Newsletter vs Youtube: Which one should you choose?
Hey Pod Pals!
This newsletter was lovingly curated (without the use of any AI) in real time on Thursday morning at 8:45am CST.
I turned 46 years old last week and my 11 year old daughter Hannah got me a "skin care routine" as a gift...
it's been a major upgrade from my traditional beautification routine of....dove soap. 😆
Step one: Special face wash
Step two: magical serum
Step three: hydration goo
I honestly feel like this is the first time I've ever properly washed my face in the past 46 years! 😆
So I'm hoping that this newsletter feels a bit younger and more handsome this morning....
📈 Today we are going to talk about whether podcasters should focus on putting out a weekly newsletter or weekly Youtube content.
I know that some of you just screamed "BOTH you big dummy!"...
and it would be super awesome to have the time, skills, and capacity to do both of these well but here is what I know about podcasters..
➡️ Most of us have ZERO idea what we are doing when we start and each layer of complexity that we add greatly increases the chances that we completely give up and decide to sell custom unicorn t-shirts at a kiosk in the mall.
(Does anyone remember those mall kiosks with the magic eye puzzles from the 90's......"I see a sailboat!!!")
So today we are going to walk through a scenario and make a couple of assumptions:
1. You have an audio podcast.
2. You want to add ONE more piece of content to your strategy.
Should it be a Newsletter or a Youtube channel??? Let's sort out the Pro's and Con's of each strategy!
Youtube Pro's:
✅ There is potential for going viral within the Youtube algorithm.
✅ Youtube monetization based on your views.
✅ Great for building expert positioning and selling programs/services to your audience.
✅ Potential sponsorship and/or affiliate income opportunities.
✅ It's a great option if you love creating video content and enjoy all of the tech associated with video content.
Youtube Con's:
❌ You must serve the algorithm. If you anger the algo you are screwed.
❌ You have to build up a significant audience before you can be a part of their monetization plan.
❌ Video content is a much heavier lift when it comes to tech, prep, creation time, and editing.
❌ Potential expense and learning curve for using the technology needed to produce quality content.
❌ Youtube can randomly shut down your channel by mistake (or on purpose).
Newsletter Pro's:
✅ You build a platform (email list) that you OWN and have 100% control over.
✅ You don't serve any algorithm.
✅ Great for building expert positioning and selling programs/services to your audience.
✅ Minimal tech needed.
✅ Potential sponsorship and affiliate income opportunities.
✅ Great option if you enjoy creating written content.
Newsletter Con's:
❌ There is no chance of going viral (no algo!)
❌ Your content MUST be good...no half-assing it or over using AI.
❌ You need to invest in an email platform to send your newsletter.
❌ You need to learn how to promote/market your newsletter in order to grow.
❌ Growth can be very slow.
❌ Some people really hate writing.......it gives them flashbacks of 7th grade English class.
So....which path is the right one for YOU?
This is a decision that you are going to have to make, but I will make one solid recommendation..
➡️ Please don't try to learn how to do both of these at the same time.
I know that many of us see the big podcasters with all of their different platforms, but we must also realize that:
1. Most of them started off by focusing on just ONE platform and really grew it...and then they expanded.
2. When they did expand they also grew their TEAM of experts to help them with each platform.
The path I've personally chosen is audio podcast + weekly newsletter.
When it comes down to it I really LOVE writing and I really HATE spending time editing video content...
and then getting mean comments from teenagers on Youtube (get off my lawn!!!)
My goal is to become excellent at creating content on as few platforms as needed....instead of being mediocre and frustrated on lots of platforms.
If you are interested in exploring a podcast + newsletter strategy you should join my Skool community.
I just added my High Value Newsletters for Podcasters course to the Premium ($19/month) tier.
Talk to you next week!
Your Pod Pal,
Adam
⭐️ P.S. Here's the scoop on my podcast episode this week!
🎙️ Podcasting Business School EP 637: How to monetize your podcast (5-Level Framework)
If you are a podcaster that wants to monetize your podcasting efforts but you have no idea HOW to do it....this episode is for YOU!