We’re launching Jetpack Podcast, a new way to publish, distribute, and grow a podcast from the same site as your blog and newsletter. If you’re on WordPress.com, it’s already in your dashboard in your Jetpack menu. Here’s a quick walkthrough:
You can start a podcast for free. We’ll help you set up your show, get your podcast onto major podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts, and pair it with your newsletter to grow your audience. Upgrade to a Premium plan for audio hosting on WordPress.com, podcast stats, a podcast episode block, and an episode dashboard.
Reach your fans where they are
When you publish an episode on WordPress.com, it shows up everywhere your audience already is.
- Your blog: each episode lands as a post on your site, with show notes and an embedded player.
- Your newsletter: the same episode goes out to your email subscribers, with the player and notes inline.
- The Reader: your followers in the WordPress.com Reader see the episode in their feed.
- Every major podcast app: your show appears on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, Amazon Music, the Podcast Index, and any other app that reads RSS feeds.
Own your feed, own your audience
Substack pushes your listeners into their app, and Spotify pushes them into theirs. With Jetpack Podcast, your website and podcast live on your domain, your subscriber list is yours to export anytime, and your show reaches every podcast app that reads RSS.
If you ever decide to leave WordPress.com, your listeners come with you, since their podcast app subscribes to your feed, not ours.
Stats you can actually read
The podcast stats dashboard lets you see how your show is doing with breakdowns by episode, app, and country. Dig into specific time periods and episodes to see how your audience has changed over time.
Free or Premium, your call
We are continuing the generous free offering on WordPress.com by letting you publish a podcast for free. We’ll help you get set up and get distributed to all the major podcast apps.
Upgrade to a WordPress.com Premium plan to get your podcast hosted on WordPress.com, podcast stats, an episode dashboard, and an episode player block for your posts. Not to mention the amazing amount of other things you get with the Premium plan.
Where to find it
Open your WordPress.com dashboard, click Jetpack in the sidebar, then click Podcast. Choose your plan, and enable podcasting to get started.
For more details on getting started, check out our support article.
Let’s hear your voice
If you’ve been meaning to start a podcast, this is the easiest way to get the first episode out. If you’ve already got a show running somewhere else, give WordPress.com a try so you can have your podcast hosted the same place as your blog and newsletter. Let us hear your feedback so we know what to work on next.