What are private podcasts?

Why would you want to make your podcast private?

Ever since podcasts began they’ve been a public thing and the idea has been to get your show into as many ears and podcast apps as possible.

But what if you want to communicate with an audience privately but you still want them to have the same podcast listening experience they’re used to?

Well, that’s where private podcasts come in!

How do private podcasts work?

Private podcasts or feeds are also called ‘secure feeds’ or ‘restricted feeds’, depending on what platform you’re looking at and they are a great way to provide members-only content to people.

Each listener gets access to your podcast via their own private feed which is linked to their email address.

This unique link gives them access to restricted content via their favourite podcast app so they can listen to it in exactly the same way they listen to your regular content.

How do you create a unique private podcast link?

All you need to do is create a new restricted member in the back end of your podcast host (as long as they offer this feature), either individually or in bulk via a .csv file and the platform tech gurus do the rest.

If you need to remove someone because you don’t want them to have access anymore it’s as simple as deleting their profile.

Why would you create a private podcast?

You’re a business that wants to improve internal communications

If you’ve got messages you want to communicate but you’re getting the sense your employees would rather poke their eyes out than have ANOTHER email in their inbox, why not keep them updated via podcast?

You don’t need to create a production-heavy show with all the bells and whistles of something you’re used to seeing on the charts.

A private or restricted podcast for your business could be a simple audio message from your founder or comms department that’s a much more efficient and effective way to communicate with your team.

Since each listener’s unique feed is linked to their email address if someone leaves the company or no longer needs access to the content, you can just remove their email and they won’t be able to listen anymore.

You’re a school looking to expand remote learning options

Private podcast tech was pioneered by a podcast host that’s now been purchased by Spotify, Whooshkaa.

Originally, they created the technology because they saw an opportunity for businesses but when COVID-19 hit in 2020.

But they also saw an opportunity for schools that needed to work out how to provide education remotely.

With private podcasts, once a student has subscribed with their unique link, every lesson a teacher uploads will be immediately available on their phone.

You’re a podcaster who wants to offer private content to paying subscribers

One of the ways to monetise your content is by getting listeners to become members via sites like Patreon in exchange for bonus content.

Private podcasts give you the ability to make individual episodes private in your existing feed or create new feeds filled with private content only for subscribers.

This means you can give paying fans a way to listen to bonus content without having to leave their podcast app.

And if you’ve got a big back catalogue of episodes you could even set your archive to private so only paying subscribers can access shows beyond a certain date

Got another idea for how to use private podcasts? Leave a comment below.

Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.