TL;DR: If you’ve done the work to produce a super polished audio show, then you’re not putting up an inferior product to video on YouTube, just a different one. Audio on YouTube is NOT fake video, it's expanded accessibility.

4 Reasons TO put Audio-only episodes on YouTube:

1. For Increased Accessibility. (Every day at my day job I sell TV's to folks from across the age and cultural spectrum, and the number of people that ask about running Wireless Headphones out of their TV's so they can easily listen to programs and shows continues to surprise me. YouTube is the app that gets the majority of mentions from Customers, and I think it's because a) the Customer themselves has mastered the YouTube interface and wants to stay there for everything, and b) the non-English versions of the YouTube app on the major TV-OS offerings are stable and navigable).
2. To allow non-technical people to map listening progress seamlessly across multiple devices.
3. To allow people (who Care) to comment, give a thumbs up, Subscribe to your show, and even support your show on-platform.
4. To take advantage of the streamlined UX (User Experience) on YouTube. (There is no account required to get to the content, and the YouTube app doesn't hassle you every second day for your email address and for your preferred genres/tastes/interests before you get to LiSTNR .... sorry .... sorry, I meant listen).

The caveat I often hear about Audio-on-YouTube is the "extreme drop-off rate", which I believe is real, but I would posit that the drop-off rate for almost all content posted to YT (audio, video, amateur mime, everything that's NOT Cats) is "extreme".

The Short-long of it: If someone likes to Listen to shows, they don't really care how or where it happens, as long as it works and it's as simple as Click Link >>> Press Play.

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Email me your thoughts to josh@jcaldigital.org or DM me on LinkedIn or on Instagram (@joshuacliston).