How to create a private podcast

Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLHREfD9zw0

Private Podcasts enable the creation of shows and episodes that are only available to individuals you directly invite to subscribe and listen.

If you’re considering creating a private podcast, this guide will walk you through the basics.

What is a private podcast?

A private podcast is only available to a select group of listeners. This might include employees, club or group members, students, paying subscribers or any other select group of people.

Who creates private podcasts?

Businesses

An increasingly remote workforce requires new methods of communication. Smart companies are harnessing the power of internal podcasts as an effective, engaging way to deliver information and training to employees.

Schools and Universities

Teachers are using Private Podcasts to deliver lesson content directly to students. Entire lessons, content revision, or for students with special needs who find audio more accessible than written or video content.

School Administrators are using private podcasts to deliver short updates and entire school newsletters to busy parents when they’re driving to work or out and about.

Podcasters

Provide early access to episodes, additional “premium” content for paying subscribers, access to back catalogue content and AMA’s to your fans via Private Podcasts to an ‘invitation only’ list of subscribers.

How do I create a private podcast?

Invite private subscribers

The first step is to add private subscribers to one of your shows.

Navigate to the “Private Feeds” tab on your chosen show.

Here you can add individual subscribers, or bulk add subscribers by uploading a CSV. Perhaps this is a class list, a customer database or your supporter list from PayPal or a crowdfunding platform.

Business users can also use Single Sign-On (SSO) to sync with their identity management solution.

Once uploaded, subscribers will receive an email with a unique link to listen and subscribe.

Invitees can open this link in most popular podcast players including:

• Apple Podcasts
• iTunes
• Podcast Addict
• Overcast
• PocketCasts
• Breaker
• Downcast

Once subscribed, they will receive new episode notifications, similar to every other podcast they like, providing a familiar listening experience.

Alternatively, subscribers can listen in a secure web player on the invitation page.

Create a private episode

When you create a new episode you have the option of publishing publicly or privately.

Flip the toggle switch to “Private Only” and only those who have been invited to subscribe through the “Private Feeds” tab will receive access.

Private episodes won’t be available on your podcast show page or submitted to any of the podcast directories eg. Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts etc. They are only accessible to those who have been directly invited to listen.

To make private episodes available to all subscribers, simply flip the toggle to change the status to public.

Controlling subscriber access

Removing a private subscriber’s access is as simple as deleting them from the “Private Feeds” tab on your show.

Viewing subscriber activity

Our IAB Certified analytics allow you to drill down to analyse private listens and view individual listener activity.

This is in addition to our standard filtering by show, episode, location, device and more.

Whooshkaa’s intelligent media delivery engine analyses private feed access patterns to identify and alert you to users who are sharing private feeds with uninvited listeners.

Getting started

If you are on a Semi-Pro, Pro or Business plan you already have access to a quota of “private feeds” included in your plan.

These private feeds can be used across one or more shows.

If you need more private feeds you can purchase additional feeds as an add-on, contact support for pricing.

Don’t have a Whooshkaa account? Register here and start your private podcast today!