7 Tools to Help You Kickstart, Grow and Monetize Your Podcast
Leverage the power of technology to boost your stats.
8 Tools to Help You Kickstart, Grow, and Monetize Your Podcast
Leverage the power of technology to boost your podcast stats.
The podcast is one of the fastest-growing communication channels on the internet. As per Forbes, an estimated 100 million people listened to a podcast each month in 2020. This number is expected to reach 125 million in 2022.
Podcasts are still in their initial stages in terms of consumption and are expected to experience huge growth as more and more people choose to consume content without troubling their eyes.
If you’re a content creator who’s looking to grow on the internet, a podcast could be a great medium for you.
So, to help you kickstart your podcasting journey and to monetize it along the way, I’ve compiled a list of eight tools for you. Most of these tools are free to use, and that’s all you need at the start. Once you start earning, you can reinvest into subscriptions and technical equipment to grow your podcast even faster (Make sure to check the bonus section at the end).
1. Descript
When you’re starting your podcasting journey, you don’t want to spend several hours browsing through apps to see what fits you the best.
That’s why, if an app could help you every step along the way, it almost sounds like a dream. Thanks to Descript, this is no longer impossible.
Here’s what it does
Descript is an AI-powered audio and video editing software for modern-day podcasters who need a one-stop-shop for all their recording, editing, and transcribing needs.
A very powerful feature of Descript is that it offers text-based editing for your audio and video files, as easy as a document. With it, you can create your voice clone and make editorial corrections to your audio by simply typing. The AI-based ultra-realistic voice synthesis will ensure you don’t need to do multiple retakes for simple corrections. Their one-click, easy removal of all filler words like umm, aha, etc. can save you several hours of time during the editing process.
If you plan to repurpose your podcasts as articles, Descript also offers automatic transcriptions.
Aside from these amazing features, it also enables podcasters to produce high-quality sound, without having to buy expensive hardware. Descript’s Studio Sound feature can turn rough audio into clean, polished audio without reverb or echo with just a single click.
Cost
The free version offers three hours of audio transcription and full audio and video editing options. If you get the Pro version for $24 a month, you can get 30 hours of transcription, along with the AI-based voice cloning and text-based editing of audio. Check out the pricing plans here.
2. SquadCast
While conducting remote interviews, you need to be 100% confident that you stay connected for the entire session.
You don’t want any annoying audio delays or any drop in quality from either side, and you absolutely don’t want to miss any portion of your audio files. That’s where I’d recommend SquadCast for recording purposes.
Here’s what it does
It’s a remote interview tool to record studio-quality podcasts from anywhere without any dropped connections and loss in audio files. It lets you record calls from both sides. Just send your guest a joining link, and then talk like you’d normally do on any VoIP.
I really love its excellent audio quality, even when my guests are just using a built-in mic on their laptops. Once the call is recorded from both sides, it gets uploaded to the cloud as separate files.
Cost
Paid plan starts with as low as $10/month billed annually. You can try all its plans free for 7 days to see if it’s the right fit. Check out the whole pricing structure here.
3. Auphonic
Once the interview is done and you’ve got the audio files, its time for polishing it further. Auphonic helps you to edit your audios to give them a professional post-production touch.
Here’s what it does
It’s an audio editing program that uses AI to do audio balancing, automatic noise reduction, and encoding.
What I love about this tool is you don’t have to break your head in adjusting the audio on your own. Just upload your files and the rest of all the work is done by algorithms!
It’s that simple to use, which removes the entry barriers for beginners to publish professional-quality podcasts, without investing large amounts of money and time.
It also directly uploads your content on audio hosting service (discussed in the next section), so you can keep this work off your to-do list. An important note here: Auphonic only works with a single track and can’t be used for mixing purposes.
Cost
The first two hours each month are free. If you wish to use more, the price will increase depending on the hours. You can check out the whole pricing structure here.
4. Podbean
You’ve recorded your podcast and edited it. Next, it’s time to host it somewhere so your audience could consume your work. That’s where Podbean comes into the picture.
Here’s what it does
It lets you host the podcast and monetize it. It’s one of the few hosts that gives nearly everything podcasters need from start to finish. Some of the features are:
- Share your podcast to different platforms.
- Live-stream your episodes in real-time.
- Automatically create a customizable webpage to accompany each episode you publish.
- Host videos as well if you want to add visuals to your voice.
- Monetize your podcasts in multiple ways, including advertising and a built-in monthly patron program.
- Join the free community of its podcasters for networking.
It also offers a custom application and support for podcasts of any size. So if you’re just starting out or if you’re already doing it, this tool will suffice all your needs.
Cost
The free plan lets you host five hours of content, and it doesn’t include monetization. You can only monetize with a paid plan, which starts from $9 per month billed annually. Check out the whole pricing structure here.
5. SoundCloud
If you’re into music and rhythms, and not into content-based podcasting, then SoundCloud is your tool.
Here’s what it does
It lets you host music and get discovered by passionate music lovers. This hosting option is mainly for music, but you can upload spoken word podcasts as well. Just upload your file and distribute it on social media to get your listeners.
Listeners need to make an account on SoundCloud to download your music. They’ll automatically have access to all the music you’ll publish in the future.
To earn from your music and promotion, you need to purchase the premium plans: SoundCloud Pro Unlimited and SoundCloud Repost.
The Repost plan ($2.50/month) lets you share your music to all the major music services, gives you access to promotional tools such as SoundCloud’s discovery pages, and lets you select which country your music should be available in.
The Pro Unlimited plan ($12/month) helps you accept fan donations, direct messaging for fans, listener insights, and much more.
Cost
The free plan allows you to publish three hours of content. The other plans I already mentioned above. You can check them in detail by clicking here.
6. Headliner
Your job doesn’t end at just creation and hosting, you need to promote your content as well. It’s true for all content forms, be it written, verbal, or visual. If people don’t find your content, then why would you create it in the first place?
You’ve to go on social media, post some remarkably eye-catching clips and get people intrigued in listening to your whole episode. That’s where I’d like to recommend Headliner.
Here’s what it does
It helps podcasters to create promotional clips for social media.
You can use it to create video promos for your podcast. Headliner lets you add all kinds of extra features inside your clips to attract more listeners. The best thing is, some features are automatic.
You don’t need any tech skills or expert editing skills to use Headliner. It’s simple, easy to use, and the best promo tool for podcasters of all stages.
Cost
The free plan lets you create 5 videos per month. The upgrade starts at $7.99/month billed annually. Check out the whole pricing structure here.
7. Rev
You’ve done the hard work to create amazing content, then why not repurpose it to post on other platforms as well?
You can convert your audio into written form to publish blogs, emails, and short-form social media content. You can create videos having just your audio and the subtitles to post on Youtube.
You can do all sorts of stuff once the content is created. But you don’t have to do it manually when Rev is at your disposal.
Here’s what it does
It converts your audio into text to provide transcription and subtitles.
The service is one of the most trusted in the world, with a customer base of 170,000, and is best known for its accuracy.
This tool saves you the time and hassle of hiring a transcriptionist. While Rev already has a network of 30,000+ transcriptionists and translators primarily based in the U.S. who do it for you at an ultra-high-speed.
If you want a revision, which you won’t in most cases, the turnaround time for the file is also really fast. This separates it from its competitors.
I really love this tool so much that I can write a whole article about it, but I hope you get the idea. This is the best tool to go for when looking for transcription and subtitle-related services at a very cheap cost.
Cost
Rev charges $1.25 per audio minute transcription. If you wish to use other services of Rev, you can check out the pricing here.
8. Krisp
As podcasting is an audio-based communication platform, people judge you based on the quality of your audio. If the audio isn’t appealing to the ears, then no one will listen to your podcast, no matter how amazing content you’re delivering.
That’s why you need to take special care about the audio quality and the background noise.
If you live in a place where you can’t avoid noises like traffic sounds, the sound of kids fighting, or barking dogs, then Krisp can be a lifesaver for you.
Here’s what it does
It is an AI-powered noise cancellation tool that eliminates all the background noise and keeps the human voice only. It provides really high-quality studio-like audio, even if you’re recording from your phone.
You don’t need any soundproofing material or expensive mics. And there’s no need of wasting time on removing unwanted noise manually.
Plus, it works with almost all communication apps like Gmeet, Zoom, etc. for conducting remote interviews. If you want professional quality, Krisp can be a very cost-effective tool for you.
Cost
The free plan consists of 240 minutes of noise removal. The upgrade starts with as low as $5/month billed annually. Check the whole pricing structure here.
Bonus: Best Technical Equipments
In the whole article, I didn’t talk about the technical equipment like mic, headphones, or cables, etc. because you don’t need them to start.
But as soon as you start making money, it’s always better to reinvest it to buy these pieces of equipment. They’ll enhance the production quality of your podcast even more.
To select the best technical equipment from a pool of average products, you can check out redditbests.com. This is a website that curates the most popular technical products which are recommended by Redditors all over the world.
They don’t do it using affiliation or any kind of sponsorship. The rankings of the products are plainly based on what Redditors are recommending and you can also check what reviews they write. All you have to do is choose the product that suits your requirement and it’ll take you to Amazon so you can purchase it.
Final Words
The podcast industry is booming, but it’s only just begun. If you jump in now, you can reap the huge benefits later on, both in terms of branding and monetization.
In this article, I’ve curated eight software tools that can help you kickstart, grow and monetize your podcast. Here they are:
- Descript: Sound editing, audio transcription, and text-based editing and removal of filler words from audio.
- SquadCast: Record studio-quality remote interviews and podcasts from anywhere.
- Auphonic: Give a professional-level post-production touch to your podcasts before they go live.
- Podbean: Host the podcast and monetize it.
- SoundCloud: Lets you host music and get discovered by passionate music lovers.
- Headliner: Helps podcasters to create eye-catchy promotional clips for social media.
- Rev: Converts your audio into the text to provide transcription and subtitles at a very low cost and high speed.
- Krisp: Eliminate all the background noise and keep the human voice only.
- RedditBests: Find the highest-rated equipment chosen by Redditors from all over the world.
I hope this article has inspired you and armed you with all the tools to get started on your podcasting journey. I’m planning to write more like these, so, if you want me to write a compilation of the best tools in a particular field, do let me know in the comments below.
Author’s note: Some of the links mentioned in this article are sponsored. But I love these tools so much, I would never have shared them with you if I didn’t think they can add amazing value to your life and journey as a podcaster.