When you start your podcast, you have to have to think of several things. Branding, gaining and sustaining your intended audience. You also have to work out what site you will use to host your product. If you don’t know what a podcast hosting site is, it is a site that helps store and pst your podcast to sites like Spotify and iTunes.
Knowing which site works for you, your length of the recording and your social media practises will always be invaluable to making your podcast successful.
Today, I will provide you with the low down on the popular podcast hosting sites to make the best decision for your content.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is one of the most trusted hosting sites out there. It has been on business since 2009 and has hosted many podcasts within its twelve years.
I’ve put it on the list because not only has it got an excellent reputation, I also believe it’s one of the best hosting sites for beginners as it has a range of plans, including a free one.
The free one allows for two hours of recording per month and hosts the episodes for 90 days on other platforms, and, unlike other plans, allows for multiple member accounts.
And if you do opt for a package, they are still some of the cheapest options going.
With the most expensive being twenty-four dollars a month. But it allows for twelve-hour uploads each month, and the episodes are hosted indefinitely and without ads. In terms of marketing/monetisation, Buzzsprout opt for affiliate marketing instead of ads.
Buzzsprout is easy, reliable and well priced for people on a budget.
Captivate
Captivate is a brand new podcast hosting service, and its focus is on helping you gain a bigger audience, which is always a bonus when starting. The site will help you with ads and creates a website for you.
Captivate will also give any user access to their growth labs. The Growth Labs are an area of their site to learn about SEO, marketing, and getting sponsors. Ultimately it is the one-stop-shop that grows the audience and makes it monetiseable.
The hosting site also has an easy-to-understand dashboard that helps you understand your analytics. Again it’s made to help you with audience growth.
However, compared to Buzzsprout, it is more pricey as there is no ‘free option.’ Plans start from seventeen dollars a month, and the most expensive is forty-one dollars a month. Which if you can’t get into the budget is a pain, however unlike Buzzsprout, it doesn’t force it to be a monthly payment only. It can be an annual payment.
Captivate is new and might be great for subscriber growth. It might not be suitable for beginners without excess income.
Podbean
Another podcasting host site you could use is Podbean. Much like Buzzsprout, they’ve been around for a long time. And they have a free option, and the most expensive price plan is ninety-nine pounds a month. However, if you get the free version, you only get five hours worth of storage and only 100GB of bandwidth. So, it might be worth it forking out for the cheapest payment of nine dollars a month to get a better deal.
Podbean also has its version of Patreon, in which viewers can subscribe to your podcast and pledge a monthly amount. On top of that, they have an ad marketplace and allow for premium sales.
It is another good option for those without extra income. However, it would be good to pay a little extra for higher storage and bandwidth space.
Spreaker
Another hosting site that many recommend is Spreaker. Again it has a free option that enables you to upload to multiple sites like Spotify and iHeartRadio. However, you don’t get access to‘ Programmatic Monetisation’ till you go to the first payment plan of seven euros a month.
Spreaker allows podcasters to decide what genre of ads they can put into your podcast and market to international markets. On top of that, they also allow dor you to create your campaigns with your podcast.
However, it is critical to know if your audience is growing. The only way to monitor that is through analytics! Unfortunately, you don’t get access to that information till you pay twenty euros a month. Considering how vital analytics is, it shouldn’t be on the more expensive plans, especially as everyone needs that information, and any other program will give it to you without question.
Whilst Spreaker gives you a free option, it feels like the most restrictive one available.
Simplecast
For seven years, Simplecast has been hosting podcasts for many creators. Unlike Buzzsprout, Speaker and Podbean, it doesn’t offer a free option.
Prices start at fifteen dollars a month, with the final tier costing eighty-five dollars a month. With the different price plans, the analytics get more in-depth, and the amount of downloads allowed goes from 20k to 120k per month. It also provides for extra ‘team member seats’ from four members to nine.
However, for all of the plans, you get unlimited storage which is great!
Whilst they give you free storage, in-depth analytics and run ads for monetisation, if you don’t have extra income, the pricing of plans will be too much. It might be best to use another hosting site and then transition to Simplecast.
Ultimately there are many podcast hosting sites with various plans and prices that can work for you. Always remember when working out which one of these sites work for you, use the information to work out which one works with your budget, podcast length and schedule!
Thanks for reading this article:
Hopefully, you found this article helpful and as always our wer8 family is always available to help you on your content journey. If you haven't already, please also download any one of our FREE ebooks to help you with your online presence.
Share, Leave a comment, and tell us what you think, we always love to hear from you...
Sign up to our newsletter for regular articles like these!
