Ashley Hamer is a podcaster, writer, musician, and the managing editor of Descript, an AI-powered audio and video editor that makes producing a podcast or video as easy as editing a Word doc.

If you’ve been following the podcasting scene, you’ve probably heard the buzz about incorporating video into your show. Maybe you think “buzz” is a funny way to say “constant haranguing about YouTube.”

It’s true that video content has taken over the internet; YouTube reigns as the top platform for podcast listening and discovery, and video-first social platforms like TikTok and Instagram just keep growing. But let’s be real: creating full video episodes can be a real drain on budgets and timelines, especially when you’re already swamped making an audio-only show.

It’s not all or nothing, though. You don’t have to dive headfirst into making full video episodes to reap the benefits of video. Video can boost your podcast’s reach and engagement without you hiring a full-time video producer.

A word on video gear and software

It’s important to remember that the highest quality video equipment isn’t necessarily needed to reap the benefits of video in podcasting — in fact, having very high production value might even work against you on platforms like TikTok, where users are accustomed to user-generated content and may associate expensive cameras and lighting with advertising, which they’ll swipe right past. The goal here is to establish a presence on video platforms and use their discoverability to grow your podcast’s reach. That means creating content that feels native to that video platform — which probably means you can scale back that typical commercial shoot.

If you’re new to doing video, you might be surprised at how simple and inexpensive it can be to capture high-quality footage. You already have a good podcast microphone, we assume, so you can check that pricey item off the list. Beyond that, you’ll need:

A camera

Don’t overthink this one. The smartphone in your pocket can capture higher quality footage than a lot of budget cameras out there. If you have an iPhone and a Mac, use the built-in Continuity Camera feature to turn your phone’s camera into a webcam. If you use an Android phone, check out the app Camo as way to do the same thing.

A set and lighting

This can be as simple as cleaning your room and setting up near a window. If you want to take it to the next level, you can invest in a cheap ring light and maybe some set pieces like a plant, a lamp, or peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Software

Descript is an intuitive video editors out there, making an automatic transcription so you can edit your video just like a word doc. Delete words, copy and paste paragraphs, and move text around, and the video footage will be edited to match. It’s an audio editor too — so you can make your podcast and your video, and your social clips, in one place.

If you conduct remote interviews for your podcast, you’ll also want a cloud-based recorder like SquadCast or Riverside. These apps record each participant locally, so the audio and video quality is much higher than on conferencing platforms like Zoom.

But even before you have your gear and software, you’ll want to decide how you’ll incorporate video into your podcast. Here are three ways to use video without making full-length video podcast episodes.

1) Video trailers

Instead of producing a video component for every single episode, consider just producing video for your podcast trailer. You can then use it as a promotional vehicle: embed it on the main page of your website, pin it to the top of your social feeds, and make it the channel trailer for your YouTube page.

If you make a solo or interview podcast, the process is pretty straightforward: film yourself explaining the premise of the show, introducing yourself, and playing teaser clips from upcoming episodes (including the interview footage you recorded).

If you make a fiction podcast, a trailer is even more powerful, since video for this genre can be an overwhelming challenge. The fiction show Human Error combined audio from their regular podcast trailer with B-roll footage to create a video trailer that felt like a movie preview. No filming, no extra equipment, and no additional time for the actors, but they still produced a visual that added depth to and created interest in their original audio content.

2) Social clips

Maybe the most obvious use of video in a podcast is for brief clips designed to be shared on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even Twitter and Facebook. Just choose the best parts of your episode and produce video for those clips only. You can add branded colors, a logo, and any other visual elements that let people know about the podcast as they watch. Make sure to add captions, since many users scroll or swipe through these platforms without turning on audio.

The length of these clips will depend on the platform, but shorter is almost always better. Try to aim for clips around 60–90 seconds.

Ramit Sethi shares several clips from every episode of his personal finance podcast on social media in addition to publishing full video episodes.

3) YouTube clips

If you’re ready to invest a little more time in video — and get the benefits of a YouTube presence — but aren’t ready for full episodes, an approachable strategy could be longer clips. Think full sections of a conversation or a focus on one topic that a viewer can sit and enjoy without investing an hour of their life.

These clips can be any length; it all depends on the content you’re choosing to share, but 5–10 minutes is a good target to aim for.

Jay Clouse produces clips from his conversations with creators on his podcast Creator Science in addition to full video episodes.

Conclusion

Video is an incredibly powerful tool, and avoiding it because it’s extra work can put you at a disadvantage. If you can find small, manageable ways to incorporate video into your podcast workflow, you’ll be able to reap those benefits without overloading yourself.

For more from Descript, check out the Descript blog. You can also read our guest post on their blog from Pacific Content Head of Audio Design and Production, Shawn Cole.

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