It happens to many podcasters: you got set up on a platform that allowed you to start quickly without investing any money up front. The platform may have made it possible for you to get started for free, but it also requires you to direct listeners to the host’s website to listen to your show, or perhaps the host’s branding is all over your podcast site. Now you’ve been regularly publishing for a while and your audience is growing – and you realize you’ve outgrown your original setup.
“Over the years, we’ve seen that many podcasters start on a platform that they wind up graduating from. They learn that the platform is limiting their ability to build their brand and reach their audience,” says Blubrry CEO Todd Cochrane.
If you haven’t already established your own .com or aren’t using a publishing platform like WordPress + PowerPress + Blubrry hosting that allows you to use a streamlined post, upload, publish method, you might wonder if you really need to move to that level yet. We feel the answer is “yes.”
“Over time, we have proven that shows with their own .com, and building their brand on their own branded site versus building their brand on top of a hosting company’s brand, is a better long term strategy,” explains Cochrane. “And a streamlined publishing platform like PowerPress can save the host a lot of time.”
But the most urgent reason to make the switch now is the overall security of your show. “If the platform you’re using closes down and you don’t own your podcast feed, your show will go extinct. When you don’t control your feed or your brand, your show can simply go away and recovering it will be a big challenge. You’re in a much better position if you switch before there’s a crisis.”
For shows ready to make a move, the transition doesn’t have to be painful! “Our team can migrate podcasters into our eco-system where they get a free WordPress site,” says Cochrane. “We can do everything: migrate the blog posts and media and get their show into a position of not facing an extinction event.”
Once you’ve made this simple move and are safe from losing your show, says Cochrane, you can take steps toward making your podcast even more professional. “Our team can then help guide the podcaster into picking out their own domain and upgrading the free WordPress hosting we provide in Blubrry WordPress Website Basic to Deluxe which includes built-in tools and the best plugins to enhance and brand their podcast website.
Even after the initial switch, we’ll be there for you every step of the way. “Blubrry’s support team offers phone and email support, and when you use Blubrry WordPress Website, our technical team manages, updates, security and backups of your site so you can focus on the content. We provide the best-in-class tools and services without imprinting our brand on your show, meaning you can focus on creating and controlling your own brand,” says Cochrane. Getting started is simple. Just sign up for Blubrry hosting and we can help you start the transition to taking control of your brand.
Don’t fall for scare tactics that make it sound like you can’t switch providers once you’re locked in. “Moving a podcast to Blubrry is not difficult or risky if it’s done in the correct steps,” explains Cochrane. “The real risk is waiting until things go wrong with your current platform – that’s when it gets much more difficult.”
“Our goal is to keep podcasters producing their shows, getting control of their brand and feed, and then helping them build their sites’ brand around their show content,” says Cochrane. “This will lead to Google taking notice, indexing the show and driving content to the podcasters’ brand versus the podcast host’s brand.”