Apple Podcasts and Spotify are excellent at one thing: playing episodes to people who already know about your show. They are poor at helping new listeners find you, and they will never hand you a list of your fans.
Every episode, searchable
A search engine cannot listen to your audio. A web page for each episode, with a summary, show notes and a transcript, turns an hour of conversation into something people can find when they search for your guest or your topic.
A reason for sponsors to call
Sponsors want to see who listens and what a partnership includes. A simple sponsor page with audience highlights, formats and a contact form, like the one on our example podcast site, turns interest into enquiries.
Listeners you can reach
A mailing list sign-up on every page, with a small reward such as bonus episodes or early access, gives you a direct line to your audience that no platform can take away.
A home that sounds like the show
Your artwork, your voice and your guests belong in one place that feels like the show itself, not a generic profile in someone else's app.
Common questions
What should every episode page include?
A player, a written summary, show notes with links, guest details and, ideally, a transcript. Transcripts make every episode searchable.
Should I host audio on my own site?
Usually not. Keep hosting with your podcast host and embed its player. The website's job is discovery, sponsorship and your mailing list.
How do podcast websites make money?
Through sponsorship enquiries, listener memberships, merchandise and event tickets, all of which need a page of their own.
