As an entrepreneur, you can use private podcasts to change how your audience communicates, educates, and monetizes. Imagine having a direct line to your audience, where they eagerly await your releases and engagement soars.
No more lost emails or forgotten training materials. Private podcasts deliver your message directly to your audience’s ears, whether they’re commuting, working out, or multitasking.
In this guide, you’ll learn about how entrepreneurs use private podcasts, their benefits, the best tools for private podcasts, and pro tips to help you avoid costly mistakes.
Did you know you can launch your private podcast in minutes?
With Hello Audio, you can repurpose existing content, such as digital courses or audio recordings, into private audio feeds by simply dragging and dropping.
If you have some great video and audio content, consider starting our free trial today and creating private podcasts in just a few minutes!
Benefits of Using Private Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
But how exactly are private audio feeds important? Below are the top 4 benefits you can gain from sharing exclusive private audio content:
1. An Engaged Team
Did you know that 38% of communication is influenced by tone, inflection, and delivery? Using private podcasts is a more engaging way to share information with your employees than sending emails. Your employees will better retain the information you pass, fostering a united workforce.
2. Convenience
Employees can listen to a podcast from any place at any time. Therefore, you don’t have to bother them to attend physical meetings or read boring emails. It’s also convenient for you to use private podcasts, as you can record your message anytime.
3. Clear Reference Point
A key advantage of using private podcasts in your organization is that you’ll have a reliable source of communication. Your employees can always refer back to what you said, eliminating misunderstandings and fostering accountability in your workforce.
4. Saves Time
Instead of explaining all processes when onboarding new members, you can share the relevant episode so they can listen on their own time. This will save time for both parties and ensure consistent and efficient communication.
How Entrepreneurs Are Using Private Podcasts to Grow
Company podcasts are strategic tools to grow your business, establish client connections, and enhance your business offerings.
Here’s how you can use podcasting to make your brand stand out:
Coaching
With Hello Audio, you can create exclusive, paid audio shows from your Q&A sessions and coaching calls. You can enhance your coaching experience, cater to students who don’t like reading, and allow them to learn on the go.
As a result, students feel more motivated to complete the course because it is engaging.
Thought Leadership
You can use private podcasts to share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas on topics relevant to your industry, positioning you as a go-to expert.
Eventually, you can boost authority and nurture your online community.
Client Onboarding
You can transform your welcome series or product documents into engaging private podcasts, adding a unique touch to the customers’ onboarding process.
This can create a personal connection with new clients or subscribers, boosting loyalty.
Audio Newsletters
You can send audio newsletters instead of written ones to boost content consumption. This strategy makes you stand out in a crowded inbox and creates a unique brand experience, fostering growth and subscriber retention.
Online Business
You can leverage your massive following on your podcast show. Growing your exclusive audience is beneficial since you can use your listeners as a market for your merchandise.
Add-ons for Premium Content
People value what’s scarce. By creating private podcasts, you can boost the perceived value of your membership course. Your audience can continue engaging between the sessions with the exclusive private audios, increasing their interest and retention rates.
Tools for Creating and Distributing Private Podcasts
How do you ensure a successful private podcast?
We’ve rounded up the 5 best tools to host, promote, and track your podcast:
1. Hello Audio
Hello Audio is the leading podcast hosting and distribution platform with an easy-to-use interface.
Our platform lets you turn your existing video or audio files into private podcast episodes that can only be accessed by an exclusive audience.
Key Features
- Repurpose Anything: Our tool lets you turn webinars, courses, TikTok videos, and coaching sessions into private podcasts.
- Create Feeds Fast: Our seamless drag-and-drop upload experience makes it easy to set up your private podcast quickly (70% of our new users set up their first feed within 24 hours).
- Audio Remastering: Our Dolby.io remastering tool improves audio quality by removing background noise, eliminating plosives, and correcting loudness.
- Automatic Distribution: Our tool automatically distributes your podcasts to listening apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- Monetization Opportunities: Generate income from ads, sponsorships, and premium member subscriptions.
- Reliable Analytics: You can track your listener analytics per episode, including the number of downloads, listener demographics, and episode rankings to track progress over time.
- Manage Access: With Hello Audio, you can control who has access to your content by adding or removing listeners.
Pricing: The Starter plan costs $17/month, the Pro plan is $47/month, and the Powerhouse plan costs around $97/month.
So why wait? Book a demo and see our platform in action.
2. PodBean
Podbean enables you to create and promote your show and earn rewards during live streams. You can also repurpose your blog (or video) into podcasts.
Key Features
- Monetization Options: Generate income from paid ads, premium subscriptions, sponsors, and crowdfunding.
- Cut Filler Words and Silence: To polish your audio quality, eliminate “uhms” and “uhs,” as well as silent pauses, from your podcast.
- Security: Secure your episodes with a password for restricted access.
Pricing: Offers a free plan, Unlimited audio plan for $9 a month, Unlimited Plus plan for $29 a month, and a Network plan for $79 a month.
3. Captivate.fm
Captivate.fm is a platform that allows you to create and distribute secure, internal podcasts and promote your show directly from the site.
Key Features
- Analytics Importer Tool: Import all your podcast download analytics history from your old host to Captivate.fm
- Customization: Get a customizable website and web player where you can edit colors and layouts.
- Unlimited Podcast Hosting: You can upload as many private (and public) podcasts as you want without worrying about storage limitations.
Pricing: The three plans—Personal, Professional, and Business—cost $19, $49, and $99 monthly, respectively.
4. Transistor.fm
Transistor.fm is another hosting solution on our list. It’s designed to host and distribute your members-only content. It also lets you automatically create a website for your show.
Key Features
- Collaboration: You can add unlimited team members to the podcast you create so that they can add episodes and view the show’s analytics.
- AI Transcript: Get a transcript of your entire podcast with Artificial Intelligence.
- Embedded Players: Let your audience listen to your content with podcast players integrated into your website.
Pricing: The Starter plan is $19/month, the Professional plan is $49/month, and the Business plan is $99/month.
5. Blubrry
Blubrry is a full-service private hosting platform for launching your private podcasts. You can also create a podcast website and a free WordPress site.
Key Features
- WordPress Integration: Add podcasts to your WordPress website directly.
- Analytics: Get access to your podcast download statistics.
- Media Mastering by Auphonic: Fine-tune your audio quality.
Pricing: Choose from 3 hosting plans: Standard Hosting ($12/month), Advanced Hosting ($20/month), and Professional Hosting ($100/month).
How to Get Started with Private Podcasting
Want the easiest way to launch your first private audio?
Check out the 5 simple steps to start your private podcast:
Step 1: Sign Up
Visit the Hello Audio website. Then, enter your email and name (no credit card required) to sign up.
Step 2: Create a New Feed
After signing in, click ‘Create your feed’ on the home page.
You can select a private or public feed. For this case, click on ‘private feed.’
Step 3: Drag and Drop
Upload any video or audio files you want to repurpose, and let our tool transform them into a private audio feed in minutes.
Step 4: Edit and Tweak Your Audio Using Our AI
Don’t stress over audio transcribing or editing.
Our platform automatically generates transcripts for your episodes, making them more searchable. Our software also improves your private podcast with our audio mastering tool.
Step 5: Distribute Your Content
Finally, Hello Audio creates a podcast RSS feed, which becomes the address of all your exclusive content. You can then share access links with the people you want to access your episodes, either for a fee or for free.
Best Practices for Using Private Podcasts
Want your podcast show to thrive?
Here’s what you need to do to achieve success:
Define Your Audience
Knowing your listeners is key to thriving in the podcasting world. You can use listener feedback and analytics to assess their sentiment and engagement. Then, you should tailor your content to resonate better with them and achieve better results.
Interact with Your Audience
A long and monotonous show will make your audience switch to other podcasters. Instead, you can engage your listeners by asking questions and encouraging them to email their answers. You should also reply to comments to foster a conversational and engaging podcast.
Invest in Quality Gear
Good microphone and audio equipment are non-negotiable if you want to retain and gain more subscribers. Buy a microphone, recording software, and headphones. Though expensive at first, they’ll surely pay off in the end. Besides, cheap is expensive.
Pick the Right Hosting Platform
Opt for a platform that simplifies your content creation and distribution process. The podcasting solution should offer advanced analytics, integrated payment systems, and automatic distribution.
In addition to the above, Hello Audio goes the extra mile by equipping you with a mobile app that helps you manage your private podcasts on the go.
Book an instant demo to see how it works.
Hook Them to the Next Episode
Keep your listeners yearning for more by leaving them on a cliffhanger. Leave them intrigued with questions you will answer in the next episode, making them want to return for more.
Invite Guests
Switch things up by bringing in guests on your show. Interviewing guests can bring new perspectives and add variety to your content. It also expands your reach to your guests’ audience, bringing potential subscribers to your show.
Be Consistent
Post on consistent days, without fail, if you want to be successful with podcasts. Depending on your schedule, you can post once, twice, or thrice a week. This ensures your audience anticipates upcoming episodes, making it easier for them to stay loyal.
Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make with Private Podcast
When managing your podcast channel, you may make some mistakes that could result in reduced engagement and increased drop-offs.
To prevent that, here are the common pitfalls to avoid:
- Not Monitoring Your Show’s Performance: If you fail to track and measure the progress of your podcast, you’ll miss important insights on what to improve.
- Lack of a Clear Strategy: Not having a clear revenue-generating strategy prevents you from capitalizing on your audience.
- Failing to Research Your Audience: Another mistake is creating content topics irrelevant to your target audience, which can lead to listener drop-off and poor podcast engagement.
- Lack of Proper Planning: When you don’t mix your podcast formats or post disorganized content, your show might become less exciting for your audience.
- Poor Sound Quality: Neglecting audio quality makes your private podcasts sound unprofessional.
- Lack of a Consistent Publishing Schedule: If you fail to post consistently, your audience might lose interest in your show.
- Ignoring Marketing Your Show: Not promoting your private podcasts to your target audience can result in fewer listeners.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Want to know more about private podcasts? Head to our FAQ section below:
How is a Private Podcast Different From a Public Podcast?
Here’s a comparison between private and public podcasts:
| Feature | Private Podcasts | Public Podcasts |
| Purpose | Internal communications, training, and exclusivity | Brand growth, audience reach, and monetization |
| Audience | Specific group, e.g., team members, paying subscribers, etc. | General public |
| Distribution | Private RSS feeds and email links | Public directories, like Spotify |
| Access | Restricted (password protected, invite only) | Can be accessed by anyone |
Can You Monetize a Private Podcast?
Definitely!
Hello Audio offers multiple ways to grow your income through:
- Paid ads
- Sponsorships
- Merchandise sales
What Types of Content Work Best for Private Podcasts?
The best type of content for a private podcast depends on your audience and the purpose of your communication. You can use private podcasts to publish internal communications, subscription-based membership, and educational content for your listeners.
How Much Does It Cost to Host a Private Podcast?
Depending on what your needs are and what budget you’ve set for a private podcast host, you can choose any of the following Hello Audio pricing plans:
- Starter ($17/month): Get one public and 1 private feed for your episodes.
- Pro ($47/month): Get up to 3 private podcast feeds for different audiences.
- Powerhouse ($97/month): Get unlimited private podcast feeds and 2 public feeds.
Can You Repurpose Webinar or Zoom Content for a Private Podcast?
Absolutely!
Our tool lets you convert your webinar and Zoom recordings into private audio files. Our software can then automatically deliver private podcasts to Spotify and other major listening platforms, such as Apple Podcasts.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, you should integrate private podcasts into your business strategies to boost customer engagement and drive growth. You can create private audios to nurture leads, establish yourself as a thought leader, onboard new clients, and support your coaching business.
Want to make your podcast creation journey seamless?
Our private podcasting solution lets you upload your existing video and audio files and automatically converts them into private podcasts. With one click, you can auto-publish private audio on listening platforms like YouTube Music. You can also access comprehensive analytics per episode to help you track your growth.
So why wait? Sign up for our 7-day free trial and start your private podcast in minutes!
