Podcasting FAQ

Statistics help you understand your podcast audience and guage how your podcast is performing. But, what do these stats mean? How can you use them to improve your podcast, grow your audience, and build your brand?

Here are five key statistics and the secrets they have to share with you. Podbean’s enhanced statistics platform, free with all paid accounts, shows you all of this data in an easy-to-read format.

1. Total plays 
  This is the “big picture” of the popularity of your podcast, as well as how it is growing or trending over time.

2. Feed hits
Combined with play stats, feed hits give you a better idea of the size and interest of your listening audience. Podcasts are different than static web pages since users may click to play a podcast but then not listen to the episode and may fetch your feed in different ways. Feed hits and total plays together give you the most realistic picture. These are numbers that potential sponsors will want to know as well.

3. Most popular episodes
Check out your top episodes for ideas about the type of content your listeners prefer. You can get new show ideas from this and offer similar content to potentially grow your podcast.

4. Geography
It helps to know where your listeners are located. This can help you to include relevant information as it applies to those listeners, and build a sense of community by including/thanking listeners from different parts of the globe. Sponsors also need to know geo data to find out if your podcast is a good fit for who they wish to target (same goes for other potential enterprises you might do in relation to your podcast/brand).

5. Client software/platform
As you make decisions about your podcast and ensure it is usable for the majority of your listeners, it helps to know what software and platforms they are using. If technical issues come up, you’ll have a better idea of who it’s affecting. Sponsors also sometimes want this information...if for example, they want to target iphone or Mac users only. If you podcast about technology, this is of course vital information as well.

You can change your email address in the "Account"-> “My Account" page in your Podbean account, click the "Account" button in this page and you're able to change your email address now. Please don't forget to click the "Save’ button after the setting.

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To change the password, please click the "Password" button near to the "Account" page and enter your new password. Click the "Save’ button.

Normally, Podbean will compile an Android app for you after you submit the information to us in the "Settings"->‘"MobileApp"->"Android" page in your Podbean account. Then you can submit your app to Google Play letting people (delete to) download it. However, this kind of app is not available for private or premium podcasts. If you create a premium podcast , you and your listeners can create a web app for your private or premium podcast right on your mobile device. Here are the detailed instructions:

Step 1: Navigate to your Podbean podcast mobile site URL (username.podbean.com/mobile) in Chrome on your mobile device.

Step 2: Bookmark the site URL in Chrome.

Step 3: Go to your Chrome bookmark and find your podcast icon, long-press it, then tap the "Add to Home Screen" from the pop up menu.

Step 4: Now go to the home screen of your Android phone and you should find your app installed there.

1. What are the unlimited audio and video plans that are being offered by Podbean?
Just as they sound, anyone who signs up for the plans receives unlimited audio and/or video storage. Moreover, you get unmetered bandwidth in the plans so that your podcast can grow without any additional cost.

2.  How much do the unlimited audio and video plans cost?
The unlimited audio plan costs $8 a month and the unlimited video plan costs $18 a month (when purchased annually). If you prefer to pay month to month, rates are $10 a month for unlimited audio and $25 a month for unlimited video.

3. What is the Refer-a-Friend Program?
For a limited time, Podbean is offering select members the opportunity to refer-a-friend to the new unlimited audio and video plans and if the friend signs up then the referring member will also receive unlimited storage space.

4. How does the Refer-a-Friend Program work?
Once you refer a friend and that friend purchases the unlimited audio and/or video plan, you will have unlimited storage space also added to your account instantly. You will not need to change your plan or pay any extra fees, the unlimited storage will be automatically added to your account.

Please be aware, if you are using a paid Podbean plan, you can get the unlimited storage for life if the member you referred keeps their new plan for more than 3 months.  If you are using a Free Podbean plan, then the member you referred must keep their new plan active. If they do not, you will lose your unlimited storage.  

5. Will the new unlimited plans contain the same features as my current plan?
Yes, the new unlimited audio and video plans still include all the features that Podbean has become known for providing to its clients, including:

• Professionally designed, customizable templates that can be presented across desktop, iPad, iPhone, Android and other mobile devices and that allow podcasters to quickly and easily develop their own unique style.
• A user-friendly interface that integrates widgets and publishing, management, syndication and analysis tools into an easy to use podcasting package.
• A point-and-click environment that allows users to publish, manage and promote podcasts without any technical knowledge.
• Embeddable code that makes it easy for publishers to integrate podcasts into their own websites, blogs and social networks around the web, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogger and more.
• Comprehensive statistics that reveal, among other things, how many times each episode is played, a feed is fetched and a site is visited; plus, when and who played a podcast and more

6. How do I get invited to purchase the new unlimited plans?
You can receive an invitation from any current Podbean user or you can find an invitation link in a blog that details the Podbean “No Limit Podcasting” plan.

7. Do I need to sign a long-term contract when I purchase an unlimited plan?
No, with our unlimited plans you may pay monthly or annually and can cancel at anytime.

8. Do I need technical knowledge to use the unlimited plans?
No, we’ve retained our user-friendly point-and-click interface that makes it easy for you to publish, manage and promote your podcasts without any technical expertise.

9. With the unlimited plans will I still be able to integrate my podcasts into other websites?
Yes, our embeddable code makes it easy for publishers to integrate podcasts into their own websites, blogs and social networks around the web, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogger, and more.

10. Can I have multiple channels in one account ?
No, the unlimited plan only supports one podcast channel per account.

Monthly space refers to the amount of files you can upload each month. Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic your page and podcasts receive within a month. Each plan has a different allowance, we recommend that users choose the most suitable plan for their needs and to cover expected growth on their podcast in the future.

If you want to get an invoice of your payment, email us, we'll enable the auto-invoice function for you so that you can print your invoice in the "Users" page in your Podbean account.

Usually the entire mp4 file will have to be downloaded before it begins playing. However, with instant playing encoding enabled,  you can play the video before the entire video has downloaded. You can Google to find how to encode the mp4 to make it play instantly.

If you don't yet have a tool for transcoding your videos, you should download HandBrake. It is a free desktop tool for Linux, MAC and Windows that contains many settings beyond the scope of this guide. 

With Podbean, you can import all your podcast episodes and your media files into your Podbean account in ONE CLICK. Just go to "Publish"->"Episodes" in your account, and click the "Import RSS" button. 

We make it really easy for you to move your Libsyn podcast over to Podbean. First, set up your account in Podbean and choose the plan you like. 

Now you can import your old podcasts on Libsyn in to Podbean with just a couple steps. 

Step 1: Simply go to “Publish” in your Podbean dashboard and click on “Import RSS”. You will enter your Libsyn feed url there and the tool will automatically begin migrating your podcast episodes (titles and text will migrate immediately, audio and video files will take about 15-30 minutes to load). 

Step 2: Set up a redirect in your libsyn account to automatically redirect users to the new feed in iTunes. Libsyn allows you to set up a redirect in “advance options” (in “destinations”, click the “edit” button next to “Libsyn Classic Feed”). Scroll to “Redirect feed to this web address” and enter the url of your new Podbean feed (username.podbean.com/feed, please enter your true Podbean username instead of the “username”). Do a quick test by typing in your Libsyn feed address in a browser to ensure it redirects you now to your Podbean url.

Finally, we recommend that you make an announcement on your Libsyn podcast site to notify your subscribers of your move to Podbean. If possible, you should leave your Libsyn account active and for at least a month, to help ensure the information gets to most of your users.

You can move your PodOmatic podcast over to Podbean in one step. 

After you create a Podbean account,  simply go to “Publish” in your Podbean dashboard and click on “Import RSS”. You will enter your PodOmatic feed url there and the tool will automatically begin migrating your podcasts (titles and text will migrate immediately, audio and video files will take about 15-30 minutes to load).

Moreover, submit your Podbean feed to iTunes and make an announcement on your PodOmatic podcast site to notify your subscribers of your move to Podbean, with the new feed url so that they can re-subscribe to your Podbean podcast feed on your Podbean site or in iTunes. If possible, you should leave your PodOmatic account active and for at least a month, to help ensure the information gets to most of your users.