WordPress: The One Stop Shop For Your Podcast

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WORDPRESS: YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR PODCASTING Joe Casabona casabona.org/wordfest

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IMAGINE YOU WANT TO BAKE COOKIES

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YOU WOULDN’T GO TO A BUNCH OF GROCERY STORES TO BUY THE INGREDIENTS.

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YOU DON’T NEED A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SERVICES FOR YOUR PODCAST.

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SETTING UP YOUR PODCAST! (Lightning Round)

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https://joec.live/wordfest/ WHAT'S YOUR PODCASTING SITUATION?

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STEPS TO START A PODCAST • Choose a topic & name • Record a few episodes • Buy a domain & web hosting • Get audio hosting • Install WordPress • Get a podcasting plugin • Publish & submit!

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GEAR YOU NEED • A Decent Mic • Pop Filter • Boom Arm (optional) • Headphones • Links to everything: https://casabona.org/wordfest

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LET’S TALK ABOUT WORDPRESS.

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A PODCAST NEEDS A HOME • Podcasts should have a website • They allow for a central place for content, RSS*, and Canonical Links** • Setting Up a good website for your podcast can help it grow *Really Simple Syndication - needed to get your podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more **The one true source for your content.

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THE 4 THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED. • A Good Domain • Good Hosting • WordPress • A Podcast Plugin

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THE 5 AREAS YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT • Managing Sponsors • Managing Transcripts • Adding Merch • Adding Memberships • Creating Community

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A GOOD DOMAIN

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PICK YOUR NAME • Pick a name that communicates the show’s message • Do a search on Apple Podcasts to make sure it’s unique enough • You want it to stand out! • Get the domain, social media

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOMAIN • .com or .fm (in this specific case) • Make it short (11 characters or fewer) • Make it speakable • Make it memorable - try to match the show name • Have alternates available

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GOOD HOSTING

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CHOOSING GOOD HOSTING • Easy WordPress Setup • Good Support • Let’s Encrypt for SSL • Backups • Should be Different from Media/Audio Hosting

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WHY SEPARATE AUDIO HOSTING? • Specialization means faster downloads • If your site goes down, your podcast won’t • Advanced Analytics • Custom (or customizable) audio players

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AUDIO HOST: CASTOS

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LET’S TALK WORDPRESS

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WHY WORDPRESS? • Streamlines entire website setup process • Used by over 39% of web • Strong community • Great tools for podcasting • Easily add blog, shop, or community as well

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A PODCAST PLUGIN

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EVALUATING PODCAST PLUGINS • Consider if your podcast host has a WordPress plugin • Make sure it has Apple Podcast compliant RSS feeds • Look at the features - how customizable is everything? • Does it play nice with other themes and plugins?

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SERIOUSLY SIMPLE PODCASTING

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MANAGING SPONSORS AND TRANSCRIPTS

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TRANSCRIPTS • MUST for podcasts. They help with both accessibility and SEO • Seriously Simple Podcasting has a great Transcripts Extension. • You can also use an accordion block to show/hide transcripts right on the post/page.

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SPONSORSHIPS • Several Ways to Manage Sponsors! • Have a Page with Info about Sponsorships • Simple Sponsorships WordPress Plugin • Sell through Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms • Groundhogg or WP-CRM

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ADDING MERCH

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WHY / HOW • Great Way to Help Listeners Show Support! • Make some money, but people LOVE swag • Low barrier for entry: • Sell merch with WooCommerce (natch) • Use a service like Printful to get Print-on-Demand merchandise directly in your WooCommerce shop

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ADDING MEMBERSHIPS

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WHY MEMBERSHIPS? • You’re not fully reliant on sponsors (diverse income streams) • You can offer your listeners more content (or other perks) • You can create a stronger fan-base and community

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HOW? • LOTS of options in this space. • Try to find something that supports private podcast or RSS feeds. • Castos natively supports this through Zapier • Other plugins: RCP , Paid Memberships Pro, Wishlist Member, WooCommerce Memberships/Subscriptions

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ADDING COMMUNITY

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WHY / HOW? • Even if you don’t have a membership, you can still create a community of listeners. • This will allow further discussion of episodes, and even generate content ideas. • How: bbPress, BuddyPress, or Discourse all offer direct WordPress and SSO integration. • If you don’t need SSO, check out PeerBoard, which has a WordPress plugin.

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@jcasabona OTHER HELPFUL TOOLS • Fusebox • Podcast Subscribe Buttons • SearchWP • ThirstyAffiliates • Astra • Second Line Themes • StudioPress PLUGINS THEMES

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WRAPPING UP!

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Consultant & Educator I help tell your story. @jcasabona - casabona.org/wordfest I’M JOE CASABONA