A podcast or YouTube channel are both great avenues for creating meaningful content. When it comes to building an audience for your content I recommend a podcast for a variety of reasons.
Easier to make money podcasting
The amount of money advertisers pay to advertise on podcasts vs YouTube are drastically different. Advertisers will pay based on what is called a CPM, which means the cost per thousand downloads. Advertisers pay about $8 per thousand views to YouTube. YouTube will then take about half of that money, so you would make about $4 per thousand views.
Compare that with the standard podcast rates which are about $25 per thousand views. Also with podcasting you don't have to split that money with anyone. You keep all that money to yourself.
So you need to have over 5 times as big of an audience on YouTube to make the same amount of money you would podcasting.
Learn how to monetize your podcast
You own the content
The reason you don't have to split money with anyone for podcasting is you own the content. You will host the podcast with a podcast host, like PodServe.fm, and distribute it to all the different apps. Since no one app controls all podcasts you don't have to worry about one app shutting you down completely.
For video content YouTube is really the only app in town. If YouTube decides to ban you, you are out of luck. There is nowhere else to go and you have lost your audience and all that work.
Easier and cheaper to start a podcast
The equipment necessary to start a beginner podcast or YouTube channel are pretty basic. To get started with either you can begin with just a phone. If you are serious though you will want something better than that. A podcast microphone will be much cheaper than a nice video camera. Sound dampening material will be much cheaper than video lighting. No
It is also much easier to record audio and make it sound good. For video you not only have to make sure your audio sounds good, but your video looks good too.
Easier to consume
Podcasts don't require you to be actively watching the content. People can listen to your podcast while driving, working out, doing their laundry, doing the dishes, etc. Your listeners don't have to stop what they are doing to consume your content.
Less Pressure
It is a lot easier to talk into a microphone than it is to be on video. You can record your podcast in your pajamas in your closet, not so much with video. You will need to make sure you look good and are presentable. You will feel a lot more vulnerable in front of the camera than you will just talking into a microphone.
Conclusion
Podcasts and YouTube are both great ways to promote your content and grow an audience. If you have to choose one to start though I recommend a podcast. It holds numerous benefits that a YouTube channel just can't match.
If you do start a podcast you will need a podcast host like PodServe.fm to store your audio and deliver it to listeners. If you have any questions about getting started podcasting chat with me using the orange icon to the bottom right.
Try PodServe.fm podcast hosting for free