EP144: The WordPress.com Show
In today’s episode, I share a chapter from my new eBook How To Podcast on WordPress.com and share 14 reasons to consider using WordPress.com to launch your podcast and website. Episode Summary: From Chapter 1 of my new eBook: Why Use WordPress.com as a Podcast Media Host? What makes WordPress.com good? Why should you consider using WordPress.com if you are launching a new podcast and website? What are 14 benefits WordPress.com brings to the table? https://youtu.be/yljJGtay2kg My principles My entire brand and business is around helping people figure things out. I share my knowledge and the tools and resources and guides that I use and things that I think will help you and other content creators. By teaching and sharing my knowledge through podcasts, video, and written articles I am establishing myself as an authority and I am also building trust with people who consume my content. People trust: 1) that I know what I’m talking about and 2) that I believe in what I’m talking about. AKA, I am honest. I only recommend products or services that I believe in or would use myself. So, Here are 14 characteristics or benefits of using WordPress.com that was enough for me to write an entire eBook and guide for How to Podcast on WordPress.com, You can find the Book on Amazon: How To Podcast on WordPress.com: The Step-By-Step Guide The Podcast & Website: https://howtopodcastonwordpress.com Note: The companion podcast and website was built using my step-by-step guide and I on the Personal Plan which is $4/month to host both my podcast and website.
14 Reasons to consider using WordPress.com to host your podcast and website.
1. Simplicity:
You pay one price for podcast and website hosting. My current setup for this podcast is not as simple: I have to pay Libsyn for podcast hosting, Siteground for website hosting Sucuri for website security as my website was hacked last year. I like simple!
2. Trust:
WordPress, in general, is trusted and reputable because they have been around for a long time. WordPress has the technology infrastructure and financial resources to only get better. 30% of the websites on the internet use either WordPress.org or WordPress.com (translation: a lot). All paid plans on WordPress.com include email & live chat support to help you, so you have help when you need it. Trust = peace of mind
3. Affordability:
Each paid plan includes a podcast, blog, and website. And a free custom domain main. Turnkey. Note: WordPress.com does have a Free Plan, but you cannot upload audio files on the free plan, so in order to podcast on WordPress.com you have to start with at least The Personal Plan. Plans: 1. The Personal Plan: which is what I use for the ebook podcast and website is $4/month for 6 GB of space to load and launch your podcast episodes. To give you an example, this is enough media storage space to create about 200 thirty minute episodes. 2. The Premium Plan: is $8.25/month for 13 GB of space with the added benefits of premium website themes and being able to load and launch videos. 3. The Business Plan: is $24.92/month for unlimited storage and bandwidth with the added benefits of being able to install plugins to customize your site to your heart’s content. You get a free domain name. Security and backups are automatic. You get Email & Live Chat Support You can monetize the site with eCommerce You can upload your own WordPress.org themes like Divi which is what I use or you have access to all of the premium and advanced themes on WordPress. For free. You can install all of your WordPress.org plugins like Powerpress by Blubrry, which is what I use. $24.92/month. Bottom Line:WordPress.com is an Affordable podcast solution. View Plans: https://wordpress.com/pricing/
4. Reliability:
You don’t have to worry about your website crashing. Your podcast and website servers will work 24/7/365. WordPress.com is known for using a reliable server system which is optimized for uptime, security, back-ups, and heavy bandwidth traffic. This means that your listeners should never have a server-based problem with streaming or downloading your episodes. Other platforms may use shared hosting servers, and when a shared server goes down, your site could also go down vs WordPress.com which has massive redundancy in place so unless all of WordPress.com goes down, it is unlikely your site or podcast will have downtime. WordPress.com handles backups automatically for you 24/7 for peace of mind. WordPress.com handles the security for your website to keep your content and media safe. Learn more: https://en.support.wordpress.com/status/
5. Customization:
Personalize your website. Add photos, audio, video, pages, polls, contact forms, links, comment threads, menus, and more. The Basic Plan is limited to the free themes, which are decent, but I’ll admit a little tough for someone who loves to design and tweak things, but if you go to howtopodcast.com, you can how I was able to customize the theme I recommend in the ebook to get started. If you upgrade to the $8/month plan you open the doors to all of the Premium themes, which enables you to Choose from hundreds of responsive (mobile-friendly) themes for the look and layout of your website. And if you go to the big-boy plan, customize all you want. I like that, but keep in mind. If your main goal is to just get your podcast up and running and you just need a home base, the Personal Plan may be all you need in terms of customization. Learn more: https://en.support.wordpress.com/themes/
6. Domain Name Included:
All paid WordPress.com plans come with a free custom domain name. Which means you do not need to buy one at GoDaddy and you can renew it every year through WordPress.com Back to simple. One stop shop. When you first sign up for Worpdress.com you will get a default domain name such as yourpodcast.wordpress.com The free custom domain means you can replace the free default WordPress address with something shorter and more professional such as yourpodcast.com as long as the domain name is available. The free domain is good for a year and then you will be responsible for renewing each year and currently, the renewal price is $13/year. FYI, you can also use your own domain name on any paid plan if you already own a domain on GoDaddy or another registrar. Learn more: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/
7. Social Sharing
Automatically send new posts to Twitter, Facebook, and more, and add social tools to help readers share their favorites. Promote your podcast and website easily on social media. This is expected today, but worth noting. With one-click, you can post a podcast episode and also send auto-notices to your social media accounts. Because your podcast episodes are posted to your blog-roll, anyone subscribed to your blog also gets alerted to new podcast episodes via email. Learn more: https://en.support.wordpress.com/publicize/
8. Schedule:
Publish your episodes whenever you want. You can prep some episodes today and then schedule them to post at later dates. Perfect for when you are going to be away but still want to put out your episodes on a regular schedule. You can also batch schedule if you are better than me and can record episodes in advance. You can schedule as many as you want to go out week after week or whatever your publishing schedule is. Learn more: https://en.support.wordpress.com/schedule-a-post/
9.Flexibility:
You can Make changes to pretty much anything about your podcast. Quickly and easily change your podcast name, description, or cover art. You can also easily change the audio, title, or show notes of any individual episode you already posted. You can even remove an entire episode from your podcast feed. This is particularly great when first starting out as you do not need things perfect as you can always go back and make changes.
10. Multiple Shows:
It is possible to Create multiple public podcasts and RSS feeds on your WordPress.com websites. Each podcast can be submitted to Apple Podcasts/iTunes and other pod-catchers and will work independently of each other. RSS feeds are generated by Adding Categories, which I show you exactly how to do in my eBook.
11. Private Podcasts:
Just like public podcasts, you can easily Create multiple private podcasts and private RSS feeds. Private podcasts never appear in a search in Apple Podcasts/iTunes or other pod-catchers, but can be added to pod-catchers manually. It is very easy to create as many private podcasts as you like. You just create a new podcast feed, post whatever audio content you want to it, and then share that one podcast feed directly with as many individuals as you like. When the other individuals add that feed to any pod-catcher it will look and act just like their other podcasts. Businesses could use private podcasts for internal communications and share information directly with stakeholders. Schools could use private podcasts for courses, internal communications, or communications with prospective students. Podcasters could use private podcasts to generate revenue by selling access to a bonus, archive, and extended-length episodes.
12. Monetize:
Make money with your site with Paypal integration so you can recoup the expenses of producing a podcast. More options available on Premium & Business Plans for monetization. Here are some monetization ideas: E-Commerce: You can incorporate PayPal buttons to sell items or services directly from your website. Ideal for selling podcast swag or access to private podcast feeds. Make money with your podcast content and recoup any podcast-related costs. Collect monthly payments: Similar to Patreon, you can create a PayPal Subscribe button on your site which would allow listeners to give you monthly donations. Sell old episodes: Switch some of your older episodes from your public podcast feed to a new private podcast feed then sell access to that new private feed. Sell bonus episodes: Post new bonus content on a new private podcast feed then sell access to that feed. Affiliate Partnership WordPress.com has an affiliate program whereby you can generate revenue by recommending others to use the platform. If you plan on signing up for Worpress.com, I would be very appreciative if you used my affiliate link at mikemurphy.co/wordpress. Learn more about PayPal: https://en.support.wordpress.com/paypal/
13. WordPress Mobile App:
The WordPress app is pretty awesome Manage your website and podcast on the go. Includes a free mobile and desktop app (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux). This is not an app for your listeners, it is an app for you to manage your site from anywhere. You can view stats about visitors to your site, approve or delete recent comments to your site, and even post text or photo content to your blog. Learn more:https://apps.wordpress.com/ Last but not least is
14. Own Your Content:
Whatever you create on WordPress.com is yours alone. Export your content at any time — wherever life takes you, your content follows.” That’s a big deal for me and should be for all content creators. One of the biggest benefits of hosting your content on your own site vs. A 3rd party host is you are in complete control of the content you work so hard on. More things on the Features page that I will lump into the Final #14” Get found: “Search engine optimized. Make it easy for new fans to find you with built-in SEO. All you have to do is publish.” And Finally, to really boost your confidence and increase your comfort level for using WordPress.com, “Over 30% of the web runs on WordPress. WordPress.com is home to everyone from brand-new bloggers to Time, CNN, TechCrunch, and more.” There are over 6o million WordPress.com websites and growing. Despite the fact that many are not yet aware of the podcasting possibilities, you will be part of a large community right from the start. Learn more: https://en.wordpress.com/features/ So that’s really way more than 14 reasons why I feel confident to recommend WordPress.com as a legitimate podcast and website hosting solutions and why you might consider using it for your next podcast or website. So the quick recap rundown of all 14 reasons: Simplicity. Pay one bill for podcasting and web hosting. Trust. WordPress.com is a household name. Affordability. $4/month is what I pay for a podcast and website for my ebook podcast and website. Say no more Reliability. The technology of WordPress has your back. Customization. Make your site how you want it. Domain Name Included. As long as it is available, all paid plans include a free domain name. Social Media Sharing. Easily share your podcast and posts via social media. Schedule. Publish your episodes on time. Flexibility. Make a mistake in your last episode. No worries, swap out the audio file and fix it. Multiple Shows. You can create multiple RSS feeds under one account. Private Shows. Want to create a VIP feed for your Patrons? Easy to do on WordPress.com Monetization. Recover some of the costs of producing a podcast with PayPal and e-commerce solutions. WordPress app for your mobile and desktop devices. Manage your website from all devices. Own Your Content. Whatever you create on WordPress.com is yours alone. Export your content at any time — wherever life takes you, your content follows.”
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