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Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  Your personal website gives people another way to discover your podcast! And when they do, you want them to be able to start listening right there, without opening another app or searching for your show. That’s where your embed player comes in. We just added more ways to customize your Buzzsprout player so it can better fit your website and the way you want people to explore your episodes. You can choose your brand color, pick from three player styles, and preview everything on desktop or mobile before adding it to your personal website. And if you want to feature more than one episode, you can now choose exactly what appears in the player and filter episodes by creator or tag. Head to the Episodes page in your Buzzsprout account and click Embed Players to get started!  Learn More Grow Your Craft If you couldn’t make it to Podcast Movement in New York, we have two talks worth catching up on! Buzzsprout Podcast Producer Jordan Blair shared practical advice for getting listeners to do what you ask, and James Cridland of Podnews took the stage for a fascinating look at podcasting history. Watch Jordan Blair’s talk and James Cridland’s talk from Podcast Movement! New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 PM EST for a Buzzsprout Orientation hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  Alban and Jordan are back from Podcast Movement in New York, and they came home with a lot to talk about. Podcasting has changed dramatically since Buzzsprout attended the first Podcast Movement in 2014. This year’s conference made that growth especially clear with bigger businesses and new conversations about where the industry is headed. But some of their favorite moments were still the familiar ones: meeting other podcasters, hearing great ideas, and talking about why people keep making shows in the first place. That led to a bigger ​conversation​ about the future of indie podcasting. Is there room for smaller, more focused events built around creators who simply love making podcasts? They also share their favorite talks from the conference, updates from the Podcast Standards Project, and a great reminder from Ira Glass about something audio can do better than almost any other medium. If you want to know what’s changing in podcasting and what it could mean for indie creators, listen to this episode of ​Buzzcast​! Listen to Buzzcast New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 PM EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for an Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  Most of the time, we’re trying to get our podcast in front of as many people as possible. But there are times when reaching a smaller, specific group makes more sense. Maybe you want to give subscribers bonus episodes, create exclusive content for your biggest fans, or add a podcast to a course or coaching program. That’s where a private podcast can be really useful! In ​this episode​ of Podcasting Q&A, Cara walks through three ways to offer private content and how to choose between them based on what you want your listeners to experience. You can keep a podcast out of the public directories, build it into a membership, or use Buzzsprout Subscriptions to put premium episodes behind a paywall. If you’ve ever considered tailoring some of your content for a smaller group of listeners, listen to ​Podcasting Q&A​! Listen to Podcasting Q&A New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  A few months ago, Jordan needed to pitch a talk for Podcast Movement. There was just one problem: the deadline was coming up fast, and she was having trouble narrowing down what she wanted to talk about. So she went back to her podcast, Buzzcast. Jordan uploaded years of transcripts to ChatGPT and asked it to find the topics she kept coming back to. And it came back with a lot to work with! One idea jumped out from an old episode about getting listeners to actually do what you ask. Jordan remembered loving that conversation, and suddenly, she could see the whole talk coming together! So, she used the episode as a framework and submitted the pitch. Now, she’ll be giving that exact talk at Podcast Movement in New York this week! In this episode of Buzzcast, she walks through the process and even tries it with a few listeners’ podcasts to see what ideas are hiding in their back catalogs. Chances are, there are some good ones hiding in yours, too. Listen to this week’s Buzzcast to learn how to find them! Listen to Buzzcast Buzzsprout Meetup at Podcast Movement  Buzzsprout is headed to Podcast Movement 2026, and we want to hang out with you! Join us this Thursday, September 17th, from 5-6:30 PM for a fun afternoon of food, drinks, and networking! RSVP to save your spot.  RSVP for Meetup New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 PM EST for a Buzzsprout Orientation hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  We spend a lot of time thinking about how to grow our podcasts. But after a year of hosting Podcasting Q&A, Cara realized her podcast had been growing something else: her confidence. Before taking over the show, Cara was used to being given a task and completing it. Now, she was responsible for writing, recording, editing, publishing, and figuring out what the show should become. A year later, she noticed that confidence following her into other parts of her life. When she started coaching cheerleading, creating routines and leading the team didn't feel nearly as intimidating because she'd already spent a year learning how to trust her own ideas. And Cara isn't the only one. In this week's Buzzcast, the team shares some incredible stories about what can happen when people pick up a microphone! If you've been podcasting for a while, you've probably gotten better at more than podcasting. Listen to this week's ​Buzzcast​ to hear the stories that made us look at podcast growth a little differently! New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  Jeremy Gendelman had the recordings for ​Yasha​ sitting in a drawer for almost ten years. He'd recorded his grandfather telling the story of fleeing across the Soviet Union during the Nazi invasion of World War II.  At the time, Jeremy was mostly a curious grandson with an old camcorder. He had no idea what he'd captured! Years later, after his grandfather passed away, Jeremy listened again. This time, he heard a podcast. "I have his voice. I already have his story. I have it told in the way he wanted to tell it." The problem was Jeremy had never produced a podcast before. So he learned as he went. He researched the history, practiced writing for narration, found a sound designer who could bring the story to life, and slowly built five episodes over three years. Jeremy's advice is: "If you have a story that matters to you, that's the qualification right there." If you’re curious what became of those tapes after ten years in a drawer, or need some inspiration for a show you've been waiting to make, check out ​Yasha​. Listen to Yasha New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters!  Lately, I’ve noticed how much content is starting to sound the same. It's technically good, but so much of what we consume is optimized and often AI-assisted to the point where you can almost tell what the next sentence will be. And it got me wondering: Is the same thing happening to podcasts? On this week's episode of Buzzcast, the team talks about “podcast blanding” and the pressure to look at what's working for others and slowly make your podcast sound more like everything else. But if everyone follows the same playbook, we risk editing out the things that made people connect with our shows in the first place. The tangents, laughs, inside jokes, unusual formats, and rough edges might not be perfectly optimized, but they may also be the reason someone remembers your podcast!  If you've been feeling stuck in a content rut or are feeling pressure to conform your show, check out this ​episode of Buzzcast​!  Listen to Buzzcast New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey Podcasters! Most podcasts have a host, producer, researcher, writer, and editor. On ​Tiger Talk​, those jobs belong to fourth and fifth graders! The podcast is produced by EAST students at John Tyson Elementary School of Innovation in Arkansas, and when teacher Jennifer Boogaart says it’s student-led, she really means it. The students choose each season’s theme, research stories, write scripts, invite guests, create their intro music, run the equipment, conduct interviews, and handle basic editing. Fourth graders learn from the fifth-grade hosts, then take over as leaders the following year! What started as a way to share what was happening at school has grown into real community connections. Last season, one veteran they interviewed was so impressed she later joined them when ​Tiger Talk​ was recognized by the Arkansas Board of Education. Along the way, Jennifer has watched her students become better writers, more confident speakers, stronger listeners, and better problem-solvers. If you want to hear what happens when fourth and fifth graders take over the microphones, check out Tiger Talk. Listen to Tiger Talk New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey Podcasters! If you’ve ever tried embedding an episode in WordPress, you know it can take more clicks than it should. A small update to your site can turn into a lot of bouncing between menus just to get one episode in the right place. So we gave the Buzzsprout WordPress plugin a much-needed refresh. Now you can add an episode with a slash command, choose the player size, and embed your latest episode, a specific episode, or a playlist right inside the editor. And for the first time, Buzzsprout embeds work on WordPress.com, too. If you already use the plugin, update to ​version 2.0.0​ to try it out! Get Started New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Episode of the Week What if your podcast could answer customer questions before they ever reached your inbox? In this ​episode of Happy to Help​, Cara Pacetti joins Jordan and Priscilla to talk about using podcasting to educate customers, answer common questions, and make support feel more personal. Listen to the episode to see how your podcast can become part of your customer support strategy! Listen to Episode  Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters! If you're already recording video, you know the work doesn't end when the recording does. Next comes uploading the same episode file to multiple platforms just to get it everywhere you want it. But now, you can publish video episodes to Spotify and YouTube directly from your Buzzsprout account. Upload one video to Buzzsprout, and we’ll publish it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube while continuing to share your audio everywhere else. Instead of juggling multiple logins, you can manage your podcast from one place. One upload gives your audience more ways to watch or listen to your podcast! You can get started with Spotify and YouTube video in your Buzzsprout account today. Get Started Episode of the Week Listeners often drop off at the beginning or end of an episode when the intro runs too long, or the outro loses momentum. In this episode, PodMatch founder Alex Sanfilippo joins Buzzsprout's Head of Marketing, Alban Brooke, to share practical ways to tighten your podcast intros and outros, keep listeners engaged, and improve episode completion. Listen to Episode I know we've been talking a lot about video podcasting lately, but I promise we have some fun audio-only updates in the mix. Be sure to check back next week for something new!  Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters! Podcast equipment has gotten a lot better over the last few years. Unfortunately, it's also gotten a lot more confusing. There are hundreds of microphones, dozens of audio interfaces, and no shortage of YouTube videos telling you the "best" setup. It's easy to spend weeks researching gear instead of recording your next episode. That's why we put together ​Podcast Equipment: What I Learned from 500 Episodes​. Instead of reviewing every microphone on the market, it focuses on the handful of equipment decisions that actually make a difference so you can build a setup you'll be happy with for years. One of those decisions is whether to choose a USB or XLR microphone. That's exactly what we cover in this week's episode of Podcasting Q&A. We break down the tradeoffs, explain who each option is best for, and hopefully save you from buying more microphone than you actually need. Whether you're starting from scratch or making a few upgrades, these resources will help you build a setup that works for you! Listen to Podcasting Q&A Read Blog New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 3:30p pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Grow Your Craft If you've ever wished it was easier to hear from your listeners, this one's for you. Join us today at 1:00 pm EST for a Buzzsprout Class featuring Fan Mail! We'll show you how it works, share creative ways podcasters are using it, and answer your questions live. RSVP for Class Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters! It's easy to assume your podcast grows because you publish consistently, improve your audio, or spend more time promoting each episode. But what if your biggest growth opportunities were decided long before someone ever pressed play? This week on Buzzcast, Jordan is joined by podcast strategist Courtney Elmer to talk about the small decisions that shape how new listeners discover your show.  They walk through the five "gatekeepers" every podcast has: your cover art, podcast name, description, episode titles, and show notes, and explain how each one influences whether someone listens or keeps scrolling. One idea that really stood out to me is that podcast metrics are a trailing indicator. Instead of obsessing over downloads, Courtney encourages podcasters to focus on the decisions that drive listener behavior in the first place. It's a refreshing way to think about growth, especially if your show has been around for a while. The episode is full of practical examples, and Jordan even puts Buzzcast through the framework live, making it easy to apply the same ideas to your own show! If you've ever looked at your podcast and wondered, "What's the next thing I should improve?" this episode is a great place to start! Listen to Buzzcast New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation One quick favor before you go! The podcasting community is helping shape the Podcast Movement 2026 schedule, and we'd love your support! If you'd like to see the Buzzsprout team on stage this year, we'd be grateful if you voted for our sessions below: • ​Vote for Jordan's Talk on Getting Listeners to Do What You Ask ​  • ​Vote for Alban's Talk on Audio, Video, or Both?​  • ​Vote for Tom's Talk on Podcast Stats​ Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey, Podcasters! About a month ago, the Buzzcast team turned the show into a video podcast. Rather than speculate about whether video is worth it, they decided to try it themselves and see what actually happened. Some parts have been exactly what they expected. Others... not so much! In this episode of Buzzcast they discussed what they learned after the first month, including the real numbers, what surprised them most, and one recording mistake that still hurts to think about. They also cover: How many people are actually watching on Apple PodcastsWhat the early video stats are starting to revealWhy editing video takes much longer than editing audioAnd how one failed recording reinforced the importance of a reliable workflowA big takeaway is that they still think audio is the easiest way to start a podcast!  If you've been thinking about adding video, or you're already experimenting with it, this episode gives an honest look at the tradeoffs after a month of real-world experience! Listen to Buzzcast New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a Buzzsprout Orientation hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Grow Your Craft Join us on July 16th for Podcasting Made Simple Live, a premium virtual event for podcast hosts and guests that helps them grow their influence, revenue, and expertise! Use code BUZZLIVE at checkout for a free ticket. One quick favor before you go!The podcasting community is helping shape the Podcast Movement 2026 schedule, and we'd love your support! If you'd like to see the Buzzsprout team on stage this year, we'd be grateful if you voted for our sessions below: • Vote for Jordan's Talk on Getting Listeners to Do What You Ask ​ • Vote for Alban's Talk on Audio, Video, or Both?​ • Vote for Tom's Talk on Podcast Stats​ Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey Podcasters! One of my favorite things about podcasting is that your show almost never grows the way you expect it to! Kristin and Steve started their podcast, ​Cycling Together with Kristin & Steve​, thinking it would help people discover their bike shop. Instead, it opened up an otherwise intimidating hobby to a lot of new riders!  Every two weeks, a new episode sparks conversations at local rides and keeps them connected with customers between visits.  One listener even told them they bought their daughter a better bike because of something they heard on the podcast! Adding video podcasting is another interesting part of their growth!  Kristin was convinced people wouldn't watch a podcast, but Steve disagreed because he consumes almost everything about cycling on YouTube. To him, video content is another place people discover new ideas. Turns out, Steve was right, and now around half of their Apple Podcasts downloads are from video! What I love is that they didn't let video become another complicated project. They record wherever it makes sense: a guest room, a parking lot after a ride, even while traveling. As Kristin put it, "You can make this as complicated or as easy as you want... we've just decided it's better done than right." I think that's why the podcast works so well: they're not chasing perfect production. They're focused on making content about a hobby and sport they love! If you're looking for a great example of a podcast that's making a real impact in its community, check out ​Cycling Together with Kristin & Steve​. Listen to Podcast New to Buzzsprout? Join us today at 1 pm EST for a ​Buzzsprout Orientation​ hosted by our Podcaster Success Team. We'll walk you through your Buzzsprout account and help you prepare for a successful podcast launch!  Sign up for Orientation Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!

Send a question for 'Ask Megan' Hey Podcasters! For years, Rich and Andrew kept hearing the same thing from their social media followers: "You should start a podcast." As flight attendants, they'd built a large audience by creating polished, entertaining videos online. So if they were going to launch a podcast, they knew listeners would expect that same experience.  They wanted the podcast to feel like a step forward, so when they finally launched ​Two Guys on a Plane​, video was part of the plan from day one! As Rich put it, "We've always had the mindset that your audience is everywhere. Don't stick to one platform." For Two Guys on a Plane, one recording becomes a lot of things: an audio podcast episode, YouTube content, social clips, and now a video podcast on Apple Podcasts.  Instead of creating something new for every platform, they're getting more value from the conversation they're already having! That same philosophy carried over to their workflow. With two busy flight attendant schedules, they batch record several episodes in one studio session each month. The studio handles the cameras and production, and Rich and Andrew get to focus on the conversation instead of the technology. When it's time to publish, they keep it just as streamlined. Rich told us that one of his favorite parts of publishing video on Buzzsprout is being able to upload one video file and have it automatically appear on Apple Podcasts alongside the audio version of the show. "Being able to just upload to Buzzsprout as you would the normal audio episode and have it pushed to pretty much everywhere is such a nice feature." I think that's what makes this a great example for other podcasters. They knew they wanted to start with video because it helped them reach the audience they'd already built, so they found a workflow that made video podcasting sustainable. It's easy to get intimidated by video podcasting, especially if it feels like a one-size-fits-all solution. But, there are many ways video can add something to your show!  If you've been thinking about experimenting with video, you can upgrade to a Buzzsprout video plan and start publishing video episodes to Apple Podcasts. Learn About Video Grow Your Craft Join us this Wednesday, July 1st, at 1:00 PM EST, for a ​​Buzzsprout class​​ featuring Fan Mail!  We'll show you how it works, share creative ways podcasters are using it, and answer your questions live. Register for Class Have a question for Megan? Send a text! That's all for this week! Thanks for listening & keep podcasting!