Speaker 1: Picking the right podcast host for your show can be pretty overwhelming. But after this video, it won't be. Today, we're going to walk through our picks for the top five podcast hosting options so that you can find the perfect solution for your exact situation. And every host I'm going to mention is linked in the pinned comment down below. So let's get right into it. So first off, all podcast hosts give you some of the same basic functionality. All hosts are going to allow your show to be listed on directories like Spotify or Apple podcasts and every podcast host for the most part. But definitely all the ones on this list give you statistics for your show as well. So I'm not going to repeat that for every host. But what we are going to do is walk through our list, explain who is the best fit for each host and walk through the features that make that host unique and make it the perfect choice for anyone in that situation. So that's how we're doing this. And the first on our list is Buzzsprout. I have personally been hosting a podcast on Buzzsprout for the past three years, and this is always my go to recommendation for brand new podcasters. So that's who it's best fit for is anybody who's brand new to podcasting, especially if you're not tech savvy. And the reason for that is because it is the simplest podcasting solution that I have ever come across and still gives you a ton of awesome features. You can literally set up a brand new podcast in minutes, even if you know nothing about podcasting. And all the other tools that they have built in are also equally easy to use. That is the core focus of their business. So they make every feature as easy to use as possible. And the key features that really make Buzzsprout stand out are its ease of use for all of its features, as well as its magic mastering tool, which is a built in AI tool that will treat audio to make episodes sound better. There's Buzzsprout ads, which allows you to buy ad placements to promote your show on other podcasts, as well as make money directly from your podcast within Buzzsprout. People can come in and buy placement on your shows and you will make money directly. They also offer subscriptions so that you can accept payments from your core listeners and offer them premium content in return. Buzzsprout also offers unlimited downloads across all of their paid plans, which is something that I love, because regardless of how much your show grows, you won't be paying any more unless you start posting more content. How Buzzsprout works is instead of charging based on downloads, they charge based on uploaded content per month, which is usually a huge selling point because people are typically posting the same amount every month. And lastly, a key feature to Buzzsprout is their amazing customer support. I've been recommending Buzzsprout for years now, and I've never had anyone come to me saying they couldn't get the help that they needed. So first of all, the product is extremely easy to use. And if you ever do run into a problem, there's someone who's a real person who's going to help and walk you through it as soon as possible. And I just did an interview with the head of marketing over at Buzzsprout, a good friend of mine, Albin, and he dropped some crazy stat, like the average customer support issue is responded to within a few hours or something insane, which is definitely a key feature for people who are new to podcasting, and that's why they are best fit for new podcasters. Next on the list is Captivate. And this is a tool that is full of so many tools. And who it's best fit for is someone who is a serious podcaster, who seriously wants to grow their show and manage it as efficiently as possible. This is a tool that was built from a podcaster, and it really shows because they have covered all of the pain points when it comes to podcasting. So they have built in tools to help you market your show more effectively, plan and conduct your episodes more effectively, and even manage and book guests. They really thought of everything. I recently did a call with the founder of Captivate, and I was blown away by how many things were really built into this tool. And if I were to walk through every unique feature, we'd be here all day. But here are some of the core ones I wanted to highlight. You can have unlimited shows on one plan within Captivate, meaning if you pay for one plan per month, you can have multiple shows attached to that one plan, which is amazing if you're planning on having multiple shows. The guest planning and booking integration is another very unique tool. I've never really seen that across any other host, as well as a lot of other marketing tools I've never seen anywhere else. So really, if you're serious about growing your show and you're a serious podcaster, I strongly recommend checking out Captivate. And if you want an in-depth walkthrough once you've watched this whole video, there's one linked in the card above directly with the founder of Captivate walking through the tool, all of its different features, and why they created it, and how to use the most effectively. So Captivate is number two, and it is best for serious podcasters looking to grow their show and run it as efficiently as possible. I was honestly blown away by this tool, and that's why they made this list. Number three is Podbean. Podbean is one of the originals in the podcast hosting space. And so with that, they've had a ton of experience, and they offer a fantastic product. And who it's best for is video podcasts and anyone who's very tech savvy. Podbean gives you so many tools that are pretty high level, but if you have the means to use them to your advantage, they could be a huge game changer for you and your show. And some of those key features that really make it for the high tech individual is the built-in live stream tech, its video podcasting features, the ability to alter the code on your podcasting website to completely customize it to your liking, as well as the Podbean app, which has over a million users, and the studio that's built in that, which allows you to record your episodes right within that app. Plus, people can also find your content within the Podbean app, which is a huge added bonus. And there's even more features that I haven't covered, but that gives you the gist of it. It is more for your high tech individual or someone who really wants those video functionality for their podcast. But we here at Podcast Nut are big fans of Podbean, and that's why they made the list. The next on the list is probably going to surprise you because you probably don't even realize that you can host a podcast with this tool. The tool I'm referring to is Squarespace, one of the most popular and easiest to use website builders on the planet. This thing is everywhere, and for a good reason. It makes a beautiful website, and anyone can do it because it is so easy to use. And recently, they actually added in the ability to host and manage a podcast within your Squarespace website. And this is available across every single plan. So with it being a legitimate website builder, this is best fit for someone who is a business owner. Because if you're a business, you probably already want a website anyways. So with Squarespace, you can have a podcast and your website and only pay for one subscription, which is awesome news for you because it can save you money, but also make managing everything in one simple place. Plus, the website builder is beautiful. You're going to have an amazing looking website. So if you're a business owner, I recommend going with Squarespace so you can get two birds with one stone. Don't harm any actual birds, it's just a figure of speech. Let's move on. The final one is another shocker that you probably haven't seen on any other podcast hosting list, and that is Kajabi. So Kajabi is really well known for its course hosting platform, as well as its built-in marketing tools for anyone who's running an online education or entertainment business. So who Kajabi is best fit for is anyone who's running an information business. So if you sell courses, if you sell coaching, if you sell a membership or a community, Kajabi is a fantastic place to host your podcast because you can also do all of those other things I just mentioned. There's course hosting built-in, there's email marketing tools built-in, you can build funnels and landing pages within Kajabi. And there's also its own community tool within the website as well. And recently they added in the ability to host and manage a podcast. So if you're running an online education business, this is an absolute no-brainer because you can manage all the things that you need to manage and grow your business within one simple place. And I've actually used Kajabi for the past two years. It is very simple to use and it combines so many other tools into one. So it's definitely the most expensive option, but if you're running an online entertainment business, you're gonna need all these tools anyway. So why not have it in one cheaper alternative, all packed together so you can manage everything within one place. Super smart move by Kajabi to start doing podcasts and a huge bonus for you if you run an education business. So that's our list for the top five podcast hosting options and who is best fit for each of those hosts. But if we missed your favorite host, let us know in the comment section down below. And since you're a podcaster, this YouTube channel is literally dedicated to you. We post weekly free content to help you run your show more effectively, grow your show, as well as monetize your podcast. So definitely click the bell button to stick around and stay notified. And if you're new to podcasting, we just released our 2023 podcasting guide where we walk through everything that you need to get your show up, running, and live. And I've linked that in the card above right here. So go ahead and watch this if you want a step-by-step tutorial, walking you through everything that you need so that you can get your show live. So I'll see you over there and we'll get your show up and running.