/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25784220/247333_EOY_Package_Check_In_CVirginia_PODCASTS.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "What podcasts looked like in 2024 – literally")
In 2024, podcasts have moved closer to becoming a video-first medium. Although video podcasts have been around for a relatively long time, there are shows from them The New York TimesNPR and many other podcast networks that have been audio-only for years have recently started adding a video component to gain new listening audiences. Spotify, a major player in podcasts, is about to start paying podcasters to bring videos to the platform.
And after years of trying to get audio shows to go viral on social media, podcasts now dominate TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts after video producers realized they could only film the talent talking. Meanwhile, weekly podcasts try to attract a younger audience who grew up on YouTube. As a result, video producers are discovering how to create podcasts, and audio producers are discovering how to create videos.
I’ve noticed a few development trends in this video-first podcasting format. This is not surprising; When one manufacturer discovers a formula that works, others try it. Let’s take a look at the current design and tech trends – and then I’ll talk about what I think will develop over the next year or so.
House design
Many of today’s podcast studios look like living rooms and basements. This is not a new phenomenon with talk shows, but many podcasts started in a living space, and larger media companies have adopted that aesthetic. Lamps. Fireplaces. Fake plants. Bookshelves. This environment offers a more ‘relaxed’ style of long-form interviews, which is typically the vibe of most chat-style podcasts.
1/5
Bill Maher’s basement atmosphere.Screenshot: YouTube / Club Random
1/5
Bill Maher’s basement atmosphere.Screenshot: YouTube / Club Random
Sofas and comfortable chairs are common in these video shows. The round table has been omitted and free time is central; it’s a much more comfortable environment to talk for hours on end. Both the host and guests often sit together on the couch or sit separately in comfortable chairs.
1/5
Just chilling on the couch.Screenshot: YouTube / Lesser known characters
1/5
Just chilling on the couch.Screenshot: YouTube / Lesser known characters
Another trend I’ve noticed is these wooden slats on the wall in podcast studios – our own Vox Media space has also gone with this design. These work better for sound absorption while still looking like a living space. This already seems to be a sign of video podcasts in mid-2020.
1/7
This setup involves a lot of podcast tropes, but looks so comfortable.Screenshot: YouTube / Two popular recordings
1/7
This setup involves a lot of podcast tropes, but looks so comfortable.Screenshot: YouTube / Two popular recordings
Wide camera angles that cover the entire room usually place something in the center of the screen, such as a TV or a giant logo from the show, to create a symmetrical studio look. Neon signs and colored lights are very trendy at the moment as they add a colorful glow to a more muted studio space. Lots of italics.
Branding is often prioritized in video, and most producers think this means literally looking at the logo for two hours. This is also an easy way to tell a TikTok scroller what show they’re watching (although this doesn’t usually work well for vertical video).
1/8
The TV looks a bit crooked.Screenshot: YouTube / The Daily Beast
1/8
The TV looks a bit crooked.Screenshot: YouTube / The Daily Beast
More attention to technology
Microphones are often placed on floor stands that extend over the benches (these hinged boom stands have been a staple in recording studios for decades). As a result, the stands often appear outside the camera frame, sticking out uncomfortably wide in front of guests’ faces. Poles sticking out at various incongruent angles look even messier when multiple guests are sitting on separate chairs.
1/6
Lots of guests, each with their own puffy chair and microphone stand.Screenshot: YouTube / Joe Budden Network
1/6
Lots of guests, each with their own puffy chair and microphone stand.Screenshot: YouTube / Joe Budden Network
Although new species microphone stands for podcasts have been introduced to the market, many shows are ditching the long, cumbersome boom poles and instead letting hosts and guests hold their microphones. This feels a bit more authentic and intimate on screen, and many stand-up comedians prefer this method. However, it can get a bit tricky with inexperienced guests who talk with their hands or don’t know how to hold a microphone with a narrow polar pattern.
1/6
You have to hold this microphone for the entire show.Screenshot: YouTube / The bald and the beautiful
1/6
You have to hold this microphone for the entire show.Screenshot: YouTube / The bald and the beautiful
It could get worse. When podcasts have audio first but a video component, you often see awkward practices caught on camera, like this case where each guest holds their phone up to their face to record their audio while looking directly at the viewer. This is a common practice for radio interviews, but isn’t great when it comes to video.
You never see people using their phone this way during a video call in real life.Screenshot: YouTube / The Everyday
The Shure SM7B microphones are still very popular in this medium, as well as in the budget MV7 model. For branding purposes, cubes with the name of the show are often awkwardly stuck to the bottom of the microphone. This is reminiscent of the microphone flags on newsreader stick microphones, and these are now being retrofitted for these classic radio studio microphones. This is likely because branding on vertically cropped videos is more effective than a large logo on the wall in a studio.
1/6
Just put that logo in there!Screenshot: YouTube / Pod Save America
1/6
Just put that logo in there!Screenshot: YouTube / Pod Save America
Large isolating headphones are common in radio and podcasts and are still used in many video versions. But when guests are remote and looking directly at their webcam, those large ear cups stick out very awkwardly – even more so than when looking at someone’s profile view.
1/5
The remote guest uses the headset he owns.Screenshot: YouTube / The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
1/5
The remote guest uses the headset he owns.Screenshot: YouTube / The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
This is what many video podcasts looked like through 2024. But what about next year?
The future looks more professional
I believe that in 2025, podcast producers will eventually stop following these tropes and try to differentiate themselves. Some producers hired to help make the transition to video will begin to wonder why the big headphones and bulky microphones cover people’s faces and opt for smaller lavalier microphones and in-ear monitors.
New audiences may forget the word “podcast” and refer to the chat shows they watch as just “shows.” Media executives will try to opt for syndication of the programs on linear platforms such as Roku, Pluto or Tubi. The fine line between podcasts and TV shows will become thinner.
More and more affordable production tools have entered the market, essentially turning a simple desk setup and a MacBook into a fully stocked control room. Hosts are already moving out of the studio and in barbershops, tennis courtsand beyond sidewalks. AI tools like Descript, Hush, and Accentize can turn less-than-optimal microphone recordings into fuller, more powerful broadcast-style recordings. Podcasters whose equipment is less suited to uncontrolled recording environments will especially benefit from these post-production tools.
And who knows? Perhaps the pendulum will swing back again when the budgets for these shows become too expensive to keep a video show running multiple times a week without a strong following. Maybe they’ll even scale back to an audio-only format. And perhaps they will restart a new experiment in the audio medium there.