The Pros And Cons Of Free Podcast hosting Services
Hosting your podcast is the only way that you will have your content shared on your listeners’ favorite platforms. There are many podcast hosting sites where you can host your new podcast show. These platforms offer the storage, bandwidth, and flexibility you need to publish your content. However, if you are a beginner or love hosting your podcast on free hosting platforms, be aware that it has pros and cons.
Download the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.
As they say, what has advantages must surely have disadvantages: this adage point-blank to some free podcast hosting platforms out there. So, in this article, I will share some of the pros and cons of free podcast hosting services; read on to discover them.
Pros Of Free Podcast Hosting Services
It’s free.
Free hosting options help beginner Podcasters who aren’t ready to splash some cash to host their show, and there are a handful of free podcast hosting sites like Buzzsprout. These platforms help you create, host your podcast and weigh how successful it is in resonating with your target audience.
These free hosting options also help you invest your money in the right place so that you will attain the value of the money you spent, and this works by trying out different hosting options at your disposal before venturing into a paid plan.
Overall, these free options help you blend in with the podcasting community having the right experience.
Automatic Distribution To Podcast Directories
The stress you must know ends not in hosting your podcast. Of course, your end goal is for it to be at your audience’s disposal; that’s where distributing your podcast to listening apps or directories comes into play.
Some of the free podcast hosting services help to distribute your podcast to your audience – mostly automatically. That way, you can reach a wider scope of audience.
Platforms like Anchor.fm offers genuine services like this. All you need is to host your podcast on the platform, and boom, your podcast automatically drifts to directories like Spotify where your audience can engage with it.
It’s Usually Flexible
We all are accustomed to trying out different things to see what works in the end. That’s another benefit of free podcast hosting services.
It indubitably offers flexibility to users, mostly novices seeking the best hosting platforms. By using free podcast hosting services, you can wittingly try different platforms. No dime will be paid! That way, you can easily detect the platform that helps you meet your target regarding your podcast shows.
It Offers Reliable Analytics
Of course, you would love to keep track of your podcast analytics to measure your success for each episode. Although just a few hosting platforms offer their users the ability to track their analytics, platforms like Anchor.fm give room for that.
You can track your metric from its simple dashboard and pinpoint how your podcast resonates with your audience through their click-through rates and how much time they spend on any episode. This surely helps podcasters grow their show.
It offers Monetization Features
Monetizing your podcast is of prime importance, and the good news is you can monetize your podcast using some of the free hosting platforms. Buzzsprout is one of the platforms you can monetize your podcast using its free version.
They usually partner with top brands to enable you to make money from your podcast, which is the major goal of most podcasters.
It offers A Simple User Experience
Technically speaking, some free podcast hosting platforms are simple to use, especially if you want to upload new content – no special knowledge is required consequent to its user interface.
And Buzzsprout is one of the hosting platforms that offer such simple user experiences.
Cons Of Free Podcast Hosting Services
As I mentioned in the foregoing, what has advantages also have disadvantages. So, here are the cons of free podcast hosting services.
Limited Options
When using free podcast hosting services, you will be limited in certain ways. For instance, some platforms will offer a tiny bandwidth that restrains your number of uploads per hour.
It also offers little to no analysis for your podcast and the restraint in distributing your podcast to listening apps.
This might pose a problem to you if you aim to punch your podcast. To avoid situations like this, always advance to monthly paid options when you have some cash.
It Has Strict Terms And Services
Most free podcast hosting platforms have strict terms and services that restrict a podcaster’s right to their content.
It happens that with any content hosted on platforms like these, sharing your podcast with your audience will be difficult.
Such strict terms and services sometimes prevent users from attaining their goals. To avoid situations like this, stick to paid options if you have some cash.
Specified Hosting Days
When you use paid hosting services, you can host your podcast for a good number of days, but the reverse is the case with free versions. For instance, with Buzzsprout, your episode will be hosted for a complete 90days. After that, your episodes will be removed from the platform.
It Has Download Limits.
Another disadvantage of free podcast hosting services is the download Limits it offers. Usually, some platforms like Buzzsprout and Anchor.fm offers 5000 download Limits. This will restrain more listeners from accessing and downloading your podcast.
Thus, the best option will be to stick to a paid plan.
Conclusion On Pros And Cons Of Free Podcast Hosting Services
Working with a free podcast hosting platform is beneficial, especially for beginners who ain’t ready to invest money for paid plans. Nevertheless, as it’s beneficial, it also has disadvantages that could pose a problem if you are looking to advance your show.
Having known the pros and cons of these free hosting services, you will understand that these free options work best for beginners, not professionals in the field.
Download the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.
