Creators Can Now Properly Publish Podcasts Through YouTube Studio

A few weeks ago, YouTube said that it would soon be improving support for podcasts on its platform, and today that has come to fruition, as creators can now publish and manage podcast content from YouTube Studio.

Podcasting on YouTube has typically been challenging since the platform’s algorithm did not properly distinguish between the style differences of a podcast and a channel’s “normal” content. For example, if a creator normally uploads 10 to 20-minute videos on a particular topic as their regularly expected content, the watch time on those videos is typically dramatically different than on a podcast which can go up to an hour or longer. As a result, creators typically set up a separate YouTube channel just for podcasts in order to prevent the algorithm from penalizing them.

It appears that necessity might be changing. YouTube has added the ability to upload new videos as a podcast as well as designate older videos as podcasts which are then categorized differently inside of YouTube Studio that can be published to a channel as well as YouTube Music. Podcast performance is also separate from regular video content, indicating that there is at least some kind of differentiation on the part of YouTube’s system now.

“On YouTube, a podcast show is a playlist, and podcast episodes are videos in that playlist. Your podcast should only contain full-length episodes, organized in the order that they should be consumed,” YouTube explains. “If your podcast has multiple seasons, include them in the same podcast.”

YouTube suggests four best practices for a successful podcast. First, the company says that podcast channels, which are shown as playlists on a channel, should only contain full-length episodes from an entire podcast in the order that they should be consumed. Next, YouTube says creators should avoid mixing clips, different shows, or uploads from other channels within your podcast. Creators should also avoid breaking up seasons into separate podcasts.

YouTube Podcasts
How a Podcast will appear. | YouTube

Third, podcast shows should use the same name as the podcast’s title, which the company says makes it easier for audiences to find content on YouTube. Podcasters should also avoid using extra words in a podcast title — including the word “podcast” unless it is part of the show’s name. Finally, as expected, YouTube suggests that uploaders add a detailed description to a podcast that describes it and helps new listeners discover the show from searches.

It doesn’t appear that, at least for now, YouTube Studio is allowing creators to publish podcasts to other platforms. This does make sense, as YouTube’s integration of podcast support for YouTube Music positions it as more of a direct competitor to Spotify.

One other feature that isn’t yet listed is the ability to listen to YouTube video podcasts as audio-only on YouTube Music. At the time of publication, YouTube Music still did not show any podcasts, but that will change soon.

“Podcast inclusion in the YouTube Music app is coming soon to creators in the U.S.,” YouTube says on its support page.

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