Do You Really Need a Video Podcast? (with Susan Boles)

Show Notes Video podcasting is everywhere right now. YouTube is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the podcasting conversation, and the line between a podcast and a video podcast is getting harder to see. Spend enough time in podcasting circles right now and you could easily come away thinking the future is video. But does that mean you need video to have a successful podcast? This is where podcasting advice can get a little dangerous. One thing works, so suddenly everyone needs to do it. Video is having a moment, so video becomes the thing you're supposed to be doing. But before you start adding cameras just because that's where podcasting seems to be headed, it's worth stepping back and asking a more basic question: what job does your podcast need to do for your business? Susan Boles has a pretty compelling case study in why that question matters. Her first podcast, Calm is the New KPI, was audio-only for years. It helped her close clients. It helped her land a COO job. It built the kind of relationship with listeners that made an hour of podcast episodes function a lot like a very long sales call. She didn't need millions of downloads. She needed the right people to trust her. Now she's building a completely different business, Unpublic, where audience growth and discoverability matter much more. So she's doing video. Same Susan. Same love of podcasting. Very different business. Very different job. Very different strategy. In this episode, Susan and Courtney get into the audio-versus-video debate, including what each format does well, why video can be both a discovery engine and a massive production headache, the privacy considerations creators often overlook, and why seasonal podcasting might be a better fit than being "always on." We discuss: • The difference between a podcast built to grow an audience and one built to deepen relationships • The privacy and personal-safety questions podcasters should consider before adding video • The value of building in time to evaluate what's working before launching another season • Why learning to host in audio first can make video easier later • Why podcasting might not be the answer to every visibility problem ABOUT THE GUEST Susan Boles is the founder of Unpublic, a company focused on helping online creators protect their privacy and personal safety as they build an audience. Before Unpublic, Susan spent years working in finance and operations, including as a CFO and COO, and founded Beyond Margins to help entrepreneurs build calmer businesses. She's also the host of The Parasocial Paradox. Learn more at: LinkedIn: Susan Boles (  / thesusanboles  ) Instagram: thesusanboles (  / thesusanboles  ) Website: Unpublic (https://www.unpublic.co/?utm_source=i...) Youtube:    / @gounpublic   ABOUT THE SHOW Talking the Talk: A Podcast About Podcasting helps entrepreneurs, founders, creators, and business owners build podcasts that work harder than they do. Host Courtney Reimer explore how to build a show that creates trust, builds your business, remains sustainable, and delivers a meaningful return on what you invest into it. ABOUT THE HOST Courtney Reimer is the founder of Sounds Great Strategy and a former executive at Spotify, Audible, Yahoo!, Discovery, and MTV. She helps entrepreneurs and organizations create podcasts that become their hardest-working business assets. HOW TO CONNECT WITH COURTNEY Follow on Instagram: @soundsgreatcourtney (  / soundsgreatcourtney  ) Connect on LinkedIn: Courtney Reimer (  / courtneyreimer  ) Subscribe to her weekly-ish newsletter on burnout-proof podcasting: Sounds Great on Paper (https://sounds-great-on-paper.kit.com...) To book your free Podcast Clarity Call with Courtney, visit SoundsGreatStrategy.com (https://www.soundsgreatstrategy.com/) .