The 8 Best WordPress Podcast Plugins for Podcasters and Web Developers in 2019

One of the many things that a podcaster needs to think about that other blogger may not is how they are going to have their audio or video content displayed on their websites.  For many creators of digital content, this might take the shape of an audio player or perhaps a series of subscribe buttons to your various social platforms.  In this post, we are going to take a look at a variety of WordPress Podcasting Plugins for Podcasters and Web Developers that you might think about using.

Don't forget to read our conclusion at the bottom to find out which one of these is our recommendation.

If you have any questions about any of these plugins, please leave a comment below or Tweet to us @PodcastingToday.

WordPress is an amazing application.

Every WordPress website has four things in common.  Four simple areas that help provide navigation and content for your readers. These four aspects of all WordPress websites are a Header, Menu, Sidebar, and Content areas.  Once you have decided how these areas should look, and where they will be placed on your form page, the rest of the functionality comes from the manipulation of code and addition of plugins.

When setting up your podcasting homepage, it is imperative you choose not only the right plugin but the best plugin for your audio and video needs.  Perhaps you have chosen to have your podcasting RSS feed run from a service such as Libsyn directly to iTunes.  Perhaps you have chosen to run your feed on your WordPress website.  There are several reasons for choosing each of these methods.  The best part of podcasting is that there is no true right answer and no truly wrong answer.

Listed in this post are 8 WordPress Podcast Plugins for Podcasters found on the WordPress plugin repository for your website.  My advice is to always try out a few and see what matches your podcasting needs and more importantly, how the visual players look and feel when on your WordPress theme.

Blubrry PowerPress

Blubrry PowerPress brings the essential features for podcasting to WordPress. Developed by podcasters for podcasters, PowerPress offers full iTunes support, Web audio/video media players, exclusive subscribe tools, podcasting SEO features and more.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/powerpress/

Libsyn Podcasting

The Libsyn Podcasting plugin gives users of Libsyn's powerful audio hosting service a portal to not only upload files into their service, but a nice looking HTML5 compatible media player for their website.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/libsyn-podcasting/

Smart Podcast Player

Brought to you by Pat Flynn, the Smart Podcast Player is a complete solution for any podcaster wishing to have a great looking and high functioning experience for both themselves and their listeners. The plugin is fully customizable and comes with variable speed controls.

Spreaker Shortcode

The Spreaker shortcode plugin is an easy way to embed Spreaker audio player widgets into your WordPress blog. It works for any Spreaker track, collection, or user. Once you install this plugin, it will work on all of your blog posts.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/spreaker-shortcode/

Seriously Simple Podcasting

The Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin, supporting both audio and video provides users with a streamlined interface and a quick and simple setup procedure.  You can run multiple podcasts from this one plugin each having their own RSS feed and with an extra plugin, you can receive download statistics about your downloads.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/seriously-simple-podcasting/

Simple Podcast Press

Simple Podcast Press is the current audio player that we are using on TeacherCast.  It provides a nice looking audio player with customizable subscribe buttons and is extremely … simple to get set up and use.

RSS iTunes Redirection

If you are a podcaster and you already submitted a podcast to iTunes you will notice that Apple does not provide a form where you can change your feed- or podcast URL. Instead, you have to use a special tag in your feed to change the URL.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/rss-itunes-redirection/

YourChannel: YouTube Channel on your Website

You don't need more storage or bandwidth, and your visitors hate leaving the webpage they've already loaded, so why don't you show your videos and playlists in your own website.

Tell this plugin your YouTube username or channel ID and it'll set up your channel on your own property.

What it displays :

• Banner image, profile picture, and username
• Total videos and views.
• Uploads (sorted by views.)
• Playlists (lists videos on that playlist on click). (Optional)
• Banner image in the footer.
• Default color accent is Black & White.
• Smooooth animations.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/yourchannel/

Conclusion & Recommendations

In the world of WordPress Plugins, there are several factors to consider.  The truth is … you should install a plugin if you absolutely have to.  Plugins by nature are extensions of the WordPress codebase. Meaning, when you install a new plugin, you are actually adding code to your website. This code has the potential to make your website look and function beautifully, but it also has the ability to slow down your website and make your pages load slowly.  You should always ask yourself “why” and “what will this do for me” before clicking the install button on any plugin.

That being said, on this list, I do have my favorites.  For example, TeacherCast is currently using the Simple Podcast Press plugin.  The best looking plugin overall in terms of visuals and function, in my opinion, is Pat Flynn's Smart Podcast Player.

Many of the plugins on this list are free while others have a subscription model attached to them.

If you have any questions or concerns about these or other WordPress Podcast Plugins, please let me know either by leaving a message in the comments or Tweeting to me @PodcastingToday.  Happy to help!

For additional information, please visit www.EducationalWebDesign.com.