Today, YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for podcast hosts, and is the preferred platform for podcast listeners. And with a global audience of over 2 billion active users, this podcast powerhouse isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Part of the platform’s success among podcasts pros and their loyal listeners comes from its significant support for the creators themselves. This year, YouTube is offering grants of up to $50,000 for individual creators, and $300,000 for podcast networks willing to share the video version of their podcast on the platform.

That’s some serious $$$ for the creators who can capitalize on it!

If you’re considering launching a podcast for your personal brand or business, take a look at these 8 helpful tips—straight from YouTube itself.

Podcast Tip #1: Get comfortable with video

While YouTube supports both video and audio-only podcasts that display a static image while the audio plays, video podcasts tend to outperform. In fact, according to YouTube’s data, video podcasts can get up to 2x as many views, and a full 80% of the top-watched podcasts on the platform are video-based recordings.

Luckily, your video doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective. Many of the top-performing podcasts on the platform simply feature a live, lightly edited recording of the hosts and guest speakers conversing.

Podcast Tip #2: Plan your content around your audience

Free research tools, like YouTube Studio and Google Trends, can give you key insights into the topics your target audience is interested in right now. When planning your content calendar, consider using these tools as a jumping off point for your core podcast topics. You can even use Google Trends to search your name, then view related searches to see what similar topics your audience may be interested in.

Podcast Tip #3: Put your best look forward

When it comes to choosing a podcast, visuals matter. Thumbnails that are accurate representations of your podcast topic, easy-to-read, high-quality, and visually appealing generate greater click-through results. And to keep your listeners coming back week after week, YouTube recommends using consistent branding across all your thumbnail images.

Podcast Tip #4: Mind your SEO

Did you know YouTube is the second most-popular search engine in the world? After Google, the platform handles more searches than all the other major search engines combined. That’s why optimizing your YouTube podcast for search is essential to gaining an online following.

YouTube recommends using strategic keywords in your podcast episode titles, in your show name, and throughout your video chapters, headlines, and descriptions.

Podcast Tip #5: Include compelling calls-to-action

End screens, the last several seconds of your YouTube podcast, give listeners the opportunity to choose another episode before the current video ends. So use your end screen to your advantage! Offer watchers the option to like your video, share it with their network, subscribe to your podcast, or watch another relevant episode to keep them engaged with your channel for as long as possible.

Podcast Tip #6: Leverage Shorts

Shorts, YouTube’s version of Stories from Instagram and Facebook, allow you to clip your full podcast into bite-sized snippets. The benefit? Each Short can link to the full episode—quickly hooking viewers and boosting your podcast audience.

Podcast Tip #7: Cross-promote your podcast

As you post new podcast episodes and related content to YouTube, share the link across your other social platforms. You can even poll your audience to get new content ideas and helpful feedback, all while building awareness for your podcast.

Podcast Tip #8: Track your performance

YouTube offers detailed analytics on every video you post. Check out your YouTube Studio dashboard to track your impressions, views, watch time, and more—then use that data to adjust your long-term content strategy.

Make the most of your podcast strategy with expert support from MediaSpark

At MediaSpark, our multi-channel approach to advertising, marketing, and promotion puts your brand front-and-center. To learn more about our integrated approach to profit-driving brand awareness, Chat with our team.