Starting a podcast is a great way to showcase your knowledge, expertise, and confidence in the work you do as a coach. But making that decision is the easy bit.
The hard part comes when you start asking yourself:
- Where should I host my podcast?
- What’s the best podcast hosting site?
- How do I even find a podcast hosting site?
Not knowing how or where to put your podcast on the internet is more common than you think. But don’t worry; this article will help you find the best hosting site for your podcast so that you can get as many listeners as possible.
Should you host your podcast on your own website?
It’s tempting to think the easiest way to host a podcast is on your website. But the honest answer is:
No.
Hosting it on your website is likely to be the first thing you consider, but there are several reasons why you shouldn’t. Firstly, podcast files are enormous, so hosting them on your website will seriously drain your bandwidth, dramatically slowing your website load time.
The second reason is that podcasts are shared via an RSS feed on your hosting site, which automatically sends your latest uploaded episode to platforms, like:
- Google Play
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
- Pandora
Something that’s not as straightforward to do from your own website.
Hosting a podcast on a specialized hosting service makes things much easier as all you need to do is edit your audio, add your intro and outro clients, upload the file to your host website and embed it onto your website.
And as for updates and advancements in technology?
Your provider will update them to ensure you and your listeners get the best experience possible.
The podcast hosting platforms I’d recommend.
There are hundreds of podcast hosting platforms to choose between. But to make things even easier, here are my top three recommendations:
1. Libsyn
Libsyn is one of the longest-serving podcast hosting services, having been around since 2004.
They :
- Have 5.8 million media files on their platform
- Host around 75,000 podcasts
And in 2020 alone, their podcasts were downloaded over 6 billion times.
Their ‘Destinations’ feature allows you to schedule your podcast to go out simultaneously to every directory on any given day. And they also provide tools that give you the option of adding metadata to your episodes – which is excellent for your SEO.
How much does Libsyn hosting cost?
The paid Libsyn price plans include:
- Classic 50 – $5 per month – up to 50MB storage
- Classic 250 – $15 per month – up to 250MB storage
- Classic 400 – $20 per month – up to 400MB storage
- Classic 800 – $40 per month – up to 800MB storage
Or if you need more storage, you can sign up for their advanced plans:
- Advanced 1500 – $75 per month – up to 1500MB storage
- Advanced 3000 – $150 per month – up to 3000MB storage
What are the full pros and cons?
Pros:
- Bulk editing tool
- Complete control over where and when you publish
- RSS feed compliant
- Automatic podcast submission to Libsyn app
- Integrates with over 20 podcast platforms
- Support for uploading FTP (File transfer protocol) files
- Option to sell advertising spots
- Supports video, audio, and PDF files
- Include metadata to your episodes
- Connects to with a range of podcast apps and directories, including Apple podcasts
- Automatic Apple podcasts optimization
- Base plan price starting at just $5 per month
- Easy to upload your content onto an RSS feed
Cons:
- It’s not the most accessible platform to use
- No free trial
- No live chat or telephone support
- Analytics feature cost extra
- The cheapest plan gives you only 50MB (50 minutes) of audio a month
Why should you choose Libsyn?
Their $5 plan is a bargain price and is a good starting point for new podcasters wanting to test the waters. Although 50-minutes per month isn’t much, it’s enough if you’re only looking to create one podcast per month without guests.
Personally, I’d recommend the 250MB plan, which is a great price and gives you the choice of creating multiple episodes per month – and also allows you to run longer than 50-minutes.
2. Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout’s import tool makes it super easy to upload and publish your episodes in a blink of an eye.
Their ‘Magic Mastering’ tool gives you the option of polishing your audio before publishing your episode, which is a great feature for beginners. And you can add relevant advertisements to the beginning and end of your episodes and change them whenever you want.
So, even if your episodes are three years old, you can keep them current by including present-day ads.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can select a small snippet of your show, and they’ll create a video version of it for you to share on social media.
Pretty neat, right?
How much does Buzzsprout hosting cost?
The free 90-day trial is a great starter option, but to get more from Buzzsprout, there are three paid plans:
- $12 – upload 3 hours per month
- $18 – upload 6 hours per month
- $24 – upload 12 hours per month
What are the full pros and cons?
Pros:
- Simple payment plans
- Free plan allows you to create up to two hours of audio per month
- Connects to a range of podcast directories, including Spotify, Apple, Google, and Pandora
- Tools to help you add, remove and change intros and outros
- Multiple podcast hosting options for unlimited team members
- Access to affiliate sponsors to help you monetize your podcast
- Audio transcription feature gives you access to search engines, speed-readers, and listeners who are hearing impaired
- API integrations that connect to third-party apps
- Automatic podcast optimization
- Chapter markers for quick navigation
- Magic Mastering to enhance podcast audio quality
- Video feature to help you create video trailers for your podcast
Cons:
- Free plan only lasts 90 days
- No live chat or telephone call support
- Limited monetization options
Why should you choose Buzzsprout?
The $12 Buzzsprout plan gives you so much more than you’ll ever need. And the video creation is an original feature worth the monthly fee alone.
3. Blubrry
Like Lisbyn, Blubrry has hosted podcasts since 2004. And like Libsyn, they host tens of thousands of podcasts on their platform. But what they’re best known for is their Powerpress plugin, which allows you to run your podcast from your website.
They boast a variety of features, including:
- WordPress integration
- Professional statistics
- Optimization tools. And, regardless of which plan you choose, you get unlimited bandwidth.
How much does Buzzsprout hosting cost?
You can sign up for a 30-day free trial, but only when you sign up for the Advanced pricing plan:
- $12 per month – standard plan
- $20 per month – advanced with a 30-day free trial
Or if you’re serious about podcasting and want to create multiple shows, Blubrry offers a pro plan too:
- $100 per month – unlimited storage and 1TB monthly bandwidth
What are the full pros and cons?
Pros:
- Simple integration with Powerpress, ideal for WordPress users
- Unlimited bandwidth and downloads on every plan
- Free 25% service plan overage
- Full in-depth IAB-certified analytics
- Customer service support
- Free media migration
Cons:
- A complex user interface, especially for beginners
- No free plan available, only a 30-day free trial
- Expensive pricing
Why should you choose Blubrry?
If you love data and analytics, Blubrry is the perfect hosting service for you. And while the interface might be complex, the Powerpress features make it super easy to get started.
They’re also the only podcast hosting platform with full email, telephone, and video support. So, while it’s at the more expensive end of the pricing scale, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
How to submit your podcast.
When you’ve decided on which hosting service to use, it’s a good idea to submit it to some of the major podcast services, like Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, and Pandora, to name just a few.
Each submission is different, so rather than going too in-depth here. You can find out how to get them on all the main services by clicking on the below guides:
Once your podcast is up, you need listeners. And one of the best ways to do that, other than letting people know in your articles, ads, and social media, is to guest on another podcast.
To find out how to do that, read the Digital Freedom Productions, How to get Featured, article.
When should you launch your business podcast?
Podcasts are a massive undertaking, and I don’t really recommend starting one if you’re still only at the beginning of your business journey. It’s better to get your online presence launched, start building your audience, and write consistent blog posts.
Only then would I introduce a podcast to help expand your audience, but it’s essential you already have an established presence before you do.
Need help adding a podcast to your website?
Then I can help.
Although I don’t offer a service that sets up your podcast from scratch, what I can do is help you integrate it with WordPress and add it to your website. To find out how just get in touch today.
