From Podcast to YouTube – Why Gabe Aluisy Branched Out

For many podcasters, having a show that comes out week after week, month after month, year after year, and averages approximately 2,500 downloads a month sounds like a good place for hitting Cruise Control. But just standing pat wasn’t enough for the creator of Private Club Radio. So, from podcast to YouTube, Gabe Aluisy branched out.

“For me it was the most logical next step in engaging the audience I developed with the podcast and branching out into a wider audience with golf,” he explained. “I could show a more human aspect of who I was as a person, rather than just the ‘personality’ (that) folks associate with my very business-like podcast.

“With the consistency I had developed in creating content for the podcast, I knew I was ready to take a bigger leap with YouTube.”

Consistency indeed. Aluisy first launched Private Club Radio in December 2015 and has never missed a week, currently sitting at 217 episodes. He proudly adds, “I've podcasted from the back of a taxi in Thailand, in China, and through hurricanes.”

Still, though, he wasn’t content maintaining the status quo.

“After doing it for so long with a very similar format from week to week, I started to look for a way to innovate,” Aluisy stated. “I considered changing the show's format completely, bringing on a co-host and other possibilities. I eventually landed on creating this YouTube channel.”

It helped that he had a background in film and video production, which is what he’d studied in college and worked in for a few years. “So, it’s always been a passion of mine,” he admitted.

While there are debates in the podcasting world as to whether the content will translate over to video, for Gabe Aluisy it almost had to be done.

“Because of my podcast I was visiting the best (golf) clubs all over the world. I couldn't quite describe them in audio form the same way I can show folks what these places are like. It's cliché to say, but with some of these places you just have to ‘see it to believe it’.”

Adding to the workload

While many podcasters are usually keen to jump in and try something new, this leap comes with a warning – have time available.

“Workflow has changed considerably by adding video,” Aluisy notes. “The podcast process I had down to about two hours per episode when you factor in the communication with the guests, the interview itself, the editing, the show notes and the upload time. With video, I'm spending three full days per week on content creation. But I would say, my show is a bit more produced than most YouTube content, so don't let that scare you away. But in general, it's definitely five to ten times the time commitment of a podcast.”

Was the time and the leap worth it? In the first six months of the “Let’s Play Thru” channel, Aluisy got 736 subscribers and more than 86 thousand views. Pretty good, huh?

“I'm an overachiever, so I would have liked to see more growth in the beginning if I'm being honest,” he says. “But if I look at it objectively, it's pretty amazing that my YouTube views will shortly overtake my all-time podcast download numbers in one-tenth of the time. YouTube is also much more exponential in terms of growth.”

In full transparency, though, Aluisy admits that while he might be the name associated with the YouTube channel, he is not a one man show.

“There are five of us actively working on the show between talent and crew members. It's great to collaborate and bounce ideas off the talent and crew, and great ideas pop from them all the time. I didn't have that with a podcast because I was just one man in a room.”

Paying off?

Knowing all that begs the question, has it been worth it?

Aluisy points out that, “YouTube immediately brought me more speaking opportunities around the world and a chance to travel, all-expenses-paid, to unique places because folks wanted me to showcase their property.”

Plus, he notes that, “I've had golf clubs send me apparel to wear on the show as well as name brands give me equipment and technology to use and test.”

Sounds exciting, right? Ready to make the jump from your audio podcast to the wonderful world of video? Aluisy says, “I'd encourage the seasoned podcasters to at the very least consider making the leap to YouTube and video. Try it out and see if it's for you. There's a big opportunity there in terms of untapped audiences looking for niche content.”

Aluisy gives one last word to the wise, though. “I thought it would be a lot easier to get subscribers on YouTube, but found many in my industry don't have a YouTube account or forgot their password to log in. Just like I had to educate people on what a podcast was four years ago, I find myself doing the same now with YouTube.”

Rest assured, though, he’ll crack the code. “I plan to release one episode per week of both shows. My goal for this year is to build the channel to 2,500 subscribers.”

Fittingly, Gabe Aluisy will be doing a “10 Things You Need to Know About Starting Your YouTube Channel” session at 9:15am on Thursday, March 5, 2020, at VidFest.