. You’ll want to:

  • Transcribe your video
  • Design engaging graphics or slides to keep your audience engaged, if the podcast is audio-only
  • Break up your videos into smaller “micro-content” for YouTube publishing (more on this in step 5)

If you do choose to edit your podcast recording, you’ll need to use editing software like GarageBand, Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Reaper. Although, instead of having to use separate software you can use Riverside which lets you edit your video content straight after recording. Our Text-based Video & Audio Editor is intuitive and has tools to help you customize your content and fine-tune your audio in minutes. With Ai transcriptions, video editing literally becomes as easy as editing a transcript.

4. Set Up Your Media Hosting and Podcast Feed

If you have a podcast that’s already up and running, you most likely already have your media hosting and podcast feed set up. But if you don’t already have a podcast, this step is for you. 

Remember that you shouldn’t use YouTube as your primary hosting provider — since then, it would just be a YouTube channel, not a podcast. A YouTube channel has its uses, but if you went this route, you wouldn’t be able to maximize your podcast’s reach by pushing it out to other podcast platforms. 

Therefore, it’s important to set up your media hosting and feed before uploading videos to YouTube.

Decide on a hosting site as a home base for your podcast feed to get started. Listed below are a few of the more popular sites:

These websites are repositories for your podcast audio files and the places where you create your podcast feed. Like using a web host for a blog, a media hosting platform is essential for starting a podcast. 

Once you have a hosting site and you’ve uploaded your first few podcast episodes, you’ll need to submit your podcasts’ RSS feed to iTunes and other podcast directories like Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and any of the other places people find their podcasts.

Then, it’s time to upload your podcast to YouTube.

5. Decide on a Video Format for YouTube 

YouTube podcasters have a few different options for uploading content to YouTube. What you choose (or whether you choose a combination) depends on how much time and energy you have to put into extra editing and organizing — not to mention your marketing goals. 

Let’s look at creating a podcast on Youtube with three of the options below.

Upload Whole Episodes

The simplest method is to upload each full episode straight to your YouTube channel. With this option, there’s no extra planning or editing necessary. It’s also easy to automate using apps like Repurpose.io and Podbean.

But it does come with some downsides:

  • If they can watch your whole episode on YouTube, your audience won’t need to find you on iTunes or Spotify. This means fewer subscribers to your podcast’s RSS feed, which can hurt your sponsorship numbers.
  • Naming videos is trickier. Since YouTube is a search engine, your search engine optimization (SEO) is key to appearing in your intended audience’s search results. With a long-form podcast episode, it’s hard to encapsulate the entire content of the episode in one title that’s SEO-friendly.
  • People may not want to sit through a long video. Many podcasts are over an hour, but your audience may not be inclined to watch the entire thing in one sitting. This will create video abandonment rates that might hurt your SEO even further.

Keep in mind that if you choose to upload videos over 15 minutes, you’ll need to verify your Google account with YouTube. Thankfully, though, the verification process is quite simple.

Once you’re a verified account, your upload file size is limited to 128 gigabytes or 12 hours, whichever is less. If your video file size is larger than the limit, you can try compressing it in video-editing software.

Stream Live

Once you get the hang of podcasting as a process, you might want to try your hand at streaming some episodes live on YouTube. It allows for a more interactive experience for your audience.

Riverside’s platform allows your audience to call into your live podcast show. You can take questions, do mini-interviews, and interact with your viewers in real-time.

Transform Your Podcast Episodes into Micro-Content or Youtube Shorts

Perhaps the most advisable course is to break apart your recorded podcasts and use them on YouTube as micro-content. You can upload clips of your episodes as more easily-digestible videos that are also easier to title for SEO purposes.

While you can also create cuts with YouTube Clips tool, we'd say YouTube Shorts is a better way to go about this.These minute long videos are geared for increasing reach and attracting new audiences. The trick is to keep them short, value-intensive and captivating. They're easier to share and with the right CTAs you can drive more traffic to your Youtube podcast channel, your website, RSS feed or other distribution channels.

“Channels that give you the best growth are always going to be the centralized ones. We've seen podcasts like H3 or Joe Rogan do really well by leveraging YouTube by putting on clips that might go and get a ton of exposure, and then driving that traffic back to the podcast." -Buzzsprout Head of Marketing, Alban Brooke (Hit Publish)

There are a few downsides to this method. However, producing micro-content requires more editing and uploading time, and you’ll need to have YouTube SEO knowledge to title all your videos well.That said with Riverside, you can wave goodbye to all the hard work.

Our Magic Clips tool uses Ai to effortlessly repurpose your long-recordings into short, shareable videos. The Ai detects key moments in your recordings and based off the length of your video creates a number of 15-90 second clips. This means you can create your YouTube podcast as usual, and at the tap of Ai, repurpose it into several shorts, all in one workflow. All that's left to do is customize your video, add captions and fix up your audio which you can easily do with our text-based editor.

Check out the video below to learn more or sign up to start creating your own Youtube shorts!

6. Create a YouTube Podcast Channel

Finally, let’s get into some of the specifics of creating a home for your YouTube content.

Step 1: If you haven’t already, create a YouTube account.

If you have a Google account or Gmail, you can use the same username and password.

Step 2: Under your account settings, select “Create a channel” (or navigate to this page).

Fill in the information requested (including your country, date of birth, gender, and preferred privacy settings) and click the “All done!” button to complete the setup. If you need help choosing a channel name, feel free to use our YouTube name generator.

Step 3: Upload videos to your channel.

On your channel’s homepage (“youtube.com/yourchannelname”), click the Create button to begin adding videos. You'll see an option to "Upload Video" here. Follow the prompts and add your content to your channel.(You can learn more on uploading in our YouTube video guide.)

Step 4: Create a Podcast Playlist

Once you have some episodes up, you can compile them into a podcast playlist. Go to your YouTube Studio and click "Create" on the top right, then "New Podcast"

Creating a podcast channel on Youtube
and then

You can either "Create a podcast" or "Set an existing playlist as a podcast" to use an existing playlist if you have one.

Enter all your podcast details, and the click "Create".

Adding details to a YouTube Podcast playlist

Step 5: Continue uploading video episodes to your Youtube Podcast playlist

Just as you uploaded your previous videos, continue with your new episodes. Simply add them to the playlist as you upload.

To boost your YouTube podcast a little further, we'd suggest the following:

  • Create an enhanced feed with Feedburner. Feedburner is a service from Google that allows you to track your podcast feed’s statistics, add a podcast summary to episodes, add iTunes podcasting elements, and assign keywords and categories to your content. 
  • Embed your YouTube RSS feed URL on your website with a subscribe link. While this step is optional, it makes sense to direct your website or blog audience to your YouTube presence. Feedburner should provide a subscribe link for you or use the standard format for YouTube feeds.

7. Promote and Monetize your Youtube Podcast

You may think all your work is done once you’re finished creating your YouTube podcast. Although, you should definitely think about promotion and monetization strategies.

How to promote your podcast on YouTube

We’ve already mentioned that promoting shorter clips and snippets of your podcast is a great way to promote and grow your podcast audience through YouTube. 

“Channels that give you the best growth are always going to be the centralized ones. We've seen podcasts like H3 or Joe Rogan do really well by leveraging YouTube by putting on clips that might go and get a ton of exposure, and then driving that traffic back to the podcast." -Buzzsprout Head of Marketing, Alban Brooke (Hit Publish)

You can also try other YouTube strategies such as:

  • Hopping on board with YouTube shorts
  • Sharing your YouTube podcast videos on social media
  • Maximize on SEO where you can
  • Use Call to Actions to keep viewers subscribed or to direct them to your podcast
  • Collaborate with brands or other podcasters

How to Monetize a podcast on YouTube

Monetizing a podcast is a little different from promoting as your main aim here is actually to receive income from your podcast. Just like any audio podcast, you can practice similar tactics to earn money from a YouTube video podcast. This can include:

  • Sponsorships
  • Advertising and affiliate marketing
  • Subscription paid content, and more…
For more information on monetization, check our full guide: How to Promote, Grow, and Monetize Your Podcast in 2024

It’s worth mentioning that YouTube does have dedicated tools for creators to make money. In this case, if you’re a YouTube podcaster you should check out the YouTube Partner Program to learn how to monetize your podcast. This gives you monetization access to:

  • Ad revenue to make income from ads
  • Channel memberships for private and exclusive paid content
  • YouTube Premium Revenue which gives you a cut from your subscribers’ Premium fee
  • Merch shelf to sell any branded podcast merchandise

Note that to use these features you may have to meet certain criteria and requirements as set by YouTube.

Read more: How to Make Money on YouTube in 2024 (with Best-Practices)

FAQs on How to Start a Podcast on YouTube

Is it better to start a podcast or YouTube channel?

Creating a podcast or a YouTube channel are both viable mediums to grow an audience. Podcasts are generally better if you're looking to create a loyal audience, whereas YouTube is better for reaching more viewers. It also might be easier and cheaper to create an audio podcast as you won't need extra camera equipment or go through any sort of video editing. That being said, we suggest creating a video podcast that you can repurpose into a YouTube channel so you can get the best of both worlds.

Can you start a podcast for free?

Yes! You can definitely start a podcast for free, but this might not lead to the best results. All you technically need is a free recording and editing app like Riverside and you're ready to start creating a podcast. Many podcast platforms are completely free so distributing and publishing your podcast shouldn't be a problem as well. Although, we suggest investing a little if you'd like to get access better features and record in higher quality with better equipment and software.

How does a beginner start a podcast?

Anyone can start a podcast with these few simple steps:

  1. Choose a topic and plan your podcast structure
  2. Create podcast branding
  3. Set up your recording studio equipment
  4. Schedule and record your first few episodes
  5. Edit and polish your podcast recordings
  6. Publish and promote your podcast

For a full in-depth guide head over to our post on starting a podcast.

Is YouTube good for podcasts?

Yes! With over 2 billion users on YouTube, the platform is a great way to grow your podcast audience. By repurposing your podcast into a YouTube channel you tap into a new audience and increase the searchability of your podcast. A YouTube channel could also turn into another source of monetization for your podcast as there are many ways you can make money with YouTube.

Can you turn a YouTube video into a podcast?

If your YouTube video suits a podcasting format, then you very well can turn it into a podcast. You can also download and adjust it to suit the podcasting space more. 

If you’d like to create a video podcast you can just download and post your videos on a podcast hosting platform that supports video. On the other hand, if you want to create an audio-only podcast you may want to convert your video into an audio format first. Fortunately, there are many online converters you can use to do this. 

We actually would suggest recording separate audio and video tracks so that you have the freedom to alter your podcast and use it for both audio-only as well as video content. A YouTube maker like Riverside, lets you record separate audio and video tracks for each participant without a hassle.

Does YouTube offer podcasters money to create videos?

This might not be the case for every podcaster, but at the beginning of the year, YouTube offered various podcasters and big podcast networks up to $300 000 to create YouTube video content. While YouTube has reached out to its own selection of podcasters, other podcasters can still find ways to receive money from YouTube. As mentioned above, there’s always the YouTube Partner Program that could help podcasters monetize their show. 

Can you publish an Anchor podcast on YouTube?

Initially, Anchor didn’t offer much in terms of video podcasting. This year they started pushing towards video and with their new Riverside integration, all users can seamlessly create video content to distribute to Spotify and other directories. 

That being said, YouTube isn’t like most podcast directories. It’s more of a video hosting platform in itself and doesn’t require that you host your podcast on an external platform like Anchor. This means you wouldn’t upload your podcast to YouTube in the same way as a podcast RSS feed. 

Instead, you’ll have to upload directly to YouTube. If you want to publish an Anchor podcast to YouTube simply download it and re-upload it to YouTube.

Does YouTube have a podcast platform?

There is no YouTube Podcast app or anything as such, but YouTube is starting to push more towards catering to this media. They recently released a dedicated podcast page.

Who knows maybe in the near future there will be a podcast app from YouTube?

How to Start a Podcast on YouTube: Riverside Makes the Process Easier 

Beginning a podcast journey can be difficult at first, but it can also be inspiring and rewarding once you start building a loyal following. 

As with any venture, it’s important to invest in the right equipment and prepare well for the best chance of success. This means making a plan, researching which methods will work best for your goals, and choosing the right software for your needs. 

At Riverside, we’re proud of the recording software we’ve built that’s easy and straightforward to use — but still packs a powerful punch. If you’re ready to jump into the world of podcasting, get started for free today!

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