10 Best WordPress Podcast Themes to Make Audio Sites in 2022
Creating a website can be very challenging, especially if you’re using your skills for audio production. You need to be highly skillful and be a bit patient as well to successful on this matter. With WordPress at your disposal, most of your worries can vanish in quick time, as it helps you build a highly-custom website that can easily integrate audio files and create playlists.
With such a great website, you have the privilege to enhance the scope by integrating an eCommerce functionality to sell products or services online, selling live event tickets, showcasing videos, collecting email addresses for email marketing, etc. In this write-up, our core focus would be on some of the best WordPress podcast themes for building audio sites, but first, let’s get into the basics of Podcasting.
What is a Podcast, and How Does It Work?
A podcast is an episodic series of on-demand digital audio files – all focused on a particular topic or theme – which users can subscribe to download and listen to. People generally start podcasts to:
- Share in-depth knowledge on a specific subject
- Use it as an inbound marketing tool for their business.
- Cultivate their brand.
- Entertain people.
In order for your podcast to work, you need an audio file and an RSS Feed that users can subscribe to.
Is WordPress Good for Podcasting?
Yes, it is one of the most loved platforms for podcasting. Since WordPress has a built-in RSS feed system for blog posts, many podcasters prefer to use WordPress as their podcasting site platform.
6 Simple Steps to Start a Podcast on WordPress
Now that you know what a podcast is and how it works, let’s move on to steps to start a successful podcast on WordPress.
Step 1: Define a Niche
There is a wide range of topics you can start a podcast on. To find the perfect niche and topic, ask yourself these questions:</;p>
- Who is the podcast for?
- What topics do you want to discuss?
- How can you make your podcast different?
- Are you going to interview any guests?
- Will you prefer to have an extra podcasting host?
The combination of answers to these questions will help you define the right niche for your podcast.
Step 2: Pick a Format:
After settling on a topic, you need to figure out which podcast format is best to convey the information to listeners. There are four main types of podcasts:
- Interview: Question and answer sessions with different guests.
- Solo: Only a host narrates the story.
- Co-hosted: Two or more hosts discuss the same topic.
- Panel: A single host moderates a group of guests.
Step 3: Purchase Equipment and Software
To record your podcast episodes, you need the right set of equipment and software. These are:
- A Podcast Microphone to capture high-quality audio. Try Audio Technica ATR2100.
- A Recording and Editing Software to capture and refine your audio. Try Audacity for local recordings and Zencastr for remote recordings.
Step 4: Record Your First Episode
Write a script or outline of what you’ll talking about in your first episode. Once the content of the episode is finalized, first practice and then record your first episode.
Step 5: Upload the Episode
Since the file size of a podcast episode is usually large, uploading it to your website hosting service isn’t recommended. Instead, you should take advantage of a Podcast Hosting Service that acts as a middleman between you and your listeners. Some of the most popular podcast hosting services that you can use are
Step 6: Syndicate the Episode
Finally, syndicate your episode across your WordPress site and the most popular podcast directories such as:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Google Play and Google Podcasts
- Stitcher
- Podchaser
- Castbox
How to Set Up a Podcast in WordPress?
#Create a WordPress Podcast Site
The first and foremost step is to build a Podcast website with WordPress. You can do this by:
1: Installing a Podcast-Specific Theme:
Some of the best and top-selling WordPress podcast themes which are ideal for podcasts and audio content are as follows:
This clean and responsive WordPress podcast theme is professionally designed with podcasting in mind. It’s very simple in nature and audio-friendly. You can feature your latest episode on the front page and link the same with a media player. This enables your audience to listen as well as subscribe to your podcasts with iTunes or RSS, as soon as they visit the home page of your WordPress site.
Moreover, the episodes can be categorized to create an archive. Even, it also permits you to add notes, quotes, videos and other embedded content to your podcasts. There is a variety of color scheme option as well.
Live Preview
#Castilo:
Castilo is relatively a new entrant into the arena. However, this powerful WordPress podcast theme sparked a great number of sales and also secures a five-star rating. The theme provides you with everything that you need to create a flexible podcast website – outstanding presentation, seamless integration with popular audio streaming platforms, and some best social media channels for your listeners to follow.
In terms of statistics, it gives your accurate figures about total listens, listeners and the sources of listening. Thus helping you gain valuable insights into the number of visitors using the inbuilt audio player, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, iTunes, and more. Therefore, this arguably happens to be one of the best WordPress podcast themes.
#Dixie:
This WordPress podcast theme ships with an alluring design with decent enough features. The format is that of a listicle, and it presents the latest episodes in a very simple manner, all of which can be played right from the home page. The Gutenberg-optimized theme supports external audio files and supports embeds from prevailing platforms like Mixcloud, Libsyn, SoundCloud, etc. The Dixie also comes with social integration, a newsletter subscription box, and several different layout options.
#Sonus:
This one is something more than a WordPress podcast theme. It’s essentially a platform to publish podcasts. Means, you can upload your audio, create a post, streamline according to seasons and episodes and then publish as well. This also has provision for a sticky and custom audio player at the footer of each page.
#Viseo:
Being a full-featured, easy-to-customize WordPress podcast theme, Viseo can easily absorb news, videos, and podcasts. It ships with a premium Elementor add-on worth $22, which is known as Boosted Elements. Leveraging the power of this plugin, you can easily create pop-ups, sliders, maps, and more.
The Viseo theme is extremely SEO-friendly and has a facility for translation as well. The Spotify-style gradients in the live preview are quite alluring and trendy, but in case they are not to your liking, they can be customized according to your specific requirements.
#Castpod:
If you are having an RSS feed or podcast hosting service, the Castpos theme will be a perfect option for you. The lightweight WordPress podcast theme has an inbuilt migration tool that can be used to transfer a feed to your WordPress site from a podcasting service or external RSS feed. Moreover, it’s mobile-optimized and fully supports WooCommerce and well-optimized for Speed.
The fascinating aspect of this WordPress podcast theme is HTML5-based audio visualizer, which gives a visual charm to the playback. In other words, this multipurpose WordPress podcast theme provides you with a distinct manner of adding a visual touch to the audio experience. The Audioatro theme contains video and lyrics pages, Mailchimp newsletters integration, an app-like mobile menu, and a variety of social sharing options.
#Tusant:
Tusant is simply perfect for podcasting, streaming music, and video WordPress websites. Irrespective of the bandwidth of your podcasting, Tusant as a theme will be more than sufficient to help you create the website you desire. The design and functionality of this site are phenomenal, as you can have any number of episodes you feel like.
Thanks to the user interface of the theme, anyone visiting your website will encounter no problem whatsoever in finding what they seek. With the audio player in the Tusant theme, you can easily organize audio content in a way that it becomes easily accessible to everyone.
#Audonic:
This clean and flexible WordPress podcast theme ably complements playlists and music & podcast Archives, and it is designed to work smoothly with oEmbed. The Audonic theme has everything you desire for a podcast website such as Audonic Events, Video Thumbnails, Twitter and Instagram Feed integration and a mobile-first design that works smoothly on all devices.
#Onair2:
In case you host a live show or run an internet-based radio station, then this theme will be ideal for you. This will enable you to set up a professional radio station website that incorporates all major streaming service providers, including Airtime, Radionomy, and IceCast. The Onair2 also features a non-stop music player, an events calendar, a popup player and similar attractive features.
And if you need a custom WordPress podcast theme, you always have the option to hire expert WordPress developers to build one for you.
2: Installing a Podcast Plugin:
Make sure the plugin is associated with a podcast hosting service and allows you to upload episodes. Here are a few plugins you can try:
#Link Your Podcast Hosting Service to the Plugin
After installing a podcast plugin, you need to establish a link between the plugin and the associated podcast hosting service. Head over to the plugin’s documentation for the same.
#Upload Your Episodes to WordPress
Once you have recorded your episode, upload it to your WordPress site through the podcast plugin. Head over to the plugin’s documentation for the correct instructions.
#Manage Your Podcasts
Lastly, you can manage all your podcasts directly from WordPress’ dashboard. This is where everything can be managed in a streamlined manner.
What Are the Best WordPress Podcast Players?
While most of the podcast hosting services have a plugin backed by a built-in media player, this isn’t the only option. If you’re an advanced WordPress user, you might prefer a self-made podcast RSS feed and upload your audio files on a standalone server. In that case, you’ll need a dedicated podcast player accessible across every podcast directory and your WordPress site. For your help, below are our top two recommendations:
Need a custom podcast WordPress theme or plugin? Feel free to contact us.
