If you google some variation of \u201cwhat is the best podcast host\u201d, you\u2019ll find an overwhelming number of options and a lot of contradicting opinions out there.
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Whether you are a first-time podcaster researching which host you should use to launch your new show, or you\u2019re looking to find a better podcast host for your established show, deciding which option is actually the best<\/em> host is a difficult task in this crowded marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A podcast host is a place in the cloud for your podcast to live. It uploads and stores your audio files and then generates an RSS feed that enables you to distribute your podcast across all the major apps like Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts where people can access and listen to your show. When your listeners download your show, your hosting service sends the audio file and all the metadata (e.g. your show title, description, etc) about your content directly to the app they\u2019re listening from. Voila, your podcast is out there for people to listen to and enjoy. In order to distribute your podcast to all the apps and directories where people listen, you must first host your podcast somewhere. That said, hosting and distribution are the bare minimum<\/em> any podcast technology platform should provide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What features actually matter in a podcast platform? A great podcast platform will offer you much more than a hosting service. It will support you as you grow your podcast and help your reach your goals, whether that\u2019s growing your audience, directly monetizing your content, or finding advertiser partners. It\u2019s easy to get distracted by features that are nice to have like a mobile app or audio editing tools, but make no real impact when it comes to achieving your bigger goals. Think of the big picture by asking yourself if a platform will do the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a creator, any technology you rely on should make your work less complex and time consuming. After all, you want to maximize the time you spend on creative endeavors, like creating and producing new content. A few things to look out for\u2026 It doesn\u2019t matter if you have 100,000+ listeners or you\u2019re just launching your first episode and your mom is the only listener\u2026. there\u2019s no good reason to pay to host your podcast. You\u2019ll find people on Reddit and other podcasting blogs telling you to beware of free podcast hosts because there\u2019s always a catch. Some people will tell you the catch is that you, the creator, are the product and you\u2019ll be forced to insert ads into your show. Others think that if hosting is free then the company won\u2019t be around for long because they don\u2019t have a means of making money. Or, they\u2019ll warn that you\u2019ll \u201cget what you pay for\u201d because any free host must be providing an inferior product. These are generalizations by no means apply to all free podcast hosts. At RedCircle, we strongly believe that all hosting should be free. We recently wrote an entire blog<\/a> that digs into the reason we\u2019re able to make RedCircle free and our business model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing to build listenership can prove challenging for podcasts at every stage. A podcast platform that offers tools to help you grow has obvious advantages. Cross promotion is an incredibly effective tactic for acquiring new podcast listeners. Many popular podcasts use this strategy, partnering with like-minded hosts to promote each other’s podcasts, whether it\u2019s in the form of a recommendation to their listeners or swapping entire episodes. These campaigns can be complicated and time-consuming for podcasters that aren\u2019t part of a network to pull off, which is why RedCircle\u2019s cross promotion marketplace is unique. It makes it easy and free to pair up with a similar podcast on RedCircle and create cross promotional ads that are automatically inserted between shows. Depending on the size of the audiences and the duration of the campaign, RedCircle podcasters have used cross promotion to generate thousands of new listeners. There\u2019s more about how RedCircle\u2019s cross promotions work here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With all the time and energy that goes into creating content and building an audience, most creators want to generate revenue from their podcast. Your monetization strategy will likely evolve as your podcast and audience grows, so it\u2019s important for a podcast platform to provide flexibility and multiple options to monetize your podcast. With RedCircle, you can accept donations directly from listeners that want to support your show or paywall exclusive content that listeners can access by paying to subscribe. When shows grow big enough that advertising makes sense, RedCircle will get them in front of potential advertisers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you switch to a new podcast platform, make sure you\u2019ll have 100% ownership of your content and your points of distribution. Platforms that automatically distribute to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for you end up owning those points of distribution and can make changing to a different host a total nightmare. To ensure that you\u2019re the owner of all your distribution points, RedCircle guides you through setting up distribution on your own. You\u2019re in full control of how you manage monetization for your show. RedCircle will never insert unapproved ads into your show and won\u2019t make you sign any exclusive deals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We realize we are biased, but we truly believe these are all the core aspects of a great podcast platform and we built RedCircle to check all these boxes. Returning to the initial question, what is the best podcast host? There\u2019s no one \u201cbest platform”, ultimately the right platform for you depends on what you are trying to achieve. It\u2019s about finding a service that aligns with you and your goals. As you evaluate your options, focus on the core features of a podcast platform that provide value and will make a direct impact on your business. If you\u2019re serious about growing your audience and earning money from your creative work, we believe RedCircle is the best choice out there. Partner with a fast-growing innovative platform – sign up for RedCircle<\/a>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you google some variation of \u201cwhat is the best podcast host\u201d, you\u2019ll find an overwhelming number of options and a lot of contradicting opinions out there. Whether you are a first-time podcaster researching which host you should use to launch your new show, or you\u2019re looking to find a better podcast host for your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144\/revisions\/178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What\u2019s a podcast host? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nA great podcast platform will\u2026.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. Make your life easier<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Provide free & unlimited hosting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Help grow your audience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Help you make money<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Provide total ownership of your show and content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe right podcast platform for you…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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