Podcast home pages weren't something I thought about until I launched my own standalone program. And honestly, even then I probably haven't thought about the subject enough. For that reason, many or most of my shows have Tumblr pages, which is, at best, a bit of a mixed blessing in 2020.
The main reason many podcasters give little consideration to the topic is the fact that most people depend on the platform when it comes to listening. People who consume a lot of podcasts generally do so through a single platform / app, be it Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Castbox, etc. But when it comes to actually promoting your program on social media, you're best served by sharing a platform independent link.
I played around with Podpage a bit today. The new offering was created by Brenden Mulligan, co-founder of the LaunchKit app developer toolbox, who sold his tools to Google way back in 2016. The offer has been around for a while, but Mulligan has offered some updates and recently listed it on ProductHunt.
I've been digging it so far. It's basically plug-and-play to get up and running, although you can customize a little further. For reference, a simple page I created this morning for my podcast, RiYL:
After a couple of hours, I'm seriously considering ditching the long-standing Tumblr in favor of the service. My page is pretty simple so far, and honestly, it's by design. Or, rather, partly by design and partly due to the fact that I haven't been very good at updating the episode graphics, which somewhat limited my options here (maybe I'll go through the 400+ episodes on a future rainy day).
You start by entering the name of your podcast and the service works, scraping out relevant information and building it into one page. From there, you can add a Patreon (or other method for monetization) and any related social media. One of the great things about having a bespoke service like this is how it brings all relevant information together in one place. The sidebar features a breakdown of the different podcatchers where you can listen to the show, along with a registration form to receive updates on the show.
Below is a selection of reviews from different podcasting services. At the top is a link to services where you can leave that feedback. There is also a sign up link and contact form, which is a handy way for people to email you without providing personal information. Notes submitted to the form will be sent to your associated email.
The basic experience is free, and there are currently two upgrade options. At $ 5 a month, you can host it on your website, and for $ 12, there are a lot more customization options, along with a more comprehensive website, including blog features and the ability to add transcripts.
