Is YouTube a superb podcast network?

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Updated: December 5, 2020

Until a few years back, podcasters never considered YouTube as their primary podcast network. Now, the game has changed completely. According to a study conducted in Canada, podcast audiences rate YouTube as the number one destination for podcasts, followed by Apple Podcasts and Spotify. No wonder some podcasters give priority to YouTube more than podcast directories these days. Followers download YouTube to mp3, and listen to the podcast on their device’s music player while offline.

As per data retrieved from the study, 43 percent of the participants said they use YouTube for accessing their favorite podcasts. On the other hand, 34 percent highlighted Apple Podcasts as their source, while just 23 percent selected Spotify as their app for podcasts. The stats show that YouTube has managed to give serious competition to audio platforms and podcast directories.

Podcasters prioritizing YouTube

YouTubers like Emma Chamberlain, Marques Brownlee, and Logan Paul use traditional audio platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc., to release their content. However, since last year, their popularity skyrocketed on YouTube since they launched video versions of podcasts tailored to Google’s platform. These and other podcasters have certainly realized the medium’s potential.

Podcasters are using the platform’s search algorithm to find new audiences and make revenue simultaneously. They have learned the art; they know how podcasts work on the video-sharing site.

For dedicated followers of Joe Rogan’s Joe Rogan Experience, Ethan and Hila Klein’s H3 Podcast, YouTube acts as a primary access point. They use YouTube notifications and email alerts to keep themselves updated about the newly released episode. Other mediums also distribute these podcasts, but audiences prefer YouTube due to the overall experience, especially the option to comment. These podcasts get millions of views every week.

Breaking down episodes into small pieces has helped content creators. For example, The Joe Rogan Experience, Cody Ko and Noel Miller’s Tiny Meat Gang, and H3 Podcast, break their episodes into multiple cuts and release them on various YouTube channels as highlights. And this is helping them grow their podcast audience.

Audiences interested in comedy, prank videos, or vlogs feel disinterested in an interview or lengthy chat shows. Thus, for them, short clips from the episodes on a dedicated YouTube channel work very well instead of injecting an entire episode in their feed.

Most importantly, YouTube never implemented any tool or made any changes to support podcasts’ growth on the platform. So, podcasters have found their own ways to use the video-sharing site to their advantage.

Helper websites to download podcasts in MP3 format

Audiences can easily download the entire podcast with the help of helper websites. These sites help users to download YouTube to mp3 on their desktops or smartphone. Rather than streaming, audiences can download the MP3 and listen to it in the phone’s music player without any internet connectivity.