YouTube has rapidly emerged as a dominant force in the podcasting space. While Spotify and Apple Podcasts remain key players, With over 1 billion active monthly users YouTube is quickly becoming the go-to platform for audience discovery - especially for video-first brand podcasts.

Its powerful discoverability, video-first approach, and expanding podcast features make YouTube the ideal place for brand podcasts to be found, watched, and shared. Whether you're aiming to build thought leadership, tell richer stories, or spotlight your expertise within your niche, this article breaks down why YouTube should be at the heart of your strategy and how you can put it into action.

How have podcasts evolved?

At its core, a podcast is a series of conversations or stories centered around a common theme. In the past these podcasts were audio-only shows you could tune into during a commute or while cooking, delivered via RSS - a feed that automatically distributes episodes to platforms like Apple and Spotify.

But in 2025, a podcast is much more than that - especially on YouTube. It’s something people watch, listen to, and interact with. It can be long-form video that is cut into bite-sized Shorts, and even provides discussion points for community posts, and is an opportunity to show up where your audience is looking.

Why does video matter for podcasting in 2025?

There’s a reason the best podcasts on YouTube aren’t just recordings of Zoom calls. They’re rich media - intentional, visual, and brand-aligned.

Video adds a layer of trust and depth that audio alone simply can’t. Your audience sees facial expressions, body language, and the setting, making your brand feel more human and more credible.

At a time when automation and AI are everywhere, real human connection stands out. A strong video presence can create exactly that.

Is YouTube the top podcast platform in 2025?

YouTube has stepped into its own space in the podcast world. According to emarketer.com, as of 2025 33% of monthly podcast listeners said YouTube was their preferred platform, ranking higher than Spotify (27%) and Apple Podcasts (15%). And as the platform hit a record breaking 1 billion monthly podcast listeners in January 2025, we’ve seen the roll out of podcast-specific features that directly support discoverability, audience engagement, and credibility.

Over the past year alone, the platform has announced:

Podcast-specific playlists and badges that can show up on videos.
Dedicated pages like youtube.com/podcasts that drive traffic to top performing shows.
Podcast hosting in YouTube Music, unlocking audio-first audiences.
And most notably, the YouTube Top Podcasts chart, introduced in May 2025 and updated weekly based on U.S. watch time.

For brands podcasts on YouTube, not only bridge the gap between long and short-form content, but with these new features there is even more opportunity for visibility and engagement for your audience.

What Makes a strong YouTube podcast strategy?

Publishing your podcast on YouTube is one thing. Building a strategy that leverages the platform’s full potential is another.

The best podcasts recognise YouTube as the world’s second-largest search engine (or largest when combined with Google!). People use YouTube to find answers, ideas, and entertainment, so having a YouTube podcast strategy gives it the best chance at being discovered by the right audience.

To give your YouTube podcast the best chance of success and the best viewer experience, make sure your video optimisation strategy for each episode includes:

Titles that are keyword-rich and clear.
Descriptions that help both users and algorithms understand what you’re offering.
Optimised captions, timestamps and transcripts for search and accessibility.
Thumbnail design builds trust at a glance and gives your brand a clear identity.
Using playlists to group episodes by themes or seasons.
Leveraging the Community tab to share updates and engage followers.
Key moments from the full episode repurposed into short clips as entry points for new listeners

The What’s on at Cineworld podcast is a great example, by our client Cineworld.

As one of the UK’s leading cinema chains, Cineworld leans into what it knows best: film culture. But instead of just promoting upcoming releases, they use the podcast to deepen the audience’s connection with cinema itself by providing passionate and informed commentary from genuine movie fanatics.

The show is designed for YouTube, not just repurposed for it:

Shot in-studio with high production values that reflect the brand
Hosted by passionate film experts who create a sense of community
Split into easily digestible segments, with timestamps and highlights for short-form reuse
Featured in a dedicated YouTube playlist, giving it a clean, bingeable format

It's clear the brand is using podcasting for genuine value by encouraging conversation around releases and allowing their audience to feel more informed. Viewers tune in to hear synopses of what’s showing at Cineworld as well as insights shared by the hosts, including box office numbers and behind-the-scenes context, upcoming special events, and personal recommendations.

Do audiences like listening to podcasts on YouTube?

In a word, yes. YouTube’s algorithm is so finely tuned that audiences are discovering podcasts that are perfectly aligned to their interests. According to a research study conducted by Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media, YouTube has been outperforming both Spotify and Apple Podcasts in terms of audience satisfaction for a number of years.

How you can start a YouTube podcast today

We advise two routes: one for brands already producing podcasts, and one for brands that aren’t but have long-form content that could be consumed without visuals.

1. If your brand already has a podcast:

Upload your existing podcast to YouTube by inputting the RSS feed into YouTube Studio.
Remember: podcast thumbnails need to be square for the playlist cover (used in YouTube Music), while individual episodes can maintain 16:9 thumbnails.
For audio-only episodes, the thumbnail will serve as the visual component of the video.

2. If your brand doesn’t have a podcast (yet):

Review your existing video content and ask: Can this be enjoyed without watching the screen? If yes, that content is likely suitable for podcasting.
In YouTube Studio, convert a playlist into a podcast. This duplicates it into a podcast format without removing the original playlist.
Update the thumbnail to square for podcast mode.

How to Measure the Success of Your YouTube Podcast Strategy

You can’t optimise what you don’t measure. If you want to improve, scale, and prove ROI of your podcast here are the core metrics that should underpin your YouTube podcast strategy:

Watch time vs. listens: Understand how your YouTube engagement compares to audio platforms. Are viewers sticking with the video version longer?
Audience retention rates: Look at when people drop off and what keeps them watching. This insight is gold for structuring episodes and improving hooks.
Subscriber growth from podcasts: Are your podcast episodes bringing in new subscribers? Track spikes and patterns after each release.
Search impressions from podcast-related keywords: If you’re optimising your titles, descriptions, and transcripts, you should see growth in impressions from relevant searches. This is a key indicator of discoverability.
Conversion Metrics: Whether you’re offering a newsletter, or promoting a product or service, track how your podcast audience is taking action.

Conclusion

Too many brands treat YouTube like an afterthought, somewhere to dump the video file once the podcast is done. That’s a missed opportunity.

YouTube is where search, community, video, and content come together to create marketing magic. If you're serious about building a podcast that grows your brand, builds awareness and develops loyalty then YouTube should be where your strategy starts.

Want help launching a brand podcast that actually gets seen and heard? Let’s talk.

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