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With so many podcast publishing sites, finding the right home for your show can feel like a lot. Take the stress out of the search and discover why Simplecast is the right fit for you.
So you’re ready to publish a podcast. But there’s one big question looming: Where do I host my show? With numerous options and sites that have different features, benefits, and tools, finding the perfect fit can be a lot to process.
With the right podcast hosting site (like Simplecast) launching your show can be manageable and straightforward. And the best way to find your match is to ask the right questions. Let’s get into the top things to consider when searching for your podcast’s shiny new home.
Key Features to Look for in Podcast Hosting Sites
When you think of podcasting, you may think it’s as simple as: record, upload, publish, done. But there is so much more to launching a podcast than just making really great content—think user experience, distribution, monetization, and analytics.
1. The Importance of User-friendly Interfaces
After you’ve gone through the work of writing and recording a show, the last thing you want to deal with is a difficult uploading process. Finding an interface that is easy to navigate and user-friendly can save you time and reduce stress, especially if this is your first time. Looking for tools that help simplify the process with features like these:
- Bulk uploading: Streamline your workflow when you upload all your episodes at once.
- Scheduled publishing: Establish a routine for your listeners with consistent episode releases. This helps form listening habits and increases your audience engagement.
- Unlimited storage: Less pressure to create short episodes, more freedom to produce the kind of content you want without limits and space restrictions.
These are just a few of the features you’ll find with Simplecast that can ensure your experience is nice and smooth.
2. Advantages of Seamless Distribution
Distributing your show across platforms is a great way to reach podcast listeners wherever they are. Once your show is live on Simplecast, creators can take their RSS feed to other popular directories like Spotify, iHeart radio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. And once you set your preferences, each new episode upload gets automatically added across platforms, allowing you to manage your show in just a few easy steps while cutting out all the extra work.
3. Understanding Advanced Analytics
Having insight to the analytics of your show is useful information for growing and learning what your audience likes and dislikes, where they’re listening, how they’re listening, and more. Simplecast has proudly been awarded the IAB Podcast Measurement Compliance Certification, ensuring podcast creators are getting trustworthy, credible, and accurate data to improve their shows. Users can view things like unique listeners, locations, web players, technology, and more.
4. The Role of Monetization Tools
For many creators, podcasting is more than a creative outlet or hobby—they want to build a business. Luckily, Simplecast Professional has monetization tools that allow you to start running ads on your shows. The Simplecast Professional tier offers:
- Dynamic ad insertion: Customize the type of ads, companies, and frequency that play on your show.
- The ad reporting suite: Stay up to date with your campaign revenue in real time, customize report templates, and automate reports on your time.
- Baked in ad replacement: These are ads that are permanently embedded into the audio of the episode. This makes them an inseparable part of the content and gives creators even more options for revenue opportunities.
- Secondary and ad-free feeds: Think subscriber-based, ad-free episodes that listeners pay to hear.
5. Promotional Tools that Work
Getting your show up and running is important work, but so is making sure it's actually discovered by listeners. And finding ways to reach them can hit big with an eye catching asset. With tools like Headliner (Simplecast's latest integration) you can turn your content into snackable, sharable, social video content, making your show stand out from the crowd.
Benefits of Podcast Hosting for Beginners
Whether your show is going to cover a topic you’re passionate about or focused on conversations with new people and a rotation of topics, everything from creation to revenue opportunities matter.
Ease of Podcast Creation
Platforms that help make your podcast available to listeners anywhere and everywhere are huge. So, you’ll want to work with a hosting site that can generate and manage your RSS feed on other podcast directories seamlessly. That way, when you publish your show, you can spend less time worrying about how to get it where it needs to be, and more time focusing on creating the next episode.
Streamlined Workflows and Templates
Creating a solid workflow for your podcast is a great way to maintain consistency and define expectations for yourself and your listeners. Taking advantage of episode templates, outlining discussion points for interviews, scheduling ideal times for ad placements—these are all great ways to streamline your workflow and make sure the timing, content, and process are working on your terms.
Revenue Generation Opportunities
Of course building revenue for your show is high on your list. So how do you do it? By combining monetization tools like the ones we mentioned above with carefully placed ad placements, host-read ads, exclusive episodes, and more, people get hooked on your content. And you’ll start to see revenue flowing in. Planning out the roadmap for your show is like an exciting puzzle, where you fit in the right pieces, and begin to see the big picture come together.
Why Simplecast is Perfect for Beginners
Simplecast goes beyond the limits of publishing and distribution. We make professional podcasting easy for beginners (and even aficionados) with access to a wide range of support and tools. Giving your podcast a home is easier than ever here. In fact, we give you customizable, ready-to-share podcast websites. Creators can add their personalized domain, add icons to their social media pages and podcast directories, and even match the look and feel to fit your show's vibe.
Check out these podcast pages for some inspiration:
Rants and Randomness with Luvvie Ajayi
Access to a Wide Distribution Network
If you’re staying up to date with the latest trends of the podcasting world, you know it has moved far beyond the booth. Big name hosts today are making strides with listeners tuning in to their episodes and highlights across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
Distributing your show is more than just adding it to popular platforms like Spotify, or Apple podcasts, it’s about growing with the channel and using the power of social media and video podcasting to your advantage. This all sounds like a big to-do, but don’t worry, distributing your show is a breeze here, and you can get your show on platforms like Pandora.
Detailed Analytics and Insights
Simplecasts audio analytics platform is unlike any other you’ve probably seen. Here, creators have access to total number of downloads and unique listeners, audience demographics like location and listening methods, which apps they’re tuning in to, and so much more.
And with our IAB certification, we’ve got your back when it comes to trust, credibility, quality assurance, and industry standards.
Comprehensive Platform Offerings
Simplecast is a great tool for beginners because it’s your one-stop-shop to all things podcasting. With easy hosting and distribution, advanced analytics, savvy monetization features, tools to help you promote and engage with your audience, security and support, and so much more.
The Future of Your Show Looks Bright Here
There are a lot of things to consider as a new podcaster, from content, to growth, to monetization. Simplecast is the place for audience expansion, revenue optimization, and quick results, all with minimum effort on your part. And when you’re ready, we make monetization easier than ever by revealing real-time, crucial data about your show's performance and revenue. We’re your one-stop-shop for publishing and growth, providing a wide range of capabilities to expand.
Get your show started in the right place, with the data and tools you need to help you take off.