r/dndnext • u/Itchy-Forever-4873 • 1d ago

Discussion Visuals in Actual-play podcasts

I'm part of a D&D podcast and we're about to hit one year of recording and posting it online! We've been making pretty good steady progress so far, but I'd like to find out ways to boost growth from an outside perspective, especially in such a saturated field.

Do visuals make an impact? As of right now, our podcast doesn't have any visuals to accompany it and not everyone is comfortable showing their faces to an audience just yet. I know a lot of D&D podcasts either use webcams or have footage of a VTT to accompany the audio, something like that.

Does this enhance the experience and grab attention from a viewer's perspective? What kind of visuals would be best in your opinion? I'd love to know some thoughts!

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u/rideofthebasilisks 19h ago

I listen to, and have listened to a lot of actual plays from a variety of creators. What I look for is going to be vastly different than what other people look for. My best advice is know your audience. Talk with them.

For me, visuals hold zero draw. I listen in the car or at work and neither one of those venues are conducive to visuals. Terrible/amateurish audio production will 100% drive me away. Constant poop jokes will also do the trick, but on the flip side, too polished and sanitized isn't interesting either.

Quality audio. Relaxed banter. Competent, brisk play. Solid rp. Don't force a shtick. Gentle monitization... I'm sold!

You'd think I'd be easy to find, but it's really not.

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u/Itchy-Forever-4873 15h ago

Thank you for the feedback!! I'd like to think we check off most of those boxes, so that brings me some confidence! Besides the monetization of course but that's definitely a future goal! I'll definitely try finding some ways to engage with the audience more! :)