Poll: Video podcasts, yay or nay?
Gauging your interest in these.
I’m a writer first and foremost, but after 16 years as a story designer and scriptwriter in the game industry, I have more than a healthy respect for the video medium.
That’s why I started offering video podcasts this year.
The podcast medium wasn’t entirely new to me. I’ve been a guest on a few via my game-industry role. And since the beginning of this Substack back in August of 2022, when my husband, aka
, was coauthoring with me, we’ve always jointly offered audio podcasts, which were spoken versions of many of our posts. Here’s one of his.
From a lifetime of work—not just as a game designer but also as a manager and teacher of writers—I know not everyone learns best through the written word. So when I returned with a new focus here in 2025 and saw that Substack had added video to the capabilities, I thought I’d give it a whirl.
But it takes a lot of work to make them look polished—yes, even when they seem “homegrown”—and it’s hard to compete with people who have expensive studio setups and a lot of on-camera experience.
I recently went down a rabbit hole trying to use various teleprompters and video-editing software on a tight budget, only to be undone when the sound kept consistently cutting out for reasons I’m having trouble tracking down between Substack and my own software and hardware. I also think most gardening content works best if it’s, um, out in the garden, where you really do need pricey equipment to get quality video.
So what do you think… should I persevere through these built-in issues and keep creating videos?
To be honest, I’ve never wanted to be a podcaster. My desire is to write and discuss the topics I write about with readers. I’d hate to disappoint you podcast lovers out there, but with even well-known figures like toothpaste-commercial star Gavin Newsom and are-those-biceps-real Michelle Obama launching podcasts these days, I have to wonder if the medium hasn’t actually jumped the shark.
Does the Brunette Gardens community really need and want this?
You tell me.
I know how you feel; sometimes a poll doesn’t give you the space to share all your feedback. Comments open to all below. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts.
Another aspect I’m mulling over:
Are monologue versions of written posts welcome? Or if we do stick with videos, should I create them only if I’m interviewing a guest, as in this example?
So far in this week's poll, 71% of my readers prefer text-only rather than audio and video podcast posts. Anyone out there want to make a case for multimedia on this platform?
For me, mostly nay; I prefer to read about a subject. Though there are those subjects that naturally lend themselves to visuals. But podcasts, whether audio or video, require dedicated time. Even if I ‘m just weeding in the garden, I prefer to be completely aware of the sounds around me.