As podcasting is rising to become one of the next big things in the business world, many are grasping to know which is the best podcast platform.
There are different things to look for in a podcast platform. You will need to think about costs, advertising opportunities, convenience, and other features. As you get bigger you will need to consider what platforms allow you to scale easier.
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Podcast Hosting Service
Since many companies offer podcast hosting services, you need think about what you want to do with your podcasting.
Podcast hosting stores and deliver large media files associated with a podcast. They are made for podcasters to help with media files. You’ll need to consider the features that will help your business grow. At some point, you will want to monetize your podcast. Think about the long term when you make your decision.
What Are Podcast Directories?
For listeners, Podcast Directories is one way to discover and consume podcast episodes. They have categorized alphabetically or by genre to aid in finding new shows. Examples of podcast directories are iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play.
Podcast directories receive the podcast files and RSS feeds. These directories then push them to their front end systems. The directories enable your audience to find your show with ease of access with a podcast application on any device.
You will want to make sure that you show up in the directories. The more often and highly ranked you get in these directories, the more people will follow your podcasts.
Libsyn
Libsyn is the combination of Liberated and Syndication and has, from the start, stayed true to developing a platform where podcasters have the freedom they need to deliver the kind of podcast they want.
Libsyn is one of the first and reliable podcast hosting service providers created in 2004 by podcasters for other podcasters. They have a large community of users, including some of the most influential podcasters.
What LibSyn Offers:
- an easy to use platform
- puts your brand in the center
- helps you promote your podcast across different platforms, apps, and devices.
- They have unlimited bandwidth for their plans
- offer monetization options
- detailed analytics
- WordPress plugin called Libsyn Publisher Hub.
Pricing: Starts from $5 per month with 50 MB monthly storage.
Podbean
Podbean is one of the best podcast hosting service providers on the market. They offer a hosting plan with unlimited bandwidth. The unlimited bandwidth means that you can put as many podcasts as needed. It allows you to go into different niches, private podcasts, and public podcasts.
They have made considerable strides in recent years to provide a range of brilliant tools to help Podcasters grow and monetize their shows.
Why Is the Podbean The Best?
- Their hosting is excellent quality
- They have a sponsorship marketplace.
- Offer a dynamic ad insertion
- Have a premium content service
- Includes beautiful design tools to change your themes
- Easily embed the Podbean podcast player with WordPress pages and posts
- Have podcast promotion tools that automatically submit your episodes to all top podcast directories.
- It allows your audience to use their preferred tools to listen and download podcasts.
- It offers an advertising marketplace that provides opportunities for podcasters to monetize their content.
- Have a considerable community of podcasters using Podbean
There are Free Plans with limited storage to get started. Paid plans start at $9 for unlimited storage.
BuzzSprout
BuzzSprout is an easy platform for beginners that want to start a podcast. They have been in the podcasting business since 2009 and have top podcasters on their platform.
There is a growing community of podcasters using this platform. Only upload your media file, and it automatically takes care of the rest.
Why Is BuzzSprout The Best?
- It automatically submits your episodes to all the top podcast directories, ensuring that your podcast is available on all devices and apps.
- A brand new embed player that looks great and works well on all screen sizes.
- Includes a free WordPress plugin if you also blog
- BuzzSprout can make a website for you and even customize its design and use your custom domain name.
- They have one of the best-designed dashboards, which lets you spend more time creating content than messing around with uploads.
- They have new updates and features.
- a built-in transcription integration
- the text editor for show notes
Pricing: Limited free plan for 90 days. Your episodes get removed after 90 days. Paid plans start at $12 / month for 3 hours of upload.
Spreaker
Spreaker is a podcasting platform that offers more tools for live broadcasting, offline recording, and some parts of production. They have been around since 2010 and has a handful of unique features and software for podcasters.
Why Is Spreaker The Best?
- Spreaker has a Live Podcasting option. They have integration options, including a chatbox you can use to engage with listeners.
- It has a great distribution platform – it has a desktop app and mobile app for recording, live streaming, viewing stats, and more.
- It publishes you to all of the main directories without leaving the Spreaker platform.
- It has a good monetization option in the form of dynamic ads insertion if you’re happy to outsource the ad content.
- It has recently launched a new Enterprise package intended for high-volume content.
Pricing: Their base package is $7 per month for 100 hours of audio in total and basic stats. Then $20 per month for advanced stats and much more audio storage, at 500 hours.
It gives you the option to host as many shows as you like within either type of account, providing it stays within the 100 or 500-hour limit.
Blubrry
Blubrry has been a promising podcast hosting service. They are increasingly making improvements to their product.
Why Is Blubrry The Best?
- There is a PowerPress plugin for WordPress
- Advanced industry-leading statistics are available for their accounts
- can upload more than your monthly limit without being charged extra
Pricing: Plans start at $12/month for 100MB of audio storage per month.
Transistor
Transistor consists of a great team behind the whole platform, aside from being a newer podcast hosting service. They are focused on brands and people who make podcasting seriously and not as a hobby.
Why Is Transistor The Best?
- Host different shows for different niches
- Manage your team members for your podcast
- Includes advances stats for your information
- Have an excellent podcast site
Transistor allows you to host multiple shows. The benefit is that you can have private and public shows on the same account. If you have exclusive content that you want to give, it can be important to make a podcast private.
Pricing: Starts at $19/month for 10,000 downloads per month
Anchor
Anchor was purchased by Spotify in 2019. It was a great way for Spotify to move into the podcasting platform. One of the major benefits of Spotify coming into the picture is the exposure that it brought Anchor as well as its resources.
Why is Anchor the Best Hosting Platform?
- It’s free.
- They provide unlimited bandwidth for audio files.
- They have an app you can use to record right on your phone
- They have advertisement partners you can connect with to monetize.
- It’s convenient and shares to multiple directories including to Apple
The major benefit is the convenience and price for hosting. Because you aren’t the customer, you need to be careful about their future intentions. You will want to make sure that your podcasts are protected.
This platform is best for hobbyist and for people that really need the convenience to podcast.
Can I Host My Podcast On My Website?
It’s possible to host your podcast on your website. I would not recommend that you host your podcast on your website. Most podcasting platforms syndicate your podcasts on multiple directories. Your website wouldn’t have the features needed to host a successful podcast.
Podcast episodes are large files. Putting them in the same server will make your website slower, and it can even crash them.
If several users start downloading your podcasts at the same time, it will crash your servers. When this happens, users will not be able to download your podcast. You will have countless listeners without your podcasts and overtime lose a significant amount of your followers.
An Editing Application For Your Podcast
Alitu is the best choice for you. Some podcast tools and hosts cannot publish directly to podcast links. Fortunately, with Alitu, you can easily publish it directly to the podcast hosting service. Alitu will make your workflow easier.
Suppose you want to make your podcast audio editing easier and automate the entire post-production process e,g. you are editing the audio file, adding intro and outro music, volume leveling, noise reduction, and exporting & publishing, Alitu is the best choice for you.
Alitu will integrated with other platforms like Podbean, Libsyn, Buzzsprout, Blubrry, Captivate, and Spreaker.
Is Starting A Podcast Worth It?
If you have all of the necessary tools and equipment and unique skills and knowledge to start a podcast, starting a podcast is worth your time.
- You must have the determination to record and provide notable contents for your audience
- You must commit to produce a regular podcast for your audience to look forward to, either daily, weekly, or bi-weekly.
- You must have the skills of a great speaker and entertainer to deliver your message to your listeners.
- You must have a vast knowledge of digital marketing and technical staff to operate independently and avoid expensive ways of producing a podcast.
How Often Should Podcasts Be Published?
It depends on your niche, audience, and the length of each podcast episode. Try to have engaging content that your listeners will want to listen to. The more you create engaging content, the more your listeners will want to listen to the next podcast.
- If your podcast episodes are 15-20 minutes long, try to do a daily podcast.
- If your podcast episodes are 40-60 minutes, a weekly podcast is likely to be good for you.
Can You Make Money From Podcasting?
The answer to this question is a big YES! You may check out the previous article that talks more about How Podcasting Became A Big Business And Is Growing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who should create a podcast?
I’ve found that most podcasts are in business, politics, and entertainment. If you fit within these niches, it can be a great platform.
How much money can I create with a podcast?
If you consistently produce content, you can create a following. Look to involve other podcasters to build up your followers.
You can look at selling your own products and advertising. It can lead to thousands of dollars.
Is it better to produce daily or with larger content fewer times?
There have been success with both styles. It’s generally better to produce more often. Try to get a rhythm and make good content as much as possible.
