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Cori Boyce has 10+ years of experience in product strategy across tech and media, including at Amazon and Meta. Today, she leads the go-to-market strategy and operations for YouTube’s music and podcasts, with a focus on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Francesca Mortari is director of YouTube for Southern Europe. Her team supports industry partners and creators with developing their content strategy and presence on YouTube.
We’re seeing an immense rise in popularity on YouTube for video podcasts, aka “vodcasts”. Think of your traditional audio podcast, but elevated with video so viewers cannot only listen to — but also watch — the conversation. This serialised content is being consumed via computers, smartphones, and connected TVs.
Today, there are more than 1 billion monthly podcast users on YouTube. Google Trends data shows that global search interest for “video podcast” on YouTube has increased by 20% so far in 2025, compared to 2024.
One popular vodcast format is the unscripted conversation, in which the host conducts an interview or moderates a chat with various guests, from celebrities to politicians to scientists. Another is the narrative video podcast. This is a documentary or in-depth feature hosted by experts on topics like current affairs, entertainment, true crime, and history.
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Vodcasts signal a major shift for users from passive listening to active viewing. For marketers, the crucial question is no longer if they should participate, but how to authentically connect with these dedicated communities.
Why your marketing strategy needs to include video podcasts
YouTube is the most popular service used for podcast listening in the U.S. And, according to an Edison report, 87% of surveyed weekly YouTube podcast consumers in the U.K. report actively watching the video podcasts they consume.1
These insights show a significant opportunity for brands to integrate themselves into the world of video podcasts and reach new customers. Think of all the potential people that you can connect with that already actively consume this content.
Vodcasts offer a lot of advantages for brands:
- They give brands the opportunity to include their logo, visual identity, and product placements. This makes video podcasts even more memorable compared to audio or text.
- They foster a stronger intimacy with the audience, as viewers can see the people speaking and observe crucial non-verbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions.
- They’re versatile, as they can exist in multiple formats on YouTube. For example, video Clips in YouTube Studio can easily cut engaging segments from a longer video. YouTube Shorts can then be used to post trailers or show highlights to entice people to watch full episodes:
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How to join the conversation: Driving reach by partnering with a vodcast
You can harness the power of vodcasts without the production work and costs of creating your own. Brands can partner with existing video podcasts through YouTube’s advertising solutions to increase their reach.
But, remember, just like any other creator partnership, ensure you respect a podcaster’s creative freedom, formats, and language. That way the partnership will be more authentic to the audience.
Work closely with the creator to find the best way to feature your brand as a part of the partnership; they know their audiences best. They can, for instance, explicitly mention your brand in a midway “ad break” or they can highlight the partnership in the description box on YouTube.
#ABtalks and the power of purpose-driven partnerships
With 3 million subscribers and over 300 million views since its 2018 launch, the #ABtalks podcast show has become a powerhouse on YouTube in the Middle East. Host Anas Bukhash created the show as a direct response to the limitations of traditional television.
“I saw a big gap in the Arab world,” Bukhash says. "#ABtalks became the opposite of everything I disliked about TV: long-form, no time limits, and space for people to express themselves freely; to cry, laugh, and be truly honest.”
The team partners on the series with global brands, such as Nescafé and Instax. Partnerships are executed with a light touch. The brand is present throughout the episode through subtle mentions and branding, they’re acknowledged in the YouTube description, and tagged in social media captions.
When launching the spin-off series #ABtalks Business, however, the team faced a challenge: how to bring brands on board for a niche series without compromising the authenticity that the audience expects.
The solution was a purpose-driven model. They sought suitable partners and are donating a portion of the funds from the brand collaborations to Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organisation supporting children’s education.
This innovative structure transforms a brand partnership into a vehicle for social impact, aligning the brand, the creator, and the audience around a shared value.
Here is an example from the #ABtalks Business series featuring luxury fashion company Zegna and charity partner Dubai Cares:
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When asked for his advice to brands looking to partner with a video podcast, the podcast’s business director, Lyes Abila, notes that qualitative audience feedback is a better indicator of success than reach alone. He explains: “A lot of brands just want to get leads right away, but that’s not how it works.”
He cites their partnership with Cartier as a best-in-class example. They identified a common denominator — Love — to theme the episode and included subtle branding, such as the colour red and select product inclusions. The video received praise from audiences, along with almost half a million views.
The #ABtalks model proves that the most effective video podcast partnerships are strategic alliances. By shifting the focus from transactions to shared values, brands can achieve a deeper, more meaningful connection with highly engaged audiences.
