Audio vs. YouTube Podcasts: An Analysis
For Season 8 of our podcast, The 80s and 90s Uncensored, we took a different approach from our usual format. Each episode featured a recap of a specific year from 1980 to 1989—Jamie covered the 80s, while Milo explored the 90s.
In addition to the audio podcast, we created a YouTube podcast series with accompanying visuals. These videos included curated images and clips that enhanced the material, offering a richer experience than simple audio or a static Zoom recording, but took quite a bit of time to create.
Here are the results and our conclusions:
As the charts illustrate, our audio podcast downloads remained steady and consistent throughout the season. However, YouTube views for the same episodes were much more variable. One episode's views were just 4% of its audio downloads, while another nearly matched the audio performance at 100%. The standard deviation highlights this disparity, with audio downloads at 62 compared to a much higher 171 for YouTube views.
What does this tell us? It suggests that audio listeners are consistent—these are the loyal followers who tune in week after week. In contrast, YouTube viewers are more subject to the whims of YouTube’s algorithm. While the platform might introduce new viewers to your podcast, they’re less likely to engage consistently as audio listeners do.
Although this analysis isn’t scientific or academic, it highlights an important takeaway: in our case, the immersive and engaging nature of audio podcasting remains unmatched.
We don’t regret doing the video versions, but given the work involved, it will likely be confined to special episodes or miniseries in the future.
What is your experience with audio vs. YouTube podcasting? Let me know in the comments.
Until next time Chum!
