PodBean, a podcast hosting platform, is a popular choice for podcast hosting. It is trusted by The Daily Telegraph and True Crime Garage, who use it to power their shows. Podbean, like Buzzsprout makes it easy for you to distribute your podcast via platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google.
What is Podbean?
Podbean hosts podcasts. The company was founded in 2006 in Wilmington, Delaware. The company currently hosts more than 250,000 podcasts. Podbean’s services are easy to use. The company provides a wide range of services to meet the needs of podcasters.
Podcasts hosted by Podbean can be downloaded or streamed. Users have the option to choose. Podbean provides tools to help you get new listeners, monetize podcasts, and create a basic website.
The most important step in setting up your podcast is selecting a hosting website.
Podcast hosting platforms are different from other web hosts that focus on hosting websites. Instead, they specialize in hosting large media files such as podcasts. Podcast hosting platforms are designed to offer the bandwidth and storage podcast listeners need to stream and download episodes quickly and reliably.
Podbean is the best choice for podcast hosting.
What makes Podbean a great host for your podcast show? Below, we’ll be taking a closer look into the pros and cons of this podcast host. The main features that we love about Podbean are its simple-to-use interface as well as detailed analytics and built-in tools for monetization. Podbean has both premium and free plans so that there is something for every budget and podcaster.
Our Verdict – Highly Recommended
Podbean is a great podcast hosting service. While there are many hosts out there, the number of tools and services that Podbean offers is unmatched. Podbean’s simplicity is its best feature. The platform is easy to use, no matter how experienced or novice you are.
This company is a specialist in hosting large audio and media files. It also provides the bandwidth and storage required. You can get detailed statistics about how your podcasts have performed over time with built-in tools. The platform allows you to monetize podcasts.
The company offers affordable hosting plans and even a free plan for people who just started their podcast journey.
Important Podbean Questions
What’s Ownership Right of Your Podcasts?
Podbean hosts websites. It rents its servers to users for a monthly fee. Podcasters who host their podcasts via Podbean servers are the true owners of the podcasts. Podbean cannot claim podcasts hosted on their servers as their own. They will lose in any legal battle if they do so.
Podbean cannot own your podcasts unless you either sell them or give your explicit written consent for Podbean to be the owner.
Podbean Pricing
Podbean provides affordable podcast hosting plans that are affordable. Actually, they’re one of the least expensive alternatives you can come across through the Internet. This doesn’t mean that their products aren’t high-quality. They actually provide remarkable high-quality service at such a affordable prices.
It’s free to begin with PodBean however they offer several paid plans you can think about changing to.
- Basic Free
- Unlimited Audio $9.00/month
- Unlimited Plus – $29/month
- Corporate – $99/month
The PodBean free plan is only compatible with the MP3 format of files and is limited to 500MB storage space and 100GB bandwidth (which roughly amounts to 7k-10k downloads).
The paid unlimited plans of PodBean begin at $9/month when you pay annually. They offer an endless amount of storage and bandwidth. You can also choose the option of a brand-named or registered domain name, a custom design of the site and the option of monetization. You’ll require an Unlimited Plus package ($29/mo) in order to share videos.
Companies should think about taking a look at the Business Plan that is $99/mo annually or $129/month when it is charged on a monthly contract. The plan is designed for big networks and includes the highest level of customer service. Additionally it is the only plan that Business Plan offers multiple user logins, content segmentation and advanced engagement metrics that larger companies might want from an SaaS platform. This Business Plan is also the only one which allows you to remove the branding of Podbean.
Pros and Cons of Podbean
Just because I recommend Podbean does not mean the company is perfect. There are strengths and weaknesses to be aware of. Here are some pros and cons I believe you should know:
The Pros
- You won’t have to spend a lot of time getting started because the setup is very user-friendly.
- There are many monetization options that can be integrated.
- You have the option to create a simple but elegant podcast site.
- You can add your episodes to iTunes or Google Play through the platform.
- Hosting plans are affordable.
- You can also get a totally free hosting plan.
The Cons
- The security features available are very limited. You must increase security yourself.
- There is no backup option. Backups cannot be saved to your computer. You can use Wasabi as a storage solution to large files if you don’t have enough room on your computer. It is cheap and offers free egress.
- Worst of all, Podbean does not offer an uptime guarantee. This is bizarre!
- The refund period is also very short.
Now that you know the pros and cons of each, let me tell you about their refund policy.
Experience with Podbean – Ease of Use
Podbean’s interface is very simple. When you create an account, the simplicity of Podbean is evident right away. To sign up, you have the option to use your Facebook or Google account. Or, you can enter your email ID and set a password.
Signing up for Google was easy for me.
After signing up, you will need to create a subdomain. This subdomain can be redirected to any domain you choose. This is what you’ll see:
After you have provided the subdomain, you’ll need to log in again. To finally reach the dashboard, follow the instructions on screen. It looks like this.
The webmaster will create a basic website for your use. Here’s how the website will look:
However, you can change the theme via your Podbean account desktop. The themes can be found under Distribution >> Podcast Website.
Only a handful of free themes are offered. The majority of themes you will see are premium themes. These themes are mobile-friendly, which is a great thing. Your website will look great on a smartphone.
You can upload podcasts to the dashboard and then publish them. This is the uploader segment.
After you upload a podcast, you’ll need to give it a title and a description. You can also choose monetization options. After you’re done, hit the publish button. That’s all!
You can view the podcast on your subdomain (website) once it is published. You will see the RSS feed at the top of your site. This feed will be submitted to podcast apps like iTunes.
Core Features of Podbean
The ease of use is what you’ve learned thus far. But what about the important features? These are the most important features in Podbean.
Customization
The dashboard allows you to customize the styling of your website. To access these customization options, you must be a paid customer at Podbean.
There is a limit to the customization options available. Here’s what you can customize.
- Background image and header
- Theme, font, link, title colors.
- Font style and size.
- Audio and video player color
- Select the location for the podcast player.
That’s it! You were not expecting any customization.
Actions
You can add custom domains, access the CSS editor to make style customizations, add pages to your website or even add widgets. These can all be done directly from the Podbean dashboard.
Here’s how to do it all:
Your custom domain is essential if you are looking to make money from podcasts. Any domain registrar can be purchased. Once you have your custom domain, you are able to forward your Podbean site to that domain.
Mobile Applications
Podbean offers mobile apps on the App Store and Google Play Store. Both apps have been highly rated. These apps are great for listening but also offer core publishing capabilities. You can also record podcasts and publish them directly from the mobile app. This can drastically reduce audio quality and I don’t recommend it.
Search Engine Optimization
This is something you’ve heard many times. This is a practice that optimizes your content so people can find it easily through search engine searches.
Podcasts don’t require extensive optimization. Podcasts work differently to articles. They still require optimization with basic SEO stuff such as descriptions, titles and meta tags. Podbean provides a free plugin called SEO Meta Tags that allows you to add all the important things.
Your podcasts must be optimized for search engines other than Google and Bing. Podbean has its own search engine, for example. By using the site search bar at Podbean, you can search for podcasts. You can also search for podcasts using other search engines. These search engines title and description of the podcasts you create are used to determine search results.
Monetization and Marketing
People use the Internet of Things to make money. It’s amazing! It is absurd to waste your time creating podcasts and not making a dime. A lot of tools are required to create a podcast. Equipment is something you must invest in. You need to invest in equipment.
It is logical to assume that podcasts will be created with the potential for earnings in mind. Podbean allows you to easily add ads to your podcasts. Advertisements can help you make money even if your podcast isn’t very popular to attract serious sponsors.
You can also sell premium content or create patron systems. You can even sell premium content and create patron systems that will generate passive income.
You must reach out to listeners to make money with your podcasts. Marketing is key here. Marketing is essential to make sure your podcasts reach as many people possible. Podbean offers a variety of marketing tools that can help you. These tools include:
Social Sharing
Podbean can automatically share your podcasts to your social media profiles if you connect them to it. This eliminates the need to manually share your podcasts on social media and ensures your podcasts reach your social media followers.
Embedding
An embed code will be provided for each podcast that you publish. This code can be copied and embedded on any other websites, social media profiles, or anywhere else such embeds are permitted. To attract new listeners, embed podcasts on a blog that has a regular reader base.
Featured Opportunities
Podbean’s own search engine is available, as I mentioned earlier. The search results often feature new podcasts from the company. Although it is not a reliable way to find new listeners, it can give you some extra boost.
Video Podcast Support
Some Podbean plans also support video podcasts. Although most podcasts don’t require video support it can be very useful depending on the niche or topic.
People enjoy your screen and you. This is especially true when you create a podcast about a topic that requires demonstrations or physical language to make a lasting impression.
Podcasts are also a great way to build a personal brand.
Statistics
Your Podbean website includes analytics. Higher tier plans get more advanced data.
These statistics provide basic information about how many downloads you receive per day and your listener retention rates over time.
You can also connect the Google Analytics plugin to your Podbean Account for additional metrics
It is important to understand how your podcasts perform. You might find some podcasts click better than others. This will help you decide which podcasts work best, and will also help you to get more listeners and generate more revenue.
Podbean comes with a decent analytics feature. You can access basic statistics on the free plan, but more detailed statistics are available with paid plans. This will allow you to see how many podcasts have been downloaded and what the retention rate of listeners.
You can add the Google Analytics plugin for free to your website to get more data.
Customer Service
Phone support is not available. You can however access live chat and email support. You can also access a vast knowledge base that contains hundreds of videos and articles that will help you solve most of your problems.
Conclusion
Podbean is a great podcast hosting platform. It’s feature-rich, easy to use and very user-friendly. It does have some drawbacks that can make it difficult to use. You can always search for alternatives if you feel that the drawbacks in Podbean pose a risk.
Podbean’s benefits outweigh its disadvantages, so I believe that Podbean is a wise choice.
Other options include Blubrry and A2 Hosting, BuzzSprout and BuzzSprout. You can always have a look and give them a call. You will eventually choose the option that best suits you, rather than listening to others.
