Where Should You Host Your Podcast artwork

Where Should You Host and Share Your Podcast?

Time for a new episode of The Story Behind the Lemon, my podcast about podcasting and the fun of running a business in the world of podcasting. (New episodes drop, as the kids say, every Friday afternoon.)

You can check out the website for it at podcast.lemonproductions.ca or hit up the subscribe page to subscribe to the show in your favorite app. Here’s the subscribe link for some of the popular apps:

For this episode I’m answering the question: Where should you host your podcast?

You can listen right here on the site thanks to Transistor’s sweet embedded player – in dark mode (cue dramatic music):

p.s. Want to subscribe to my email newsletter and get notified about new episodes via email? You can do so right here, right now:

The quick answer is “everywhere.” Get your podcast out to as many places as you can. But that’s overwhelming and with more and more podcast hosting companies, apps, and aggregators popping up every week, who has time for that?

Let’s break this down into where you should host your podcast. And then I’ll talk about where you should be publicizing or sharing your podcast.

Where Should You Host Your Podcast?

Ok so where your podcast is hosted matters only so much as it needs to be a good, reliable company that knows podcasting and isn’t going to disappear in a few months and force you to move everything around. In some ways a podcast host is a lot like your website host – the average viewer of your website doesn’t care if your website is hosted on Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Netlify, or Geocities – they just want to read what’s on your website. And you can say the same for podcast hosting – the average listener just wants to be able to hear your show. They don’t really care where the MP3 is coming from over the internet, as long as they can get it when they’re ready to listen.

I should also say that I’m a little biased in that my good friend Justin Jackson runs a podcast hosting company called Transistor that I use for my own podcast network at Goodstuff.fm – and he’s also a client of mine. I edit Transistor’s own podcast called Build Your Saas where Justin and Jon talk about the fun and frustrations of building a web app in 2019.

Despite that bias, podcasting is an essential part of my business and I wouldn’t recommend a company or trust them with my podcasts if I didn’t think they knew what they were doing. I’ve been really happy with Transistor for my podcast hosting and have no problem recommending them to friends and clients.

There are lots of other great podcast hosting companies out there – Fireside, Simplecast, Pinecast just to name a few. You really can’t go wrong with any of these fine podcast hosting companies. They’ll all provide you with a place to host your MP3 files for each episode, the ability to build a website for your podcast, an RSS feed to submit to all the various podcast aggregators like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others, and great analytics on each episode so you can see how well your podcast is performing. You will have to pay for these companies and I firmly believe that investing money in your podcast hosting is well worth it if podcasting is going to be any kind of part of your business or marketing efforts.

If you spend any time on Google looking for podcast hosting, you’ll see plenty of free hosting providers out there. And much like free hosting for your website, you get what you pay for. There is one company I’ll mention that you should check out if you want to just try out podcasting without having to commit to a monthly fee – and that’s Anchor.

Anchor is both a podcast hosting company as well as a podcast creation app. And it’s completely free. Which is something to enjoy but also be aware of that if it’s free, somebody somewhere has to be paying for all the hosting and bandwidth they’re using. And in Anchor’s case, that somebody is Spotify. Spotify recently bought Anchor and so far have seemed keen to keep Anchor running as a place for people to create podcasts, which in turn help build more content out for Spotify’s listening side of the business.

Anchor has apps for iOS and Android, and also runs great in your browser on Windows or macOS. It’s not the most powerful editing app – but considering what it allows you to do on the go, it’s pretty amazing. And you can also use it with fancier mics and gear to record. So if you want to just try out this podcasting thing with minimal cost up, Anchor is the way to go.

Ok that’s where you should host your podcast. Now let’s cover where you should post and share your podcast.

Where Should You Share Your Podcast?

Most of the podcast hosting companies I talked about will automatically, or with the click of a few buttons, submit your podcast to aggregators like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And from there, most of the smaller podcast players like Overcast, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, Castbox, and more – will build their databases off of Apple Podcasts listing. But it’s still worth checking in various apps to see if your show is appearing. Might as well make sure it’s getting to as many people’s ears as possible.

Sharing your podcast on social media can be a great way to build awareness and gain subscribers. Obviously sharing it on whatever your primary social platforms are – Twitter & Facebook. LinkedIn can be a big driver of listeners if your show’s topic or style lends itself to a business focus.

If your brand has a verified Instagram account, using the clickable link in Stories is a something to consider trying. Posting episode artwork and descriptions to Instagram and using appropriate hashtags for discovery is a good idea as well.

Beyond that, finding an appropriate subreddit on Reddit can yield new listeners who don’t use Facebook or Twitter. Even if your podcast is audio only, creating a video version of it to upload to YouTube can help reach folks on there.

And of course, if you’ve got an email list of some sort, that’s a great place to send out reminders of past episodes as well as promote new episodes. Wherever you share your podcast, it’s important to take a long term view of it. Podcasting isn’t an instant buy or instant gratification kind of marketing effort. You have to be in it for the long haul. 3 episodes shared on Reddit when you’ve never used Reddit before are not going to tell you much. It’s important to experiment, try things, and then review the data after a reasonable time period and see what’s working. And don’t beat yourself – or your marketing person who suggested doing a podcast – up too much if you’re not getting a bunch of listeners.

Just like where we started this discussion with your website, you’re building up a library of episodes for right now and hopefully for the future – people will discover your podcast episodes long after you’ve finished recording them and still be able to hear about why you’re so great to work with, or why they should hire you, or whatever your podcast was about.

Got Questions for a Future Episode?

If you’d like to send in a question for a future episode, there’s a few different ways to do it:

I hope you enjoy the podcast. I’m excited to continue telling both my own story in podcasting as well as answer your questions about podcasting. I’ve been podcasting for almost 10 years and it’s awesome to see how it’s grown and changed over the years. I continue to believe that it’s one of the best ways to engage and communicate with your audience, fans, or potential customers.

When should you start a podcast?

When Should You Start a Podcast?

Time for a new episode of The Story Behind the Lemon, my podcast about podcasting and the fun of running a business in the world of podcasting. (New episodes drop, as the kids say, every Friday afternoon.)

You can check out the website for it at podcast.lemonproductions.ca or hit up the subscribe page to subscribe to the show in your favorite app. Here’s the subscribe link for some of the popular apps:

For this episode I’m answering the question: When should you start a podcast?

You can listen right here on the site thanks to Transistor’s sweet embedded player – in dark mode (cue dramatic music):

p.s. Want to subscribe to my email newsletter and get notified about new episodes via email? You can do so right here, right now:

I remember back in the old days when blogging was what every business was supposed to start doing or else they were going to be left behind, there was a common response to the question of “When should your company start a blog?” “yesterday” – and I see the same thing happening these days with podcasting. Podcasting is the hot new thing and so there’s a ton of pressure to “get a podcast for your business” or else!

Sidebar: I’m often asked “Should we be using Instagram? Linkedin? TikTok? Twitter?” and besides the time commitment and technical abilities to use all the platforms out there, one other issue people have is that it can feel like social networks and services come and go so why should we put time and effort into something when it’ll just get replaced in a couple of years?

And I feel that as well. As a solo business owner there’s only so much time in the day or week. Besides serving my paying clients, when can I publish an Instagram Story, write a blog post, send an email newsletter out, be active on my Facebook page, make sure I look busy, productive, and successful on LinkedIn, record a viral TikTok video, and send amazing tweets on Twitter? The reality is that I can’t do all of those things and so you have to pick what works for you, what makes sense for your business or brand – and go with it.

There was an interesting quote I heard from Gary Vaynerchuk about this idea of “wasting time on a platform” and how you shouldn’t view it as wasted if or when the platform disappears:

So don’t feel like your time is wasted on any particular platform, even if it disappears. If you’ve done it well, the following and attention you’ve built up on that platform can follow you to whatever is next – provided you’re able to bridge the gap. And the time you’ve spent developing your creativity, branding, and technical skills can only help you with whatever comes next.

Ok… back to podcasting.

When should you publish a podcast?

Let’s start with the big picture version of this question.

You should start a podcast when you feel like you have something to say. Something that just doesn’t work as well in video or written form – or perhaps compliments those mediums. You want to bring value to your listeners, especially if it’s for a business. If it’s just you and some friends talking about your favorite movies, go for it right now. It’ll be fun and you’ll learn a lot as you go.

But for businesses who have to consider marketing budgets, return on investment, and other boring words their accountants say to them – it’s worth considering whether you have something of value to say. What’s valuable to one person might be completely boring or useless to another person, so don’t worry if your friends or family don’t necessarily get why you’re doing a podcast. For a business, you’re doing it for your clients. Or prospective customers. Or to show the world you’re an expert in a particular area.

Here’s some examples of different types of businesses and the corresponding kind of podcast they might consider:

  • A coffee shop might consider a podcast that’s just a 3 minute marketing blurb saying what their specials and events are that week in their shop. Or stepping it up a notch, they could have a weekly interview with local artists. Record the conversations on site at their shop, with all the sounds of a coffee business in the background. Maybe ending a 20 minute interview with a quick mention of specials that week.
  • A shoe repair business could talk about ways to repair and maintain your shoes which might be interesting for some. Or they could talk with local walkers and runners about great places to get exercise and how to stay warm out there.
  • A bar could have a weekly podcast interviewing upcoming bands that are going to be playing on their stage. Call them on Skype wherever they are in the world and talk about their current tour.
  • A non-profit could feature conversations with local supporters, or interviews with people talking about the impact of whatever it is they do. Or some combination of that combined with monthly episodes talking about ways to support the non-profit.
  • A home builder might talk about the behind the scenes work that goes into making sure a home is built exactly the way a customer wants. Have an episode on each stage of a home being built, incorporating real customer conversations along the way.
  • If you’re a home theatre installer, start a movie review podcast with some of your keenest customers. Or just sponsor one to start locally. Put out a call to your clients and see if anyone is interested in starting one and give them a budget to produce 10 episodes about their favorite movies with the requirement that they mention your business as a sponsor and link to your Instagram or website.
  • A podcaster who edits podcasts for other people might record a podcast talking about the benefits of starting a podcast… and then once the basics are covered, he might interview people who are using podcasting in interesting and unique ways. I should write that one down for later.

What I hope you’re hearing is that there’s a lot of different ways for you to incorporate podcasting into a business beyond just replicating the boring “here’s our specials this week” flyers and Instagram posts you might be doing right now. People will listen once or twice because they’re interested in you. But they’ll subscribe because you’re telling a great story or giving them information they need to hear. And when someone subscribes to your podcast, that’s when you’ve literally got their ear to talk to them on a regular basis in a way that email newsletters and social media marketing campaigns just can’t compete with.

When Should I Release Podcast Episodes?

Ok so that was the big picture “When should you start a podcast?” The practical question of “when should I release podcast episodes?” is answered with a “it depends”.

It depends on the style of podcast you have, the type of content you’re delivering, how easy it is for you to put together an episode week after week. You can adjust as you go, but you also don’t want to set expectations and disappoint or confuse. Starting a podcast with “Your weekly look at home renovations” and then releasing it every 3 or 4 months when you get around to it is not a great way to build the expectation that you’re a reliable home reno company.

It also depends on your target audience. If you think it will appeal to people on their morning commute into work, then make sure new episodes are out before 8am. If it’s something that’s more appropriate on a weekend, then put it out Friday afternoon so they have something to look forward to.

For this podcast, I’m releasing new episodes Friday afternoon because that’s what I know I can commit to doing. And for right now, at this phase of my own business, I have to be a bit selfish and smart about it.

I’m curious when you listen to podcasts. It’s just a few questions about what day and time of day you prefer for podcast listening.

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Got Questions for a Future Episode?

If you’d like to send in a question for a future episode, there’s a few different ways to do it:

I hope you enjoy the podcast. I’m excited to continue telling both my own story in podcasting as well as answer your questions about podcasting. I’ve been podcasting for almost 10 years and it’s awesome to see how it’s grown and changed over the years. I continue to believe that it’s one of the best ways to engage and communicate with your audience, fans, or potential customers.

Dark Mode in Farrago

How to Play Sounds for a Podcast on macOS

Let me say it right off the bat: not every podcast needs a soundboard. But – every soundboard needs to find it’s podcast.

Take a deep breath and soak that one in for a moment

Ready?

Ok. Here’s how I insert random sounds into podcasts I’m recording.

Farrago

Website: RogueAmoeba.com/Farrago
Pricing: Free trial / $49USD

Farrago from Rogue Amoeba makes it dead simple to play back sound effects, music intros or outros, sponsor background music, listener feedback, sad trombone noises – basically anything a podcaster could want to play to include in their podcast.

Here’s what I like about Rogue Amoeba’s Farrago for macOS.

Easy Clip Collection and Organization

I can take a folder full of audio I’ve collected for a podcast, a whole bunch of U2 quotes from interviews and videos over the years for example, and just drag and drop it on Farrago. Farrago will automatically distribute the audio clips across the app and assign a keyboard shortcut key for each clip for quick access.

Farrago set full of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr audio clips.
Farrago set full of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr audio clips.

Hit the “S” key and you’ll instantly hear Bono proclaim “A man should not look like his hair has been ironed.” Perfect.

You can have multiple sets of audio files as well. This makes it easy to have one set for your U2 fan podcast, and another set for your podcast about podcasting. Just for an example.

You can rename the files once they’ve been imported, adjust the volume (2 options for volume levels), fade in / out duration, color of the clip, whether you want it to loop, solo (don’t play anything else while this clip is playing), allow it to be paused and resume, or only play once if pressed – so you don’t get Bono talking over himself, naturally. You can also keep notes on audio clips – i.e. “Don’t play this if your guest has had his hair recently ironed.”

Light and Dark Mode

Farrago has a great light (seen above) and dark mode option (seen below).

Dark Mode in Farrago
Dark Mode in Farrago

MIDI Support

You can also use a MIDI device like a USB musical keyboard to trigger sounds with Farrago. I don’t happen to have one handy but something like this 32 key keyboard from M Audio would work just fine.

Farrago supports MIDI devices
Farrago supports MIDI devices

Audio Playback Choices

An important thing that Farrago supports is the ability to choose where audio playback is going to happen on your Mac. This becomes an issue when you want to use something like Ecamm Live to record and/or live stream a recording of your podcast to your millions (or 10) of fans around the world. So rather than only you hearing it in your headphones, you can send it to a Skype call and your live stream on Facebook, Twitch, or Mixer.

Farrago supports choice of where to play audio through
Farrago supports choice of where to play audio through

Note: If you’ve got more complex audio workflow needs, then picking up Rogue Amoeba’s Podcast Bundle is a great way to go: Audio Hijack, Loopback, and Fission are bundled with Farrago for $175USD in a package that includes pretty much everything you’d need to podcast on a Mac. Pair it all with Garageband that’s already on your Mac, Audacity (free, open source option), Logic Pro X (my personal choice), Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, or many other multi-track audio editors out there, and you’re a podcasting pro.

Visual Cues

Farrago is a sound app, obviously, but it’s nice that Rogue Amoeba put in little touches like audio wav forms for each clip, as well as a playback indicator to show how long a clip has until it’s finished – as well as the time remaining. Love it.

GIF of Farrago in action.

Bottom Line

Rogue Amoeba makes some might fine audio apps for macOS users. I can’t imagine where we’d be if that little amoeba hadn’t gone rogue all those years ago.

Videos

I’ve published a few Farrago related videos on my YouTube channel. These might help you decide if Farrago is right for you:

Who should start a podcast?

Who Should Podcast?

Time for a new episode of The Story Behind the Lemon, my podcast about podcasting and the fun of running a business in the world of podcasting. (New episodes drop, as the kids say, every Friday afternoon.)

You can check out the website for it at podcast.lemonproductions.ca or hit up the subscribe page to subscribe to the show in your favorite app. Here’s the subscribe link for some of the popular apps:

For this episode I’m answering the question: Who should start a podcast?

You can listen right here on the site thanks to Transistor’s sweet embedded player – in dark mode (cue dramatic music):

p.s. Want to subscribe to my email newsletter and get notified about new episodes via email? You can do so right here, right now:

The reason being should be fairly obvious. Anyone can do a podcast. That’s one of the beautiful things about podcasting. As long as you have a computer, phone, or tablet of modern enough vintage that it has a built in mic and can connect to the internet, you can have a podcast.

Like I said in the previous episode about Why you should consider starting a podcast, there are plenty of great reasons why. And we could argue until we’re blue in the face as to whether someone should start a podcast.

But these days, with so much communication moving to texts, GIFs, and social media posts where we shout things at our followers but rarely engage in much conversation, I think podcasting is a great way to gather some friends, work colleagues, or even your enemies and talk things out. Talk about your favorite movies, the stupid things you did in school, what makes your business so awesome, what your organization is doing to help those in need, answer questions from your community or fans, talk about your favorite YouTube videos, the Twitch streams you’re loving… how you plan to become a TikTok superstar.

Besides all the business and marketing reasons to start a podcast – which, by the way, if you work for a business or are curious about how podcasting can help your marketing efforts, please get in touch with me at lemonproductions.ca/contact – but besides all the business stuff – podcasting is just fun. If your friends or family have moved far away, you can still do a podcast together. It’s actually a great way to have a scheduled conversation with someone for no reason other than you’re going to record a podcast together. I did this with my brother – in law when he was living in Australia. We’d record our conversation talking about how each of our business’ were doing, challenges we faced, interesting social media or marketing tips we thought might work for each other.

So who should start a podcast?

You should. You’re most likely listening to this because you have some sort of interest in podcasting. Unless you’re really confused because you thought this was about how to start a lemon farm. Sorry about that.

Email your friend. Come up with a name – by the way, naming your podcast is 2019’s version of naming your band when I was in high school. Design some podcast artwork – just a big square that’s 3000 pixels wide, and fire up Garageband on your Mac or something ugly but functional on a Windows computer and start your podcast. Sign up for a Transistor.fm account and you’ve got yourself a podcast.

You’ve got lots of time to learn about editing, branding, marketing your podcast, gear you should use. That’s all the easy part. The hard part is hitting record and uploading it to Transistor for someone else in the world to hear.

Once you’re done episode 1 you can listen to it, get feedback from friends, improve the things you can afford to, and get started on episode 2. Your listeners are waiting.

Got Questions for a Future Episode?

If you’d like to send in a question for a future episode, there’s a few different ways to do it:

I hope you enjoy the podcast. I’m excited to continue telling both my own story in podcasting as well as answer your questions about podcasting. I’ve been podcasting for almost 10 years and it’s awesome to see how it’s grown and changed over the years. I continue to believe that it’s one of the best ways to engage and communicate with your audience, fans, or potential customers.

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