Simplecast is a podcast hosting platform with unique features for business people. The platform recently revamped its entire website, making it user-friendly for both new and old podcast users.
Simplecast began in 2013, and it has steadily grown to a reliable podcast hosting platform to date. They have continuously strived to develop an innovative product, making it more affordable and user-friendly for clients both big and small.
Who Can Use Simplecast?
Simplecast is ideal for business people and trainers who wish to share their knowledge or expertise with other internet users. The modern analytics and podcast hosting platform is one of the easiest ways for anyone wishing to publish audio to the world. You can publish your complete audio via the one-click option to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other available app tailor-made for listening to podcasts.
Features
Simplecast recently revamped its entire platform, giving users many new additional features for both podcasters, both new and old users. What makes Simplecast unique are the new features, which we think are cool and great to use, especially if you have been using this platform for a long time.
New Show
Simplecast walks you through setting up your show with the following easy steps:
Create a catchy title & show a description
Create personalized artwork (you can include your brand here)
Format your episodes with easy to remember serial numbers
Set up your time zone, select a preferred language, and upload your content
Select a content category
Input owner details
Everything is available once you get to the dashboard, they offer a helpful screen that lets you know what still needs editing, as well as links to other useful resources.
Publishing Episodes
Simplecast shows episode details like last published episode title, number, etc. Such details make a massive difference to listeners when looking for specific episode details if they missed a live show.
To go to the last episode on Simplecast, go to the schedule episode screen and select the episode you’d like to listen to by title. Alternatively, you can schedule future posts to go live or to post a recorded podcast.
Embed Player
You can find the embed player customization on the episode detail page. You’ll also find the show player, and the best part about this feature is you only have to embed this once, and that’s it.
Simplecast has the best players in the market, which is one reason we love this platform.
Analytics
Simplecast analytics is unique compared to other podcasting platforms. With it, you’re able to understand your listeners better from wherever they’re listening in from, be it on a plane, at home, or work. Simplecast analytics also provides intelligent insights about what shows are listened to the most, what’s shared, and what’s dormant.
Simplecast analytics data follows guidelines from the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). This means that your numbers are always accurate since they are approved by the IAB Tech Lab, making it easy for podcasters to collaborate with brands.
The analytics dashboard’s available data includes the day popular times, directories used, location heap maps devices used, plus so much more.
File uploads
The platform allows you to upload files from your storage devices and distribute them. It is a powerful audio streaming platform that delivers audio in millions of minutes each day.
With Simplecast, you don’t have to worry about file uploads or maintain their initial mono/stereo encoding.
Web players
Simplecast has one of the best superior and intelligent web players. Whether you’d like to embed a single show or an entire episode, this unique feature reveals a lot in terms of your listeners’ drop-offs, share points, and listening speed. If you are on the Basic plan, you will be a standard player, but if you are on Growth and Essential plans, you will get more options for color customization plus a team of players.
Private Podcasting
Want some private episodes on your podcast site? Simplecast got you covered. You can archive those episodes that you don’t want publicized to the RSS feed, and it won’t appear on the directories. Alternatively, you can turn public shows into private episodes and vice versa.
Podcast Website
Simplecast allows you to customize your website, including your branded colors, create extra pages, use customized fonts, making it attractive to your prospective clients.
You can use a custom website domain with mobile-friendly and optimized search engines. Creating a customizable website is optional and it helps in the content promotion since it automatically updates your new shows.
Podcast Sharing
The platform features Recast editor, which enables your subscribers to share your shows’ short clips for your listeners to distribute on their social media platforms. This is a great innovative way to let subscribers to connect with their favorite podcasters. The feature also allows you to include branded features such as a logo, customized colors, and other artwork for optimal branding and promotional visibility.
Mobility
Requires zero data migration effort when you need to move your content to Simplecast from your current podcast host. All you need to do is select your show, claim it, confirm the owner, and wait for the migratory process to begin. All your shows will move to the new platform, 98% seamless.
Simplecast Benefits
Simplecast is an essential platform for many podcasters, and we love it for the new additional benefits – we’ve highlighted some of the best ones below:
Easy-to-use than other podcast platforms
Allows podcasters to publish and distribute ready shows with just one click
Makes sharing easy
Allows you to customize your website by adding extra pages
You can use a custom web domain for optimized search engines
New “managing teams” feature
Simplecast allows your listeners to share your podcasts on their social media platforms
Simplecast Pricing
The platform has three main plans, namely; the Basic plan, the Essential Plan, and the Growth plan.
Pricing details:
- Basic plan- Goes for $15 per month. Prepaid annual subscriptions go for $13.50 per month.
- Essential plan- Costs $35 per month, and the prepaid annual cost is $31.50 per month.
- Growth plan- Goes for $85 per month and $76.50 per month for annual subscriptions.
Pros
Easy-to-use
Affordable
Great customer support
Allows sharing
Cons
The uptime feature has a rating of 75%, which is below average
The RSS feed has a rating of 53%, again below average
Customer support
Simplecast has a world-class support team available 24/7.
Conclusion
We recommend Simplecast; the refurbished platform is impressive with numerous additions that make the site easy to navigate, publish, and store your podcasts.