BuzzSprout Review | Why You Should Use Buzzsprout For Your Podcast
Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting
There are about 62 million (and growing) people that are now listening to podcasts every week.
That is an increase of over 200% according to Buzzsprout. There are over 900,000 total podcasts as of this writing.
Buzzsprout has been hosting podcasts since 2009 and has helped over 100,000 people who have wanted to start their podcast. That makes them a big player in this space.
If you have an existing business, Buzzsprout emphasizes that having a podcast can build up your brand awareness and trust considerably.
If you are just starting out, that is OK too, because, with their features and ease of use, you can get out of the box and start rolling very quickly.
Creating your Podcast on the Buzzsprout podcast platform is the easiest way to host, build up an audience, host, promote, and track your podcast.
They are known in the space to have fantastic support, a simple and easy-to-use interface, fair pricing, and a distinctive awareness to continuously be adding new features as the trend of podcasts has been continuously evolved.
We really feel that this is an amazing choice as your all-in-one alternative to start, grow, and host your podcast. In this article, We will dig deep and look closely at Buzzsprout, so you can get all of the essential information to decide if it’s the right hosting place for you. We will also cover the pros and cons of this platform.
Disclaimer: We may receive a small compensation from some of the partners that we feature. This may influence the products that we write about but it does not influence our unbiased assessment of the product.
But before we start:
If you are looking to the get-in depth review of other podcast hosting companies, you can take a look at these other reviews that we have done. Please take a moment to make an informed decision. We suggest that you go through all of the companies and look at all of their features and pricing so you get the product that is right for you:
See all of our picks of the best podcast hosting platforms.
What is Buzzsprout?
Buzzsprout offers up some of the easiest solutions for hosting, promoting, and tracking your podcast. Whether you are looking to start a Podcast, or move an existing podcast over from another host, Buzzsprout makes it all possible and at an affordable price.
With their promotional tools, you can get your podcast listed in the top directories and reach potential listeners using Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
The feeds of Buzzsprout are more compatible with all of the top directories, so your podcast will appear wherever people are searching for it.
Buzzsprout has gained a lot of popularity and it is considered one of the best Podcast Hosting platforms among the Podcast community.
One of the reasons why is because of its amazing tutorials and informational blog articles that walk their podcasters through every step of the journey.
But let’s dig deeper into its features.
Buzzsprout Features
Buzzsprout has some great features that will help podcasters to succeed.
Here are some of them.
- Free Custom Podcast Website and Podcast Player
With Buzzsprout, you can create a beautiful Podcast website that matches your brand and you can get your own custom domain name.
You will also get a stunning podcast player for your website. All you have to do to add a podcast player to your website is just add a snippet of code.
The player’s controls help you skip forward, backward, or binge listen to podcasts at 2x speed without any hassle. You can even customize your podcast player so that it matches your unique brand.
You can share your podcasts to help your fans quickly share your episode on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and many more.
- Magic Mastering
Buzzsprout’s new unique feature called Magic Mastering will help you take the audio that you have and make it better. Through Magic Mastering, your episode will sound crisp, clear, and well balanced.
Magic Mastering is like an Instagram Filter for your audio. It uses advanced technology to sweeten your audio files automatically and then optimize them to so they sound their best for spoken words or music.
Their Magic Mastering makes it easy to publish a professional sounding podcast through this platform.
- Smart Link Sharing
If you mistakenly share your podcast link of your dashboard (where you login) instead of your actual podcast link, Buzzsprout will add your real link to the top of the page.
- Manage Multiple Podcasts with Unlimited Team Members
Buzzsprout helps you to manage multiple podcasts with unlimited team members. You can create as many podcasts as you like under one account.
You can also provide unlimited roles and you can have as many admins and editor that you want to manage your podcast.
- More Podcast Directories
You can easily get your podcast listed in all of the major podcast directories.
They keep adding more directories and they now have more directories than ever.
Directories both small and big including the big home run hitters like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Utilizing the Buzzsprout directories will help people find and listen to your podcast. All you have to do is submit your podcast to the directories like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Deezer, iHeart Radio and many more so that people can find you in the podcast player of their choosing.
- Visual Soundbite
Visual Soundbite is really cool, fun and fantastic feature. Through this feature, you can promote your podcast with a fun branded look and feel on social media pages like Facebook with acute and engaging video to attract more clicks and views.
All you have to do is head down over to one of your episode pages, set the start and end markers of your Soundbite, and customize text, colors, artwork, etc. Then simply start sharing!
- Improved Twitter and Medium Embeds
Suppose you want to showcase one of your episodes to the whole world on Twitter. In that case, all you can do is drop a link to one of your episodes on Twitter, and it will automatically generate a beautiful audio player.
You can do this same thing on Medium. By sharing your episodes, people will connect with you, and your chances of getting popular through these social channels is multiplied.
- Advanced Podcast Statistics
With Advanced Podcast Statistics you will get to know your listeners much better. You can see stats like your total downloads over time, what apps people are using to listen to your podcast, and where people are listening to your podcast.
Buzzsprout Podcast Pricing
Simple Pricing
Buzzsprout pricing is simple. There no credit card required. You can cancel anytime, and there are no contracts. We love that there are no contracts. If you decide to move to another host, they will help you with the move!
You can try Buzzsprout for free for 90 days too.
You pay month to month depending on the plan you choose. There are no yearly subscriptions available just yet.
We like the transparent and beginner-friendly pricing structure of Buzzsprout. They directly charge you for the number of hours of audio you upload per month.
All paid plans include: Stats, a website, embed players, directory submissions, unlimited team members, and indefinite hosting for all of your episodes.
- Free Plan
The Free Plan is OK for beginners looking to start a podcast and try it out but it is limited to just 2 hours a month. We don’t recommend it because they will only host your episodes for 90 days. They will also serve ads on your podcast. That is another thing we are not to keen on with the free plan.
The Magic Mastering feature is also not available in the free plan.
The features of Purchasing a Free Plan includes:
- Advanced Stats
- Unlimited Team Members
- Upgrade to Remove Ads
2. Paid Pricing
The paid pricing plan includes:
- $12/month for 3 hours
- $18/month for 6 hours
- $24/month for 12 hours
Episode transcriptions are available at .25 cents per minute.
You can add on Magic Mastering for polishing your audio and noise reduction, starting at $6 per month. That is another thing that we are not too keen on as we feel it should be included with the hosting.
All the above-paid plans come with a bandwidth of 250 GB (which covers about 20k to 40k downloads per month, depending on the length of your episodes). They all have the same core set of features.
The only main difference on the paid plans is in the amount of audio you upload every month. Buying more uploading hours beyond your quota and accessing the Buzzsprout Magic Mastering premium feature makes the hosting jump up in price.
The pricing is still straightforward.
Running multiple podcasts on one account
You can also manage and run a second podcast (or multiple podcast) under one account. But each requires its own plan because the RSS feeds and embed players are separate.
Buzzsprout Podcast Affiliate Program
By recommending Buzzsprout to your friends, you can make commissions. You can then offset your own hosting costs or even better yet start earning a decent amount of money as a side hustle.
Through the Buzzsprout Affiliate Program, you can earn $25 for every paid referral or a 20% recurring lifetime commission by partnering with this platform
Features of Affiliate Program
- Bonus for all referrals:
Whoever you refer to will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card. That gives them incentive to sign up through your unique referral link.
- Attribution cookies:
Attribution cookies do not expire. This is unheard of in the industry. This means that will get credit for the sale even if the referral doesn’t upgrade to a paid account for years.
- Great Affiliate Team:
If you connect to the Buzzsprout affiliate team, they will help you with ideas on how to promote to your audience.
- Link to any page:
Your referral code will work with any page on Buzzsprout, which means that you will get credit for sending your audience to any of their training or informational blog posts.
Buzzsprout Creator Program
Buzzsprout Can Partner With Indie Podcasters
The Buzzsprout Creator Program allows Buzzsprout to partner with independent podcasters to help support their endeavors, grow their influence, and create an alignment between their brand and Buzzsprout.
If you are accepted into the program, you will receive program to receive free podcast hosting on Buzzsprout, T-Shirts, swag, stickers, $25 commissions on paid referrals, one conference ticket per year (Podcast Movement, Podfest Multimedia Expo, T&C Summit, or FlynnCon), and a monthly stipend based on your level of influence.
This Hosting Platform Creator Program is served for three types of participants.
- Creator
This is a creator that pushes out a steady dose of top level quality podcast content. That means that they are serious and are working hard on their podcast. Buzzsprout can only partner with a few podcasts at the creator level each year. They are very selective and are on the hunt for shows and personalities that align with their brand. They will also offer some essential financial support.
- Coach
A Buzzsprout Podcast Coach produces content that is geared to the independent podcast community with a center of attention on education or learning about podcasting. While every episode doesn’t have to be a review or guide on podcasting, the main demographic of the audience is tuning in because they are focused on establishing or growing a podcast.
- Advisor
A Buzzsprout Advisor is an established podcast professional interested in helping guide the direction of Buzzsprout. Typically they are the primary host of one or more podcasts and have been involved in the podcasting space for at least five years.
How to Apply For Buzzsprout Creator Program?
If you are looking to apply for the Buzzsprout Creator Program, simply try to get to the point of achieving the requirements shown below:
- You have to host your podcasts with Buzzsprout
- You must Publish at least 2 exceptional quality podcasts each month
- New episodes must reach at least 500 downloads within the first 30 days
If accepted into the program, participants will get an offer letter that explains the requirements, expectations, and the compensation details of the program.
What’s Buzzsprout Podcast Plugin for WordPress is all about?
The WordPress plugin lets you pull your podcasts from Buzzsprout right to your website.
How to Install Buzzsprout Podcast WordPress Plugin?
- Download the Buzzsprout WordPress plugin
- Extract the plugin into a folder
- Upload the entire folder to the ‘wp-content/plugins/’ directory of your WordPress installation
- Enable it via the Plugins panel
- Specify the Buzzsprout feed URL you want to retrieve episodes from and other options under Settings -> Buzzsprout Podcasting
You can can easily add your podcasts to your site or blog through this fantastic WordPress Podcast Plugin.
This WordPress Podcast Plugin is great for all the newbies or for anyone that is working in WordPress.
PRO’S and CON’s of Using Buzzsprout Podcast
PRO’S
- Buzzsprout offers up fair pricing compared to its competitors
- Premium features to use so you can increase your digital podcast cred (Visual Soundbites, audio transcription, etc.)
- Generous 90-days free plan before you are subscribing to an affordable premium plan
- Friendly, and supportive staff
- You can manage multiple podcasts with unlimited team members
- Add a stunning podcast to your website with just a snippet of code
- They offer amazing tutorials and “how-to” guides
CON’S
- The Monetization efforts of Buzzsprout is basic
- The free website is limited when it comes to customization options
- You have to pay extra for Magic Mastering
- The free plan only hosts your episodes for 90 days
FAQ
1. Is Buzzsprout good?
Buzzsprout is good. Very good in fact. The company is a pioneer in their space and it is a great choice for both new and old podcasters alike. If you’re looking for a rock-solid feature-set, top-notch design and ease-of-use then Buzzsprout is for you.
2. How much does Buzzsprout cost?
The paid pricing plans are: $12/month for 3 hours. $18/month for 6 hours. $24/month for 12 hours.
3. How do I cancel my Buzzsprout subscription?
- Click Podcast Settings.
- Click on the Cancel/Redirect Podcast tab.
- Review the Terms of Cancellation and check the box.
- Click Delete this podcast and all of its data now. Make sure you move your podcasts to another host if you intend on saving them before you delete them all.
Buzzsprout Podcast Review Summary
Buzzsprout is indeed an excellent platform for all of the new podcasters like us who want to create a podcast and rock the world with their episodes.
It offers a commendable array of podcasting features at an affordable monthly price. It’s an excellent value for the money and for the podcast hosting service, especially if you are looking to run a single show.
I would recommend this tool as it delivers well on its promise of finding your first audiences, getting your channels discovered, and gaining insight into how to scale your channel through valuable listener data while earning some money on the side.
So why wait? Go to their website and sign up for a free trial now to enjoy the exciting features of Buzzsprout and to start your podcast journey!