Quit Trying to Podcast For Free

As someone who worked for a media host for eights years, you'e not just paying for the bandwidth and storage.

You're paying for the support staff (for those times when you publish an episode and forgot the media file), and the development team (for those cool new features that save you time and money, and who are in a constant war to identify and filter out bots).

You're paying for that five figure IAB sticker on their website to help you get sponsorships.

You're not just paying for the server, you're paying for that backup server so when AWS goes down, your podcast doesn't go down with it.

As for free?

Here is a list of companies that tried the "free" model.

• Podshow/Mevio 8/2005 – 4/2014 (116 months – 38.8 million dollars spent)

• Podango 9/2006 – 12/2008 (27 Months)

• wildvoice.com 7/2006 – 7/2009 (36 months)

• mypodcasts.com 2007 – 2011 (estimated 48 months)

• Audiometric.io 11/ 2012 – 8/2014 (21 months before being purchased by panoply and taken off the market)

• Opinion Podcasting 11/2015-10/2017  (23 months)

• Zcat 1/2016 – 1/2019 (36 months)

• Whooshkaa 6/2016-5/2021 (53 months)

• Red Circle.com 4/2019 -

• Libsyn Studio 2/2022 - 12/2023 (10 months)

• Anchor (now Spotify for Podcasters, I mean Creators) -

The problem with the "it's free and we can help you get sponsors" strategy is that the podcasters will take that deal, and when their audience is big enough, they move to a paid service, take their audience with them, get their own ads, and keep the money.

I have over 20 podcasts on Captivate (many of those no longer publish new content) and pay $19/month. That is less than $1 a month.

I walk two miles a day. My shoes cost me $80 and will last a while.

I play the guitar and a set of guitar stings is $8 and will last a month if I'm playing often.

I ride my bike in the Summer and a tune up is somewhere between $49 and $119/year.

I pay these fees either because I need them, or I get my money back in "fun."

I just paid hundreds of dollars for a snow blower. Why? Because my neighbor who had one, moved, and I need to get in and out in the winter.

For some, podcasting is the cheapest $20/month therapy on the planet. We always seem to find the money for the things we need (even if that need is a want).

I think because we deal in digital files we often feel like these should be free (because music feels free, and has completely been devalued), but there is more than band with and storage, and there are more ways to get paid than money.

Can you bowl for free? Golf for free? Watch Television for free (you still need to pay for the TV). Sometimes you need to pay to "get into the game."

If you can't afford the media host, there are other optons than Spotify (which I do not recommend at all). Buzzsprout, Red Circle, and RSS.com all have free options (with limitations).

If the goal is to start a podcast and make money quickly you are in for a rude awakening. In my book Profit From Your Podcast, I talk about how you DO NOT monetize a podcast, you monetize AN AUDIENCE. It can take YEARS to grow an audience if you're starting from ground zero. Most people don't want to hear that but it's the truth.

I filed bankruptcy in my twenties. I know the difference between "poor" and "broke." In some cases what you need is not a free podcast.

What you need is a job.

The 10-20 hours you spend on creating a podcast could be spent delivering pizza, and that actually pays you money. Then you can take that money, get the right equipment, and a proper media host.

Time is the largest expense when it comes to podcasting. I'd hate to see you waste yours by using a free media host. In 99% of situations, trying to podcast for free is something you live to regret later.