Podcasting continues to grow. According to Podcast Insights, an online magazine, 51 percent of the U.S. population has listened to a podcast. And 80 percent of the podcast audience listens to all or most of each episode.
For ecommerce merchants, podcasting is an opportunity to provide compelling content, promote your business, and demonstrate your expertise. It’s also relatively affordable to get started.
Here is a list of tools to help you produce your podcast. There are both online and offline tools to record, edit, and mix the audio. There are hosting platforms and tools to distribute and track your episodes.
Podcast Tools
RINGR is a call-recording tool for podcasts. It includes a conference-calling feature to record up to four guests. Talk to your speakers before you start recording with Green Room. Use Call Resuming to instantly reconnect with a guest. Price: Basic is $7.99 per month. Premium is $18.99 per month.
RINGR
SquadCast is a recording tool for remote interviews. Create your recording environment; email guests the morning of the broadcast. Price: $20 per month.
Zencastr is a tool to record your remote interviews in studio quality. Simply send a link, and receive a separate track per guest. Insert your intro, ad, or other audio as you record. Generate a single mixed track with curated audio enhancements applied to turn your recording into a professional mix, ready for publishing. Recordings are delivered automatically to your Dropbox or Google Drive account for easy editing and sharing. Price: Up to two guests and eight hours per month for free. Professional plan is $20 per month.
Ardour is an open-source audio software tool for recording and producing. Record, edit, and mix on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Edit with cut, move, stretch, copy, paste, delete, align, trim, crossfade, rename, snapshot, zoom, transpose, quantize, swing, drag, and drop — all with unlimited undo and redo. Mix with mute, solo, fader, automate, isolate, sync, and more. Price: Free.
Adobe Audition is an audio production platform that includes multi-track, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content. Record, mix, and export audio content for a podcast or any other audio project. Remix audio to fit any duration. Repair and restore audio with spectral display, diagnostics panel, effects, and more. Price: Adobe CC is $19.97 per month.
Adobe Audition
Audio Recorder is the official Sony Audio Recorder application. It makes it easy to record and play audio on your smartphone or tablet. The intuitive recording interface makes it easy to record, pause, and edit. The application uses analytics software to collect and aggregate statistics. Price: Free.
Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other operating systems. Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer or digitize recordings from other media. Easy editing with cut, copy, paste, delete, and undo and redo. Price: Free.
Cast is a platform to record, edit, publish, and host your podcast. Record alone or with remote guests. No login required for guests. Features live text chat and show notes, audio storage in the cloud, and analytics on published casts. All plans include hosting, RSS feeds, and analytics. Price: Hobby is $10 for 10 hours of recording time per month. Pro is $30 per month.
Anchor is an app to create your podcast and host unlimited episodes. Trim or edit your recordings with mobile-friendly tools designed specifically for podcasting. Add smart background tracks and transitions from a built-in audio library. Distribute your podcast where people are listening, including Apple podcasts, with just one tap. Track performance with cross-platform analytics. Monetize with sponsorships or add a button for donations. Price: Free.
Anchor
Buzzsprout is a platform to host, promote, and track your podcast. Publish your episodes immediately or schedule a day and time. Buzzsprout feeds are compatible with top directories, so your podcast will appear wherever people are searching for it. See stats such as total plays over time and where people are listening. Price: Free for two hours per month. Premium plans start at $12 per month.
Spreaker is a platform with tools to cover every step of the podcasting process, from simple recording and broadcasting to audience analytics. Record a podcast or broadcast live using apps available for mobile, desktop, and the web. Upload files and migrate content using the RSS importer. Distribute your podcast to social networks, Apple podcasts, YouTube, and more. You can also schedule episodes, embed widgets, and order your own mobile app. Price: Free for five hours of storage. Premium plans start at $5.50 per month.
Podbean lets you create professional podcasts in minutes without any programming knowledge. Upload, publish, manage, and promote your podcasts with just a few clicks. Use a customizable theme for your podcasting site. Get advertising sponsorships through the Podbean Podcast Advertising Marketplace. Publish protected premium content and easily get paid with recurring subscriptions or fees for special episodes. Price: Free for up to five hours of storage. Premium plans start at $9 per month.
Transistor is a platform for podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics. Transistor stores your files, generates your RSS feed, hosts your podcast website, and helps distribute your episodes. Embed episodes on your WordPress blog, your Squarespace site, or even on Twitter. Distribute your show on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Google Play, Castro, and on social media. Transistor can generate a website for your podcast that updates every time you add a new episode. Price: Plans start at $19 per month.
Transistor
“Best Podcast Directories” is a list from Podcast Insights on where to distribute your podcast. Increase your show’s reach by getting it to the places where people are listening and searching, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and more.
Podomatic is a platform to publish and promote your podcast. It can be played directly from Facebook and Twitter feeds, and you can embed your episodes on your site or on any other social media network. Store up to six hours of recording for free. Podomatic has partnered with Patreon, Advertisecast, and, for drag-and-drop website building, Weebly. Price: Free with 500 MB storage. Premium plans start at $8.32 per month.
Castos is a hosting platform for podcasts. It offers unlimited storage, one-click importing, a personalized podcast website, in-depth stats, video republishing to YouTube, and more. If your podcast website is on WordPress, manage the podcast RSS feed and content inside your WordPress dashboard. Price: Plans start at $19 per month.
Libsyn is a podcast network and publishing platform for managing, distributing, and monetizing. Libsyn has over 50,000 podcasts and 7 billion downloads. All plans include unlimited downloads, your own web page, Apple podcasts, an iTunes-compatible RSS feed, and single-click multiple-destination publishing with OnPublish. With all plans, opt into Libsyn’s advertising platform. Price: Plans start at $5 per month.
SoundCloud is a podcast network (with more than 150 million tracks) to host and distribute your show. With direct messaging and in-track comments, connect with listeners. With real-time stats, see which fans are listening to your tracks the most. Monetize your show with SoundCloud Premier. Price: Basic is free for three hours of upload time. Premium plans start at $6 per month.
SoundCloud