Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel?
When I start talking about content marketing, everybody asks me the same question: What kind of content marketing should I do? So I wanted to tell you how to know which platform to choose for you and your business. Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel? Let’s find out!
Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel?
Want to listen to the podcast version of this post? I’ve got you covered!
This is one of the top 10 questions I get asked everywhere. Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel? Which one is best for me and what kind of content should I put out?
That’s a different answer based on WHO you’re talking to and WHAT you’re trying to do. It also depends on who you are as a person.
Let me go ahead and get this out of the way:
You SHOULD NOT be doing them all.
That’s worth repeating. You SHOULD NOT be doing them all. You should not have a blog and a podcast and a YouTube channel, because that is too much for one person to manage. If you’re a solopreneur, you will drive yourself crazy. If you have help, like a VA or an editor, you can branch into other platforms.
For the most part, you do not need and shouldn’t have a blog, podcast, and YouTube channel.
Why aren’t we talking about Instagram or TikTok?
Because those are social platforms. That goes back to what I was talking about in the content marketing episode. Content marketing is different from social media marketing because you create content specifically to be found in search engines. And content created for content marketing can live FOREVER for you.
Social media, on the other hand, has a much shorter lifespan, it’s platform-specific, and it couldn’t be found one year from now and sell for you.
You should have both for sure! One content marketing platform and one social marketing platform, but one of each is ALL you need.
WHO you’re talking to is a massive factor here
Who your people are and where they hang out are really going to influence your decision on whether you should have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel.
If your ideal client really loves YouTube, that might sway you in that direction. If they never have time to sit down and watch videos or read a blog post, then a podcast might be your best bet.
Maybe you’re targeting people in your local area. Well, in my area, people are NOT listening to podcasts. If I surveyed a bunch of locals, I’m sure that only a small percentage of them would know what a podcast is, much less listen to one. So in that case, content marketing using a podcast doesn’t make a lot of sense for me.
YouTube is more of a national platform than a local one, so if I was targeting my local area it would really be a waste of time for me to do YouTube. That leaves me with the option of blogging – and in this situation, it’s what would make the most sense!
You can think about age here, too. Talking to people over 50? They probably aren’t listening to podcasts, so you could cross that off your list.
Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel? Think about WHO you’re talking to, and which content creation platform that they consume the most as well.
Blogging
Pros
- SEO-driven
- Found in Google
- Main way Google indexes sites and finds results for people
Blogging is POWERFUL. This isn’t 2010 blogging anymore. Having a blog USED to be “here’s what I ate today and here’s what I like!” That is not what I mean in this context at all.
Blogs are the articles that get found when Google indexes the Internet. If you Google “how to bake a cake,” most of what you find will either be a page or a blog post on someone’s website. And sometimes you won’t be able to tell a difference.
When Google tries to show someone the best results for how to bake a cake, they find blog posts and pages from websites. So it’s a really big deal.
Regardless of who your people are, I can’t think of a single demographic that doesn’t Google things. And if someone is searching for something, why not be the person who gives them the answer?
Maybe someone Googles “how to make Instagram Reels” and clicks on my blog post. They may have never heard of me before, but now thanks to an opt-in that I put in that blog post, they joined my email list. See how it can work?
You don’t have to wear makeup or talk to write a blog post. And if writing comes naturally to you, this might be your favorite option.
Blogs are also the easiest content creation platform to maintain. For me, they take the least time (both for my team, and for me before I had a team).
Cons
- People won’t hang around for every blog post you write
- The community factor isn’t there
- Slowest way to build the know, like, and trust factor
- Being found in Google can be competitive
Blogging is all about being found in search. The days of building a community around your blog are mostly over.
On top of that, blogging is the slowest way to build the know, like, and trust factor with your audience. And people have to know, like, and trust you before they will ever buy from you.
And, being found in Google can get really competitive. I actually have an ENTIRE podcast episode/blog post about SEO. And you can get the free SEO guide right here (or at the bottom of this post)!
Podcasting
Pros
- Quicker path to the know, like, and trust factor than blogging
- Podcasts are easy to create
People are hearing your voice and getting a way better feel for your personality when you have a podcast! That means they’ll know, like, and trust you way quicker than with a blog.
For me, podcasting content is the easiest content that I create. I’m not the person who writes the blog posts, so it’s just me talking into a mic! Even if you are the one editing and writing blog posts, it’s still an easy content creation platform. You don’t have to get ready to record an episode!
Cons
- More time consuming to edit
- WAY less SEO driven than the other two options
- Not the best platform if you’re looking for the best long-term content method
A blog post is super easy to create and edit. Check for typos and you might be done! WIth a podcast, you’ll have to edit in an intro and outro, ads, get it ready to go live on the platform, etc. So there’s more editing involved than a blog post. (But less than a YouTube video.)
That second con is a big one. Podcasts are way less SEO-driven than blog posts or YouTube videos. You can definitely find podcasts in a podcast player, but it’s MUCH more difficult to “hack” that. The user behavior of people searching in podcasts is different, and if someone with a greater authority than you has a similar episode, yours might not be found.
If you decide to have a podcast, I HIGHLY recommend creating a blog post with the podcast episode embedded for each episode. That will make it way easier for your podcast to be found in search. Otherwise, a podcast will be hard to find via search.
If you aren’t able to write an accompanying blog post and don’t have another form of content marketing in play, I would say that a podcast is not for you.
In MY opinion, podcasting is moreso a community-building platform than a search platform. I actually think most people use podcasting wrong. It shouldn’t be at the top of your funnel because it’s hard for people to find.
YouTube channel
Pros:
- QUICKEST way to build the know, like, and trust factor
- Easier to be found in YouTube search than other platforms
People can see and hear you on video, so it’s much easier for them to know, like, and trust you! They’ll be able to see your mannerisms and learn who you are very fast.
I think it’s easier to be found in YouTube search with a YouTube video than it is to be found on Google with a blog post. Since there aren’t as many competitors in each niche on YouTube, you have a better chance of being seen.
Cons:
- Most time consuming
So, you have to get ready and film. Then you have to edit, upload, and optimize for YouTube. Then you have to share the content… you see what I mean. It’s definitely the most time consuming of these options.
Don’t forget to consider where your people are at. You might feel drawn to a certain option between should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, but your people might not be there.
So… Should you have a blog, podcast, YouTube channel?
I hope this helped answer that question! Start out and consider who exactly you’re talking to and where they’re hanging out. Then, decide which of these options align most with what you want and your schedule!
Content marketing is super powerful, and you can absolutely take advantage of it.
