WEBVTT 00:00:01.959 --> 00:00:05.599 Welcome to the streamlined podcaster, a podcast 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:08.039 that shows you how to put the right systems in 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:11.539 place so you can stop spinning your wheels, focus 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:14.400 on making great content and see your show grow. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.100 Because there's nothing worse than putting a 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:20.000 ton of effort into your show to see very few 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:23.780 benefits and even fewer downloads. My name is 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:26.320 Joe Casabona and I know you're strapped for time. 00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:29.940 So let's get into it. One of the biggest questions 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:35.770 I get from just my audience and podcast coaching 00:00:35.770 --> 00:00:39.869 clients is where should they host their podcast. 00:00:39.929 --> 00:00:43.189 And there are a lot of services out there. Full 00:00:43.189 --> 00:00:46.310 disclosure, I am the evangelist for RSS .com 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:50.250 and so I make content for them. And generally 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:54.729 it's not really something I talk about on the 00:00:54.729 --> 00:00:59.570 show, right? I don't want to bias or color anybody's 00:00:59.570 --> 00:01:04.829 opinion. I do have a tools page over at streamlinedpodcaster 00:01:04.829 --> 00:01:09.790 .com slash tools where I recommend several including 00:01:09.790 --> 00:01:14.230 RSS .com. I try to make those recommendations 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:19.790 based on feature needs. So, you know, if RSS 00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:23.069 .com just doesn't have a feature that the podcaster 00:01:23.069 --> 00:01:27.329 needs, I'll recommend some other host. But today 00:01:27.329 --> 00:01:30.790 I want to talk about something Really exciting 00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:34.269 that rss .com has released now that we've released 00:01:34.269 --> 00:01:39.590 to rss .com and that is the free local and niche 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:46.549 podcast plan free local and niche and so In the 00:01:46.549 --> 00:01:51.469 past I have told you I've told people to not 00:01:51.469 --> 00:01:56.290 use Spotify for creators Spotify for podcasters 00:01:56.290 --> 00:02:00.670 anchor whatever name it was at any given time 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:04.069 and that's because I tell people that if there 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:12.849 is a totally free service Then you are the product 00:02:12.849 --> 00:02:18.090 right With Facebook you don't pay for Facebook 00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:23.060 Facebook makes money off of your data and gathering 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:25.020 information about you that they can then serve 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:29.680 to advertisers or sell to third parties. Spotify, 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:33.159 you know, this is unsubstantiated. I don't know 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.379 this for sure, but Spotify definitely operates 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:38.580 the same way in the advertising space. I don't 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.539 know if they sell people's data. I generally 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:44.120 assume that big companies that give stuff away 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:49.699 for free do. Spotify does sell ads and their 00:02:50.009 --> 00:02:54.169 The name of their game is content and what they 00:02:54.169 --> 00:02:57.069 don't have to do with free podcasts on their 00:02:57.069 --> 00:03:03.330 platform is Pay those podcasters a royalty so 00:03:03.330 --> 00:03:08.030 it's beneficial for Spotify for creators to have 00:03:08.030 --> 00:03:11.389 free hosting because they get Content that is 00:03:11.389 --> 00:03:13.349 essentially free to them that they can then sell 00:03:13.349 --> 00:03:18.129 ads to and then just give you a cut of anyway 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.319 All of this is to say that up until recently, 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:27.379 like today basically, free plans for podcast 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:30.680 hosting have been insufficient. Spotify for creators 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:34.199 does not have the creator in mind and every other 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.560 free podcast hosting plan I've seen has fallen 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:41.000 short by putting limits on the number of hours 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.259 you can upload or the number of days a episode 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:49.800 stays on a free feed or the Size of the files 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:54.219 that you can upload But RSS calm and again, I 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:55.819 know I gave the disclosure in the beginning, 00:03:55.819 --> 00:04:01.240 but I do I'm I get paid by RSS calm RSS calm 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:05.599 has launched their free local and niche plan 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:11.020 what makes this free plan different is that First 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:15.439 of all, it is not limited by anything like the 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:20.540 number of episodes or the amount of hours you 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:25.019 upload, it's strictly limited by features, which 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:29.319 is, I think, how most services should work. You 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:33.800 pay more money to get more stuff. And if you 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:38.420 are offering a free plan that is not billed as 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:43.620 a free trial, then it shouldn't be handicapped 00:04:43.620 --> 00:04:48.660 by stuff like that. So the Local and niche plan, 00:04:48.779 --> 00:04:52.300 the free local and niche plan has unlimited episodes, 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:55.379 unlimited audio. You get the embeddable podcast 00:04:55.379 --> 00:04:59.000 player, a website, episode scheduling, promotional 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.980 tools, analytics for up to 90 days. That is, 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:05.240 that's one of the limits, right? I think that's 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:09.000 a perfectly reasonable limit. If data and analytics 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:14.120 are really important to you, then it is reasonably 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:17.750 something that you should pay for. And what you 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:19.629 get on the paid plans, right, are things like 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:23.610 the paid ads, right, programmatic ads inserted 00:05:23.610 --> 00:05:26.089 dynamically, the ability to use Apple podcast 00:05:26.089 --> 00:05:29.089 subscriptions, converting your audio to video 00:05:29.089 --> 00:05:32.050 for YouTube videos, show collaborators and other 00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:34.709 power ups. So that's what you get when you upgrade 00:05:34.709 --> 00:05:37.129 to a paid plan. And then there's also the podcast 00:05:37.129 --> 00:05:39.410 networks plan, which for less than 20 bucks a 00:05:39.410 --> 00:05:45.170 month gives you unlimited podcasts, unlimited 00:05:45.170 --> 00:05:49.389 team members. Analytics for up to 365 days. I 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:51.009 should say the all -in -one podcasting plan gives 00:05:51.009 --> 00:05:54.870 you analytics up to 180 days so you can kind 00:05:54.870 --> 00:06:01.350 of see a and it says I should say advanced analytics 00:06:01.350 --> 00:06:06.889 So, you know advanced analytics, you know gives 00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:10.170 you location time trends and things like that, 00:06:10.170 --> 00:06:13.930 so You can see like what your downloads look 00:06:13.930 --> 00:06:17.009 like over a certain amount of time But the advanced 00:06:17.009 --> 00:06:19.110 analytics, again, I think is something worth 00:06:19.110 --> 00:06:23.389 paying for. So. And then the other side of this, 00:06:23.509 --> 00:06:26.910 right, which is like a service that's completely 00:06:26.910 --> 00:06:31.009 free is probably using you, right? RSS .com has 00:06:31.009 --> 00:06:34.430 a business model. Just like you can use Notion 00:06:34.430 --> 00:06:39.629 for free and then pay for extra stuff. RSS .com's 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:48.160 paid plans give you more stuff. Spotify for creators 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.720 doesn't have a paid upgrade path. And they actively 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:56.439 get people who aren't hosting them with them 00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:00.759 to move to them for free. So they're definitely 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.319 playing on, you don't want to pay for podcasting, 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:07.500 right? So I love that RSS .com has launched this 00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:11.379 plan. It makes podcasting more truly accessible. 00:07:12.400 --> 00:07:15.959 to as many people as possible. We're calling 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:20.459 it the free local and niche plan because, you 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:25.279 know, local journalists or small audience podcasters 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.439 who just want to get their message out there 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:33.439 shouldn't have to pay a bunch of money a year 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:37.759 for it. And so we've enabled that at RSS .com, 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:42.490 which I love. The other thing I'll say is I've 00:07:42.490 --> 00:07:46.930 been seeing other services start to wade into 00:07:46.930 --> 00:07:52.910 podcast hosting. So like Kit, formerly ConvertKit, 00:07:53.170 --> 00:07:57.569 put out a survey asking about, you know, where 00:07:57.569 --> 00:08:00.509 do you host your podcast and would you use hosting 00:08:00.509 --> 00:08:06.189 if we offered it? I will be very disappointed 00:08:06.189 --> 00:08:12.689 if Kit decides to start hosting podcasts. I am 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:17.209 big on a do one thing well mentality, and there 00:08:17.209 --> 00:08:21.629 are a lot of things that Kit can improve before 00:08:21.629 --> 00:08:26.550 they wade into the very difficult business of 00:08:26.550 --> 00:08:30.850 hosting podcasts. It's not just about throwing 00:08:30.850 --> 00:08:34.389 audio up there and having an RSS feed. It's about 00:08:34.389 --> 00:08:37.350 being reliable and offering a number of services. 00:08:37.870 --> 00:08:40.250 Otherwise, if that was the case, I would just 00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:44.899 put all my podcasts episodes on on AWS, right? 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:50.000 If I just need a place to host MP3 files, right? 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:54.200 And so, like, I fear that podcast hosting would 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:57.840 be an incredible distraction for kit .com. And 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.500 I'm, this isn't hyperbole. If they start to do 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:04.500 that, then I'm going to look elsewhere for an 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.799 email service provider that's truly focused on 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:10.840 email. But I've also noticed that Riverside rolled 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.120 out podcast hosting. I love Riverside. I think 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:17.759 that they are the best remote recording tool. 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:22.259 It makes a little bit more sense for them to 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:25.440 possibly try their hand at podcast hosting, but 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:30.460 my early experience is poor. They are missing 00:09:30.460 --> 00:09:33.299 some core features like the ability to replace 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:37.440 audio and video for scheduled posts. There's 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:42.500 No website. It's kind of hard to find the RSS 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:46.259 feed. They're really it's not really podcast 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:48.340 hosting. They're billing it as a way to publish 00:09:48.340 --> 00:09:54.159 to three places. Spotify, YouTube and Apple podcasts. 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:56.720 And that's great because publishing to those 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:59.600 three places is hard. But, you know, I'm not 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:05.720 seeing. I haven't seen anything that makes me 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:11.149 think. Riverside is worth recommending. Even 00:10:11.149 --> 00:10:15.610 if there are workflow gains by not having to 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:20.730 publish in three separate places. And I have 00:10:20.730 --> 00:10:24.629 a lot of opinions about podcast hosting. The 00:10:24.629 --> 00:10:27.169 reason I work for RSS .com in the first place, 00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:29.190 right, or I do work for RSS .com in the first 00:10:29.190 --> 00:10:32.090 place, is because I think they offer a really 00:10:32.090 --> 00:10:35.340 great product. With a lot of great features and 00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:38.799 and they care about the podcasters experience 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:46.299 And so All of this is to say that if you haven't 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:49.580 launched your podcast yet because it's been Cost 00:10:49.580 --> 00:10:51.820 prohibitive or you're worried about the long 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:56.139 -term investment I would encourage you to Check 00:10:56.139 --> 00:11:01.100 out the free local and niche podcast plan It 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:04.039 gives you so much more than any other free plan 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:09.100 out there. And it gives you a clear upgrade path 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:12.899 when you are ready to start paying for podcast 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:15.379 hosting, which I strongly think you should do, 00:11:15.419 --> 00:11:19.200 right? If you are building a business or making 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:21.440 your podcast part of your business. You know, 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:25.820 I talked about this in the hobbies episode. Invest 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:30.649 in your hobby, but Also, if you are making your 00:11:30.649 --> 00:11:33.870 podcast a business or part of your business, 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:39.009 invest in that as well. The free local niche 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:42.690 plan allows you to invest those funds elsewhere, 00:11:42.909 --> 00:11:50.870 like in a VA or maybe in an editor. But this 00:11:50.870 --> 00:11:54.049 makes it easier to get started. And I think that 00:11:54.049 --> 00:11:57.029 when you're ready, you can do the upgrade path 00:11:57.029 --> 00:11:59.570 and You'll be in a much better position because 00:11:59.570 --> 00:12:01.809 you won't have to change hosts or migrate anywhere 00:12:01.809 --> 00:12:08.710 or feel like you got spurned or screwed by Spotify 00:12:08.710 --> 00:12:11.590 for creators because they've changed the way 00:12:11.590 --> 00:12:15.149 they measure things or they did things in the 00:12:15.149 --> 00:12:19.289 interests of themselves and advertisers. You 00:12:19.289 --> 00:12:21.549 know, the podcast hosting companies that charge 00:12:21.549 --> 00:12:26.659 for hosting, their customers Their business relies 00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:30.799 on their customers. Advertisers are not their 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.179 customers. Their board is not their customers. 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:38.100 We are their customers. And that's a good thing. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.000 So anyway, check out, it's over, you know, I'll 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:44.240 have a link in the show notes. This show is hosted 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:48.580 by RSS .com. So, you know, you can head over 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:52.919 to josee .pro slash RSS. That's my affiliate 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.470 link. Or not. Just go to rss .com slash pricing. 00:12:56.929 --> 00:12:58.690 If you want to see the free and local plan, check 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:01.889 it out. I'm really, you know, I, nobody asked 00:13:01.889 --> 00:13:05.649 me to do this episode. I just think it's in the 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:11.110 grand scheme of how I approach podcasting and 00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:14.309 podcast workflows and things like that. And what 00:13:14.309 --> 00:13:18.950 people ask me about hosting is a consideration 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:23.879 that everyone needs to make. And this offers 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:28.899 a really great opportunity for people to launch 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:32.200 their podcast with a little bit less stress. 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:37.220 So it lowers the risk of starting a podcast, 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.100 which is a great thing. All right. Well, that's 00:13:40.100 --> 00:13:41.700 it for this episode. Let me know what you think 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:44.940 over at streamlinedfeedback .com. Thanks so much 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:46.759 for listening. Are you going to try the free 00:13:46.759 --> 00:13:51.210 and free local and niche plan? Let me know that 00:13:51.210 --> 00:13:53.429 too. I really appreciate you. And until next 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:56.009 time, I hope you find some space in your week.