- YouTube recently hosted a virtual seminar for podcast creators.
- The company broke down how it plans to compete with other podcasting platforms.
- YouTube is leaning on its music app to rival competitors like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
YouTube is taking on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts by offering a variety of unique podcast tools for creators and listeners.
As video podcasts boom on YouTube, the platform is leaning on its ability to offer both video and audio to draw in listeners. Two YouTube employees detailed the strategy in April at a virtual seminar for podcast creators.
"With YouTube Music, we've expanded a user's choice for how to consume podcasts on YouTube," Sweet said. "Audiences can pivot to an audio-first experience with the ability to background and download podcasts on the go, and these experiences sync up."
Users who start watching a video podcast on YouTube can continue listening to the show in the background, right where they left off within the YouTube Music app. This allows users to seamlessly toggle between watching at home on their mobile device or TV and listening on the go.
Podcasts are found in the YouTube Music app on the home and Explore tabs. Episodes are displayed in several ways, from the latest episode of a show to a discovery section of recommended shows.
YouTube also offers several other podcast-specific features for listeners. Users can select the podcast button on the homepage or Explore tab to filter out music. They can also follow shows and add them to their library, which displays the show's latest episodes. YouTube Premium users can listen to a podcast in the background or download an episode to listen to offline.
"We're also working to improve integrations with audio and to introduce new device integrations later this year," Sweet said.
"Our growth as a platform is a result of how video podcasts are resonating with consumers, especially the younger generation and those newer to podcasting," said Stephanie Chan, strategic partner manager on the podcast team.
YouTube also offers several tools and features that creators can't get on other podcast platforms to help grow their communities, including the ability to go live, respond to comments, and post clips to YouTube shorts.
"All this is to say that your podcast doesn't necessarily need to be on video to have a home on YouTube," said Emma Sweet, global product activation manager for music and podcasts.
The Google-owned platform's search and discovery features are differentiators as well, the execs said.
"Our search capabilities and recommendation algorithms help you reach more people interested in your content," Chan said. "We've heard from partners that the new audience they gain on YouTube is truly incremental."
YouTube has been adding features to its music app to boost podcasts
Chan and Sweet spoke about the YouTube Music streaming app, which is ad-free for YouTube Premium subscribers. When a creator uploads their podcast to YouTube's creator platform, YouTube Studio, the podcast is automatically made available on both the main YouTube app and the music app.
The most significant feature YouTube Music offers that sets the app apart from its competitors is the ability to toggle between audio and video for a podcast episode. This feature is only available if the episode is uploaded in both video and audio form. Creators can add the audio version of their podcast via its RSS feed.
YouTube plans to add more features to the YouTube Music app, including the ability to filter a podcast by played or unplayed.
