A Guide to Podcasting – Part 2

If you’ve read part one of our Semetrical Guide to Podcasting, then you’re in the right place!

Once you have finished recording and editing your podcast, as outlined in our previous blog post, then it’s time to get uploading and publishing online…

How do I publish and distribute my podcast online?

There are two parts to distributing your podcast online: podcast hosting platforms and podcast directories. 

These steps work hand in hand to get your podcast the listeners it deserves…

What is podcast hosting?

A podcast hosting platform is the online storage facility for all of your podcast mp3 files and the place where those files will connect to podcast directories for consumption. 

Once you have picked a hosting site, you will upload your audio files to the platform and it will generate an RSS feed. 

The role of an RSS Feed is to distribute your podcast to podcast directories, where listeners will find your podcast and listen to it.

Without hosting your podcast on a hosting platform, you won’t be able to have it appear on podcast directories for people to find and listen to!

One of the most important steps to increasing your podcast’s reach is to distribute it to additional places that people are listening from or places where people are looking for podcasts to listen to.

What are podcast directories?

Once you have picked a podcast hosting platform for your mp3 files to live, the next stage is to get your podcast on podcast directories.

Most people will not listen to podcasts directly on the hosting site. One of the most important steps to increasing your podcast’s reach is to distribute it to additional places that people are listening from or places where people are looking for podcasts to listen to. 

Platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Google Podcasts or Spotify are known as podcast directories.

When you open an app such Apple Podcasts, it is the hosting platform that serves up the RSS feed and file for download onto your listeners’ device, but it is the podcast directory that feeds it directly to consumers.

The directories are platforms where people can search for and access podcasts, learn about them, listen to them and leave ratings/reviews.

Top podcast hosting platforms:

Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout is well-known and respected in the industry. They offer various free and paid services from $0-$24 and allow you to embed your podcast directly onto your website. Their payments are month-to-month, which means you can move to a different paid plan or cancel whenever you want. You will also get 250GB of bandwidth per month which covers approximately 20,000 to 40,000 episode plays per month.

The two options we recommend are:

Free (great while you experiment to see if podcasting is valuable for business)

• Upload up to two hours each month
• Episodes hosted for 90 days
• Limited storage
• Ads on public sites

$12 a month (perfect for when your podcast starts to take off & gain listeners)

• Upload up to three hours each month
• Episodes hosted indefinitely
• Unlimited storage
• No ads

Podbean

Podbean is great because it acts as both a podcast hosting platform and it’s own personal directory. You can download their app and listen to it directly via the platform instead of needing to find a directory to submit your podcast to. This has its limitations, but can be a great option for people new to podcasting and gives your podcast some great exposure! They offer free and paid services ranging from $0-$129 a month.

 The two options we recommend are:

 Free

• 5 hours of storage space
• 100GB a month of bandwidth
• RSS feed & iTunes support
• Your own podcast site

$9 a month

• Unlimited storage space
• Unlimited bandwidth
• RSS feed & iTunes support
• Your own podcast site
• Ads marketplace (to allow you to get revenue from listeners)

Soundcloud

Technically, SoundCloud isn’t a podcast host, but rather a streaming audio platform. It does have it’s positives for podcasters just starting out though! One of it’s biggest benefits is that it is a social streaming platform, meaning people can find your podcast directly on the site. It also has its own app, so your listeners can download your episodes directly through the SoundCloud app rather than having to find it via directories.

 The two options we recommend are:

 Free

• 3 hours upload time
• Ability to embed on your website
• Basic listener stats

$9 a month

• 6 hours upload time
• Ability to embed on your website
• Advanced listener stats

Libsyn

With over 35,000 hosted podcasts, 62 million+ audience members, and 4.6 billion podcast downloads in 2016, they are a prominent player in the space.

 The option we recommend is:

 $5 a month

• 50mb of monthly storage
• Unlimited Audience
• Libsyn Directory Listing
• WordPress Publisher Hub
• Advanced Episode Scheduling

Castos

Castos is a great WordPress podcast hosting solution. It is a podcast plugin that streamlines perfectly on WordPress websites. It also has an automatic transcription and analytics.

 The option we recommend is:

$19 a month

• Unlimited Storage & episodes
• In-Depth Listener Analytics
• Automated Episode Transcriptions

The directories are platforms where people can search for and access podcasts, learn about them, listen to them and leave ratings/reviews.

Top podcast directories:

While setting up the directories is a relatively simple process, it’s important to understand that it can take a few days to complete the approval process. All of the directories work independently, so you will also have to submit your podcast to each of them individually.

The top five we recommend you submit your podcast to are:

Apple Podcasts

Apple is the first place to get your podcast on. About 70-80% of your listeners are likely to come from this platform, so it is a priority. You’ll need an iTunes account and the approval process to get your podcast listened can take up to a few weeks. To sign up, you will need to go to Podcasts Connect.

Spotify

Spotify has recently opened up their platform to more podcasts and has rocketed to become one of the top destinations for podcast listening. Their new platform Spotify For Podcasters also allows podcasters more access to analytics, engagement with their audience and more streamlined submission. The best way to get in is to be on one of the top podcast hosting sites such as Buzzsprout, which allows you to fill out a form to get signed up with Spotify.

Google Podcasts

This is a relatively new platform, but it could allow your podcast to be featured in search results. Android have over an 80% share in the mobile market, making this platform not one to miss. Sign up through the Google Play Music Podcast Portal.

Stitcher

Stitcher is a popular podcast directory and podcast app with more than 8 million registered users and more than 65,000 podcasts. It’s a place you absolutely want to get your podcast listed. Sign up as content provider through their ‘partner sign up page’.

TuneIn 

TuneIn is another alternative to Apple IOS which allows non-Apple users the ability to listen to their favorite podcasts. To add your podcast, you just need to fill out their submission contact form.