Transcript
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This is Podcasting where I'm on a quest to conquer the podcasting realm, and I'm bringing
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you along for the journey to help you achieve your own podcasting success.
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What is going on guys, welcome back to Podcasting.
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In today's episode we are reviewing a podcast hosting platform, RSS.com.
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But before we dive into the review, let's answer an important question and that is,
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what is a podcast hosting platform?
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So we can think of it as a magical stronghold that keeps your podcast safe and accessible.
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It's where your episodes are stored, ready to be summoned at any time by your listeners.
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The platform handles all of the technical wizardry, like crafting an RSS feed.
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This feed sends your podcast to directories like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.
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It does the heavy lifting if you will, so you can focus on your quest.
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And there are six key functions a podcast hosting platform provides, so let's go over
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those real quick and then we will get into the review.
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So the first function is storage.
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It securely hosts your podcast episodes in media files so your listeners have access
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to them whenever they want.
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The second function is RSS feed generation.
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So it automatically creates and updates your RSS feed, which directories like Apple Podcasts
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and Spotify use to list your show.
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The third function is distribution.
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So it ensures your podcast reaches all the major platforms and directories.
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And now the fourth function is analytics.
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Provides you with the listener stats and performance insights to help you understand your audience
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and grow.
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And then the fifth function is customization, which allows you to tailor your podcast landing
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page, add episode notes, descriptions, and artwork to enhance your branding.
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And then the sixth and final function is monetization.
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So it offers ways to generate income from your podcast through ads, sponsorships, and
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other methods.
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Now let's dive into this review and take a closer look at all these six functions and
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more with RSS.com.
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So I've been using RSS.com for a little over a month now.
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And why did I choose RSS.com?
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Well the primary reason I chose RSS was the sheer value it offered.
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So for just $20 a month, I unlocked their network plan, which gave me the ability to
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create unlimited podcasts and episodes and even bring in contributors for someone like
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me whose ultimate quest is to build a podcasting network.
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This was a home run, a legendary find if you will, that I could not find anywhere else
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as far as the price point is concerned.
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I ventured through other realms like Podbean and I still believe it to be one of the best
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platforms that being Podbean.
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You know, it's consistently evolving, becoming a true all in one solution for podcasters.
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So if Podbean had the same cost as RSS.com, I'd probably still be using it.
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But so far RSS.com has fulfilled my needs.
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So a little background for RSS.com.
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Its first iteration was rolled out in January of 2018.
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It's been rapidly evolving with new features and upgrades ever since.
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And so let's talk about kind of the ease of use function of the platform.
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Crucial elements I seek in a hosting platform is how user friendly it is.
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RSS.com's interface is like a well drawn map guiding you easily through its dashboard,
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switching between podcasts and releasing new episodes.
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It's intuitive and smooth.
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If you're seeking a platform that doesn't require a wizard to navigate, RSS.com has
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you covered and it is very easy to use.
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Like I mentioned, I am enjoying that ease of use currently.
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Now let's venture into the first key function that we talked about, which is storage.
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A crucial part of any hosting platform is its ability to store your episodes.
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And RSS.com offers unlimited storage on all plans, which is a big deal for podcasters
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with growing libraries.
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However, there is a bandwidth limit, which is one terabyte per month.
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And that's equivalent to nearly 20,000 hours of audio, which is more than enough for most
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podcasters.
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Personally, I've never run into any issues with storage yet, or had any trouble with
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any of my episodes not appearing on the dashboard or in directories.
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As far as storage is concerned, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
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Now let's talk about RSS feed generation.
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So this feature works smoothly.
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One thing I really like is that RSS.com automatically hides your email in the feed to prevent spam
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and protect your privacy.
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The only downside really is when you need to verify ownership with some directories,
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you'll have to enable your email in the settings.
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Once you do this, your email will be visible for 12 hours before it's hidden again.
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And you know, it's a minor inconvenience, but worth it for the spam protection that
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this feature provides.
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Now what's the point of generating an RSS feed if you don't use it for distribution?
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And that's the next key function, of course, which is distribution.
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So RSS.com offers automatic distribution to major directories like Spotify and Amazon
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Music.
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For others like Apple podcasts, they do provide some guides to help you submit your podcast
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to other directories manually.
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But it is manually if you are new to podcasting, these guides can be helpful.
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But it is pretty easy once you kind of figure out how to do it with one directory, you can
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pretty much do it with the others.
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They are very similar.
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You might just have to enable that email if you are on RSS.com.
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Now let's talk about analytics.
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Okay, so analytics is a huge thing for a podcast hosting platform when you're looking for one.
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And recently RSS.com upgraded its analytics dashboard.
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And I mean recently, like the last week, and I was happy with the old version, but this
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new one offers a more detailed metrics and trends.
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A couple of features I like is you can now compare episodes performance side by side,
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which helps figure out what your audience really connects with and really compare those
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episodes to get a better idea.
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There's also advanced filtering to weed out bots and malicious downloads, which I didn't
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even know was an issue before I saw that and I was like, wow, that's a new thing.
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And then I happened to be listening to another podcast about podcasting and they were talking
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about this and they were specifically talking about analytics.
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And so this was interesting to see that they are doing this and I think it's a good thing
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that they are doing this and they do remove these potential bots and spam downloads from
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your analytics.
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Let's talk about customization.
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So customization is also evolving, especially with, you know, podcasting 2.0.
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Podcasting 2.0 is something is a new movement and you can check out the episode I did on
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that as well.
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RSS.com is a big proponent of podcasting 2.0 and they rolled out features that reflect
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that like live streaming.
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Another cool feature is sound bites where you can create a short trailer or preview
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for each episode or just sound bites from the episode that you want to feature.
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My favorite customization option though is the ability to upload specific cover art for
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individual episodes.
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And it reminds me much like, you know, YouTube has thumbnails.
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And so I think it's a cool feature that they are starting to do.
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And I know it shows up on Spotify as well as some other directories.
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Now let's talk about monetization.
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So you know, with RSS.com, it does allow you to do some 2.0 features like accept donations
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through PayPal or things like that.
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And a button will appear on your podcast website or in directories that support this.
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Another interesting feature is value for value, which lets podcasters receive real time Bitcoin
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payments.
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And if you do want to learn more about this again, I'd recommend checking out my episode
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on podcasting 2.0 link is in the show notes.
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RSS.com also allows you to enable podcast Apple subscriptions, which is a great way
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to monetize your show by offering early access or exclusive episodes to paying subscribers.
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Now I haven't tried this yet, but it is on my radar and I'll eventually definitely be
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reviewing it once I do.
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And for traditional monetization methods, you know, RSS.com offers sponsorship opportunities,
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but you do need to hit at least 1000 downloads per month to qualify.
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Now this doesn't guarantee sponsors, but they do reach out to you if a sponsor fits your
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podcast.
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I haven't used this feature yet as well.
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So I can't give a review or my thoughts on that or pros and cons, but but I do like the
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concept that they are doing here.
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So I'm excited to give it a go.
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And then one thing that RSS.com is missing is dynamic ad insertion, which lets you automatically
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insert ads into your episodes, however, but according to their website, this feature is
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coming soon and in development.
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Dynamic ads are a great way to monetize podcasts at scale.
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And I hope to see this feature roll out sooner rather than later.
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But overall RSS.com is evolving with some interesting monetization tools.
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You know, the lack of dynamic ads is a downside, but the podcasting 2.0 features kind of make
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up for it in a way, you know, compared to long standing platforms like Podbean or Libsyn.
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RSS.com monetization features are solid though still catching up in some areas like dynamic
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ad insertion as I previously mentioned.
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Now a few extra features that I do like in RSS.com is the automated transcripts.
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And so RSS can generate show transcripts for you and they seem pretty accurate so far from
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what I've seen.
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And they're pretty quick.
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They also support chapter markers, though this is a manual process and I'm not the biggest
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fan of the time it takes to do this.
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So I haven't really been utilizing them very well.
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Another thing RSS.com can do is automatically turn your episodes into static YouTube videos,
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which a lot of the hosting platforms do have, which is a nice bonus.
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I'm currently using this feature to upload my episodes of podcasts to YouTube and it's
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working out, you know, pretty nicely to get some more eyes on to the podcast if you will.
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It does have the branding of the hosting platform on the video, which is kind of a downside.
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So finally, let's talk about the pricing that RSS, you know, charges.
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So as I mentioned earlier, the network plan for RSS.com is pretty unbeatable at $20 per
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month or $14.99 if you pay annually.
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You know, you get unlimited podcasts and episodes.
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If you're starting a network like I am, this is by far the best deal I found.
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Let me know if you found anything else that's, you know, a good deal as well with similar
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features.
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But, you know, for comparison, Podbean charges $79 per month annually or $99 monthly for
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its network plan, which is obviously a huge difference.
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Now Podbean does offer more features like video podcasting and AI mastering and things
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like that.
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So if you have the budget, it's worth considering.
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But for now, you know, RSS.com's pricing is a perfect fit for my needs.
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And if you're looking to host just one podcast, RSS.com offers a plan at $11.99 per month
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when paid annually or $14.99 monthly, which is a industry standard if you're looking at
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like that.
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And for unlimited episodes and audio, this is a solid deal compared to other platforms
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that charge similar prices but don't offer, you know, unlimited storage.
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So one standout feature is their $4.99 plan.
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Now it provides the same benefits as the main plan, but it's specifically designed for students
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and educators and non-governmental organizations, making it an excellent budget friendly option
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for those groups.
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I really like that they are catering to students and offering a reduced price to students.
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I think that's awesome.
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You know, RSS.com has been a great hosting platform for my needs currently.
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I do wish they did have some features like dynamic ad insertion.
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You know, I'm impressed with its current features and how the platform continues to evolve though.
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Still a young company is already offering great value.
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I would love to see them add, you know, like video podcasting, AI mastering and a mobile
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app for checking analytics.
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I imagine those features will come as the platform grows, of course, but they might
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impact, you know, the platform's current budget friendly pricing.
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As they create more features, the price might go up.
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Would I recommend this platform?
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Well, yes and no.
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If you're a beginner or a seasoned podcaster planning to upload a lot of content, then
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yes, I'd recommend it.
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The competitive pricing for the main plan paired with the unlimited audio storage lets
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you upload as much as you want.
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But if you're only uploading, you know, like 30 to 60 minutes episodes once a week or once
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a month or something, you know, there are other more budget friendlier options.
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For example, Lipson, a trusted name in the podcasting industry has been around forever.
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It's kind of the grandfather, if you will, offers a $5 plan with limited features.
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And also pod being has a free plan with its own limitations.
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If you go on Lipson, you'll find the $5 plan.
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It's kind of in small print on the bottom there when you go to the plans.
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But if you're serious about podcasting, and especially if you're looking to start a network
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like I am, I think rss.com is hard to beat when you're looking at network pricing.
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You know, you can add contributors to your podcast, host unlimited shows under one account.
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And if you're focusing on audio content, and that's all can be very affordable for anyone
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seeking unlimited plan with strong features that support, you know, podcasting 2.0, you
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know, rss.com is a great option.
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And so far, I've been enjoying using rss.com.
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And I plan to stick to it for the foreseeable future.
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Eventually, when my budget increases, you know, I would like to go into another platform
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or maybe like a pod being again, as I am a huge fan of pod being.
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And they do have a lot more features.
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For now, I think rss.com is a great option.
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So if you're in the market for a podcast hosting platform, it's something I'd recommend checking
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out.
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One of the issues currently with podcasting is the abundance of podcast hosting platforms.
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There are so many it is hard to choose which one to go with.
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We have Lipson, rss.com pod being Buzzsprout, Spotify, which is free.
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We have so many different options.
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And there are new ones coming every day.
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And so it is hard to decide on which one to go with.
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And so personally, I would take a look at your budget and your needs and just see what
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fits you best and kind of go with it.
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You can always switch to a different hosting platform.
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And you can always move your content from one hosting platform to another pretty easily.
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And so that's something that you don't necessarily need to worry about.
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And so yeah, I think it is hard to decide on which hosting platform to pick.
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But there are a lot of good options out there.
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I will be doing a future episode kind of comparing some of the well known hosting platforms,
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maybe doing the top five hosting platforms in my mind that I've seen based off of my
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research and hopefully that helps you as well.
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This is kind of just a quick review of rss.com so far, I've been using it for about a month
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or over a month here.
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And so it seems to be a great option for a podcaster.
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I hope you enjoyed this episode.
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Let me know if you have any comments or questions you can reach out on social media.
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And until next time, enjoy podcasting and enjoy your quest and we will see you in the
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next episode.
