The place do you inform your viewers to go for the actions you need them to take? I counsel that ought to nearly all the time be based mostly in your podcast’s personal area title.
Listed here are 5 causes your podcast wants its personal area, even when it is merely a redirect (which I will clarify under).
1. To simplify your most necessary name to motion
Most podcasts have at the very least one name to motion—usually many extra. However the most necessary name to motion is the one which will get individuals to your present: “Observe the podcast—” the place?
You would possibly inform individuals to pay attention on Apple Podcasts, however what about Android customers?
You would possibly inform individuals to search out your podcast of their favourite podcast app, however how a lot are you able to belief that your podcast would be the first search consequence?
The one assured means to make sure individuals arrive at your podcast is to present them a technique that may all the time work, it doesn’t matter what else occurs with podcasts and apps. That assured means is with your individual area.
So as a substitute of claiming, “Discover the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, … or wherever you get your podcasts”; you’ll be able to merely say, “Observe the podcast at MyAwesomePodcast.com” (or no matter your area is).
Then, let your web site present the suitable choices for them to observe your podcast. (And you probably have bother making these choices, then you could possibly make a “/observe” URL level to your FollowthePodcast.com web page given to all members of My Podcast Reviews.)
Sure, many potential listeners would possibly merely open their most well-liked app to seek for your present. And this does, after all, put you on the mercy of your findability and search rating inside that app. However these skilled listeners actually do not must be advised tips on how to discover your podcast anyway or what apps you are in—since you are in all of the podcast apps, proper?
2. To advertise your model, not somebody or one thing else’s
I just lately shared why you should stop saying brand names in your podcast, and what to do instead. This comes right down to utilizing your individual area for any calls to motion. For a fast evaluation, this simplifies your calls to motion, reinforces your model, defers the small print, and future-proofs your calls to motion.
That is all attainable when your podcast has its personal area. You may make “/no matter” URLs for pages or redirects for no matter you need.
It additionally implies that when individuals go to your web site, they’re visiting your web site—even in the event you’re utilizing the location out of your podcast-hosting supplier.
For instance, take into account considered one of my favourite podcast-hosting suppliers, Captivate (for whom I served on the board of advisors till Captivate‘s acquisition). In the event you use Captivate‘s well-designed web site in your podcast, the default URL can be yourpodcast.captivate.fm. This might be very comparable for many different podcast-hosting-provided web sites.
You’ll additionally get one thing comparable in the event you hosted your web site with WordPress.com: your web site could be at yoursite.wordpress.com.
However all of the good internet hosting suppliers (for web sites or podcasts) will assist you to “map a site” to your web site (and sure, I am saying that if they do not permit this, then they don’t seem to be a very good supplier). So when individuals enter your area into their browsers, they’re going to land in your web site and nonetheless be your web site URL as a substitute of a subdomain of Captivate.fm, WordPress.com, Libsyn.com, or the rest.
There’s additionally the additional advantage that it is extra possible your individual area will correctly deal with WWW and non-WWW variations. However on a supplier’s subdomain URL (like “myawesomepodcast.captivate.fm”), including a “www.” to the start can be far much less more likely to work. And many individuals do nonetheless unnecessarily and even wrongly sort (or converse) the “www.” half.
In the event you use a web site from another service, ask them about mapping your individual area to the location, they usually’ll enable you configure the CNAME in your area’s DNS data (that is primarily only a particularly formatted subject). Some suppliers would possibly cost a little bit additional for this, however it’s not going to be very a lot, and it is undoubtedly value it!
Then, in the event you ever swap podcast-hosting suppliers or swap website-makers, everybody can nonetheless get to your web site out of your identical area.
Even in the event you change your branding sooner or later, you’ll be able to very simply redirect an outdated area to a brand new one, so your guests will find yourself in the correct place each time.
3. To make your individual electronic mail addresses
It is positive in the event you use Gmail or no matter in your podcast electronic mail account (or a number of accounts). However I extremely suggest in opposition to ever giving your @gmail.com tackle.
Like my earlier level, this provides yet one more model title your viewers wants to recollect. And it merely appears amateurish (and never in a great way!).
With your individual area, you can also make your individual branded electronic mail addresses that reinforce your model and look much more skilled. So as a substitute of “[email protected],” you’ll be able to have “[email protected].”
Plus, this could increase your repute with stuck-up company teams you might need to work with. For instance, a “press@” electronic mail account may be all that is wanted to be official sufficient to get press access to something or someplace.
Many area registrars will allow you to create a number of electronic mail accounts for no additional cost. However you would possibly wish to merely make forwarders as a substitute—that are much more more likely to be free.
An electronic mail forwarder passes all emails that have been despatched to the forwarder tackle on to a different electronic mail tackle or extra addresses. That is an very simple means to make sure your cohost(s) additionally obtain all suggestions emails. And that is truly how I’ve completed it with all my electronic mail addresses for years: all of them ahead to the identical Gmail account. This lets me use Gmail’s nice instruments for spam-protection, filtering, and extra, whereas sharing solely my model with my viewers.
Even with a forwarder, you’ll be able to configure Gmail and different electronic mail apps to ship from your podcast electronic mail tackle, so nobody will ever must see your actual tackle.
4. To redirect wherever you need
As I’ve talked about in a few these factors, utilizing your individual area offers you the facility to level it wherever you need. You may make path redirects from that area, like making “/giveback” ahead to Patreon; and you may redirect the entire area to wherever, like your hosting-branded web site, a brief touchdown web page, your individual web site, or carrying over individuals out of your outdated title to your new one.
This offers you the final word future-proofing capability.
I’ve previously taught in detail about redirects, however here is my normal guideline: use 301 everlasting redirects for locations you personal and management and that may in all probability by no means transfer; use 307 short-term redirects for locations you don’t personal or management (like affiliate hyperlinks), and that would change sooner or later (like YouTube live-streaming pages or meetup data).
5. To maintain you in management
Final, however actually not least, utilizing your podcast’s personal area retains you in management. Whether or not you turn applied sciences, get kicked off platforms, or willfully change your branding, you are in management when you personal the one area your viewers hears from you.
Your area is transportable. You possibly can take it with you it doesn’t matter what expertise you utilize and irrespective of the place you go. You management it. You are the “grasp of your individual area.”
Sources: the place to get and customise domains
If you do not have a site, but, first review my past tips for picking a good domain for your podcast:
- Get your individual area, even when it simply forwards
- Maintain it brief and easy
- Get the .com until options match
- Make it straightforward to spell and perceive
- Watch out for forming new or undesirable phrases
Then, there are lots of locations you will get a site. Crucial options to search for are:
- Full DNS administration
- Included or low-cost electronic mail accounts or forwarders (relying in your choice)
- WHOIS privateness safety (typically a small, further expense)
- Redirect choices
I used to supply area registration for podcasters, however now I like to recommend Namecheap as a result of they’ve good costs and options. I’ve additionally heard nice issues about Hover, however I’ve by no means personally used them.
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases via these hyperlinks. However I like to recommend issues I really imagine in, no matter earnings.)
In the event you want a little bit additional management over DNS or path-forwarding than your area registrar provides, you could possibly level your area nameservers to Cloudflare and use Cloudflare’s in depth instruments (which are even free for private use). That is how I handle the DNS for all my actively-used domains, however I take advantage of my registrar to ahead my different domains.
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Disclosure
This publish could include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I could obtain compensation out of your actions via such hyperlinks. Nevertheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not suggest solely associates.
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