A Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting With WordPress
Podcasting has become immensely popular all over the Internet in the last few years and gives users the chance to broaden their web presence while enhancing traffic at the same time. Almost forty six million Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis.
Numbers like those are hard to overlook. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about podcasting with WordPress and help you get embarked by introducing you to some of the best plugins to get the job done.
Let’s put all of this into context before we budge on.
An Introduction to Podcasting
Albeit the concept has been around since the 80’s radio boom, podcast is a relatively fresh term which is a mishmash of Apple’s iPod media player and the word broadcast. Podcast is defined as:
“A digital audio or movie file or recording, usually part of a themed series that can be downloaded from a website to a media player or computer.” Source: Dictionary.com
Adam Curry and Dave Winer are behind the creation of iPodder which forms the building blocks of modern day podcasting. The purpose of the site was to provide users with an elegant broadcasting mechanism enabling them to listen to audio content whenever they’d like.
The Rise of Podcasting
Podcasting has been around since two thousand four and, over a decade later, they’re regaining popularity among the masses. According to a investigate, more people are listening to podcasts in the United States than ever before.
- Almost forty six million Americans listen to podcasts per month.
- 27 million Americans listen to an average of six podcasts per week.
- More than half of the podcast listeners consume them on their smartphones.
- 45% of the podcasts listeners hold a college degree.
- 25% of podcast listeners ass-plug their smartphones into their car’s audio system almost every day.
- Apple has surpassed one billion subscriptions for podcasts via iTunes.
Podcasts are trending once again and this time they’re here to stay for some time. Most of the podcast listeners are youthfull, affluent, and well-educated people who hanker audio content on their morning commutes and running their daily errands.
Apple’s products come with the stock Podcast app whereas other apps like SoundCloud, Tune In, and Stitcher are also widely used.
Podcasting in WordPress
Podcasting and WordPress are like two peas in a pod (pun intended!). WordPress is an immensely popular CMS and its users like to keep up with the latest trends and styles. You’ve most likely noticed that most of the WordPress hubs have added a podcast to their site to supplement their daily blogs covering everything from the latest happenings to tutorials. In a way, website owners are translating written content into audio content.
A podcast combined with a WordPress site is far more beneficial for website owners from a marketing perspective in that both promote each other and cover twice as much ground. At this point you’re most likely coaxed that a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of people subscribe to podcasts regularly but are still uncertain as to whether or not it’s worth all the effort.
In the next section, we’ll cover the advantages of beginning your very own podcast and how it can benefit your online business.
Why You Should Begin Podcasting Today
Aside from the fact that podcasting gives online businesses an extra channel to promote their online business, this content broadcasting mechanism has an array of advantages that webmasters can leverage.
Increases Conversion Rates
Podcasting is a wise way to increase conversion rates. For example, if you’re selling plugins or themes for WordPress, you can market your products to your podcast listeners through your demonstrate. Your site’s visitors are more likely to subscribe to emails if they know they’ll also receive regular podcast updates.
Adding personality and using a conversational tone across your writing builds trust inbetween the author and the reader. Imagine the difference a podcast will make.
Attracts More Traffic
Presently there are ems of millions of blogs all over the Internet whereas the number of podcasts is still a few hundred thousand. That’s a ample difference which means that there’s a entire lot of room for fresh entrants.
Embarking a podcast enables webmasters to attract more traffic to their website and make the most of popular podcasting platforms to build up recognition.
Improves engagement with visitors
An audio channel supplements your website massively in terms of building trust inbetween your viewers (or in this case, listeners). If your site has a blog then your site’s visitors are interacting with you through the written word. Enabling visitors and readers to become listeners adds a human element to your site and your team.
A picture may speak a thousand words and a blog may convey your message but a voice is can make all the difference when it comes to improving engagement with your visitors.
For most people, making the switch from typing words onto a text editor to speaking their heart out into a microphone is sleek and feels natural. Others may find it to be a rather daunting task. The significant thing is to be comfy in whatever you determine to choose.
Getting Embarked With Podcasting
The concept of podcasting is a little staggering at very first (believe me, I know!) and figuring out how to commence is difficult. In this section of the article, I’d like to walk you through a step by step procedure on getting began with podcasting in WordPress.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Step 1: Setting up your WordPress Site
The very first step in creating a podcasting channel is to set up a WordPress site. If you don’t already have one, you can go after WordPress’ famous 5-minute install tutorial to get on board. Once your site is set up, you’ll need to select a decent hosting provider.
A media host is recommended because media files (audio, movie, etc.) are larger than regular HTML documents. This essentially means that they will use up more resources and hosting them separately ensures better spectacle. We’ll look at some WordPress-specific solutions a little later on in the next section.
Step Two: Contraptions and Resources
The most significant asset in your podcasting career will be your microphone. The audio quality that reaches your listeners depends entirely on the microphone you use so it’s best to spend a fair amount of time (and of course, money) when buying your very first microphone.
Most podcasting experts suggest that you begin out with a dynamic microphone that features front-firing with rejection. This feature enables the microphone to pick up your voice and cancel out any other noises in the recording environment.
- Railed Podcaster USB Dynamic Microphone. Railed products are popular among many podcasters. The best part is that they are utterly handy to use and you’ll get a dynamic microphone without cracking the bank. A fair trade, I must say.
- Snowball USB Microphone by Blue Microphones. The Snowball USB microphone is a good choice if you’re just kicking off out with podcasting or are in the experimentation stage.
- Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone. The Heil PR-40 is a professional microphone used by experts. I suggest that you put off buying the Heil PR-40 until you’re comfy with podcasting and your showcase indeed kicks it off.
You’ll also need some other equipment like a microphone arm and a decent pair of headphones. We’ve covered the hardware aspect but a good podcasting display takes their software earnestly too. Those of you using PCs won’t have to spend a dime recording (Pamela) and editing (Audacity) their podcasts. On the other arm, if you own a Mac, the recording software (Call Recorder for Skype) will cost you a few dollars but you can edit (GarageBand) free of charge.
I recommend that you adopt a lean treatment to podcasting which means that you should produce the nude minimum very first, evaluate the listeners’ response and then go forward from there. Save more by investing wisely and on time!
Step Trio: Publishing Your Podcasts
The last step is to publish your recorded podcast on a site or have it go live on iTunes. Platforms like SoundCloud and Libsyn are a fine place to embark. The advantage of publishing your podcast gigs on a well-known platform is that you’ll have a large pool of potential listeners right off the bat.
We’ll look at some WordPress-specific publishing solutions in the next section in detail.
How to Begin Podcasting With WordPress
By now you’re familiar with the absolute basics of getting began with podcasting. In this section, we’ll walk you through a tutorial for using one of the simplest podcasting plugins for WordPress, Gravely Ordinary Podcasting, to help you get a hands-on practice with actually using the plugin.
Installation and Configuration
Gravely Ordinary Podcasting is a free podcasting plugin for WordPress, so you can either search for “Seriously Elementary Podcasting” in the back end of your site (Plugins > Add Fresh) or download it directly from WordPress.org and upload the plugin to your site.
Once you activate the plugin from the Plugins screen, a fresh menu item, Podcast, will be added to the WordPress navigation bar. Go after the plugin’s documentation to configure its settings (Podcast > Settings) based on your preferences.
Adding a Fresh Gig
A podcast is made up of many shows called scenes. Here’s how you can add a fresh scene with the Earnestly Elementary Podcasting Plugin.
Select the Audio radio box:
you’ll be redirected to the Add Fresh Gig screen where you can come in details about the podcast’s scene:
- Scene title.
- Description of the scene.
- Podcast series.
- Podcast gig details.
Customizing the Widgets
Earnestly Plain Podcasting comes with three widget configurations right out of the box to help you display your podcast scenes in the most engaging way possible. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets to explore the options in detail.
Podcast: Single Scene
Those of you who are kicking off out would find it best to leverage the Podcast: Single Gig widget to display their gigs one by one. It offers a neat and clean solution that enables webmasters to display the epsiode’s details in an elegant manner. You can choose to display the latest scene or a particular scene along with any (or all) of the following scene details:
Podcast: Latest Scenes
The Podcast: Latest Gigs widget enables users to display numerous scenes in the Widget Area. This option lets you by hand add how many latest scenes to display in the widget area and lets you choose whether you want to display an gig date with each scene or not.
Podcast: Series
The Podcast: Series option is superb for those of you who publish scenes for different podcast series. This widget enables users to select the series they’d like to display and choose which gig details to showcase in the Widget Area:
As you can see, the Gravely Ordinary Podcasting plugin offers several configuration options to help you set up a feature-full podcast and make it visually appealing. It also provides the plasticity of displaying podcast gigs in various formats on your WordPress site.
We’ve deliberately chosen the simplest screenplay for the sake of this tutorial, but it’s fair to say that even this opens up fresh possibilities for aspiring podcasters.
Top five Podcasting Plugins to Help You Get Began
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best WordPress plugins that will help you get commenced with setting up a podcast demonstrate from the get go.
Podcasting Plugin by TSG
The Podcasting Plugin by TSG features the nude minimum resources you’ll need to host your podcast through your WordPress site. The plugin enhances the default podcast support by incorporating iTunes support and adding its compatible feeds.
With this plugin, users are able to have numerous podcasting feeds based on pre-defined factors. They can also use its media player to enable visitors to listen to (or view) podcasts without having to leave the site.
The Podcasting Plugin by TSG is free to use and it’s undoubtedly worth providing a attempt if you’re experimenting with podcasting.
Gravely Ordinary Podcasting
The name says it all! Gravely Plain Podcasting saves you from getting into the nitty gritty details of hosting a podcasting showcase in WordPress. This plugin is especially suitable for webmasters who bashful away from advanced settings pages and are often found asking: “Is there a plugin for that?” (Don’t worry, I’m one of them).
The plugin features an easy-to-use interface and a ordinary process for setting up and managing your podcast. Albeit the plugin is straightforward to use by default, users can go into its settings to customize their practice.
Gravely Ordinary Podcasting features powerful functionality which makes it one of the most popular choices for both newcomers and pros.
Blubrry PowerPress
Blubrry PowerPress is a feature-rich plugin that’s got everything you’ll need to host and manage your podcast showcase – without having to leave your WordPress site. The developers have announced this plugin to be the No. One Podcasting plugin for WordPress.
The Blubrry PowerPress plugin supports some of the most popular podcasting platforms right out of the box, including, iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. The standout feature that users receive with Blubrry PowerPress is that it takes care of your podcast’s SEO, as well.
With this plugin, users can set up a custom-made subscription menu and create numerous podcasting channels through their WordPress site. Whether you’re injecting the podcasting world or looking for a more powerful device, Blubrry has got you covered.
Libsyn Podcast Plugin
Libsyn is one of the most popular platforms for publishing your podcast and its Libsyn Podcast Plugin makes the entire process much, much simpler for WordPress users.
The Libsyn Podcast Plugin enables users to publish their podcasts directly to their Libsyn account from within their WordPress site. It takes care of updating your RSS feed and ensures that the media files are stored on Libsyn’s servers. How cool is that?
The plugin automatically takes care of your podcast hosting and generates your RSS feeds. This saves your web host from crowding up and having the resources used up by podcasts alone.
Cincopa
Cincopa is a multipurpose solution that features a host of options for WordPress users to add all sorts of media to their sites. One of their many services features a media player for podcasters which is designed to simplify the entire podcasting process.
The best part about Cincopa’s plugin is that it comes with a ton of built-in options that enable users to get embarked right away. This light-weight podcasting solution gives users a subscription RSS feed minus the maintenance efforts.
WordPress Themes for a Podcasting Site
In this section, we’ll check out two of the best podcasting themes for WordPress for webmasters who want to go all in with their podcasting demonstrate. Let’s check them out.
Podcast Pro ($59.95)
Appendipity’s Podcast Pro is an all-round, versatile podcast theme for WordPress users who want to showcase numerous podcast shows through a single platform. The theme features support for .mp3, SoundCloud files, and Libsyn files. Podcast Pro has a broad range of customization options that enable webmasters to configure its styling by selecting either a dark or light template.
In addition to the overall design, users can also get into the nitty gritty design details and tweak the theme’s highlight color, typography, and custom-built headers to fit their site’s brand. The Podcast Pro theme also comes with detailed tutorials to help beginners set up their site without any hassle.
Podcaster ($44)
Podcaster is a fully responsive, retina ready WordPress theme for webmasters who want to create and manage their own podcast website. This theme comes with support for native audio and movie players right out of the box. It enables webmasters to choose from one of two templates – light or dark.
One of the standout features Podcaster has on suggest is that it enables users to set up podcast archives to permit their viewership quick access to previous scenes. The theme is optimized for the Gravely Elementary Podcasting plugin and comes with comprehensive documentation.
Smashing Multimedia (Free)
Smashing Multimedia is a free WordPress theme for podcasting websites that permits webmasters to showcase podcasts and permit their site’s visitors to rate them without having to leave the site. One of the standout features on suggest with this theme is that it permits users to add media files using elementary shortcodes or by using a media plugin.
Those of you who are into designing a custom-built site can mess around with the themes PSD source files to create a truly unique podcasting site. The theme is localized from the get-go and can be translated into any language.
TA Music (Free)
TA Music is an exceptionally feature-rich WordPress theme that comes with an audio player right out of the box. Webmasters can schedule special podcast events, launch podcast albums and even publish blog posts with this one of a kind podcasting theme. The theme features a modern music-esque layout and design that is roped to capture your viewers’ attention.
The theme also permits users to classify podcasts into different genres. This makes it effortless to host numerous podcasters on a single site. In addition to all of this, TA Music also features membership functionality which permits viewers to register with your site.
Our Band (Free)
Our Band is a free WordPress theme that is jam-packed with features and offers a visually appealing layout for your podcasting site. It works with the HTML5 MP3 Playlist Player plugin to enable native audio playback within the user’s browser. Our Band supports gravatars and author info boxes.
This one-of-a-kind theme features a responsive parallax slider which further enhances your site’s visual appeal and permits you to display featured podcasts without tedious valuable screen real estate. The theme’s shortcode integration makes it amazingly effortless to get commenced with – even for users who aren’t particularly tech-savvy.
Musical (Free)
Musical is a fully responsive podcasting theme that features an incredible layout paired with eye-catching typography. The theme ships with social share buttons and a custom-made slider right out of the box. The Musical theme is a good commencing point for podcasters who are just commencing out with their podcasting venture.
One of the best things about Musical is its elementary yet elegant design. Setting up a full-on podcasting site with this theme is a breeze. You can add audio files to your podcast posts directly from the media library and share them with your site’s viewership.
A Brief Guide to Selecting Audio Gear
The audio setup your podcast is recorded on holds central importance to how well you’ll do. When it comes to software, they’ve all got the right features in place to help you get began with podcasting. The actual hardware gear you’ll use is far more complicated however and there’s a ton of factors that should be taken into consideration before any purchases are made. Let’s go go through it step by step.
Microphones
The microphones you’ll ultimately end up choosing from for a podcast setup can largely be categorized into two categories:
- Condenser. These types of mics pick up even the slightest sounds and are often paired with a phantom power mixer to function decently. If you have a recording studio then you should undoubtedly go for a condenser mic.
- Dynamic. Dynamic microphones are directional which means that it’ll only pick up the loudest noise. These microphones are most suitable for podcasters who will be recording in a noisier environment. Basically, if you’re recording anywhere but a recording studio then you should go for a dynamic microphone.
As we discussed above, our top choices for podcasting microphones are:
Audio Interfaces
If you’re running a one-man podcast display then you’re good to go with a USB microphone. Those of you who are planning on beginning out with a few regular team members hosting the display with you or are planning to conduct interviews from your studio would go for a microphone with an XLR port (or numerous USB microphones, depending upon your preference). A team of podcasters is incomplete without an audio interface. Here’s a list of factors you need to take into account:
- Number of input channels.
- A USB interface to connect to your computer.
- Your budget.
- Phantom power (in case of condenser microphones).
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular audio interface and mixer options available.
An audio interface is not a naked necessity for those of you who selected USB microphones and are the foot hosts of their podcast showcase. We recommend that you begin out petite and, if you like it, invest in a mixer or audio interface later on once you’ve got the entire podcasting thing down.
On The Go Recorders
Love to travel and wish of podcasting? We haven’t forgotten about all of you travelling podcasters! Those of you who’ve always dreamt of hosting your own podcast display but didn’t pursue it because you were always on the go and couldn’t set up a recording studio in a fresh location every so often can get the job done with one of these recommended powerful, portable recorders.
How to Use SoundCloud
SoundCloud has grown to become one of the most widely used services that brings online streaming and a sense of community to a single platform enabling users to share music and podcasts. However SoundCloud is mostly used for music, a growing number of members have began hosting their podcast shows through this powerful application.
In this section, we’ll take a look at some of the standout features SoundCloud offers and how you can broadcast your very first podcast demonstrate in less than five minutes. Let’s begin.
Step 1: Create an Account on SoundCloud
SoundCloud enables first-time users to sign up using either their email address or social media accounts (Facebook or Google).
Once you’ve entered your credentials, tick the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy box and click Create account.
Step Two: Set Up Your Podcast Profile
This step is perhaps the most crucial step in the entire process because it’ll end up defining how your users perceive your podcast display. When you’re setting up your profile on SoundCloud (or anywhere for that matter), you must keep in mind that you’re branding yourself. Everything you write will become a part of the brand you’re marketing. Here’s a quick checklist of items you should cover in the Description box:
- Your name/name of your website.
- What your podcast is about.
- Who should listen to your podcast.
- How listeners can benefit from it.
There are hundreds of pretty awesome podcasts out there. This Description box, albeit puny, is one of the thickest platforms through which users can learn what your display is about and most importantly why they should listen to what you have to say without actually streaming it. Pat Flynn has a indeed good description on his podcast Clever Passive Income.
Step Trio: Upload a Track
Now that you’ve set up your profile, it’s time to get down to business. By clicking on the Upload button (in inbetween the search bar and your avatar), you can choose to:
With a free account, you’ll be allotted a total of one hundred eighty minutes – it’s not a lot but it’s enough to get your podcast began. Once you’ve entered your track’s Basic Info (name, description, etc), switch to the next tab over Metadata that permits you to set a buy link on the track. This essentially means that you can sell your tracks instead of putting them up for free. You can even add a license to it!
There you have it! You can have your very first podcast showcase up and running in three elementary steps.
Examples of Successful Podcasts
Post Status: Draft
Hosted by Brian Krogsgard and Joe Hoyle, the Post Status: Draft podcast informs WordPress developers and enthusiasts about the industry. This podcast includes Post Status interviews, conversations, and editorial for the WordPress and web community.
WordPress Weekly
WPTavern’s WordPress Weekly is weekly podcast that talks about all things WordPress-related with its speciality being news and special interviews. The showcase is hosted by Jeff Chandler and has two hundred twenty three scenes at the time of writing.
Serial
The creators of (yet another massively popular) podcast This American Life created Serial. Each season of this podcast display covers a true story in detail. This podcast is one of the best ones to tune into if you’re hunting for an engaging and well-formed storyline to go after.
Gimlet Media
Quick Company has announced Gimlet Media as one of the Top ten most innovative media companies. Gimlet Media’s podcasts are split up into five shows: Remarkably Awesome, Mystery Display, Reply All, Science Vs, and StartUp.
Rainmaker.fm
Rainmaker.fm covers everything from best practices to success stories and technics to tried-out strategies that will help you accelerate your online business. Each gig has invaluable advice to suggest backed up by real practices and in line with the trending digital marketing landscape.
SitePoint’s Versioning Podcast
You may be familiar with SitePoint’s Versioning Podcast which brings you the best people the tech industry has to suggest, learning what makes their brain tick to build up their insights into the evolving world of web development and design. The aim is to keep you in touch with the people pushing the envelope on web design and development, mining their brains and sharing their insights and ideas so you can take your own work to the next level.
Conclusion
Podcasting is an unsaturated market and making a strong entrance today is entirely possible. However traditional podcasting might be over a decade old, it’s still growing rapidly today.
Setting up a podcast with WordPress is super effortless once you’ve got the equipment set up. We covered some contraptions and plugins to help you get began and hopefully you’re in a better place now to take things further yourself. For even more information, be sure to check out The Definitive Guide to Podcasts.
Which plugins do you use for podcasting? Which podcasts do you listen to and what do you like best about them? We’d love to hear from you so let us know in the comments section below!