Should I Vlog or Podcast–That is the question?

A good place to start in this creative journey would be would to decide. Would you prefer to create a podcast or a vlog? A podcast being something like a radio talk show or a vlog. In a video blog, or vlogging, you can see the participants and hear the discussions and see the sets. It is a much more visual method of getting content across.

If you are not comfortable being on camera, maybe a podcast is for you. Another significant feature of a podcast is that they can be loaded for download and listen to later which is a popular way to consume them. You can listen to them on the commute to work if anyone is even doing that these days. You can even listen to them while exercising on the treadmill where you may not have access to a video screen.

Yes, it is possible to do much the same with vlogs. It all breaks down to which content you want to create and what would your intended audience like to consume.

What is the concept for your show?

Be sure to have an idea about what is the podcast or vlog going to be about? Watch or listen to a few other shows to get some inspiration if possible before starting. Discuss with anyone else you might be interested in doing a show with you.

Maybe you want to discuss sports, current events, even hobbies like classic car restoration, or cooking. Consider if you will be having guests and how you will interview them or have a discussion. Will it be in person, or remotely? Because you will need to have a solid way of interacting with your guests.

Recording your show

By now you have the concept for a show, but how do you record each show? Can you use services like Skype, Teams, or Zoom? Sure this option might work. We certainly have been invited to be part of calls for radio shows, Skype, even GoToMeeting. These interviews have topics normally regarding computers, technology, security, and audio recording to name a few things. You might want to remember the frustrations or problems that can affect the interview process. Bad internet connections, poor audio even a fuzzy low-quality camera. Be sure to test the process out before you get your favorite star or industry insider to agree to an interview. You want the process to be as smooth and bug-free as possible.

Another important thing to consider is that very few people want to watch or listen to a vlog or podcast that difficult to hear or watch. Be sure to get the gear you need to do a good job regardless of the content you decide to create.  If you are not certain where to start, call someone like Slick Audio that can offer technologies and services for making your best content.

 

How do you start a Vlog? 

The platform should be one thing you consider early. You certainly can pick more than one, but we recommend you get a start with one, and as time, energy and audience allow move to additional platforms to get in front of more potential followers/audience.

Free vlogging options.

YouTube–Everyone knows what YouTube is and how to use it, so not much of a learning curve here. You simply start a YouTube account and create a profile. From there you can record videos or stream from all sorts of devices like your mobile phone, laptop. YouTube will promote your content to users that are interested in your content. You can also embed a player on to your website or social media prey easily, making this a great place to start.

Facebook– Like YouTube, it is a free option.  And like YouTube, it has certainly gotten better over the past few years. Record videos and post them online or even use a mobile phone to stream live for each show. Not much editing or setup and equipment is needed if Live is the way you want to start vlogging.

Twitch–originally started as a platform for video games. It has certainly grown in popularity and has become the choice of a lot of vloggers looking for something that allows them to sell merchandise directly from the stream as it’s being made. Followers can even donate money for the content they want you to create, making this is a great option to start a vlog.

Instagram–Instagram has a huge following and is an alternative to YouTube or other platforms. It’s easy to use, making it the choice of many celebrities who use it because they speak to their fans directly. This is partly the reason for the success of the platform. You can load pictures and short videos on the platform. If you are successful, you can become an influencer and brands will pay you to promote their products on your show.

Yes, there are other free options, but these are the best free options now.

Upgrade your equipment as you go to increase the quality of your work.

Paid Options: You guessed it with the growth of vlogging, paid alternatives are available. They designed these platforms to help you grow your brand because the users pay for the content they want to watch, so if you create great content, they might be the way to go.

Patreon–They have migrated literally thousands of vloggers from YouTube and can be a great option if you want to quickly monetize your content. Create good content and your channel will grow quickly.

Viddler– also a vlogging platform is great for building a brand. They will help you promote your personal brand, which in vlogging is important to scale up and make money.

What about Podcasts?

We did not forget about podcasting. Like vlogging, podcasting has grown in popularity over the past few years.

Podcasting Hosting

Podcasting hosting is a service specialized for podcasters. It is like website hosting. Which offers a way to store and deliver the media files associated with podcasting. The files associated with podcasting are large and require special resources to deliver them. So the hosting needs to be external to your website.

Best podcast hosting services

Podbean–They offer unlimited hosting service and bandwidth. They have a great embedded player and great ways to monetize your content. Great promotional tool and automatically submits podcasts to directories, which is an excellent service.

Buzzsprout – Buzz sprout is easy to use and there is certainly something to admire about an easy-to-use product. Free WordPress plugin and customizable design that can submit a podcast automatically after upload to the top directories make it a superb choice for podcast hosting.

SoundCloud – You have heard of it because it’s popular with music, but you may not have known that it is also a popular podcast hosting platform. With easily embedding a URL into WordPress and the ability to monetize your podcasts.

Equipment needed.

Internet Connection–You will need a decent internet connection like 10mbs is recommended. Which is sort of necessity today to steam anything or podcast.

We created a podcasting bundle #1

Other suggestions.

Computer– a computer will need to be connected we recommend at least an i7, 16 GB of RAM, a decent-sized hard, drive 1TB minimum, and a video card like AMD WX-3200 – 4GB GDDR5. I can find a Podcasting Computer like this in Slick Audio’s store. Or for a smaller podcasting PC just be sure to opt for the i7 processor.

A microphone like the Blue Yeti Blackout if you’re not using an interface.

Headphones or basic earbuds can be used, but a kit of a mic, audio interface, and microphone like Steinberg UR22C recording pack is a better option, which will make you much happier with the finished recordings.

Podcast Editing Tips

Editing a podcast can seem intimidating but doesn’t need to be.

Now you have everything recorded you will need software to edit for vlogging. We recommend using DaVinci Resolve

Or Hindenburg Journalist starting at about $100.0 a good option for podcasting interviewing and radio quality work.

For podcasting, Audacity is a great piece of software and it’s free and who doesn’t like Free?

Have fun regardless of if you vlog or make a podcast do the best work you can and enjoy the process.