One of the hardest things to do when you are at a crossroads is making a choice between options of equal benefits, in this case, it’s making the choice of blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast.
These three content types pass information in different forms. A blog shares content in text, while a vlog does it in video form, and finally podcast shares content in audio form.
The major difference between blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast is just the format of expression.
If you are starting out and you are wondering about the choice to make, you are not alone, these types of situations can be confusing.
Therefore this post will describe each content type, explaining its meaning, what they require and their pros and cons.
This is a way to ease your decision-making process, because if you know what each platform entails you will be able to determine if you can start with the content type or not.
Table of Contents
What is a blog (blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast )
Oxford English dictionary defines a blog as a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
Ab blog is typically composed of written content updated regularly, that is done weekly, biweekly or otherwise. But for a blog to be successful, it must be updated frequently with consistency.
How to start a blog
1. Choose a niche
A niche is a specified area where you decide to focus on writing. Even though there are some successful blogs that write across niches, it is generally advised to focus on a particular niche because it’s easier to scale that way.
Except you have the resources to employ writers and content managers for your blog, it won’t be easy to write across niches effectively. Therefore niche blogging is the right way to blog for many people that want to bog.
How to choose a niche
Answering some questions will you in deciding your blog niche, this is what we will be considering.
a. What are your passion?
This question is one of the pointers to the niche that you can be successful in, do you know why? Because passion makes people do anything with ease.
When you are passionate about something you will do it even when it gets tough, in the same vein if you choose a blog that you are passionate about, you will be able to stick with it to the end.
Are you passionate about politics, medicine, art, sports, fashion or personal development? Mention it. You should start a blog in that niche.
It is true that there are existing blogs in any niche you decide to start today, but it is possible for you to carve a path for yourself in that niche with your uniqueness, style or possible differences.
b. Is the niche profitable?
This question is simply saying “passion is not enough reason to start a blog in a particular niche”. You have to consider if there are people that will be interested in the niche. Are there people doing what you want to do? If there is no blog at all then you should think twice about starting your blog in that niche.
For you to choose a blog niche you need to have passion and the niche needs to be a profitable one. The blog should have a track record of making generating money for other people.
2. Decide the platform you want to use to blog
This decision on the platform to start your blog is next. There are a lot of options when it comes to blogging.
Some of these platforms are free while others are not. Platforms like WordPress.com, Medium, and Blogger are free. You can start writing on your blog immediately after registering.
These platforms have templates available for you to pick from to start writing on your blog.
There are also website builders that have features that allow you to start your blog, examples of some of these website builders are Wix, Olitt, Weebly and Zyro.
But the popular platform people use is WordPress because it was built for blogging. It makes blogging easy.
WordPress has thousands of free themes and plugins that you can use to blog. It is also an open-source CMS.
3. Buy hosting and domain
Hosting is the space on the internet you can store your website files while Domain is the identity of your website on the internet.
If you want to design your website with WordPress ( Which is advisable), you will need to buy hosting and domain. These are what you have to spend money buying if you want to design your blog with WordPress.
There are lots of Hosting companies you can buy from, however, we recommend Truehost because of their quality services and affordability.
4. Install WordPress
After buying hosting and domain it is required that you install WordPress on your site. WordPress is composed of themes and plugins.
Themes are templates that structure the look and feel of your website while Plugins are software that adds functionality to your website.
When you are done installing WordPress, you will then install themes and plugins that will meet the needs of your website.
5. Create, publish and promote posts
As you already know, a blog is made up of blog posts, so you will have to perform keyword research to discover or uncover words you can target on your websites after which you will start writing.
When you are done writing and editing your content you will then publish it. But that’s not where it ends, you will need to promote your blog by Guest blogging, sharing links to family and friends and also through your social media accounts.
The above are the simple steps you can take to start a blog.
Pros of starting a blog
1. You will improve your writing skills
Starting a blog is one of the best ways to hone your writing skills. You will greatly improve your writing skills if you consistently write, the saying “ practice makes perfect” also applies to writing.
2. You will build a community
Blogging will expose you to people you would have never met. You will be able to connect with people of the same interest.
3. You will learn many skills
There are a lot of skills needed in blogging, skills as writing, keyword research, WordPress, Marketing, email marketing, and a lot more.
Therefore, if you decide to blog you will have to learn some or all of these skills, learning these skills could increase your competence, productivity and even earning capacity.
4. You could make money from your blog
Some people start a blog with the intention to make money while others don’t, In whichever case, it is possible for you to make money with your blog if you want to.
You can use ads, sponsored posts, affiliate links and many more to monetize your blog.
Cons of starting a blog
1. It is time-consuming
You will have to dedicate your time writing for hours to be able to write quality content for your audience. Research has it that takes more than 4 hours to write 1400 words articles.
This means you will need to dedicate time to writing daily or weekly, it takes discipline and determination to achieve this.
2. You have to spend money
As mentioned earlier, you will need to buy hosting and domain to be able to start a blog that is managed and controlled by you.
These are some of the pros and cons of starting a blog, we will discuss vlogging and then Podcast.
Blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast: What is Vlogging
A Vlog is a personal website or social media account where a person regularly posts short videos as described by the Oxford dictionary.
Vlog is coined from the words Video blog. So, if you are publishing videos frequently on any platform you are vlogging.
Remember the question still remains blog vs vlog vs podcast; which is the best to start?
Now, let us go on to discuss how to start a vlog
How to start a vlog
There are different platforms you can use to start a vlog but the most popular one is YouTube. It is the second most visited website in the world, therefore posting your videos there will mean reaching a lot of people.
Because of the above reason, this post will cover how to vlog on Youtube
1. Choose a niche
Just like Blogging, you will need to choose the niche you will like to focus your video on because you cannot make videos on every niche, you will need to narrow it down to a particular niche.
We talked about passion and profitability as important factors to consider while choosing a niche, these factors also apply to Vlogging. You will need to vlog in an area you love.
2. Create a YouTube Page
Creating a YouTube page takes just a few minutes, the main requirement is having a Gmail account.
Click on your profile picture when you are signed in, then click on create a channel to start where you will describe input your blog name & description and finally verify your YouTube account details.
That’s it, your page will be live.
3. Buy the necessary equipment
Equipment like a Camera, Light and mics are relevant in your vlogging journey. You will need a good camera to make quality videos, a good mic to have quality audio and good lighting to improve your video appearance.
In addition, you will also need video editing software to be able to edit your videos after making them. Good editing is important in making quality videos, a poor-quality video will cause more harm than good to your YouTube page so you need to invest in making quality videos.
4. Record your video, edit and publish
Before recording your video, you will need to write your video scripts or organize your video outline, so your video will be orderly and valuable to your audience.
Without an outline or scripts, you will be beating around the bush because of failure to organize your thoughts.
After recording your video, you will have to edit it and finally hit the publish button.
5. Optimize and Promote your Vlog
You will have to write your video title in a way that people can find your page when a search is made on a video you have made. This process is referred to as search engine optimization.
What you should focus on is making sure your target keyword is in your title, video and description.
Finally, you have to promote your vlog or YouTube page by sharing your video links on your Social media accounts, influencers, family and friends.
6. Monetize your blog
You can monetize your page on YouTube through affiliate marketing, influencing and ads. It is possible that there are other ways to make money on your vog but the above are the popular ones.
Advantages of starting a vlog
1. It positions you as an authority in your niche
Even if you are a newbie in the niche you want to vlog, when you keep reading and making videos in that niche you will become an expert in that field over time.
And when people see you as a brand it will create an opportunity for you. You will be invited to speak at conferences or podcasts.
Businesses can even meet you to market for them.
2. You will reach a wider audience
Since a lot of people love watching videos, you will be able to reach a lot of people through your vlog.
3. You will make money
Vlogging can be a source of passive income if you have the tenacity to grow it through the means mentioned previously.
Disadvantages of Vlogging
1. It is expensive
It is true that YouTube will not charge you to create a page but you will need to invest in software and equipment that will make your video stand out in quality and value.
2. It takes times
Vlogging takes time, you will need to spend time writing scripts, recording videos and editing them.
It is a business that should be treated as one.
We have been able to consider blog and vlog but to fully answer your question of deciding blog vs vlog vs podcast we have to consider what podcast entails.
Blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast: What is a podcast?
A podcast is a recorded audio discussion on a particular topic. Podcasting is a good way to communicate with your audience in an intimate way.
This is is the last sub-topic on the topic of a blog vs vlog vs podcast, we have successfully discussed blog and vlog. It is now time to discuss the podcast.
How to start a podcast
1. Choose a niche
Choosing a niche is an important factor in the online space, you need to narrow your podcast down to a specific audience to make an impact and get a following.
You need to do what you know you can continue over time. Ask yourself, will I be happy recording in this niche for the next 5 years?
Pat Flynn of Smart Passive income advises that you write down at least 25 different topic ideas in the niche you want to start before recording.
Doing that will help you ascertain if you won’t give up on podcasting because of the lack of topic ideas.
Choose a niche you have passion, experience or expertise in and then check its profitability.
2. Prepare your content
You cannot omit planning out of podcasting, planning is a very key factor in your success as a podcaster.
You will need to plan each episode so you don’t beat around the bush and end up losing your audience.
Some other things you should consider are, will you interview people or do it alone? How long will your podcast be? And how often will you post?
When you have answered all these questions, it will go a long way in making you successful.
3. Buy your equipment and software
One important piece of equipment you can’t do without is a mic, you need to buy a good mic that will produce quality audio for your audience.
And then you need to look for ways to reduce echo while recording. There editing software that you can use to edit your work so as to cut unnecessary pauses and errors.
4. Choose a hosting
When you upload your mp3 to a podcast hosting company, you will then connect it to podcast directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
That means you don’t have to upload each episode to all podcast directories you want your episodes to be featured, all you have to do is connect those platforms to the hosting company. Buzzsprout is an example of a podcast hosting company.
5. Record and edit
Find a conducive environment and record your podcast. After which you perform the magic of editing.
You can remove background noise, unnecessary pauses in your speech and any other error you notice before uploading to the hosting company.
6. Promote your podcast
Finally, you can promote your podcast on your social media platforms, through influencers and other means.
You can also look for ways to monetize your podcast, an example of such ways is through affiliate marketing.
Advantages of starting a podcast
1. You will build an audience
Podcasting can help you to gain people’s trust, people interested in your niche will subscribe to your podcast and follow you on your social media platforms to gain value from you.
2. You will build authority in your field
Consistent creation of content in a field will make you vast in that field thereby making you a go-to person in that niche.
Creating a personal brand takes time but the end result is worth it, and as you already know by now, starting a podcast is one of the effective ways to achieve that.
3. It is easy to start
It doesn’t take too much to start, when you have your equipment and software, you can start recording your podcast and publishing.
Disadvantages of starting a podcast
1. You need to be a bit techy
The technical podcast is in editing and uploading your content to a hosting company, you need to learn your way around the editing software.
Learning how to use the software effectively can be demanding and too techy for some people.
2. It is time-consuming
Creating a podcast takes time; you need to create time to plan your podcast, to get people you want to interview, record the podcast and publish it.
For you to grow a successful podcast, you need to deliberately block out time for it.
How to choose between starting a blog, vlog or podcast
1. Which platform best suit your personality?
If you are a shy person, a blog or podcast will suit you most, but that doesn’t mean you cannot vlog, just that you will find it easier to create the former.
Choose the content type that you will love doing.
2. Which platform do you have skill in?
If your prior experience is in writing, for example, it is advisable that you start a blog first. By so doing, creating content won’t be difficult for you.
Your experience and skills do matter
3. Which platforms best suit your niche?
There are niches that are suitable for videos, for example, for people in the beauty niche, vlogging is most suitable for them because people will prefer to watch the effect of beauty products than listen to or read about them.
Research your niche and see what others are doing so you could model after them.
Blog Vs Vlog Vs Podcast: which is the best?
There is no one content type that can be said to be the best because there are successful bloggers, vloggers and podcasters.
It depends on a lot of factors but if you take it take creating content as a job instead of a hobby, there is a high chance of you becoming successful in that niche regardless of the content type you decide to start with.
Finally, you can blog, vlog and podcast at the same time but you have to start one content type first, after growing it to a certain level you can then venture into other content types. That’s how most successful digital entrepreneurs do.
If you want to start your blog, start by buying Truehost affordable and quality web hosting.