How to build a profitable podcast.
This article shows all the podcast tools to help you grow your show.
Podcasting is on a constant rise.
We know right here at bCast that MANY entrepreneurs and businesses are making great use of audio content to help grow their business.
In all honesty, podcasting can be stressful and overwhelming, especially for newbies or even current podcasters. You have to think of managing guests, editing your content, technical issues, files, and other things that could get in the way of smooth operations.
Many individuals and organizations are increasingly investing in podcasting as many brands see it as a marketing tool and a way to establish themselves in the industry.
Starting a podcast goes more than just deciding on it. It would be best to have a detailed understanding of creating a podcast and the works that go into it. You also need to understand the basics of what you want to set for your podcast show. It could be for personal development, brand awareness, or to promote your business.
If you are new to starting a podcast, some tools on our best podcast tools can help you achieve the best podcast show. We have curated a list of podcasting tools to help you grow your podcast show and ensure you have the best podcasting experience. Even though some of the tools are paid tools, you will find some podcast tools free too as you follow along.
If you want to go deeper into each of these sections… we have more detailed walkthroughs and more tools for each of the following sections:
You need to get a good place online to host your podcast episodes; this will not only create an RSS feed that you can submit to different podcast directories, but you also have all your podcast episodes stored in one place for future reference.
We humbly introduce our hosting service at bCast. Our premium features collect data across every podcast directory- both small and large and ensure your podcast show's success. Using bCast as your podcast host will allow you to have a chance to insert CTAs (call to action) for your audience.
Libsyn is one of the oldest podcast hosting services with significant power to grow your show. Using Libsyn, you can be sure to get your podcast on whichever platform you choose. You also get a customized app for your podcast show that will be well managed.
Podbean is also a great podcasting host that has been in service for years. The best part about it is that you get to enjoy their premium features and services for free. They also help you monetize your podcast with many remarkable methods.
On archive.org, you get to upload your pre-recorded audio files and sound. You also get to have free space storage on them.
SoundCloud is a fantastic podcast hosting option to use. Even though you need an account to download any content, mainly for music, it can host your podcast episodes. You also get free distribution to other channels such as YouTube.
BuzzSprout is another excellent podcast hosting option. With a user-friendly interface and rational pricing plans, you can be sure of the success of your podcast show if you use them as a host.
This is a self-hosting podcast platform that is within a reasonable budget. You can use this platform to host your podcast shows by yourself. You also can make different edits to it, such as crossfade, align, automate, swing, and many more.
The transistor platform is a great place to create a website for your podcast show and store your audio files more importantly. You also get an RSS feed for redistribution purposes into platforms such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, iTunes, Overcast, and more.
Captivate comes with many outstanding features and a handful of helpful tools to host your podcast and help you gain listeners at a fast rate.
RedCircle is a free podcast hosting platform that provides active tools for podcasters to earn and take a commission when they do. You get unlimited storage for podcast hosting, cross-promotion, paid subscription to premium content, and donations.
SimpleCast is one of the smoothest podcast hosting platforms. They offer unlimited storage and allow professionals to be in control of your podcasts.
Blubrry has been around for a very long time and offers excellent features such as easy integration with their PowerPress plugin for WordPress.
This podcast hosting platform has been around for over a decade and comes with many cool features for podcasters. Although you get a free plan for just testing things, there is a paid monthly plan you want to enjoy and have unlimited access to great features such as the Live Podcasting option.
This free podcast host has huge podcast show directories and gives you unlimited access to everything, including bandwidth and podcast storage.
Podiant comes with a unique podcast hosting feature – the product assistant system. This feature writes your podcast scripts, adds show notes from the dashboard directly, and reviews your content before and after uploading.
This is a simple podcast hosting platform with good features. With few clicks, you access a user-friendly interface that helps you move around on the platform.
This podcast hosting platform comes with different tools to help you get the best podcasting service, especially as an independent podcaster. Its features allow you to share your podcast episodes to directories such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and iHeartRADIO. It also provides an embedded audio player for your social media or web pages.
This podcast hosting software is the best free podcast platform. With the user-friendly interface, you can manage your episodes and edit your files. It is the best option when you are podcasting with your smartphone. And because of its simplicity, you can directly record your podcast into the app to edit and share, unlike many others you have to import after external recording.
It is essential to track the performance of your podcast and improve where necessary. Using the right analytics tools will help you keep track of your show and make the most of your podcast content.
The best thing about using this analytic tool is that they can easily garner more data from your listeners as they already have an established podcast directory and music platform. This can quickly help you find average listen, total download and give you an insightful knowledge of what your audience wants to hear.
Google offers one of the best self-service tools when it comes to analytics. Using the google podcast manager, you will know the total impression of your content on google search and how well users are engaging it. Using google podcast manager tools, you will have information about clicks, impressions, click-through rates, top search terms, and discovered episodes.
You can access this tool after submitting your podcast RSS feed to Apple Podcast. It has incredible features like showing the total listening time per episode, average listening and consumption time, and the number of unique devices per show.
Using Podtrac, you can be sure of industry-standard analytic data for either podcasters or marketers.
Chartable provides marketing and analytic tools to help track the monetization and marketing of a podcast. They have unique features that include SmartAds, Smartlinks, and SmartPromos.
Blubrry is one of the best podcast analytics tools in the industry. They provide you with advanced podcast statistics to help you know who your listeners are, the device or platform they frequent, and how to understand them better.
With a transistor, you get the best podcast analytic tool that helps monitor your podcasting progress. You can use the result to know what is lacking to build a better brand. You can also get an RSS feed for your podcast and gain total access to popular podcast directories.
Castos is a podcasting platform with a podcast analytics tool feature. When you use Castos podcast analytic, you get to test new styles, get automated transcripts and have several options for podcast monetization.
This is an analytic tool with incredible features that gives you deep knowledge of your show listeners and audience. It also allows you to download information to analyze further and evaluate your data.
This podcast analytics tool is an unrivaled tool. Using this analytic tool, you can know if downloads were played. It also provides you with comprehensive data to understand what is working or not in your podcast content or ads. You get a free trial for the first 14 days and a $35/month monthly plan.
Talkwalker has a podcast monitoring feature that puts all your podcast conversations into context with its speech-to-text analytics tool.
Fireside is an operational analytics tool and podcast hosting that helps you get real-time data on your content. It gives you accurate analytics and statistics that help you host and plan better podcast shows.
This is the most vital tool to have for podcast recording and other post-production actions. When you want to get a PC, you should get good battery life for easy mobility.
This tool determines your sound quality and determines how well your audience will understand what you are saying and enjoy your show. We have the best types of microphones for podcasting that you can use to get sound clarity on every episode.
This tool is necessary to take your audio quality to the next level. Although a USB microphone might get the job done, a sound mixer will let you control input, output, and sound levels on your show.
Using headphones is essential in recording podcasts. It helps you avoid any form of distraction and hear yourself live. It also helps to prevent any recording mistake that could affect post-production or editing.
A headphone amplifier is essential when you are running your podcast show with a co-host. You and your co-host(s) will each need different headphones to work with during a podcast show.
It is essential to place your microphones well during recording to avoid unnecessary movement that could affect production and cause distractions. It also creates space.
These cables are essential, especially when you are using XLR microphones for better sound. It is also necessary to connect your microphone to a mixer.
The logic pro X is a podcasting recording software mainly aimed at seasoned podcasters that know their way around. It comes with technical features you will find confusing. It is compatible with Windows and macOS and allows free trials.
SpeakPipe should be a prioritized recording tool. It engages your audience and enables you to get automatic feedback from your listeners. This can make your audience feel involved in your podcast show and be suitable for the show's success.
Vocaroo is a premium voice recording service with several audio formats.
Adobe Audition supports high-recording on more than 32 tracks, and it also has a De-noise and re-verb effect.
Krisp is a podcast recording tool that can record your dialogues clearly and sharply. It has impressive features such as free calling options and background voices that drown immediately when you hit the record button.
Audacity is a free podcast recording software with a live recording option. It lets you choose if you want to create 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit audio recordings. You can also use Audacity to digitize audio files from other media and record live audio with a microphone or a mixer.
Experienced podcasters can use Hindenburg Journalist to create solo or interview podcasts. You can record new audio or import audio files if you so choose. It also comes with features that amplify the quality of your recording with its voice profiler tool.
Garage band is top-rated among podcasters because of its advanced podcast recording features. It is equipped with a visual EQ that features different color-coded bands and several plugins to help your podcast sound more dynamic.
A live session with your audience could be a way to promote the success of your podcast show effectively. Facebook live will allow interactive sessions with your listeners, and they can stream from their devices. As a podcaster, you can also stream directly from your phone and upload it to your Facebook profile, page, or group.
Zencastr is a web-based podcast recorder, and it allows users to create their interviews online. It features a soundboard that allows you to add intro and outros to your recording. It also separates tracks for each guest, so you avoid quality drop-offs while recording.
You can create a solo recording from the app and post them on Libsyn, PodBean, Blubrry and other podcast hosting platforms.
Zoom is an audio and video conferencing tool that you can use for recording long-distance podcasting shows. It works best for interview-based shows.
Ringr is primarily effective for interview podcast sessions. It records your already scheduled remote interview. It automatically uploads to the Ringr platform once the conversation is made a recording.
ProTools is one of the best professional podcasting software in the market. It has different features, but you can record your podcast episodes while enjoying them. However, it would help if you were a professional to be able to use and navigate ProTools.
This is not a primary podcast recording tool; however, podcasters who use Skype for interviews can rely on this app to record their Skype calls.
Editing your podcast episodes is very important to the success of your show. It will allow you to drown every background noise and add other features to the episode. It is crucial to make use of excellent tools to achieve a perfectly edited podcast episode.
This editing tool comes pre-installed on every Apple MacBook Pro or Air PC. It is pretty easy to use, and it is free to use and download.
The audacity application is an excellent option for new or seasoned podcasters. It is free and works well on Apple PCs and other different types.
QuickTime is the default editing software in Apple devices. It edits both audio and video files, and it is free! As the name implies, you can easily and quickly edit your files.
If you are looking for professional-level editing software that you can use for interviews or multiple clips, you should go for the Hindenburg Journalist. It has incredible features for reasonable quality control and a multi-track audio editor.
Alitu is designed explicitly for newbie podcasters without technical knowledge. It has fully automated features and comes at an affordable rate of $28 per month.
Anchor is on the list because of its all-in-one features. It not only works for podcast hosting but has excellent features that let you record, edit and publish your podcast simultaneously.
This is the most affordable editing tool with DAW. With digital audio, you can edit and mix audio and MIDI tracks. It is straightforward to install and use.
This multi-functioning editing tool works well for audio and video files. It allows you to delete, paste, cut, and copy written transcripts to adjust to the recorded audio.
It is one of the most popular recording and editing software in the podcasting industry. It comes with great professional-grade features that make your podcast sound great. You have to pay a monthly plan of $29 to enjoy these features.
Logic pro is an excellent audio editing software. However, it works more for engineers than podcasters because of its many technical features. But it should not be a problem for experienced podcasters.
Auphonic is easy and instant editing software that analyses your recorded audio and enhances noise reduction and level audio. It has a limited free version, but with $11 every month, you get access to over nine hours of audio.
Podcasting is more complex than just recording a podcast and uploading them on hosting platforms. Transcribing your podcast audio into texts will improve the searchability of your podcast episodes and make your audience find it easily. Several tools can quickly transcript your audio files both automatically and manually and eventually help your podcasts show SEO.
We also offer a transcription service as one of our features. Sign up with bCast and start to enjoy an array of features that is unmatched.
Go transcript is one of the most effective, most affordable transcription tools. The web-based platform has many super-skilled professionals that accurately transcribe your audio and video files to text.
Happy scribe is the best podcast transcription service for podcasters looking for easy and fast ways to transcribe audio recordings. It supports API integrations and can also transcribe files into over a hundred languages.
Express Scribe is a popular transcription tool for professionals. There is a free and paid version of this transcript tool, although the free version has limited features.
Castos is a podcasting platform equipped with an automated transcription service that accurately transcribes audio files into text. This tool also improves the reach of whatever content on the forum.
This is a free transcription tool that can be used on the web. OTranscribe has a user-friendly interface that easily lets you control the audio and the text editor on the same page. It has interactive timestamps and automatically saves your progress.
Descript is a cross-platform podcasting transcription tool that can be used to transcribe your podcast audio file. It also has a Lyrebird AI that automatically corrects your typo with 96% accuracy. It also detected multi-speakers quickly.
This is a transcription tool with high-quality audio playback. It has automatic timestamps and supports a range of audio and video file types.
Sonix is designed to help podcasters improve their SEO optimisation for search engines. It comes with an audio text editor that allows you to adjust texts after transcription. And an integration feature that lets you edit your files as soon as you transcribe them.
Trint has a super-fast transcription process and services available in 27 languages. It is fully equipped with different text editing tools and can be integrated with several applications through Zapier.
This platform has an advanced AI speech recognition feature that accurately describes audio and video files into texts. It can transcribe it into over ninety languages. It also supports different file formats for export.
InqScribe is an affordable solution for audio files transcripts and comes with great subtitle options. It provides an accurate transcription of multilingual documents and provides support for all file formats.
Audext efficiently transcribes your audio files into a DOC or TXT format. In a couple of minutes, you can get your podcast video or audio file transcribed. It identifies multiple speakers, which is great if you run an interview-based podcast or invite guests.
Temi is a simple transcription tool that generates your audio files into text. They help you improve your search engine optimisation. It also allows you to add a timestamp to your files and access tools to edit your transcript files. You do not also need to subscribe to use this tool.
Social media is an excellent tool for monetising your podcast. You can get all your marketing strategies from social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and many more. You can put the iTunes URL on your Facebook post or episode tweet. You can also create SoundBits clips, upload them to SoundCloud and share them on Twitter. You can also take advantage of the Instagram story by sharing the behind-the-scenes stuff.
An email list is an essential tool to use, especially if you want a massive following without the use of social media. A regular weekly email newsletter to a subscribed audience is a great way to market your podcast.
These are music and sound waves usually on top of podcasters' logos. It is like trailer-like audio sounds for different podcasters. As a podcaster, you should create one for your podcast channel and place them on multiple platforms to aid promotion. Video sound bites are the best marketing tools that help a podcast quickly reach a targeted audience.
This simply means a ready-made answer on what your podcast show is about. You should be ready to answer what your podcast show is about, who it is for, what purpose it serves and what makes it stand out from the rest. The best thing is to constantly talk to someone about it and refine your speech over and over.
This could turn out to be a promotion for your podcast show if you bring guests with an online presence on the show. You can leverage your guests' audience and, by extension, find potential listeners.
The best thing about podcasting is repurposing as many times as you want. You can convert your podcast audio into a YouTube video. The many benefits of doing this are that you enjoy automatic captioning if you don't want to transcribe great SEO benefits.
What most successful podcasts do is make good use of transcription services. Transcribing your podcast is a great way to add links and have SEO advantages.
Podcatchers are apps that play only podcasts. Many apps and websites help you discover new podcasts such as podcast addict, Overcast, TuneIn, Castro, etc.
Free stuff can be enticing and can be a great incentive to gain huge listening and listeners to your podcast show. You can ask your audience to participate in entry requirements for giveaway contests.
You can then present them with gifts like a discounted rate for products, pens, shirts, books, etc. It could be indirect gifts like a shout-out at the end of the show, a mention in show notes, or a come as a guest on the show.
To make the most of this method, mention brands on your show. This content marketing strategy is effective and allows you to broaden your podcast horizon.
The most coveted spot on iTunes that lets you gain high visibility on the iTunes podcast sections. Several factors can make that a possibility. These include reviews, downloads and the amount of subscription within eight weeks after you launch.
Make appearances on other podcast shows. It will help you gain recognition in front of their audience and become potential listeners by knowing more about you and your show.
Wavve converts your podcast into videos and helps you promote them on social media. It has several designs and themes that convert your audio to video and direct them to a broader audience.
The Notion platform is one of the best tools to help your podcast to grow. It is a note-taking app that also doubles as an idea-sharing, brainstorming and podcast scriptwriting application too.
As a podcaster, you often want to schedule your social media messages and post ahead of time. It can create time for you to do other things like creating content.
Disruptive advertising is a podcast marketing tool that produces an efficient result. It consists of social media marketing and pay-per-click on equal parts.
Adobe Photoshop can be used as a podcasting design tool. It can come in handy for art covers and designs.
The adobe illustrator is an excellent podcast design tool. It has lovely touches for smooth and sharp designs.
The photo editor comes pre-installed on Apple devices. All you have to do is edit photos in the camera roll, edit and enhance.
Canva is the best content creation tool for podcasters that do not have prior knowledge of graphic designs. You also get to place the logo and add watermarks to your design.
Calendly is a podcasting tool that comes in handy for scheduling time for guests. It can organize, save time and schedule your podcasts for the right time. You can share this app with other hosts when you invite guests to your show. They can set the right time for the recording of podcasts and get notified when there are changes.
You can use Doodle to plan a live stream or recording ahead of time. You can set multiple dates on a poll, and everyone invited can choose the best time that works for them.
Easypodcast is a GUI tool for podcast publication. It is a multi-language and cross-platform: tested on Linux and Windows -- thanks to wxPython.
StudioRack is a live audio and video production platform made for Windows operating systems. It is aimed at seasoned podcasters.
With TalkShoe, you can schedule, create, and run a live show. Then eventually, integrate the recording onto your website.
The tools mentioned above can help make your show more efficient and professional. While some of these podcast tools are free, most have paid subscription rates with free trials. And keep in mind that while the free means not spending money, you may be getting ads, have limitations, and sometimes get no full support.
It is crucial to invest in quality podcast equipment- you cannot compare the sound of cheaply recorded audio to the sound of rich audio no matter how well your editing skills are. Make proper use of these tools and let them grow your podcast into a great success.
Of course… if you have any questions about these tools, please drop us an email at support@bcast.fm and we will advise… for free of course. We just want to see you grow 🚀
