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With RSS.com having a stable 4.9 rating on all major review platforms, we put it to the test to see how it works.
For this RSS.com review, we began with the mindset of a complete beginner to see how easy the features are to use, how easy it is to set up and monetize our podcast, and how much it costs.
Our results? A “complete” podcast hosting provider with all the features you need to easily start and keep your podcast running within a few minutes.
Advantages of RSS.com (Pros)
Beginner’s Best Friend
If there is one thing I love about a podcasting hosting service, it’s a clean UI. This, together with features that are not only easy to find but also use, makes setting up a podcast easier.
From uploading your audio file to the description, you can make your podcast live within a minute, even without any experience.
Affordable Plans With Unlimited Uploads
With RSS.com, you get more for your money. Their plans start at just $11.99/month ($4.99/month for students and NGOs), offering unlimited episode hosting—a feature that many competitors, like Buzzsprout and Podbean, limit by capping upload hours. This means you can create and publish as many episodes as you want without worrying about hidden costs or overage fees, making RSS.com a cost-effective and scalable solution for podcasters of all levels.
Free Podcast Website
As soon as your podcast is live, your episode will be listed on your own website, which is desktop- and mobile-friendly. The website is free and has a media player embedded in it so your visitors can listen to your podcast directly on your site.
Automatic Distribution To Major Podcast Directories
RSS.com automatically distributes your episodes to the majority of its directories and offers guided options for the ones that don’t support automatic requests.
Easy Social Media Sharing
Easily share your podcast episodes across different social media platforms with a click of a button.
Who Is RSS.com For?
After thoroughly testing RSS.com, I found that it is good for beginners. If you’re completely new to the podcasting world, you don’t have to stress out where to start if you choose RSS.com. From signing up until you upload your podcast, the hosting provider will walk you through its visible option and easy-to-understand interface.
It also takes care of the majority of your tasks, like distribution, podcast website, etc., so you can focus on recording your podcast. All it takes is less than 2 minutes to have your podcast up and running.
Using RSS.com: Super Easy User Interface
One thing that stood out about RSS.com was its user interface.
The interface is clean, minimal, and clutter-free. The best part? There is zero learning curve, and the support bell is right at the top-right corner in case something gets difficult (but I doubt you’d find anything too confusing to understand).
If it’s your first podcast, RSS.com helps you navigate the entire process with the options visible on your screen.
After you’ve made your podcast live, the dashboard looks like this:
Think of this dashboard as your complete podcast ecosystem that allows you to access any episode/show and helps you create your public website for your show. It shows scheduled podcasts with their date. In the header, you can navigate through the analytics, distribution, monetization, and settings of your podcast, and it also shows scheduled podcasts and the date they’re due to go live.
You can publish new episodes or start a new podcast series from the dashboard.
When it comes to publishing your podcast, RSS.com allows you to either create a separate page (website link) or share a direct link through social media.
You can check analytics and distribution at the click of a button, too. Overall, I’m quite impressed with RSS.com, which is extremely easy to use and understand for non-tech users.
Features Breakdown
1. Auto Transcription
When you upload your podcast, RSS.com gives you the option to generate a free transcript for your podcast. This powerful AI-powered feature supports 14 languages and generates SEO-friendly transcripts for your podcast for better accessibility.
2. Podroll
Love a show and want to share it with your audience? Pin up to 4 shows directly on your profile and let your listeners also tune into them. The feature is available in both plans.
3. Easy Scheduling & Publish URL
For people who love batch creation and busy individuals, you can schedule your episodes in advance. You also get a sharable public URL of your scheduled episode, allowing you to plan promotions and campaigns across social media ahead of the release.
4. Convert Audio to YouTube Video Podcasts
RSS.com uses PodViz to convert your audio podcast to automatically turn into engaging videos that you can share on YouTube. The video podcast contains dynamic visual elements and supports high resolution. Moreover, if you use chapters inside your audio podcast, they will be added atomically in your video, making it easier for your viewers to see them.
5. Embeddable Podcast Player
RSS.com offers a customizable podcast player that you can embed on your website to boost your podcast. This player is fully responsive across all devices, so even if your audience views your website on their mobile or desktop, they can still enjoy the experience.
Furthermore, you can even customize the color palette to meet your brand guidelines. For instance, I embedded my podcast in my blog post, and this is how it looks:
How to Get Started With RSS.com?
Once you set up your RSS account, use the steps below to make your podcast live!
Step 1: After signing up, your blank dashboard will appear. Click on “New Podcast.”
Step 2: Add your podcast title, description, and cover art. Next, set up your custom URL.
Step 3: Add categories, primary categories, and author details. You’re all set with your podcast. It’s time to add episodes inside, and surprisingly, it’s easy too.
Step 4: Click on “New Episode” from your dashboard.
Step 5: Add your audio file. Following this, fill in all the details of your episode.
Step 6: Choose whether you want to publish the episode right away or want to schedule it later. You’ll be able to track the process either way.
Podcast Distribution
RSS.com makes podcast distribution easy with automatic to majority podcast directories. You can publish your episode in one place and let RSS.com take care of the rest.
For instance, once you upload your episode, head over to “Distribution” and click on “Submit now.”
The submission usually takes up to an hour, but my first episode was submitted within 30 minutes.
RSS.com automatically submits your podcast on:
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Podcast Index
- Listen Notes
- RSS.com Community
For other directories that don’t support automatic submissions, such as Apple Music, iHeartRadio, etc., RSS.com offers a complete guide on how to do it. You can automatically submit your podcast to these directories using the guided methods.
On the other hand, if you want to submit your podcast manually, you can directly copy the RSS feed.
Migration From Other Podcast Hosting to RSS.com
Migrating from one podcast host to another is tricky, but RSS has really made it easy, along with 6 months of free access.
All you need to do is enter your podcast name/RSS feed and submit your email. RSS.com will verify your email and import your show automatically. And the best part of migrating? Your shows will still be available despite being under migration, allowing your followers to not miss out on anything.
Note: To be eligible for a 6-month free offer for migrating, your show must have at least one episode, and it must be a minimum of 30 days old.
Monetization Options
RSS.com provides plenty of monetization options for your podcast, such as:
- Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
- Sponsorship opportunities
- Donation and Funding
For sponsorships, you need a minimum of 1,000 downloads per month. RSS.com regularly partners with potential sponsors who might be interested in funding your show.
It’s important to note here that sponsorships are not guaranteed despite your meeting the eligibility criteria. The team will reach out when they find the right opportunity for you, and you can decide if you want to proceed with the same.
On the other hand, Apple subscriptions and donations are available for everyone, irrespective of the number of downloads.
RSS’ “Value 4 Value” stood out for me and caught my attention. Through its direct partnership with Alby, you can receive real-time payments in bitcoins through ‘bootstagram’ from your listeners.
Simply set up a free account on Alby, and you’ll be able to activate Value 4 Value monetization option.
Lastly, RSS.com is also releasing dynamic ad insertion for larger shows. However, there is still no update on the official release yet.
Analytics and Data By RSS.com
RSS.com has detailed analytics that you can see from your dashboard. The analytics gives you data for up to the last 180 days. You get data for:
- Downloads
- Listeners
- Apps, Directories & Browsers (downloads by countries)
You also get a heatmap that showcases unique downloads by week and day.
The data and analytics are clearly displayed and are easy to read. Let’s say you’re a complete beginner. The analytics given by RSS.com will definitely not give you a tough time understanding how your episodes are performing, your audience demographics, etc.
RSS.com Pricing Plans & Options
The pricing and plans of RSS.com are extremely affordable and come with 30 days refund policy.
Compared to other podcast hosting providers that put limits on how much content you can upload in a month (upload hours), all the plans of RSS.com offer unlimited episodes, audio, and unlimited podcast shows (for the top-tier plan).
RSS.com comes with a free trial that lets you set up your account and publish one podcast episode. You don’t need to enter your card details to get the free version. Additionally, it even includes distribution for the first episode as a part of their free basic version.
For the paid versions, it comes with three plans:
- Student & NGO at $4.99/month: Applicable only for students and NGO’s globally
- All in One Podcasting at $11.99/month: Best For beginners and small businesses
- Podcast Network at $18.75/month: Ideal for large businesses or podcasters to host multiple shows
Note: All prices are in USD and for the annual plan. The monthly plan is 25% higher.
Free vs Paid Plan: Do You Really Need to Pay?
The free version of RSS.com sounds great if you’re just testing out the features of the hosting provider before committing to the paid plan. However, you’ll be able to upload only one episode on the free version, and this even restricts you from trying out its scheduled feature (if you’re hitting the publish button for your first one).
Our tip is to thoroughly use the free version to its best and explore all the available features. Once done, go with the monthly plan before committing to the annual one. Although you can cancel your plan anytime without being bound by contracts, we’d still want your money to fall into the right hands that align with your needs.
RSS.com Customer Support & Help
You get a direct support bell icon to browse through their hundreds of helpful articles and tutorials.
You can enter your query, and RSS will automatically show up all the related guides. If the DIY option doesn’t solve your issues, you can submit a ticket to the customer support team with a turnaround time of a few hours to business days, depending on the complexity.
However, I received a response within 23 minutes to my query since it was a short question.
Final Verdict: Is RSS.com Worth It?
RSS.com is a value-for-money podcast hosting packed with all the necessary and stellar features you need to start your podcast. From having your custom podcast page to one-click distribution, it’s a great pick for anyone who is entirely new and wants to start a podcast without any technical know-how.
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