Podcasts are recorded videos uploaded on specific hosting sites to share knowledge, opinions or conduct short e-marketing training for your customers. They’re popular, giving famous vloggers a decent amount of money and thousands of listeners (followers).
Are you thinking of starting a podcast show?
In this article, we’ll give a detailed analysis of PodBean, a popular podcast host provider, to help you understand what podcasting is all about.
PodBean Hosting Service
PodBean is a podcast hosting service where you can upload, publish, and monetize your marketing content or podcast shows. It offers various flexible packages to suit different budget needs.
PodBean is based in Delaware and has been around since 2006. The company has hosted over 250 000 podcasts for numerous podcasters all over the world.
PodBean does not own your content. It only hosts your published podcasts. However, it can distribute and promote your shows for you using web ranking and promotion tools embedded on their platform.
With PodBean’s podcast package, you can:
- Upload and publish your podcast episodes
- Organize and send your podcast on multiple sites like Google Play, iTunes, etc.
- Create a website for your podcast shows
- Promote your published episodes on social media
PodBean Pricing
PodBean has four main packages to choose from, with a free basic plan for beginners or those starting on a limited budget.
The paid packages include unlimited storage space and bandwidth, while the free plan offers limited storage space (5 hours of uploaded content) and a bandwidth of 100GB.
PodBean Features
As mentioned earlier, PodBean has four main plans, comprising a free plan and three paid plans ranging from $9-$99, all with similar features available according to your choice’s payment plan.
Here are the key features:
- Unlimited Hosting
- Podcast Publishing
- Distribution & Promotion
- Professional Podcast Website
- Email Integration
- Podcast Statistics
- Podcast Recorder
- Monetization
- User Retention
- Live Streaming
- Audience Engagement
- PodBean Podcast App
- Reliable Customer Support
PodBean Payment Plans
The table of features below will help you make an informed choice with a suitable PodBean hosting platform.
| Plan | Basic(Free) | Unlimited Audio | Unlimited Plus | Business |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $9 | $29 | $99 |
| Audio storage | 5 hours | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Bandwidth | 100 hours | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Add your domain | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Website builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSL included | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video support | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Podcast monetization | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Professional themes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Donations | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Private podcast | No | No | No | Yes |
| Customer support | 24 HRS live chat and tickets | 24 HRS live chat and tickets | 24 HRS live chat and tickets | Priority |
The Business package with priority podcast support is designed for entrepreneurs or training purposes with unlimited video support. It’s the most expensive of the four, but most practical if you’re looking to monetize your podcast shows.
PodBean Website Builder & Themes
To create an account with PodBean, select a preferred domain name, for instance, Seanally.podbean.com, where you will post your published episodes for your visitors to stream or download to listen to your content.
After the registration process, customize your site by selecting a preferred theme from the available options (14 premium and 20 free articles) that resonate with your content from the various styling options available on the platform.
CSS Editor
PodBean also offers a free application to help your listeners find you on multiple channels. It is available with an open plan to get a website and a podcasting site accessible on smartphones.
PodBean Video Player
If you pick a paid plan with “Unlimited Audio”, this option is excellent for you since you can add a customized web domain and market and monetize your podcast. When choosing a paid plan, go for the annual payment option since the monthly payment plan is significantly costly when billed by the month.
With PodBean paid plans, i.e. Unlimited Audio, Unlimited Plus or the Business plan is that you get unlimited bandwidth and storage space to create countless podcasts as your brand requires. You also get a free -14-day-trial period to test the compatibility of the available features on PodBean.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
You will need Google’s SEO algorithms to optimize your content to make it readily available through podcast search engines.
Mobile App
PodBean has Apps on iOS and Android designed for core publishing as well as listening in. You can record your content directly through the App and upload it directly to your PodBean website through the App as well.
Video Podcast Support
If you’d like to include videos in your podcasts, use one of the paid plans on PodBean to support your content.
Videos aren’t necessary for most podcasts but may be useful for building a personal brand. Your audience needs to see the person behind the voice, demonstrations, facial expressions, and body language.
PodBean Support
One of the best things about PodBean is its excellent customer support service, which includes live chat, ticket system, and email services for all its plans. Including the free plan. You cannot get through to them by phone service, but that’s okay since their website has tons of support material, including video tutorials. The support is timely and not rushed.
Distribution & Promotion
PodBean helps with tools to get your voice heard by tons of potential listeners and help you grow your listening audience.
Get your podcast on all major apps, including Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and podcast apps.
Embeddable Players
Get Professional, customizable players to embed quality podcast on your web platforms. PodBean supports multi-track players and single-episode in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
Share on Social Media
PodBean can robotically post your new episodes to all the major social networks once you link them with your PodBean platform. PodBean also creates videos for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Pros
- Unlimited Hours
- Reliable mobile App
- Video Podcast
- User-friendly interfaces
- Embeddable Players
- Beautiful Podcast Themes
- Affordable Plans for all podcast enthusiasts
- Fully-featured podcast broadcasting suite
Cons
- A limited selection of premium themes
- No telephone support
PodBean is Best For:
- Marketing Professionals
- Training consultants
- Newbie podcaster
- Tech bloggers for short episodes
- Bloggers
Conclusion
PodBean is user-friendly and easy to navigate as a web admin. It has all the essential features you need to produce a quality podcast audio or video for your audience. Even newbies in tech will find their way easily while navigating through the interface.
PodBean is excellent for beginners. You can try out the platform with the free plan. Once you gain a sizeable audience, you can shift to one of the paid plans and enjoy all the cool features if you’re looking to monetize your podcasts.