Castos podcast hosting is a platform that’s dedicated to growing and monetizing your podcast. They’re committed to building out the ‘center of the audio universe’, in which key podcasting processes are completely automated. Where Castos doesn’t have the native, in-built features, it compensates with slick third-party integrations that build out its capabilities. Its Seriously Simple WordPress plugin has transformative powers for your WordPress site and podcast management workflows. In this guide, we walk you through all of Castos main features, as well as the pros and cons of using the platform. We highlight why Castos might be more suitable for some podcasters than others and whether it’s really worth hosting your podcast with them.
What is Castos?
The goal of Castos is to make podcasts simple and available to everyone. With years of expertise producing podcasts, their team is working to develop a platform that may serve as the “center of your audio universe.” Castos is an all-in-one podcasting solution that streamlines important procedures and uses clever automation to help producers develop and make money.
They clearly concentrate on the expansion side of podcasting, which includes building a feeling of community and drawing in more listeners.
How much does Castos cost?
Starter – $19 / month
Unlimited podcasts and episodes
In-depth listener analytics
Up to 100 private subscribers
Up to 20,000 monthly downloads
Growth – $49 / month
Everything in the Starter plan, as well as:
Video republishing to YouTube
Headliner Audiogram integration
Up to 250 private subscribers
Up to 75,000 monthly downloads
Pro – $99 / month
Everything in the Growth plan, plus:
Video file hosting
Advanced analytics
Up to 500 private subscribers
Up to 200,000 monthly downloads
Castos Premium – $499/month
Everything in Pro plus
Custom contracts and invoices
Single sign-on
Increased limits
Dedicated account manager
What’s the catch with Castos?
While Castos allows its users to generate an infinite number of podcasts and episodes without any storage restriction, you should be aware of the maximum number of paying subscribers you are eligible for as well as the download limits.
You can have up to 100 private subscribers and 20,000 downloads with the Starter plan. For $50 a month, you can add 500 more private subscribers; but, you might need to change your subscription plan if you start downloading more than you can handle.
Pros of Castos
Video hosting (for Pro plan only)
Castos supports video podcasts, however, it’s only accessible on the Pro plan. This is wonderful news for podcasters that are dedicated to producing visual material.
Private podcasts
Castos (and their Stripe interface) allows any producer, regardless of their pricing plan, to create a private podcast for paying listeners. This makes it easier for producers of all stripes to monetize their captive audience and convert listeners into subscribers.
Castos App
Your own podcast can reside on the Castos app. Castos refers to your listeners’ “rich listening experience” and “deeper connections” while they peruse your information.
One-click migration
Converting your podcast to Castos’ platform is as simple as it should be. They only need to click once to handle the rest.
Unlimited podcasts & episodes
If you produce a lot of content, Castos’ policy of limitless podcasts and episodes with no storage limits will be appealing to you. However, as we’ve already mentioned, be mindful of the download cap.
Podcast website
A free podcast website with a responsive design that looks fantastic on desktop and mobile devices is included with every Castos membership. You may personalize and match the appearance of your podcast website to make it uniquely yours.
WordPress Integration
The Seriously Simple Podcasting WordPress plugin from Castos may let you concentrate all of your podcasting processes on your WordPress website if you use WordPress.
Podcast player
The Castos Player allows you to distribute your podcast on other platforms because it can be embedded anywhere with iFrame code.
Transcriptions
Podcasters who wish to increase the accessibility, repurposability, and SEO friendliness of their material will find Castos’ integrated podcast transcribing capabilities to be quite advantageous. However, there is an extra charge of $0.10 per minute for audio transcription.
In-depth analytics
All of Castos’ creators get access to comprehensive and in-depth data on their audience and the overall success of their podcast.
Automated YouTube republishing
Castos provides podcasters with an automatic method for republishing their work on YouTube. This makes the most of your podcast’s visibility, expands its audience, and makes use of the influence (and popularity) of video material.
Collaborative working
To collaborate with your production team, you may add more users to your Castos account. You will not be able to choose between different users’ rights since each person you add to your team will have the same access and controls.
Cons of Castos
No video podcasting (until Pro subscription)
While it’s great that Castos offers video podcasting at all, podcasters on a tighter budget might not be able to utilize this feature because it requires a Pro subscription.
Limited monetization
The lack of native podcast advertising services on Castos restricts the amount of revenue that content providers can make from their work.
No creation functionality
Podcasters who are looking for a truly all-in-one podcasting solution, may find Castos’ lack of creation features frustrating.
Limit on paying subscribers
Podcasters may make money directly from their community by using Castos, but there is a cap on paying subscribers, which may be too much for some producers to bear.
WAV files aren’t supported
Unfortunately, Castos does not support wav (lossless) files.
Key features of Castos
Podcast player
Because the Castos podcast player may be embedded anywhere on the internet, you can put it wherever you believe your audience might find it useful. Both PC and mobile platforms may use the player.
Make sure your player’s appearance is consistent with your brand by customizing it. Select a theme that is either light or dark.
Adapt the subscriber buttons to the platforms your program is available on. This will entice infrequent listeners to sign up for their preferred listening platform.
Add in social sharing CTA buttons to maximize the social promotion your show receives.
Automated YouTube Republishing
As previously indicated, you may publish your show on YouTube without having to worry about filming video content thanks to Castos’ YouTube Republishing service. To get started, just link your Castos YouTube channel to it, post your podcast normally, choose a backdrop picture, and let the republishing tool handle the rest.
Transcriptions
It is important to note that transcription of your podcast should not be disregarded. An expanded audience can benefit from your information with the use of a podcast transcription, including people who are hard of hearing or speak a different language. Because search engines can read your transcriptions and rank you better for relevant phrases, you’ll also notice significant SEO benefit.
You may transcribe your podcast directly from your dashboard using Castos. With the help of an interface with a third-party program, Castos makes transcribing easier and costs $0.10 for each minute of audio. Pay-as-you-go is an option that you can choose to use and can discontinue at any moment.
Customizable Podcast Websites
Every Castos plan comes with a customizable podcast website that can act as a home-base for your content. Your podcast website will make it easy for your audience to subscribe, search through your back catalog and connect with your show on socials. You’ll get a unique website link for every podcast that you create.
Here’s a little bit about your Castos podcast website:
Because of its responsive design, your website will work well on all screen sizes.
Select the main color of your theme to complement your branding.
Choose a typeface for your webpage.
‘Seriously Simple Podcasting’ WordPress Plugin
Castos’ Seriously Simple Podcast WordPress plugin can greatly simplify your life if you use WordPress. Take control of every stage of your podcasting process directly through WordPress, rather than utilizing a variety of platforms and technologies.
Here are a few features that are intended to make using WordPress to manage your podcast as easy and seamless as possible:
Simply click to import your podcast’s material into WordPress.
From your WordPress dashboard, you can upload episodes, make numerous feeds, monitor listener metrics, and personalize your embeddable player.
Organize several podcasts using a single, central WordPress dashboard.
Track and enhance your SEO results.
Integrations with a number of third party tools
Smooth connections with several third-party products, like Headliner, Zapier, MemberSpace, Stripe, Descript, and others, are provided by Castos. From the Castos dashboard, all of these features optimize the value of your podcast and extend the potential of Castos. However, be wary of third-party expenses.
Castos is best for small & medium podcasters
For podcasters who are just starting out or in the middle of their growth path, Castos is a reliable podcast host. You have the flexibility to produce as much as you like because there are no restrictions on the quantity of audio you can upload or the number of podcasts you can broadcast with them. That being said, podcasters with larger audiences are probably going to find it difficult to comply with the download restrictions and the limit on the number of private subscribers you have.
First look at Castos Dashboard
You will see your dashboard when logging into Castos. You may manage your subscriptions, view your active podcasts, access your stats, and experiment with various automated tools here.
How to Get Started with Castos
Step 1: On the welcome page after signing up, select “Create a New Podcast.”
Step 2: Fill out your podcast’s information including its name and description.
Step 3: Upload your podcast cover art.
Step 4: Claim your Castos website URL.
Step 5: Select your podcast’s categories.
Step 6: Then review your information to ensure everything is accurate.
Step 7: When you’re happy click ‘Create my Podcast’.
Step 8: If you’re ready to upload, hit ‘Add First Episode’. If not, head straight to your Castos dashboard.
If you’re ready to upload your first episode straight away, here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Click ‘Add First Episode’ as above.
Step 2: Fill out your episode details, including the title and description. Upload your audio file.
Step 3: Paste in your episode’s transcript, if you have one. And add in keywords that relate to your content.
Step 4: Add in your episode’s details, including episode number, type etc. When you’re happy, set the publication date and either save as draft or hit ‘Publish Episode’.
How to Migrate your Podcast to Castos
Step 1: From your dashboard, hover over your name and click ‘Imports’.
Step 2: Click on ‘Import a New Podcast’.
Step 3: Copy and paste your RSS feed URL from your existing podcast host and then select ‘Import’ anf click ‘Continue’.
Step 4: Once you’ve done that, head to your Castos dashboard and click ‘Settings’ on the show you’ve just imported.
Step 5: Click on ‘Feed Details’ and fill out all the details that aren’t automatically imported with your RSS feed migration. When you’re done, click ‘Save Podcast Details’.
Step 6: Finally, click ‘Distribution’ and paste in your new RSS feed URL
How to distribute your podcast using Castos
Castos has direct integrations with Spotify and Amazon Music.
Step 1: From your dashboard, click ‘settings’ on the podcast you want to distribute.
Step 2: Click on ‘Distribution’.
Step 3: You can distribute directly to Spotify and Amazon Music from your Castos dashboard. For other directories, you will need to go through the manual submission process.
How to monetize your podcast using Castos
As previously noted, Castos enables you to monetarily support your podcast by means of private podcasts. This podcast is only available to those or organizations that have paid for the opportunity to listen to it, or who have been expressly invited by the podcaster.
Proceed as normal when responding to a private podcast. Make sure to choose “Podcast is Private” under Distribution after creating the program. This implies that your podcast feed will only be accessible to listeners who have the right RSS URL. The podcast’s website can also be hidden.
To grow your private podcast’s subscriber base:
1. By manually entering their email address and name in your “Subscribers” dashboard, you may add them.
2. Give the appropriate set of individuals access to the private RSS feed connection.
3.Use Stripe to set up an automated. Make a unique trigger “rule” that, upon a listener’s Stripe payment, adds them automatically to your private podcast.
Castos Podcast Analytics
To view all of the performance numbers for your podcast, go to Analytics on your dashboard. You may see the following here:
* Total number of podcast listens
*The location of your listeners
*which applications and browsers your target audience uses to listen
*The gadget that your audience uses to listen to the best episodes
Conclusion
Castos is a great option if its podcast hosting platform is your only reason for consideration. Castos gives small- and medium-sized podcasters unrestricted access to upload and produce anything they want. Once more, though, the download caps and limitations on private subscribers are a huge disappointment to artists who begin to exceed their budgets.
Furthermore, the platform’s very restricted monetization capabilities may upset podcasters who want to grow and optimize their earnings because they can’t advertise there. With third-party connections, Castos makes up for its shortcomings, and its WordPress plugin is an effective tool for users who know how to utilize it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Castos is a podcast hosting platform that also integrates with WordPress and a number of other third-party applications.
Yes, it’s a completely free wordpress plugin.
