YouTube has recently fulfilled its commitment to support RSS feeds, finally making the platform a prominent choice for podcasters. The company has shared guidelines for podcasters on how to integrate their RSS feeds with YouTube Studio.
Notably, YouTube's approach differs from other platforms, as it not only makes the RSS feed available but also transforms podcast episodes into YouTube videos. Podcast creators can also choose to participate in YouTube's advertising program and gain access to the platform's advanced analytics.
According to a study by Morning Consult, 33% of US listeners prefer YouTube for listening to podcasts, while only 24% choose Spotify and 12% opt for Apple Music. YouTube's commitment to podcasts over the past year, including the incorporation of podcasts into YouTube Music and extensive guidance for podcasters, has contributed to its increasing popularity. Morning Consult also finds that 46% of US podcast listeners prefer to watch podcasts when listening, compared with 42% who just listen.
As YouTube itself claims on its YouTube Creators page, "YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for podcasts, with a vast global audience of over 2 billion active users. We also recently launched podcasts in YouTube Music (currently only available for users in the US), so your audience can keep listening or watching on the go."
For podcast creators interested in leveraging this new integration, YouTube Studio provides a platform to upload podcasts using an RSS feed, so YouTube clearly blurs the line between audio and video for podcasters and listeners.
