Castos: Simplifying Podcasting From Creation to Monetization

By podcast | June 15, 2023

As digital content continues to grow and diversify, podcasting has carved out a significant niche as a versatile platform for sharing stories, disseminating information, and providing entertainment.

Among the various tools available to podcast creators, Castos distinguishes itself as a comprehensive podcast hosting and analytics platform, designed to enhance and simplify the content creation process.

The Genesis of Castos

Castos was born out of a need to simplify the podcasting process. Its founder, Craig Hewitt, is third and possibly fourth generation entrepreneur. As an early podcaster with a passion for digital content, Craig recognized the challenges many podcasters faced.

Having experienced these challenges firsthand with his own podcast, Rogue Startups, Craig saw an opportunity to create a solution that would streamline the podcasting process.

So, he founded Podcast Motor, which he eventually merged with Castos.

What Makes Castos Unique

One of the rad things that sets it apart from other podcasting platforms is its focus on monetization. The platform offers a full ad platform for dynamic ad insertion into content, allowing podcasters to monetize their content easily.

The cherry on top? They don’t take a % of your revenue.

In addition, Castos has a strong focus on content repurposing. With integrations with audiogram tools like Headliner, automatic republishing to YouTube, and automatic transcriptions, Castos allows podcasters to maximize their content’s reach and impact.

The WordPress Connection

Another unique aspect of Castos is its integration with WordPress. Castos began as an integration with a WordPress plugin called Serious Simple Podcasting, which Craig acquired.

Today, about a third of Castos’ new customers are using WordPress, while around two-thirds are using Castos as a standalone tool.

This integration allows for seamless content management, making it easier for podcasters to manage and distribute their content.

A Founder’s Journey

Despite its success, the journey to create Castos was not without challenges. As a non-technical founder, Craig faced difficulties in communicating effectively with developers and translating ideas into actionable tasks.

However, he believes that the key to success in SaaS is having an advantage or unique selling proposition. For Castos, this was the integration with the WordPress plugin, which served as a customer acquisition channel.

Castos Services

Unlimited Podcasting

Castos allows creators to publish unlimited podcasts and episodes, regardless of the plan they choose.

This means creators can publish as much content as they want for a fixed monthly price, allowing them to record longer episodes, test new styles, or launch a second show without ever hitting a storage cap.

Monetization Tools

They provide tools for direct listener support, allowing podcasters to monetize their content without any cuts in their revenue, and without podcasters needing an astronomical amount of downloads.

This breaks away from the conventional advertising model and gives creators more control over their earnings.

Comprehensive Analytics

With Castos, creators can pull data from multiple listening platforms into one dashboard. This provides easy-to-digest insights such as total listens, top episodes, audience demographics, listening behavior, and more.

This data can help creators produce more of the content their listeners crave, increase engagement, and show tangible value to sponsors.

Automated YouTube Republishing and Transcriptions

Castos offers automated YouTube republishing and automatic podcast transcriptions. This helps increase a podcast’s visibility, boost SEO efforts, and provide audiences with more ways to consume content.

Customizable Podcast Websites

Every podcast published on Castos gets its own responsive website, making it easy for audiences to subscribe, search episodes, and connect with creators on social media.

Creators can even connect their own domain to these built-in websites.

Podcast Production Service

In addition to hosting services, Castos also offers a podcast production service. This service takes care of the editing process, allowing creators to focus on content creation.

Private Podcasting

Private podcasting and internal podcasting have emerged as powerful tools for businesses. Their private podcasting feature is designed to provide a secure and exclusive platform for your content, reaching only those you intend.

Private podcasting is particularly useful for businesses wishing to share internal communications, training materials, or exclusive content with a specific audience.

You can easily distribute your podcast to team members, clients, or a particular group without it being available to the general public.

Internal Podcasting

Additionally, internal podcasting with Castos allows companies to create an engaging communication channel within their organization. From sharing company updates to celebrating success stories, internal podcasting fosters a strong company culture.

It encourages collaboration, ensures important updates are heard, and provides a unique platform for employees’ voices to be shared.

Some companies are using internal podcasts to onboard new employees. Pretty cool!

Castos Originals

The Castos Originals is a network of podcasts created by the Castos team. These shows aim to provide value to listeners by sharing insights and experiences from the world of podcasting and content creation.

Some of the shows under Castos Originals include:

Audience

This podcast offers an unfiltered view on what it takes to grow a successful show.

The Limelight

The Limelight shares the aspects of super successful podcasts and what makes them tick.

3 Clips

This podcast is a deep dive into the art and science of how great podcasts are made by analyzing 3 podcast clips.

Corporate Responsibility

When it comes to being good stewards of the world, Castos has two main strategies. Firstly, they donate 1% of their revenue annually to Stripe’s climate programs, which focus on carbon capture, actively combating climate change rather than just offsetting.

Through this, they’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in valuable climate initiatives.

Secondly, they are committed to renewable energy production, again partnering with Stripe. They’ve calculated their carbon footprint based on factors like personnel and server usage, and bought an equivalent amount of renewable energy credits.

This way, they contribute to clean energy production in the US. This approach allows them to claim their company runs on renewable energy.

Pricing Structure

As of publishing this article, Castos offers three pricing tiers:

Starter: Priced at $19/month, this plan includes unlimited podcasts and episodes, advanced analytics, and a built-in website for your podcast.
Growth: Priced at $49/month, this plan includes all Starter features plus video republishing to YouTube, automatic transcriptions, and Headliner integration.
Pro: Priced at $99/month, this plan includes all Growth features plus private podcasting capabilities.

More Than Just Podcast Hosting

Reflecting on the journey and creative vision of Craig Hewitt, it’s impossible not to admire the ingenuity behind Castos. A result of dedication and genuine understanding of the podcasting landscape, Craig has seamlessly blended tech and storytelling to enhance the podcasting experience.

What truly stands out about Castos is its ability to empower creators, regardless of their technical skill or the size of their audience.

It shows that with the right tools, anyone can share their voice and possibly monetize their passion.

So, here’s a nod of recognition to Craig and his team for cultivating a platform that offers value, fosters community, and continues to push the boundaries of digital content creation.