What podcasts would literally look like in 2024

In 2024, podcasts are moving closer to becoming a video-first medium. Video podcasts have been around for a relatively long time, but shows from The New York Times, NPR, and many other longtime audio-only podcast networks have recently begun adding video components to reach new listeners. I am. In fact, Spotify, a major podcast player, is about to start paying podcasters to contribute videos to its platform.

And while producers have been trying to make audio shows go viral on social media for years, podcasts are now popular on TikTok, once video producers realized they could just film the talent talking. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have become mainstream. Weekly podcasts, meanwhile, are trying to attract younger audiences who grew up on YouTube. As a result, video producers started figuring out how to make podcasts, and audio producers started figuring out how to make videos.

I’ve noticed several evolving trends in this video-first format of podcasting. This is not surprising. Once one producer discovers a method that works, others will try it out. Take a look at current design and technology trends. Then I’ll talk about what I think will develop over the next year or so.

Many of today’s podcast studios look like living rooms or basements. This isn’t a new phenomenon in talk shows, but many podcasts begin in living spaces, and major media companies have adopted that aesthetic. lamp. fireplace. fake plants. Bookshelf. This environment allows for a more “laid-back” style of long-form interviews. This is the vibe of most chat-style podcasts.

These video shows often feature sofas and comfy chairs. Round tables are abolished and leisure time is important. It’s a much more comfortable environment to talk for hours at a time. Hosts and guests often sit together on sofas or separately in comfortable chairs.

Another trend I’ve noticed is wooden slats on the walls of podcast studios. Our Vox Media space also uses this design. These provide excellent sound absorption while maintaining the appearance of a living space. This is already shaping up to be the epitome of video podcasting in mid-2020.

Wide-shot camera angles that show the entire room usually have something in the center of the screen, like a TV or a giant logo for a show, creating a symmetrical studio look. Neon signs and colored lights are very on-trend at the moment as they add a colorful glow to a more subdued studio space. Lots of cursive.

Branding is often a priority in videos, and most producers expect you’ll be looking at logos for literally two hours. It’s also an easy way to let TikTok scrollers know what show you’re watching (though this usually doesn’t crop well with vertical videos).

Microphones are often placed on floor stands that extend over the couch (these articulating boom stands have been a staple of recording studios for decades). As a result, the stand often emerges from outside the camera frame and awkwardly sticks out in front of the guest’s face. If multiple guests are sitting in separate chairs, poles sticking out at different angles will look even more cluttered.

New types of microphone stands for podcasting are being introduced to the market, and many shows are ditching the long, unwieldy boom poles and instead letting hosts and guests hold microphones. Many stand-up comedians prefer this method because it feels more authentic and intimate on screen. However, it can be a little awkward for guests who are inexperienced in using their hands or don’t know how to hold a microphone with a narrow finger pattern.

It could even get worse. If your podcast is audio first, but has a video component, awkward behavior may appear on camera, such as each guest holding their phone to their face to record audio while looking directly at the audience, as in this example. I often see it captured. This is a common practice for radio interviews, but is not suitable when video is involved.

The Shure SM7B microphone remains very popular in this medium, as is the more affordable MV7 model. For branding purposes, a cube with the show’s name is often awkwardly pasted to the bottom of the microphone. This is reminiscent of the mic flags on newscaster stick mics, but is now an improvement on these classic radio studio mics. This is probably because a vertically cropped video is more effective branding than a large logo on a studio wall.

Large insulated headphones were common on radio and podcasts, and are still used in many video versions. However, if the guest is away and looking directly into the webcam, the large ear cups stick out very awkwardly. It’s even more noticeable than when looking at someone’s profile view.

This is what many video podcasts will look like through 2024. But what will happen next year?

I believe that in 2025, podcast producers will finally stop following these tropes and start differentiating themselves. Some producers hired to help with the transition to video may begin to question why large headphones and bulky microphones cover people’s faces, and may opt for smaller lavalier microphones or in-ear monitors. .

New viewers may begin to forget the word “podcast” and refer to the chat show they’re watching as just a “show.” Media executives will likely choose to syndicate their shows on linear platforms such as Roku, Pluto, and Tubi. The thin line between podcasts and TV shows will become even thinner.

More consumer-priced production tools have entered the market, turning what is essentially a simple desk setup and MacBook into a fully stocked control room. Hosts have already left the studio and moved to barbershops, tennis courts and sidewalks. AI tools like Descript, Hush, and Accentize can transform sub-optimal microphone recordings into richer, more powerful broadcast-style recordings. Podcasters who use equipment that cannot handle uncontrolled recording environments will especially benefit from these post-production tools.

And who knows? Perhaps the pendulum will swing again when these shows’ budgets become higher and video shows cannot continue to air multiple times a week without a strong following. Maybe it will be reduced to an audio-only format. And perhaps from there they will resume experimenting with new audio media.