Blubrry Podcasting Review

Blubrry has been in the podcast business for over 16 years, and it is fairly recognized as one of the most popular hosting providers. More than 125.000 podcasters are happy with Blubrry’s reasonably priced plans, robust tools, and top-notch customer service. In addition, it partners with leading web hosting services (Headliner, Triton, DreamHost, etc.) to provide podcasters with cutting-edge technologies and features. Blubrry offers a wide range of integrations with other instruments (e.g., WordPress websites), making it easy to get your podcast up and running.

I’ve created this comprehensive Blubrry podcast hosting review so that you can take a closer look at all the features this platform has to offer, as well as its pros and cons. By the end of this article, you should have a good idea of whether Blubrry is the right podcast hosting solution for you. So let’s dive into my Blubrry review!

Pricing plans

Blubrry offers 3 pricing plans – Standard, Advanced, and Pro – they accommodate podcasters’ demands of all experience levels, from casual users to pro broadcasters.

Every tier includes unlimited bandwidth and downloads, standard to superior analytics, a custom web player, a WordPress website, and free migration. The quantity of storage you may upload each month varies between the different subscription categories; however, remember that it resets each month. I love that all plans include “No-Fault Podcast Hosting,” which means there are no extra charges unless you exceed your monthly storage limit by up to 25%.

Is your program ready to evolve? Consider an Advanced plan with improved statistics, domain mapping, different themes & plugins, and DNS management – must-have features for deeper audience understanding and podcast growth.

If you’re a seasoned podcaster with your own team and want to make serious money from your show, the Pro plan can cover your needs. It offers dynamic advertisement insertion, free account sharing for team members, and a network showcasing instrument.

And the cherry on top – Blubrry makes it possible for businesses to deliver private, secure audio and video podcasts. It means you can distribute your exclusive content to only a particular audience.

So, let’s take a look at Blubrry’s plan breakdowns:

• Standard tier – $12 per month or $10 if paid annually.
• Advanced tier – $20 per month or $17 if paid annually.
• Pro tier – starts at $100 per month.
• Private Podcasting Simple tier – $150 per month.
• Private Podcasting Standard tier – $150 per month.
• Private Podcasting Enterprise tier – contact a manager for the price.

A bit disappointing thing is that a 30-day free demo is available only for the Advanced plan. As for Private Podcasting, Blubrry provides a free trial, but you should reach its customer service for details.

Statistics and analytics

Trying to develop and monetize a podcast without proper analytics and statistics is like putting the cart before the horse! But Blubrry analytics has a lot to offer!

First off, this platform is IAB-certified, which means it provides a deep understanding of the audience so that podcasters make educated advertising and monetization decisions. Next, available analytics cover everything a podcaster may need – precise download totals, play metrics, listener trends, geography, operating system demographics, and more. In addition, all information may be downloaded as PDF reports for easy sharing.

Blubrry’s “Podcast Statistics” page makes it shine – it’s so straightforward to use! You’ll easily reach it from the main dashboard and see a set of reports that provide you with data arranged by episodes, date, and other parameters. The information is comprehensive yet presented in a transparent, understandable manner with diagrams to help you visualize what you are looking at.

Distribution and directories

Podcast distribution and directories are more or less standard on all high-quality hosting platforms. However, Blubrry has recently updated its directory and now boasts over 3.000.000 podcasts included! If you use Blubrry, your shows will automatically be added to the podcast directory – no need for manual operations.

Furthermore, with a clear Show Destination tab, you can quickly distribute your program to all available streamers – Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon, and more.

Promotion

Website

A website is a must-have for all podcasters! It’ll help you expand your audience, efficiently promote your show, and serve as the go-to place for all podcast-related things.

Blubrry outperforms many of its competitors by offering a free, available for all plans WordPress site. Such a site will be completely ready for your show – Blubrry backs it up daily, updates plugins, manages security, and ensures everything runs smoothly.

Audio player

There’s nothing to dislike about Blubrry’s player – while being quite basic, it offers all the necessary features you may expect from a web player. It will be accessible via your WordPress website, Blubrry’s directory, and email subscribers to your podcast.

The player can only be used for playback of episodes and shows details, not for videos. You’ll be able to change its appearance to reflect your program’s branding, including show artwork and colors. And last but not least, the player has subscription buttons for syndication services such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and others.

Newsletter and sharing

Blubrry has a great newsletter tool that lets you keep your subscribers up-to-date on your latest episodes. Plus, they make it easy to share your episodes on social media, e.g., Facebook.

You can also share publishing and/or analytics access with your teams or sponsors via a simple email invitation. This helpful feature allows you to develop your team and delegate podcast-related chores.

Monetization

It goes without saying that you are in the podcasting business because you enjoy it, but it does not hurt to have financial plans.

Blubrry outshines some of its rivals by providing podcasters with several options for monetizing their content:

• Use Stagepass – a unique Blubrry marketplace where you can auction experiences for your listeners.
• Use Pre-roll ad insertion – available for Pro plan.
• Consider Pre-, Mid-, and Post-roll ad insertion – available for an extra fee.
• Become a member of the Blubrry affiliate program to earn commission by promoting Blubrry’s services.

Files and formats

On Blubrry, you can submit almost any type of file, however, they recommend choosing .mp3 for the finest possible distribution.

Other features

Blubrry podcast hosting platform has many useful features to boast, but some of them make it really stand out. Here they are:

• PowerPress WordPress plugin – enables you to share episodes with any WordPress-powered website quickly. The plugin is quite powerful – it can deal with numerous RSS feeds and a plethora of other helpful instruments, making it easy to work with your stream directly on WordPress. But keep in mind that if you’re not used to WordPress, it’ll take some time to figure out how things work. But it’s totally worth it!.
• Blubrry API (Application Programming Interface) – it’s a great way to get more out of the platform. The API provides you with easy access to all of your podcast data, including stats, feeds, and episode files. You can also use the API to create custom applications that work with Blubrry.
• Straightforward migration – you’ll get free 30-day service with phone & email support to transfer your media files.
• Podcast Channels feature – if you use the Blubrry PowerPress plugin, try this feature to create audio and video content, this way, you’ll maximize your presence on all mediums.
• Blubrry offers super effective tech support to all their clients – managers are always there to help you by phone or email; for the Pro plan – even by video conferences!.
• For private internal podcasts, Blubrry offers a number of security levels to guarantee that your materials are totally protected.

Summing up