36. Stop Trying to Be Diary of a CEO

This transcript was created using Descipt. It has been copied and pasted but not proofread or edited, so it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

Laura McRae: [00:00:00] Welcome to Podcasting for Business Owners. I’m your host, Laura McRae, a podcast consultant, educator, and self-confessed podcast nerd. If you are thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow the one you have, you’re in the right place. Hold onto your headphones and let’s go. Hello and welcome back to Podcasting for Business Owners, the podcast that helps you share your story, lead your industry, and grow your network through podcasting.

I’m your host, Laura McRae, and today’s episode is a bit of a spicy one because something happened recently that really hit a nerve. I was talking to someone who wanted their podcast to look like Diary of a CEO, and look, I get the appeal. It’s glossy, it’s slick, and it’s everywhere. But we need to talk about something that’s really starting to gr my gears.

The confusion between podcasts and YouTube shows they not the same thing. [00:01:00] So if you are planning a podcast for your business or helping someone plan one, stick around. Let’s start with a basic reminder. A podcast is audio first, and that’s what it’s always been. It’s made for people to listen, not to sit and watch for 40 minutes.

YouTube, that’s a video first platform. Completely different audience behavior. People watch YouTube. And people listen to podcasts while doing other things. This reminds me of a moment I had just the other day. I was watching an episode of Diary of A CEO. It was a really good one, by the way. It was an interview with the communication expert, Ving Jing, and I said to my daughter, I’ve just been watching a really good podcast.

She looked at me and she said, wait, you’ve been watching a podcast? And I said, yeah. And she goes, well then it’s not a podcast, is it? And you know what? She was right. That’s not a [00:02:00] podcast, that’s a video show. That little moment really drove it home to me. We’ve all started to mix the two things up, but they’re not the same.

Yes, podcasting has evolved and you can also have video versions now, but just because she can, it doesn’t mean you should. Since Google podcast merged with YouTube, there’s been a huge push to move podcast over to YouTube. And I get it, YouTube is massive. But the problem is more and more business owners think that if they’re not doing a full video production, then they’re falling behind.

But unless you have a proper budget, a filming team, multiple camera angles, lighting, sound design, a beautiful set, and hours of editing time, you’re not gonna recreate diary of a CEO and honestly. That’s not the bar you should be measuring yourself against anyway. That’s a media production that’s not realistic for most [00:03:00] small business owners, and it’s not necessary.

Most people who say they want a video podcast are talking about a Zoom or Riverside video with two people in different squares sitting at their computers, and I’m sorry, that’s not really engaging content. It just isn’t. Nobody’s gonna watch that all the way through unless they’re absolutely obsessed with you.

And even then, they’d probably rather just listen to you. And here’s something I’ve noticed, and I know I’m not alone with this one. When I find a podcast I like on YouTube, I don’t actually watch it. I press play and then I just listen to it while doing something else. But the video still running, which ends up draining my battery.

And honestly, this really annoys me. I’m not getting any value from the visuals because I’m not watching them. I just wanted the audio. People generally go to YouTube for instructional content like tutorials or how-tos or step-by-step walkthroughs they want to watch and follow along. [00:04:00] That’s why YouTube is great for makeup tutorials or instructions on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Not so much for 40 minutes of two people chatting on a split screen. That’s not what most people are there for. YouTube isn’t where you go to find podcasts, and in my opinion, it never really has been. So what happens? You spend extra time editing video, uploading to YouTube, creating thumbnails, repurposing clips, and it does nothing for your visibility.

Why? Because YouTube is a search engine and your talking head video probably isn’t giving the visual stimulation the platform wants. Now, here’s what does matter. Clear audio, great content, and a podcast that aligns with your business goals. If you want to build visibility through podcast, then do reels, do tiktoks recall, short, punchy video snippets with intention, but don’t feel like [00:05:00] you have to film your whole podcast just because that’s what some celebrity doing and a lot of these high end video podcast.

They have teams, they have money, they have influence. You are running a business. You need a podcast that works for your goals, not just one that looks great on camera. And just quickly, I wanna give a shout out to Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting. If you don’t know the School of Podcasting, I highly recommend you Listen, it’s one of my favorites.

He goes on a lot about how much he hates video podcasting, and every time he talks about it, I’m thinking, oh, here we go again. You know what? I see it now. People are getting mixed up and it’s muddying the waters of what podcasting really is. So if you’ve been stressing that your podcast isn’t video enough or wondering if you have to be on YouTube to be taken seriously, please stop.

Focus on creating something valuable. That sounds great and served your [00:06:00] audience. Podcasting is not dead, and for many business owners, it’s the most effective, manageable, and strategic option. Do you want help creating a podcast that actually works for your business without the pressure to look like a Netflix production?

That’s exactly what I help my clients with. Whether you are launching your first podcast or want support managing the one you’ve got, I take care of the tech. The planning and the strategy so you can stay in your zone of genius, look in the show notes to see how we can work together. If you found value in this podcast, please leave a five star rating and a review will be even better. Your support shows that this is a good show, which will attract high profile guests, and in turn deliver greater value to you. This podcast is produced and edited by me. Don’t waste your time on editing. Let me help you with your podcast. Check out the links in the show [00:07:00] notes to get in touch.