I love a podcast, and believe it or not (my old school teachers certainly wouldn’t) my favourite are history podcasts… they are personal, unfiltered and give the producers more bandwidth to actually offer opinions (sometimes “unpopular opinions”). Something that mainstream broadcasters struggle with due to the fear of cancellation and needing to appeal to the mass market.

There is a specific type of purist on the internet who loves to argue about “definitions”. They’ll tell you that if it’s on YouTube, it’s a “talk show or an interview”.  They’ll insist that if it doesn’t live exclusively in an RSS feed consumed through a pair of dusty wired headphones, it’s just “sparkling video content”.

But here is the reality: the line between a “podcast” and a “video interview” has blurred into total irrelevance, and honestly I love it.

If you are a creator, a business owner, or a brand, getting hung up on the semantics of what to call your conversation is the fastest way to miss the point of why you’re doing it in the first place.

The identity crisis: RSS vs. Ring Lights

Historically, a podcast was a technical thing. It was a digital audio file you downloaded to an MP3 player. Today, “podcast” has evolved from a technical delivery system into a genre of content, essentially a platform for anyone to produce anything they think might be interesting.

When we say we’re “listening to a podcast,” we’re describing a vibe: long-form, conversational, unscripted, and deep. Whether you are watching two people sit across from each other on a high-definition 4K camera, or listening to them while you walk the dog, the psychological contract is the same. You are a fly on the wall for a high-level exchange of ideas by people that interest you. 

The ultimate knowledge showcase

Why do we spend hours setting up microphones and lighting? Because a long-form interview is the ultimate authority builder. You can’t fake it; in a 30-second reel you can hide behind edits and upbeat music. In a 45-minute “video podcast”, your expertise – or lack thereof – is on full display; it’s raw and organic. People don’t just buy what you know; they buy who you are. Seeing your facial expressions, your enthusiasm, and even your “thinking face” and the “umms” builds a level of trust that a static blog post never could. (Don’t worry I see the irony of writing this down rather than it being a video).

At its core, it’s content that multiplies

The real reason the “is it a podcast or a video?” debate doesn’t matter is that, in 2026, it’s both, and then some. If you record a one-hour video interview, you haven’t just made one piece of content. You’ve built a content factory. From that one session, you can extract:

• The Audio: for the commuters and the gym-goers
• The Full Video: for the YouTube searchers and the “lean-back” viewers
• The Micro-Clips: 15-second “truth bombs” and teasers for TikTok, LinkedIn, reels, and shorts
• The Transcript: an SEO-rich blog post (ironic, isn’t it?) or a weekly newsletter

By focusing on whether it’s a “true podcast”, you’re focusing on the container. Instead, you should be focusing on the liquid – the valuable information that can be poured into any vessel your audience prefers.

Is it a podcast, is it a video interview… who cares.

At the end of the day, a podcast or a video interview is just a tool to drive engagement.

The goal isn’t to fit into a specific category on Spotify; the goal is to generate more content that reaches people where they are. If a “video interview” helps you showcase your expertise, fuels your social media for a month, and builds a real connection with your audience, then it has done its job.

Stop worrying about what to call it. Focus on the fact that content breeds content, and use the conversation to show the world who you are and what you know.