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Are you thinking about launching your own podcast to share your ideas and stories?
Choosing the wrong podcast hosting platform can be tricky, often leading to a steep learning curve that delays your start.
RedCircle has recently become popular among podcasters because of its simplicity, useful features, affordable pricing plans, and advanced opportunities for advertising and monetization.
This review of RedCircle provides a detailed look at its features, helping you determine if it’s a good fit for your podcasting needs.
Let’s get started.
What is RedCircle?
Kadin and Jeremey Lermitte, former Uber employees, founded RedCircle in 2018 with the vision of creating a platform where podcast creators could connect easily and expand their audiences.
RedCircle is a podcast hosting service that offers tools to manage and analyze your podcast’s performance, along with features designed to promote and grow your show.
It stands out with its innovative approach to advertising via a cross-promotion marketplace, making it a comprehensive solution for recording, marketing, and distributing podcasts—each step vital to success.
Account Management
RedCircle allows users to create unlimited podcasts on any subscription plan, providing a suite of features to help you manage your content efficiently.
Higher-tier plans offer additional customization and management options for your podcasts.
The interface is designed to be intuitive, giving easy access to all features directly from the dashboard.
RedCircle provides detailed analytics to help you track your progress, including data on audience engagement and episode performance. This allows you to identify which episodes resonate most, enabling you to focus your efforts and improve your content. Whether you want insights into your audience demographics or download metrics, RedCircle has the tools to help you excel.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these features.
RedCircle’s Unique Selling Propositions
RedCircle offers a distinctive advantage through its advertising model, which promotes earning revenue from your podcast in ways that aren’t common on other platforms.
It combines hosting, distribution, and monetization into a single platform where you can also personalize ad placements, control how often they appear, and decide on the best timing for ads, giving podcasters full control over their monetization strategies.
Some of the key ways you can generate income on RedCircle include:
- Cross-promoting with other podcasts—by sharing shoutouts and promoting each other’s shows—helping creators grow their audiences organically.
- Offering a subscription model, where listeners can access exclusive content, early releases, or ad-free episodes. Though many creators use platforms like Patreon for this, RedCircle provides a built-in option to support memberships directly.
- Flexible pricing options: RedCircle offers a variety of plans to suit different budgets and requirements.
- Fast payouts: Earnings are transferred quickly, ensuring you receive your revenue without long delays.
- Multiple monetization channels: Options include donations, subscriptions, sponsorships, and ads, providing diverse ways to generate income.
- User-friendly interface: The platform is simple to navigate, making it easy for newcomers to get started.
- Embedded media player: The player can be easily added to websites or blogs for seamless sharing.
- Supportive community: A network of podcasters is available for collaboration and advice.
- Unlimited free hosting: There are no limits on storage, so you can host as many episodes as you like.
- Responsive customer support: The team is known for being quick and helpful in resolving issues.
- Easy distribution: Submitting your podcast to various directories is straightforward, increasing visibility.
- Advanced analytics: You can monitor downloads and listener engagement to track your podcast’s performance.
- Team management: Multiple team members can be added to assist with managing your podcast.
- No live streaming: RedCircle does not support live broadcasts of episodes.
- Video podcasts unsupported: Uploading or recording video content isn’t possible on this platform.
- No built-in recording or editing tools: You must use external applications for recording and editing your episodes.
- Higher revenue split: The platform takes a sizable cut of your earnings, which may affect your overall income potential.
- Supported formats are limited: Only MP3 and M4A files can be uploaded, restricting audio options.
- No dedicated mobile app: Unlike some competitors, RedCircle lacks a mobile app, requiring management through a web browser.
- Core Plan: Free to start with
- Growth Plan: $15 per month
- Pro Plan: $30 per month
- Enterprise Plan: Contact RedCircle for tailored solutions
RedCircle offers a comprehensive platform that consolidates multiple aspects of podcasting into one easy-to-manage system. It simplifies the process for creators to handle everything from hosting to monetization.
Podcasters greatly value the ability to receive donations from their audience, which helps them sustain their passion without financial worries. RedCircle streamlines this by providing an all-in-one solution for fans to contribute financially to their favorite shows.
Hosting and distribution are also key features. RedCircle not only hosts your podcast but also distributes it across major platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and more. This relieves podcasters from the technical burden of distribution, allowing them to focus on creating quality content. Additionally, with integrated Stripe support, podcasters can receive their earnings directly into their accounts quickly, often within days, unlike other platforms that can take weeks or months.
RedCircle’s ad platform, known as RAP, connects brands with relevant podcasters through a technology-driven marketplace. This setup shifts the traditional model from podcasters actively seeking sponsorships to a more automated process where brands find shows they want to partner with. This saves creators time and effort while enabling brands to reach highly engaged audiences with tailored messaging. The platform also provides tools such as A/B split testing, allowing podcasters to experiment with different ad formats and placements, and facilitates direct feedback on ad performance.
In terms of distribution, RedCircle helps podcasts reach wider audiences by providing easy tools for submission to various directories. With support for RSS feeds and compatibility with platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, and Google Play Music, your podcast can be available on many devices and services. Even if managing multiple shows, RedCircle’s unified interface simplifies tracking and management.
Another notable feature is dynamic ad insertion. Podcasters can insert ads at specific moments within episodes, which can be adjusted dynamically to ensure they appear at the most impactful points. RedCircle provides an easy way to create ad blocks that can be placed seamlessly, enabling podcasters to optimize ad timing without interrupting the listener experience.
Finally, RedCircle offers dedicated customer support, helping podcasters troubleshoot issues, optimize their services, and get the most out of the platform. This support ensures creators can rely on assistance whenever needed, making the entire podcasting process more manageable and enjoyable.
Top-tier customer support plays a vital role when managing any online platform, particularly one as technically nuanced as podcasting.
RedCircle offers multiple ways to get assistance, including email, phone, and live chat. Additionally, there is a comprehensive help center with articles and FAQs that provide quick solutions for common issues.
Furthermore, there are countless online tutorials created by experienced podcasters, which can be incredibly useful when you’re just starting out.
RedCircle’s Fees
When using RedCircle, they take a 4.5% cut of each donation transaction made to a podcaster as a service fee. For subscriptions, they retain 12% of the revenue generated. Sponsorship payments are subject to a 30% commission. The platform also claims half of the income earned from programmatically inserted ads within podcasts.
Since RedCircle relies on Stripe as its primary payment processor, each transaction incurs a fee of 2.9% plus $0.30. These charges are standard for credit card processing and are added to the overall costs for monetization through the platform.
Advantages and Disadvantages of RedCircle
Let’s review the main benefits and drawbacks of choosing RedCircle.
Benefits of RedCircle
Drawbacks of RedCircle
While the platform has many benefits, some limitations should be considered:
Despite these drawbacks, RedCircle remains an excellent choice for users seeking an easy-to-manage, feature-rich podcast hosting platform.
Pricing Plans
RedCircle provides several pricing options to accommodate different needs:
These plans can be paid on a monthly or annual basis, offering flexibility based on your preference.
Why Podcasts Are Powerful for Enhancing Your Brand
Podcasting has become a highly effective way to strengthen your brand in today’s digital landscape.
It allows businesses and creators to connect more authentically with their audience and position themselves as experts in their respective fields.
Here are some compelling reasons why hosting a podcast can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and credibility:
People love listening to podcasts, making them an excellent medium to share your story, showcase your expertise, and foster a loyal community.Podcasting offers a significant opportunity for brands to connect with a new audience. It’s a highly compelling form of content because, unlike reading articles or watching videos, podcasts foster more genuine and personal relationships with listeners. When people listen, they can pick up on the host’s tone and inflections, which helps build trust and familiarity.
Additionally, creating and distributing a podcast is an economical way for brands to promote themselves and share valuable information. The costs are relatively low, and podcasts can easily be shared across various platforms like social media, email newsletters, and websites, making it a versatile marketing tool. Podcasts also help position a brand as a leader in its industry by showcasing expertise and sharing insightful content, which can boost authority and influence.
What are some of the best platforms to host a podcast? Popular options include Transistor, Podbean, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Anchor, Simplecast, as well as Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spreaker. These platforms provide different features to suit various needs.
RedCircle, in particular, offers tools designed for monetization, including display ads, audio ads before and after episodes, and sponsorship opportunities. It also provides multiple ways to distribute your content, such as sharing on social media and embedding on websites like WordPress, making it simple for listeners to find and subscribe.
RedCircle is especially suitable for beginners who want to start a podcast, small business owners aiming to spread the word, and experienced independent podcasters looking to grow their audience. It’s an excellent choice for anyone producing and sharing audio content online, especially for those without deep technical knowledge. The platform also offers unlimited bandwidth, making it easier to expand your podcast without worrying about storage limits.
Adding show notes to your episodes is straightforward on RedCircle and can be a valuable way to engage your audience by summarizing what to expect from each episode. The platform also supports dynamic ad insertion, allowing podcasters to customize their advertisements for maximum effectiveness, including host-read ads for additional monetization.
While there are some free podcast hosting options available, these often come with limited features and storage space. For better flexibility and growth potential, it’s advisable to use platforms offering free plans that allow upgrades as your audience grows.
In conclusion, this review shows that RedCircle is a well-rounded platform offering ease of use and extensive features at reasonable prices. It’s a suitable choice for both beginners and seasoned podcasters keen to share their message widely. You can start embedding your content quickly and focus on building your audience.
To explore more, check out how to record a high-quality podcast without breaking the bank, or learn the best methods to monetize your show and turn your passion into profit.