Buzzsprout Getting Started Step by Step Tutorial
This video is ONLY about setting up and account with Buzzsprout.
You can see the complete Getting Started Guide Here.
You can follow along by visiting this link https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=649245
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
We will be posting additional videos about all of the functions involved later.
***Transcript***
00:20
00:20
Hello, everyone and welcome to getting started with buzzsprout the podcast hosting platform.
This video tutorial is going to start from the very very beginning, assuming that you don't even have an account, so we are going to set up an account and I'm gonna walk through that step by step today to help you, if you already have a bus, Prowl account setup and you're, looking at doing things like actually uploading the episode of your podcast that you've recorded, then this is not the video for you go ahead and click into the buzzsprout playlist and you'll find it there okay.
So this is the screen that you should be on.
This is buzzsprout dot-com and the link is down below in the description of this video.
So if you want, you can click that and actually follow along and we'll walk through setting up an account.
So when you get to this main screen, obviously there's some information here like features pricing, how to start a podcast blog with some great information in there that you may want to review, but I'm gonna assume for the time being that you've kind of gone through All of this and you're ready to go ahead and get started.
So there's a couple of ways to do that up here on the top right, you'll see get started for free button.
There'S one here in the middle and if you scroll down you'll, see they're giving an offer free for 90 days.
All of these getting started buttons will take you to the same place.
So let's go ahead and do that and start the process.
So I'm going to go ahead and click that and it'll take me to this screen here.
02:01
There'S no credit card required, cancel any time, no contracts.
Let'S go ahead and put my first name in and I am going to use an email.
My existing podcast is not attached to so I can get that through go ahead and click, I'm not a robot.
You might be hit with some captcha image, go ahead and answer those verify and then create the click.
02:38
The create my podcast button.
Alright.
So once you get to this screen, then it's gonna ask you for a password, go ahead and create a good password to keep your account safe.
Okay!
So now it's going to ask you what best describes you, I'm a new podcaster or I already have a podcast now.
This may seem like a simple question, but it's actually quite important, because if you already have a podcast, then it's going to take you through the process and offer you options to import and transport that podcast over.
If you're totally new to podcasting, then that's going to be take you right to the podcasting hosting platform, so in this case since you're watching a real beginner tutorial, let's start as I'm a new podcaster.
So let's go ahead and click on that.
03:33
Okay, so it's pre-populated!
The podcast title field, but you can change that.
Maybe you want to use your brand or your business in here and do it as you need it, I'm going to go ahead and leave it, as is just for the tutorial and then in here in the product.
Podcast description, it's gonna ask you to add that for your podcast now you can come back later and edit this, if you want from the podcast settings page, but this is an important piece for you to put in and you should think about an easy way To explain your podcast to people just like you would writing any type of thesis or paper.
You'D want to kind of get your point across pretty quick in the first sentence or two so that people can understand what your podcast is about very very quickly then.
04:27
After that, you'd want to put in other information in your podcast description.
Maybe if you are going to use adult type of themes, you may want to put that in there or it's kid-friendly, or maybe just your genre that you're gonna be involved just put as much of information as possible.
So people can understand what your podcast is about, so I'm just gonna type in here test podcast for YouTube tutorial, alright, alright!
So then we'll click the done button and, let's get let's start podcasting, alright great.
So this is gonna drum pew jump.
You over here to the main page and this is where you're going to be spending most of your time once you have your buzzsprout account up.
05:22
This is where you'll be uploading, episodes and doing additional type of work.
I'M not gonna go into that in any detail today.
I will have another tutorial up specifically about uploading episodes, so you can watch that when you're ready, but let's just kind of go through the buzzsprout menu here, so we can kind of see the different areas that are available for you and what they are so right.
In here you can update your artwork and put that in there the artwork for your podcast is quite important.
This is a thumbnail that will show up in a whole bunch of different spots, there's quite a bit of information out there about creating a good thumbnail and the importance of it.
Remember your thumbnail for your podcast is not only going to be looked at on desktop, but also mobile devices, so do take your time and create some good artwork for your podcast.
Okay.
This first section here that we're already in is episodes.
So if we had episodes already uploaded, we would see them here and they would be listed and you'll notice.
Each episode starts with the date that it was broadcast out or gone, live and then below that you'll have your name of your podcast and then there'll be some additional buttons below that you can click on for analytics, different information sharing and editing over here in the Duration it'll tell you how long your podcast is, how many plays you've gotten in any art work if it's specific to that podcast, so eventually, you'll have hundreds over here and you'll.
Have a long list and it'll have all of your episodes.
Now, let's click over to the next one, this is called players.
Ok, now players are how your podcast is going to be engaged with from people who are listening.
So there are different types of players.
Buzzsprout makes it very easy, there's different ways of presenting it.
So you'll see this one here is a player for each episode, just as it says there.
So you have this type of format and it'll have your title ready to play different links, description down below?
So if you want to embed this separate each episode player somewhere, this is what it looks like it's a very sharp.
It'S very neat now, if you have multiple episodes and you want to introduce people to your whole podcast and not just a specific one, this is the multiple episode player and I'll.
Have your artwork up here.
08:09
Some social media share buttons, it'll, be in chronological order.
In Reverse, basically, whichever one you most recently posted will be at the top and going back and the most current one.
Actually, the most current one will be here and then down here will be your previous episodes.
So if you embed this on, let's say a website or you share this somewhere with the code this is what it will look like.
08:36
Podcast buzzsprout makes it very easy.
It'S very sharp and it looks very professional.
So I encourage you once you start and getting into it to share with that now the code and that you need for embedding these episode players so that you can share, is over here so you'll see.
This is the embed code that you would put into your website for the single, and this is the code that you would embed into your website for multiple episodes.
Let me show you real quick.
What that looks like on my website and because I have a buzzsprout account, so my buzzsprout podcast is called digital marketing tool.
09:24
Talk now.
Here'S the artwork that I have and this is the multi episode player that I have embedded into my website.
So you can see right here.
The most recent one is ready to play with a now nice sound wave there to show people have some controls.
They can listen to it at 1x or 2x, a lot quicker and then down below.
That is all the previous episodes that I have.
It doesn't show all of them right on the top.
But if you, if you scroll down you'll, see this little navigation bar here, you can scroll and look at all the episodes that I have done.
I also have them down below with individual tags, for people to look at, but that's just a quick look at what it looks like sharing your episodes with the multi episode provided embed code there, okay.
So, let's look at website, so bus prop provides you with a podcast web site that you can direct people to if you want them to.
If you don't already have a website and you want to direct them there now people have different views on.
You know you should direct them to your personal website, but if you're just doing a podcast and you're just getting started.
This is an excellent way to present.
On a website your buzzsprout podcasts, so I have one done for mine as, but I don't direct anybody there.
I direct them to my personal website, but just so you know that's available.
The buzzsprout platform does have a website URL that you can share with everyone.
11:06
Many times the question comes up when you're doing a podcast from people is.
Where can I listen to you and instead of saying iTunes or Spotify or Pandora or iheart or stitcher, you don't know what platform these people are listening on or what kind of device they have, so you can send them to your website, maybe you're, sharing that in An email or maybe a social media post, and then they can go from there.
So it's really cool that buzzsprout has that laid out.
They have some customization in it.
Nothing like a regular website but perfect if you're just getting started.
Okay.
11:45
The next section here is directories.
These are all the directories that you can list.
Your podcasts for people to basically consume or listen to two of the biggest ones are Apple podcast that you probably have heard of or Spotify and Google podcasts.
So these are the three biggest ones and buzzsprout makes it very easy for you to get listed on each one.
So when you create your podcast, it will be hosted here on buzzsprout, but it needs to be broadcasted out to these different platforms.
So people can listen to it, comment favorite and follow you and that's how you would grow as a podcaster.
Now there are other platforms that people are listening to podcasts on stitcher.
12:37
I Heart Radio Pandora tune in and Alexa podcasts attic, pod, chaser, Deezer, listen notes.
Podcasting is all over the place and getting listed on all of these platforms is free, so there's no reason not to just take a few minutes and go through each one and slowly get listed on all of these different platforms.
So, no matter what platform people are on, they can listen to your podcast.
Okay, now, down over here, you'll see once you're listed on Apple podcasts, you'll automatically be put on.
Overcast pocket casts Castro and Kass box.
13:20
So that's nice!
That just puts you out.
It makes you more available to people to listen to.
I will note that in some of the groups that I'm in with buzzsprout people are always asking or complaining that hey I listed with Apple or I listed with Spotify, but when I go to that platform, I don't see my podcast and it takes time.
Sometimes it'll.
Take one day, sometimes it'll take seven, sometimes it'll take two weeks so be patient.
When you upload and go through this process of getting listed, it does take time for different platforms.
Okay, now below next to directories is the RSS feed.
Now, if you're unfamiliar with that it RSS feeds and what they do, don't worry about it.
14:10
This is for advanced users.
If you need to sync or somebody wants to pull information automatically when you post things on your podcast, they may ask for your RSS feed.
So if you're from unfamiliar, don't worry, you don't really have to do anything about it, but if you do engage with advanced users or other websites or people who are heavily involved with podcasting and websites, they may ask you for your RSS feed.
This is your RSS feed, you just click copy, send it to them or share it, and they can now follow when you post, podcast episodes.
Okay, the next button over is going to be resources.
Buzzsprout is really geared towards new and intermediate type podcasters.
They have a lot of tutorials on how to do things on the buzzsprout platform.
15:11
I love them.
They also have a great podcast called five-minute Mondays in addition to the buzzsprout one that just has quick little tips.
They talk about common questions that come up all the time if you're gonna go ahead and do a podcast, no matter what platform you're on, I highly recommend you follow the buzzsprout podcast and the five-minute Mondays pod cross very informative.
Now, when you're getting started, you're gonna need a lot of things to get done.
Quite possibly you can maybe do them on your own or if you want to pay.
Somebody definitely remember that over here they have quite a few partner discounts, for you to use.
Should you want to outsource some of that work, for instance, this one here 99designs this might be a great place to go if you're thinking about doing podcast, artwork, thumbnail, artwork, etc.
Even though there are a lot of free options out there, if you want something professionally done, that might be an option.
Okay, so we scroll back up you'll, see affiliate marketplaces, another option so buzzsprout likes to grow and help those who promote buzzsprout, like myself, doing tutorials through affiliates.
So if you were to click on the link in the description below and sign up for a paid plan with buzzsprout, then when you use my affiliate link, you help me out to pay for some of the material that I put out like this tutorial and other Ones they also have other affiliates that they work with I'll.
Let you go through that whenever you want okay, so let's move on down the menu here.
17:01
So here we have podcast settings so in the settings.
I don't know if we remember but early on, they asked us this information for our title and the podcast description, so you can come in here.
I encourage you to really put a good description in there.
It'S important for people to one understand very quickly what your podcast is about and then, if they're interested to put that additional information, so people can learn even more and quite possibly follow you and become a loyal listener.
Here is where you would put your podcast artwork in there.
They give you some dimensions, so you know, if you're building yourself what to do with that.
You would also need to pick a Apple podcast category click that drop down, find where you are and there and put that in accordance to whatever category you're doing timezone wherever you're at a lot of this is kind of self-explanatory, but do take the time to set It up carefully as you go through.
18:06
There is an important question here, explicit content.
So if you don't have explicit content in your podcast, you're gonna want to go ahead and click on that now right down here, there's some a link for some more options.
For more settings, I encourage you to go through and put these settings selections in.
They are what type of podcasts do you have, whether it's episodic or serial, depending if you're grouping it or it's just one after another?
Maybe you have some links for memberships, patreon or maybe a PayPal, so a donation link.
You can put that in there if you're like doing like, I have, and you have your podcast hosted on a website.
You would want to put that website address in there.
18:59
All episodes keywords this is important.
You should always put keywords, because, when people search that's going to help the algorithm of all these search platforms, to show that person the correct podcasts that they're looking for okay so definitely go into the Advanced Settings on that as well.
Team members, if you have other people who are helping you with your podcast, maybe editors or maybe people who are doing the music or transcripts or someone needs to approve it before it goes out.
This is where they would be the plan.
This talks about all the plans we kind of looked at in the beginning, so the free plan is definitely good enough to get started.
I will point out one thing on the free plan that you need to be aware of.
Obviously, there's limits, but what's most important, is that the episodes will be hosted for 90 days, so basically after 90 days, buzzsprout will not host it.
So if someone goes to listen to it, if it shows on your website there's a link or maybe you shared that with other people they would no longer be able to get the episode because it would no longer be hosted so be aware of that.
So that's the different plans that are available.
You also have an option for the 192k stereo optimization now this is definitely an advanced type of optimization and the stereo is, if you only really should be using.
This is if you're recording in stereo, so basically different sounds coming out of the left and right side of the speaker or headphones okay.
So, let's look at backup, so buzzsprout does backup your podcast and if you want to have an additional level of backup protection, you can download your episodes, download your RSS feed and download those transcripts that are out there for your podcast episodes.
I don't do that myself and I don't know of other people who do it.
But you know there are some very large brands and the value of podcasts when you have special guests or just great information, and you put a lot of time and effort to into it.
It might be worth it to do a personal backup of your podcast.
Okay.
Let'S look at the cancel redirect so let's say you do a whole bunch of podcast and you just decide.
I no longer want to do any podcast, but the ones that I did were great and I want to keep them up for people to listen to in the future.
21:46
22:03
So that's an option there.
So if you ever think you're gonna stop podcasting, don't just think that that's the end of it and you're gonna lose all your podcasts and and all that material.
It will still be there if you go in and archive them, you can redirect downgrade and of course you, if you are completely done, you can delete it all right there.
Now, let's go back up to this main menu, and this final button here is stats.
This is something that podcasters talk about all the time, how many people are listening, how many are downloading?
Where are they from what episodes are most popular and on and on it's great data to look at, but I do encourage you in the beginning to not worry about it too much following the stats can be distracting, really focus on producing great content and encouraging feedback From your listeners so that you can grow and improve over time, so obviously we don't have an account, but eventually there'll be a nice bar graph in there, and you can see the growth of your podcast in here top episodes.
So if you have all your different episodes, they'll be listed and it will show you which ones are ranking the highest top apps.
This tells you on what application people are listening to you so you'll know.
If it's you know Spotify or something else, which is important.
Data to have, then you have your listeners, 37 90 days, total time downloads, and then you can go directly via these links to the different providers to see the stats that they offer.
So this is a great page to come to and see.
What'S going on with your with your podcast, you can get a little more detailed into it with episode downloads, where it'll show you specifically about the episode itself, the apps and devices.
This can be important because if people are looking at your or listening to your podcast on desktop versus mobile, that might be valuable information, particularly when you're thinking about how people are consuming your content that you're producing devices here categories, different information that you can use to.
Look at your podcast and determine how people are listening.
This one over here is quite I've enjoyed.
Looking at this over the time that I've had my podcast, you will be surprised at the number of people who listen to your podcasts from all over the world.
It'S quite exciting.
You know I'm located out here in the middle of the Pacific in the state of Hawaii, but I have a bunch of listeners that are in Norway, Oslo, Norway and it's just so cool to see people all over the world.
25:01
Listening to your podcast.
So I do encourage you to come in here and and see where people are listening and maybe in your podcast.
You may want to give them a shout out and thank them for listening and mention where they're from okay.
So this is the main menu that we've gone through and all the sub menus.
Well, let's just jump right up here to the top real quick.
These areas up here, obviously logout and help are pretty standard.
If you need additional help or want to logout, somebody else, maybe is on your computer, your profile.
Let'S click on my profile, you'll see this takes you back to your main page, just like most other platforms, where you can change your password and then my podcasts, you can come in here and it'll.
Tell tells you what plan you're on and you can also go ahead and create a new podcast, so you can have as many podcasts as you want and just go for it and enjoy so that, in a nutshell, is the buzzsprout platform and how to get started With them so go ahead and go through that process.
26:13
If you have any questions, please leave me a comment down below comment section of this YouTube.
Video and also subscribe hit the bell notification button because, as I create more tutorial videos on buzzsprout, then you will be able to follow along and get any additional information that I put out thanks for listening.
