Thinking of starting your own podcast? Anchor is the perfect platform to get the ball rolling.
Podcasting is a way to chat with friends across the country, enjoy beginning a new creative endeavor, and maybe make some side income in the process. There may be a lot of podcasts out there, but that shouldn't stop you from joining in. And Anchor is the perfect place to do so.
Here's why you should consider hosting your podcast on this popular platform.
Anchor is a podcast hosting platform; think of it as the only site you need to upload your podcast to in order to have it appear on Spotify, Pocket Casts, Apple Music, and more. Updating your episode description here will update it on every other platform your podcast appears on.
Anchor has several other great features for podcasters, such as in-depth analytics, a sponsorship with no minimum listenership, and a website for your podcast and all other related social media links. Anchor also makes recording with friends as easy as possible in the app.
And of course, Anchor is free to use.
Anchor has stated that in 2020 alone, more than one million podcasters began their journey using the platform.
Anchor makes starting your own podcast as easy as possible. Its easy-to-use podcasting tools give you the freedom to create whatever kind of show you want and make you feel like a professional podcaster after only a few episodes. Here's every reason why you should host your podcast on Anchor.
Although we don't start podcasts with the sole intention of making money, it's incredibly exciting to see a few cents rack up from the listens your podcast initially gets. Who is the sponsor you get? Well, of course, it's Anchor itself; this is a win-win situation.
For Anchor, this lets everyone listening know that this podcast was uploaded using Anchor, the easiest way to make a podcast. The sponsorship also allows new podcasters to feel like a professional by getting to do an ad read.
Anchor allows you to be as creative as you'd like while recording the ad. The only stipulation is the mandatory call to action, which tells listeners to go download the Anchor app or to go to the Anchor site to get started.
The RPM you get, or Revenue Per Mille (one thousand listens), is $15; since Anchor gets a cut of this, your RPM comes out to $10.50. Anchor lets you easily view the amount of money your podcast has made on the desktop site or the mobile app. To cash out, podcasts need to hit at least $10 in revenue.
Anchor is incredibly user-friendly and at the same time has dozens of settings to customize your podcast experience.
It supports several audio files, such as WAV and MP3, but only allows a max file size of 250MB. While uploading, you can edit the title, description, check a box if your episode is clean or explicit, as well as upload a custom thumbnail for that episode; you may also use your podcast logo as the default thumbnail for every episode.
Anchor also supports adding links to your description. This is great for adding sources for things mentioned in the episode, as well as linking to all your other social media profiles. This will be synced to every other platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts, where all the links will remain clickable, and your formatting will remain the same.
Another small feature that's really nice to have, is the ability to show the Anchor logo on your episode thumbnail or not. Anchor could easily make this a premium feature that users would have to pay to remove, but instead allows you to show it or not with the flip of a switch. Some podcasters may find it looks professional and goes well with their cover art and may choose to show it, while others will not.
A really great part of hosting your podcast on Anchor, is that it gives your podcast a website to live on. Other podcasters may choose to make their own website using something like WordPress or Squarespace, but Anchor eliminates all the time and money needed to do that.
You're able to customize the website's theme to the color of your choosing, add a description of what new listeners can expect in every episode, and add your related social media profiles. Anchor also automatically links to every other platform your podcast appears on, so listeners can use any of their favorite apps.
The site also has three large buttons at the top to listen on Spotify, support the podcast, and to leave a voice message. The voice message feature is a great way to increase interactions with your listeners, as it's more personal than leaving a typed message, although that's an option as well. Also built into Anchor is a way for listeners to donate, so that you don't have to solely rely on ad revenue.
Want to make more money with your podcast without needing to rely on ad revenue? Anchor has you covered there as well.
Instead of needing to set up a separate Patreon account for your podcast, listeners can donate right on your Anchor site. Anchor also automatically links to where listeners can support the podcast at the bottom of every episode without you needing to do a thing.
Anchor gives listeners the option to donate $0.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month. Listeners can cancel future contributions.
Analytics are a great way to understand who is listening to your podcast and adapt your style and content to your listeners. It's also helpful to know these demographics to accept sponsorships that are relevant to your listeners.
The analytics tab shows you your podcast performance, either by week, month, 3 months, or all the time, showing how many plays you've gotten on specific days. Seeing these trends shows how you're improving over time, and what may need more improvement.
Anchor also presents your top five episodes, which is great for understanding what your listeners have been most interested in. Other analytics include which countries your listeners are from, which podcast platform they use most, their age, as well as gender.
Although other podcast hosting platforms may allow you to view more in-depth analytics, Anchor does a fantastic job at presenting the most important audience demographics in the easiest and most visually appealing way possible.
If you're just beginning your podcast journey, Anchor is a fantastic place to start. It has all the features you need without it being overwhelming. There are more advanced podcast hosting programs, such as Buzzsprout, which have features to enhance your audio files, have more in-depth analytics, and transcription tools, but it's not entirely free.
Throughout your podcast journey, you'll discover what features you'd love to have, and paying for a more advanced podcast hosting platform may be worth it. But for now, stick with a free hosting platform like Anchor.
Justin is a writer and photographer from New England. He’s been taking photos for over 10 years, and has written for Medium and MakeUseOf since 2020. Justin’s favorite video games are NES Tetris and Pokémon Crystal. He’s also a contributor to The Nerd World Reviewed podcast, which analyzes the latest tech.
Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals!
