WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:02.320 Will changing hosting providers grow your podcast? 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:12.840 Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast. I'm Daniel J. Lewis. 00:00:13.430 --> 00:00:20.060 I see podcasters often think that their podcast might grow faster if they switch podcast hosting 00:00:20.340 --> 00:00:28.020 providers, like from Blubrry to Captivate or vice versa. But is this true? Short answer, 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:33.780 No. Now, of course, I'm going to give you more details about that. And you might want the links 00:00:34.040 --> 00:00:38.860 and resources that I mentioned in the notes for this episode, which are a simple tap or swipe away 00:00:39.300 --> 00:00:45.960 or at TheAudacitytoPodcast.com/hostinggrow. Before I go much further, though, 00:00:45.970 --> 00:00:52.740 I do just want to disclose that I am not currently paid by anyone to support anything. 00:00:53.440 --> 00:01:02.140 The links and some of these products and providers I mentioned in this episode are affiliate links, but I earn only if you purchase through my affiliate links. 00:01:02.420 --> 00:01:10.780 I don't get paid for simply mentioning something, but whatever the case, I recommend things I truly believe in regardless of earnings. 00:01:11.320 --> 00:01:20.720 So with that in mind, go to the notes if you want the links over at the website or inside your podcast app using that fancy new format I'll talk about in a future episode. 00:01:21.460 --> 00:01:27.600 So the growth of your podcast isn't directly affected by where your podcast is hosted or 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:29.940 what is generating your podcast RSS feed. 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:38.680 Yes, this actually means you could have a successful show hosted on the bottom of the 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:41.000 barrel, otherwise known as SoundCloud. 00:01:41.860 --> 00:01:50.260 This is because hosting is merely a service and mostly invisible in its basic core functionality. 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:55.980 There are considerations like whether the provider has the infrastructure to support a popular podcast. 00:01:56.780 --> 00:02:02.100 But if we started with the base of, let's say, only 100 downloads per episode for a weekly podcast, 00:02:03.100 --> 00:02:10.420 no one hosting provider is going to make that grow more than another hosting provider simply by using that provider. 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:19.580 In fact, no hosting provider will make it grow at all because it's not in the hosting provider and the service that they provide. 00:02:21.200 --> 00:02:27.760 Where is it? Well, that's further in this episode. So here we go. Number one, podcast stats may be 00:02:27.870 --> 00:02:33.400 measured differently. One thing that might cause some confusion is that different hosting providers 00:02:33.590 --> 00:02:38.860 measure and report stats slightly differently. Although we have the IAB podcast measurement 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:45.180 guidelines and certification in podcasting, that still leaves room for variation. And nowadays, 00:02:45.260 --> 00:02:50.560 actually, I've backed off and I don't think the IAB podcast measurement guidelines are really 00:02:51.420 --> 00:02:58.620 mandatory for a hosting provider to even support unless you do advertising. But I went into that 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:03.900 in a lot more depth in episode 386. I've got the link to that in the notes for this episode. 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:08.460 If you'd like to go back and listen to that older episode, I still stand by that. I still think 00:03:08.980 --> 00:03:12.520 it's nice if you have an advertiser, it's nice to have some kind of standard, 00:03:12.940 --> 00:03:20.360 but it's not necessary. And because they are just guidelines, then you'll end up with different 00:03:20.880 --> 00:03:25.920 results in certain cases. And you might see that difference in your podcast stats if you move from 00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:31.940 one hosting provider to another and then look at the same benchmark points. And sometimes you might 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:36.760 see significant deltas depending on the providers, but that doesn't mean that the providers are 00:03:37.140 --> 00:03:42.139 actually responsible for the size of your audience or that you lost audience simply by switching 00:03:42.160 --> 00:03:48.340 providers as long as you made that switch properly. And a good provider will help ensure that you do 00:03:48.500 --> 00:03:53.660 make that switch properly. Because they're not measuring bigger audiences, they're measuring the 00:03:53.900 --> 00:04:02.240 same audience differently. Also, it's nearly impossible to effectively compare one hosting 00:04:02.420 --> 00:04:08.719 provider's stats to another because your episode reach is not a constant that you can rely on for 00:04:08.740 --> 00:04:14.820 analysis across different platforms. It's not like you know that every episode you will ever release 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:20.859 always gets the exact same number of downloads so that you can then see if I switch over to this 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:27.600 provider, are those downloads different? You can't see that right now because it does vary. I'm seeing 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:33.120 the stats vary for my own show where they were going up a little bit and now they're taking a 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:37.599 little bit of a dip and we'll see where things kind of even out now that the Audacity podcast is back 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:38.840 on a more consistent basis. 00:04:39.450 --> 00:04:41.580 But that doesn't mean it's the fault of the analytics 00:04:41.710 --> 00:04:42.500 or anything like that. 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.180 It's just measured differently, 00:04:44.420 --> 00:04:47.660 or in my case, it could also be consumption is different 00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:50.400 since I resurrected, almost did a podcast. 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:53.780 Even if you're thinking about the advertiser side of this, 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:56.360 thinking, oh, if I move over to this hosting provider, 00:04:56.430 --> 00:04:57.740 I'll have much bigger numbers 00:04:58.210 --> 00:04:59.620 and therefore a bigger paycheck. 00:05:00.520 --> 00:05:00.620 No. 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:03.460 If one hosting provider reports you have, 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:05.460 let's say 20,000 downloads per episode, 00:05:05.760 --> 00:05:08.340 while another one reports 10,000, 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:11.960 podcast sponsors will not value your show 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:16.320 if they're not getting the return on investment that they expect. 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:20.400 So it really does not help your show. 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:22.200 In fact, it will probably hurt your show 00:05:22.200 --> 00:05:23.880 if you're trying to monetize it with sponsors 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.320 if you're using inflated numbers. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:28.360 Just don't do that. 00:05:29.060 --> 00:05:32.160 Try to use a hosting provider that has reputable stats 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:34.020 and just stick with those stats. 00:05:34.420 --> 00:05:40.520 Don't worry about, oh, a different hosting provider might measure slightly bigger or slightly smaller. 00:05:41.520 --> 00:05:42.660 Yes, there's some variation. 00:05:42.810 --> 00:05:44.040 Just don't worry about it. 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:46.900 It's going to be a little bit different. 00:05:48.080 --> 00:05:54.460 And also just from episode to episode, even on your current hosting provider, the stats will be a little bit different. 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:56.100 It's not a big deal. 00:05:56.770 --> 00:06:01.560 And moving hosting providers is not going to magically make you have a bigger audience, 00:06:02.260 --> 00:06:06.760 even if the numbers might seem different because they measure the numbers differently. 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:13.540 Number two, included podcasting tools may be different with different hosting providers. 00:06:14.400 --> 00:06:19.220 Each podcast hosting provider offers their own set of features and methods for using the podcasting 00:06:19.340 --> 00:06:26.060 tools they provide. But you have to actually use the tools. This is where hosting providers can be 00:06:26.640 --> 00:06:31.239 significantly different. One provider will offer a certain suite of tools while another provider 00:06:31.260 --> 00:06:36.780 offers a different suite of tools. Sometimes these tools overlap, sometimes they don't. 00:06:37.140 --> 00:06:43.860 But because each feature from a hosting provider is simply a tool, your success depends on your 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:50.700 knowledge and your ability for you to use the tools they give you. Do you notice how many times 00:06:50.700 --> 00:06:56.519 I said you and your in that? On top of that, some podcasts benefit more from certain tools 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:04.140 than others if they use those tools. For example, Captivate offers a guest scheduling feature. 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.680 That's pretty cool. You don't have to pay for that separately then because it's built right into 00:07:08.140 --> 00:07:14.220 your podcast hosting provider. But if you never have guests on your podcast, then this particular 00:07:14.370 --> 00:07:19.859 feature won't make any difference for your podcast. But even if you do need this tool and you actually 00:07:19.880 --> 00:07:27.720 use it, it won't directly affect your podcast's growth. But it does make some things cost less 00:07:27.960 --> 00:07:34.920 time, money, and knowledge for you, freeing your resources for you to invest in other places. 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:41.240 Or another example is what I call the networking feature in Podgagement. Now, Podgagement is not 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:47.000 a podcast hosting provider, but this feature nicely illustrates this point, as you'll see. 00:07:47.800 --> 00:08:00.160 The networking feature exposes podcasts that share crossover audience with yours, helping you discover networking opportunities to cross-promote, cross-guest, collaborate, or even simply do some competitive research. 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:07.940 Now, you can use Podgagement to do that on your podcast. It's only $19 a month for that and a whole suite of other features. 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:10.620 But you can do that yourself. 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:22.060 All you have to do is check the currently 2,843,960 other shows in Apple Podcasts yourself. 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.480 And that's a number as of July 12th, 2025. 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:31.560 Then keep track of where your show is recommended and then repeat that every day. 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.419 In the wise words of the philosopher Sweet Brown, 00:08:35.880 --> 00:08:37.120 Ain't nobody got time for that. 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:43.500 If you actually learn and use a tool like Podgagement or many of the tools podcast hosting providers 00:08:43.880 --> 00:08:47.020 offer, it can be huge for growing your podcast. 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:55.220 But the mere passive existence of these features won't get you a single new listener. 00:08:56.260 --> 00:08:57.840 You have to use the tools. 00:08:59.140 --> 00:09:02.960 Number three, look at podcast hosting providers as toolboxes. 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:07.900 With all this stuff in mind that I've shared, don't look at podcast hosting providers as 00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:14.440 magical solution to grow your podcast. Instead, evaluate each as a collection of different tools 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:21.440 and decide which tools are most important for you to learn and use. Some tools can help you grow 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:28.020 your podcast better than other tools can, but you have to use them. I recently wanted to convert some 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:33.780 unused space in my house to an extra food pantry. I got all the tools and supplies I needed, 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:36.200 But the pantry never built itself. 00:09:36.920 --> 00:09:40.860 The tools and supplies just sat there, not becoming a pantry. 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.140 The audacity of it. 00:09:44.180 --> 00:09:50.880 It wasn't until I set aside the time to use those tools and the supplies 00:09:51.880 --> 00:09:53.620 that then I built the pantry. 00:09:54.280 --> 00:09:56.860 And then I was able to enjoy the result. 00:09:58.360 --> 00:09:59.220 Back to podcasting. 00:09:59.760 --> 00:10:02.540 It's not your hosting provider's job to grow your podcast. 00:10:03.540 --> 00:10:04.520 It's yours. 00:10:06.560 --> 00:10:12.880 So if you decide that you do want different tools for your podcast and a hosting provider 00:10:12.990 --> 00:10:19.120 will provide those tools that you actually want to learn and will use, then number four, 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:23.420 here are my 2025 recommendations for podcast hosting providers. 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:28.440 I recommend different providers based on your particular needs. 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:57.020 So the following list is not a conclusive rating and ranking of all of the podcast hosting providers out there, but these are the top ones that I find myself recommending regularly and really admiring what they've built. Each of these providers do have Podcasting 2.0 support as well, which now I consider that the litmus test for a good podcast hosting provider. They must support Podcasting 2.0 and be committed to adding support as new features are released. 00:10:57.480 --> 00:11:01.880 So yes, of the following, I am an affiliate for all of these. 00:11:02.700 --> 00:11:07.060 And if you sign up through my link in the notes, then I will get a commission from those. 00:11:07.680 --> 00:11:09.860 But that's the only money I get from any of these. 00:11:09.990 --> 00:11:12.560 And it's only if you sign up only through my links. 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:17.400 I genuinely recommend each of these providers regardless of their earnings. 00:11:18.060 --> 00:11:21.120 And they've not paid me simply to mention them. 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.440 I don't currently get paid to endorse anything. 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:25.080 I kind of like it that way. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:30.380 So with that disclosure, again, said, here's the list. 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:35.040 Blubrry for the best WordPress-focused workflow, 00:11:35.660 --> 00:11:41.040 because this allows you to manage everything about your podcast publishing without leaving WordPress. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:45.160 So if you really love WordPress and you want to do everything in WordPress, 00:11:45.900 --> 00:11:48.120 Blubrry is definitely your go-to solution there. 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:53.540 Or Buzzsprout for the easiest to use without sacrifice. 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:59.760 They provide great audio processing, transcription, monetization, and AI-powered features and more. 00:12:00.760 --> 00:12:02.640 Or Captivate for everything else. 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:07.900 They offer dynamic content insertion, multi-podcast support at no extra cost, 00:12:08.540 --> 00:12:13.240 transcription, monetization, AI-powered features, guest scheduling, and more. 00:12:13.560 --> 00:12:17.880 I used to be on the advisory board for Captivate because I love them so much. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:22.520 Ever since they were acquired by Global, I'm not on the advisory board anymore, 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:24.920 but I still highly recommend Captivate. 00:12:25.160 --> 00:12:27.160 And I still highly recommend these other companies too, 00:12:27.460 --> 00:12:30.780 regardless of relationship or earnings from each of them. 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:33.100 Blubrry, Buzzsprout, and Captivate, 00:12:33.340 --> 00:12:35.460 the BBC of podcast hosting. 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:37.820 Oh, I hope I don't get sued for saying that. 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:42.180 But for each of these providers, as you can see, 00:12:42.520 --> 00:12:45.680 I think they offer a unique set of tools 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:48.920 that is ideal for certain podcasters. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:56.720 If you don't like WordPress at all, then Blubrry is probably not the best solution for you. 00:12:57.640 --> 00:13:02.340 If you want the powerhouse of tools, then Captivate might be the solution for you. 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:07.060 Or if you're getting started with this or just don't want the system to be complicated, 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:13.460 but you don't want to sacrifice control and features to have something dumbed down, 00:13:14.260 --> 00:13:19.160 so you still want something great but much easier to use and simpler to just publish, 00:13:19.920 --> 00:13:21.360 then Buzzsprout is great for you. 00:13:22.040 --> 00:13:24.060 And each of these have their strengths and weaknesses. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:29.440 So it's up to you to decide which one provides the tools you want. 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:34.460 But before you switch whatever hosting provider you currently use, 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:37.360 look at the tools you already have 00:13:38.230 --> 00:13:42.540 and seriously try them to see if they might be the tools you need 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:45.040 so you can grow your own podcast. 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:50.820 To tease about an upcoming episode about the thing I'm doing differently with my notes, 00:13:50.900 --> 00:13:56.480 this is something that I was looking at switching podcast hosting providers so that I could do 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.300 in-app podcast notes differently. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:07.860 I changed my mind and decided to stick with what I was using, but to leverage more of the tools 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:13.480 in a slightly different and better way, also involving some custom coding work on my side. 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:15.800 I'll talk more about that in a future episode. 00:14:16.820 --> 00:14:20.440 So if you want these recommendations and some of these other notes and links that I mentioned, 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:28.480 they're simple tap or swipe away inside of your podcast app or at TheAudacitytoPodcast.com/hostinggrow. 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:30.540 Now over to the community corner. 00:14:31.140 --> 00:14:35.480 Thanks to Randy Black for the 101 sats and 47 sats. 00:14:35.850 --> 00:14:37.500 I think I know what you're saying there. 00:14:37.900 --> 00:14:43.500 And also thanks to Lindsay Phillips for interviewing me on her show, Leverage Your Podcast, talking 00:14:43.520 --> 00:14:48.660 Podgagement and how to engage your audience. Follow my social media accounts pretty much 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:54.400 everywhere. It's at the Daniel J. Lewis to see when that episode is available so you can go listen to 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:58.900 it and give her some love for the really fun conversation. It was great to talk with her and 00:14:58.900 --> 00:15:03.740 I look forward to sharing that episode with you when it's available. And if you love the Audacity 00:15:03.750 --> 00:15:09.300 to Podcast and value the education and inspiration that I provide to you, then would you consider 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:15.020 giving back by trying Podgagement. Podgagement helps you to track all of your ratings and reviews 00:15:15.640 --> 00:15:22.140 across nearly 200 places or track your global ranking for your podcast across nearly 34,000 00:15:22.380 --> 00:15:28.360 charts. Or it has that awesome networking feature so you can discover networking opportunities for 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:33.760 your podcast. It also gives you opportunities to collect voicemails and written feedback from your 00:15:33.850 --> 00:15:39.280 audience or make attractive images to help you promote your podcast. See, this is all a suite 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:43.700 of tools that you can use so that you can grow your podcast. 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:48.140 And now that I've given you, not your hosting provider, 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:51.460 some of the guts and taught you, not your hosting provider, 00:15:52.140 --> 00:15:52.740 some of the tools, 00:15:53.160 --> 00:15:57.560 it's time for you to start and grow your own podcast 00:15:58.420 --> 00:16:00.040 for passion and profit. 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:03.740 I'm Daniel J. Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com. 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:04.860 Thanks for listening.