Podcasting vs. Vlogging: What Should You Go For?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of how powerful and interwoven digital media is in our lives. 

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Compared to a little over a decade ago, the number of people found on websites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube has grown exponentially over the years—and this isn’t slowing down anytime soon. For brands, businesses, and thought leaders, this emerging change serves as a reminder of one lesson that they can’t ignore: 

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Adapt to the age of social media or perish.

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Now, while adapting to the digital age and setting up pages is nothing short of a requirement across all industries, finding success doesn’t stop there. In fact, it’s also vital for brands and decision-makers to make content that works to their advantage, gets their name out there, and fetches the results they’re looking for.

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Luckily, there’s a never-ending list of content types businesses can leverage. There are two mediums, however, that have shown to generate much more engagement for forward-thinking decision-makers and marketers than the rest:

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Podcasts and vlogs. 

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If you’re looking to help your brand or business seat itself deeply into the public consciousness well enough to garner waves of new loyal customers, then podcasting and vlogging are definitely the way to go.

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Considering how time and labor-intensive these efforts are, however, chances are that you’ll eventually ask yourself one question after getting into the details: 

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“Should I focus more on podcasting—or should I focus on vlogging?”

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Now, there’s no definite answer to this question because it all depends on an assortment of factors related to your brand, what your goals are, and what you do. But, we’re here to help you out with a series of questions that can help you pick the right medium sooner so that you can get straight to raking in insane returns with either podcasting or vlogging:  

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Question #1: “What’s My Market Like?”

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One of the biggest determining factors to this age-old debate is the market you’re creating for. 

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Social media users have preferences—on how they spend their time, what platforms they visit, and whether to listen to podcasts, or feast in the visuals of a vlog. As a content creator, it’s essential that you understand what your audience prefers more so that your efforts don’t go to waste.

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Finding out what your crowd prefers more can be done in different ways, such as: 

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• Conducting polls that your followers can answer
• Holding focus group discussions with different members of your target audience
• Looking at the habits of your existing followers and checking if they follow or are fans of either podcasts or vlogs

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Once you understand what your market is like and what they’re into, it’ll be much easier to find out which medium will work better to your advantage.

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Question #2: “What’s My Content Going to Be About?”

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The thing about both podcasts and vlogs is they’re best suited for certain topics or content themes.

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In the case of podcasts, they’re perfect for conversational topics like personal finances, entrepreneurship, and pop culture. Podcasting is the way to go if you want a simple interview format. It’s also the winning contender if you’re doing ASMR or podcasting content. 

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If your content can grab attention without needing to be seen, then you’re probably better off with podcasting. 

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Vlogging, on the other hand, is perfect if your content is mostly visual and you want to show your audience about subjects, charts, or experiences. There are things that are easier to understand if there are visuals to refer to. Architecture is one, cooking recipes another, perhaps arts and design, too. 

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So, if the content is best enjoyed by the eyes (and ears too, of course), then making vlogs is something you shouldn’t miss out on. 

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Question #3: “What Industry Am I In?”

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Generally, formal industries like finance, business, or law mesh better with podcasting.

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These don’t rely too much on visual aids to expound on topics and often delve into lengthy discussions. The same can be said for industries that have topics that involve a lot of talking—such as news, medicine, construction, and engineering.

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Industries like fitness, cosmetics, automotive, and fashion, alternatively, thrive especially well with vlogging because their respective consumers prefer visual content more. It’s also easier to talk about industry trends and topics when the audience can see what lipstick shade you’re gushing over, or to learn about proper form when they see you lift those dumbbells. 

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Basically, vlogs are better suited for brands that love (and need) to show what they’re talking about! 

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Question #4: “How Much Time Do I Have?”

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Both vlogging and podcasting are time-consuming efforts. But, if they were neck-to-neck in a race to produce fast, the podcast might just win. 

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It usually takes more time to make a vlog than a podcast. With podcasting, you’ll need to worry about processes like recording, editing, content planning, and repurposing (which can also be minimized with the help of Deciphr Media, btw!). 

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All of these things can take up to hours or days of your time, but they’re a lot less in number compared to the kind of work you’ll need to do when making vlogs. 

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At the minimum, vlogging requires:

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• Filming footage
• Recording (and polishing) audio
• Securing permits (if the places you’re planning to shoot in require them)
• Traveling from place to place, depending on your subject for a vlog
• Trimming and stitching footage
• Planning content for your vlogs 
• Color grading

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If you’re really passionate about having a vlog, have the necessary time to make it work. Otherwise, try podcasting first.

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Question #5: “What Fits Better Into My Marketing Strategy?”

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Either approach is going to work with what you have, but one’s bound to make more sense in the long run and draw more results too. It’s crucial to realize this early on so you’re putting all your time, money, and effort into the right places. 

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Does your content marketing strategy revolve around putting out graphic posts, photos, infographics, or GIFs? Then adding vlogs to your strategy makes sense. 

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Vlogging adds another layer of engagement to your overall approach. You can even repurpose one vlog into multiple reels and Youtube shorts! Your target market and followers are also going to be more familiar with visually engaging content—and, as a result, be more comfortable—with vlogs. 

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When you have a digital marketing or content marketing system that’s mostly filled with blogs, emails, and long social media captions, on the other hand, then a podcast will fit better into your strategy. This also acts as a win-win situation because the transcripts that you get from your podcasts can also be repurposed into other types of written content your brand can use! 

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Hot Tip: If you want an easier time turning your transcripts into engaging and effective pieces of marketing content, Deciphr AI can help you out.

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BONUS: “How About I Do Both?”

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As you dive deeper into the rabbit hole of podcasting and vlogging, you might ask yourself:

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“If I can do both… Should I?”

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There’s only one answer to this question: absolutely. 

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While they’re both effective on their own, podcasts and vlogs can make a lot of magic combined.

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They can engage every part of your target audience while sending listeners and viewers back and forth—which will help even more people get familiar with your brand well enough to love it. 

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But before you jump the gun and give a go at both mediums, here are a few tips we recommend that you take in mind: 

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• Remember that both vlogging and podcasting require special types of equipment. Do a bit of research, weigh out your options, and choose the tools that best fit your budget and content plans.
• Be aware of how much time you’ll need to dedicate to each medium. We recommend creating a monthly, weekly, and even daily schedule that’ll help you manage your content production process better.
• Don’t be afraid to outsource your work! If you’ve got repetitive tasks that you don’t want to do or can’t deal with, then you can always outsource to talented agencies or freelancers for a productivity boost.

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Regardless of What You Pick, You’ll Thrive

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As the digital era comes into full swing, coming prepared with a well-rounded social media and content marketing strategy will pay dividends…

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Especially when you start producing podcast episodes and vlogs. 

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By asking yourself the five questions mentioned above (and taking all the other necessary details into consideration), you’ll be able to clear the air and set your sights on the medium that works for you. But if you have the time and bandwidth to do so, then it’s definitely worth investing your time into running both a podcast and vlog so that your brand can grow further!