Are you looking to create your own podcast but don’t know where to start? Do you with there was an unbiased review that provides you with all the information in one so you can make your mind up? If so, this article is for you.
Podcasts now have over 420 million listeners across the world, and they’re only growing in popularity rising 10% in the last year alone. Now is the best time to get into podcasts as the medium as its audience is still new and you can jump ahead of the trend.
At Podymos we launched our own podcast series, The Medical Device Marketing Podcast, to help our listeners learn from what we’re doing on a daily basis – and you can do the same! The first step is finding a platform to host your podcast on, which is where you can upload, distribute, and manage your podcast.
There are so many different hosting platforms out there all essentially doing the same thing – so how do you choose which one is right? We’re here to help, by comparing the three most popular platforms to give you the information you need to reach a decision.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is one of the top podcast hosting platforms because of how easy it is for beginners to get the hang of.
Features
Let’s look at the features that make this platform so popular.
Automatic podcast distribution
Since podcasts have become so popular, there are now more platforms than ever to access them, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
With Buzzsprout, you don’t have to manually upload to each platform every time you have a new episode, it will handle distribution for you.
Podcast scheduling
Never miss a release with the Buzzsprout podcast scheduling tool. Consistency is important in any marketing campaign and with this tool, you can easily set it and forget it – without having to manually publish.
If you aren’t sure how to ensure consistency in your marketing campaigns, then check out our guide to consistent marketing.
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Advanced analytics
We say this time and time again, but it’s true! Understanding your analytics is the key to success in marketing, and podcasts are no different. Buzzsprout provides detailed analytics to help you monitor your audience and measure your success. With this, you can track download numbers, listener demographics, social media engagement, and which platforms people are streaming on.
Podcast website Buzzsprout offers a free website for your podcasts. This website can be customised with your podcast’s branding and includes a player for your episodes, to give your audience a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Transcription
Buzzsprout offers a transcription service that can automatically transcribe your episodes. This means you can make your episodes more accessible to people who are hard of hearing or who prefer to read rather than listen. As with all transcription tools though, it isn’t always accurate, so you’ll need to edit the text before publishing it anywhere.
Price
Buzzsprout offers several pricing plans, so you can choose the one that suits you and your company. If you’re not sure about committing to Buzzsprout, there’s also a free option you can try it out first.
To learn more, check out the full pricing plan options on the website.
Problems
While Buzzsprout has many good qualities, it’s not flawless. Here’s some of the problems on the platform, that might make you look elsewhere.
Limited customisation options for podcast websites
The streaming website Buzzsprout creates for your podcast is relatively basic and offers limited customisation options. So, you can’t add any cool, bespoke elements to your page – all BuzzSprout podcast sites end up looking pretty similar.
No video
BuzzSprout only supports audio files, so you wouldn’t be able to upload video alongside the audio to create a video podcast. This isn’t necessarily a huge issue though as you can still post your recordings on YouTube.
Audio storage
You only can upload 2 hours of content a month unless you opt for the paid plans. Furthermore, the free version will only keep episodes live for a limited time, until you must pay to keep them up.
Captivate
Now let’s look at Captivate – a huge platform that is home to over 50, 000 different podcasts with over 1 billion downloads.
Features
Captivate shares many similar features to Buzzsprout, such as automatic podcast distribution, transcription and analytics reports, but it also offers some slightly more advanced features.
Guest booking platform
You can integrate Calendly, an AI scheduling tool, with Captivate to make it easy to book guests.
This helps coordinate times for your podcast filming, which can be a nightmare as you go back and forth to find a time that works for everyone. When you create a Calendly link for your podcast guests, they can simply select a time that works for them. This can save you
a lot of hassle.
Podcast research links plugin
Uniquely, Captivate offers a plugin that allows you to add links to your podcast to share your show notes with your audience. These notes can be viewed by podcast guests and listeners, to enrich their experience.
These notes could be anything from pictures referenced in the podcast, book extracts or any other additional information that you feel the audience might benefit from.
Default publishing times
Captivate can also help keep your podcast consistent as it allows you to set default publication times for your episodes. This means that you can automate the publishing process and ensure that your episodes are published on time every week.
Captivate Omni-Search
Omni-Search allows you to search through your podcast episodes, audio show notes, and transcripts for whatever topics you want. This can be great for finding relevant content to recycle and use.
Recycling content is super useful as it helps you to maintain consistency and consolidate your message. your message.
Price
Like other platforms, Captivate offers a range of different pricing plans to provide flexibility. It also has a free plan so you can try it out before committing.
We’ve put together a short table with details about their pricing, if you’d like to learn more, check out the full details on their website.
Problems
While Captivate is a strong choice, we have researched through a significant amount of user reviews, and these are the top issues that have been reported.
Transcription can be inaccurate
Captivate’s transcription service is reportedly not as accurate as platforms such as Otter AI. This means spending more time updating transcriptions to ensure accuracy.
If you want to learn more about Otter AI and other AI tools that can add value to your marketing, look at our guide to top AI marketing tools here or on our Learning Hub.
No option to upload WAV files
You can only upload mp3 files on Captivate, which can be an issue if you’re using a high-quality audio recorder that produces wav files.
No option to upload video files
Unlike some other platforms, Captivate doesn’t allow you to upload video files, which can be a problem if you’re looking to share a video and audio podcast on the same site.
No option to host multiple podcasts
While one podcast might be good for some, if you’re a marketing agency with multiple client podcasts, this might be a problem since you can only host one show per account.
Transistor FM
Transistor FM hosts over 100,000 podcasts in over 100 countries. It favours business, technology, and education podcasts that specialise in marketing, personal development, and entrepreneurship, so it’s a strong choice for the medical device industry.
Features
It has lots of the same features as the other platforms, such as automatic podcast distribution, transcription, and advanced analytical reports, but it also has some unique offerings.
Mobile app
Transistor has a mobile app that allows you to manage your podcast from any device. This is a completely unique feature, which is why it stands out to people constantly on the go.
Custom branding
This feature allows you to customise the branding of your podcast website and player to set you apart from other podcasts.
Price
If Transistor sounds like the platform for you, then you’ll be interested in its pricing.
It offers four different pricing plans: a free plan, a starter plan, a business plan, and a professional plan. We’ve compiled a short table explaining what each plan offers, but if you want to learn more, check out pricing on the website.
Problems
While Transistor FM has some strengths, it’s not without its problems.
Limited File Storage
Transistor has limited file storage per pricing plan, meaning if you use all your storage, you’ll be forced to upgrade to a higher plan.
Expensive
To access the unique features of Transistor FM, you need to purchase their top plan, which is the most expensive plan we’ve looked at in this article. So, you need to decide whether the price justifies the advanced capabilities.
Your next steps
Hopefully, this article has helped you get a better grip and understanding of the podcast world and what options are out there.
Through our own research and experience, we’ve found that these three are great options if you’re looking to start your own podcast.