We’re launching a regional podcast recorded in our Indianapolis Podcast Studio but we didn’t want to go through the trouble of building out a site, getting a podcast host, and then implementing podcast feed metrics.
One alternative would have been to host on SoundCloud, but we’re a bit hesitant since they came close to shutting down – no doubt they’ll have to shift their revenue model and I’m not sure what that means for everyone hosting podcasts there.
After a few searches online, we found Fireside, a total solution for podcasting. Pricing is just $19 per month and includes the following features:
- Download Stats and Analytics – accurate, real-time download stats and analytics. Their stats engine and analytics reporting is at the very core of the product, making sure every unique download is tracked and counted accurately.
- Clean User Experience – the Fireside dashboard was designed to be fast, easy to use, and optimized for the podcasting workflow. This allows you to focus your energy where it counts — on creating amazing content instead of on tedious tasks like adding metadata, manually managing downloads, or worrying about links in show notes.
- Streamlined Workflow – control every aspect of your podcast’s details, including cover art, metadata, chapter markers, visibility, and more. Organize your show notes and links with drag and drop, and create custom pages and redirects. You can also share your statistics with your sponsors using a special private stats page created specifically for this purpose.
- Podcast RSS – generate a perfect, iTunes-compatible RSS feed for easy submission to Apple Podcasts (and anywhere else). You can even set episodes to publish in the future automatically, even when you’re away from your computer and devices.
- Import a Podcast – from your existing host into Fireside in one step, and at no additional cost. Titles, descriptions, notes, and of course the MP3 files will be imported as new episodes into your Fireside Podcast automatically. Your previous podcast will not be affected until (and unless) you redirect your old feed to your new Fireside Podcast RSS feed.
- Custom Domain – You can use your own custom domains with Fireside as well, just by entering your domain name into the dashboard and updating your DNS settings. This feature, combined with custom links and pages makes it simple to migrate your podcast, blog, and website to Fireside.
- Website and Blog – Fireside was designed to be a complete podcast hosting solution, and that includes a feature-rich, responsive website so your listeners can learn more about your show. There are individual host and guest pages with their own RSS feeds, tag pages (also with their own RSS feeds), custom pages and links, a full blogging engine, customizable artwork and header images for the website and every episode page, and much more.
- Custom Player for Embedding – Share your episodes on any web page or publishing tool, from Squarespace to WordPress, using our embeddable player.
- Bookmarklet – Manage episode links and show notes with their handy bookmarklet. Add the bookmarklet to your browser’s bookmarks bar, and anytime you find a page you’d like to link to in show notes, just click the bookmarklet. You can even highlight text on the web page, and it will be added as a description for each link.
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