This article is part of an ongoing series that focuses on features provided by Blubrry Podcasting.

Podcasts are typically published on the open web and distributed through many apps and directories. This works well for most podcasts. But, sometimes, it’s necessary to keep a podcast private so it’s only available to a select audience. Private podcasts usually require a combination of services working in concert: media hosting, user authentication, playback tools, and more. It can be challenging to get these different pieces to run smoothly together. That’s where Blubrry Private Podcasting comes in.

Who Can Use Private Podcasting?
Private podcasts are great for many different use cases. Here are some examples:

• Podcasters who’d like to provide courses to paying listeners. Blubrry also has a Premium Podcasting offering with its unique features.
• Educational institutions can provide courses for students.
• Businesses can distribute training materials, internal announcements, meeting recordings, and more to employees.
• Families can share oral histories and other personal messages to specific groups of family members.

Safe. Secure. Private.
Blubrry Private Podcasting provides total control. Private podcasts are invitation-only. Invitees can be assigned to specific groups based on what content they should have access to. This is useful for podcasters who want to provide tiers of content for different users. For example, a business may want to create dedicated groups for trainees, sales staff, or management. Schools could create groups for different grade levels or course tracks. Indie podcasters could create tiered episode levels based on supporter contributions.

Shows created with Blubrry Private Podcasting are not publicly accessible. Listeners invited to access a private podcast are authenticated with encryption through Blubrry servers. Blubrry Private Podcasts can be integrated with existing OAuth2 or SAML providers so participants can use existing credentials.

Episodes published through Blubrry Private Podcasting are available for playback only within the Private Podcasting system. No direct download options could be used to share episodes outside of the private podcasting system.

Simple, Familiar Playback
Private podcasts alone don’t mean much if they’re difficult to access. That’s why Blubrry Private Podcasting provides different options for consuming private podcasts:

• Web Interface: audience members log in to a customized, dedicated URL and see their available content. Playback controls are immediately familiar and easy to use.
• Progressive Web App: audience members can install private podcasts directly onto their devices as standalone apps.
• Mobile Apps: Blubrry Private Podcasting provides dedicated iOS and Android apps, making it easy to listen/watch on mobile devices.

Podcast Stats Included
Blubrry Private Podcasting customers receive the same Advanced Stats that Blubrry media hosting customers have enjoyed for years. Blubrry stats are IAB-certified to be highly accurate and reliable. Advanced Stats provides audience retention and partial-play data to help producers understand how their audiences interact with their content.

Go Private!
Whether it’s a large organization that needs to enhance internal communications or an independent producer looking to provide extra content, Blubrry Private Podcasting has a plan that’s right for the job. Blubrry Private Podcasting truly makes it easy to go private!

This is the first in an ongoing series that focuses on features provided by Blubrry Podcasting.

Whether you’re just starting out in podcasting or a longtime producer, it can be common to feel like you’re just speaking into the void. Is anyone out there? Are they really listening? The answers to these questions may seem difficult to find, but they’re not as complicated as you might think. Many of these questions can be solved with Blubrry Podcast Statistics.

Is There Anybody Listening?
In the early days of podcasting, show producers had few ways to determine if their shows were being consumed. Occasional audience communication, like e-mail or social media connections, was always gratifying. However, direct feedback usually only represents a small percentage of any show’s audience. To better understand audience size, it was necessary to sift through server logs, trying to parse raw data into something meaningful.

A Beacon of Hope
Blubrry was founded by podcasters with roots in the very beginning of podcasting. Growing with the medium, Blubrry understood podcasters’ challenges, including the need for audience measurement. That led Blubrry to launch its own podcast statistics platform in 2007. Blubrry Stats was immediately open to all podcasters, regardless of what platform they used to publish their shows.

Constantly Growing
The podcasting industry has changed significantly over time, and Blubrry’s been growing with it. Blubrry Stats started as a standalone offering and was later paired with Blubrry Podcast Media Hosting to provide the most profound insights possible from any podcasting platform. Blubrry Stats was the first podcasting stats system to receive entire Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) certification.

Options for All Podcasters
Blubrry offers three different tiers of podcast statistics:

• Blubrry Free Statistics: A quick and easy solution for getting a snapshot of how many downloads your podcast receives and how/where people consume your show. Free Stats can be used with any podcast publishing platform that supports third-party stats providers.
• Blubrry Standard Statistics: This version of Blubrry Stats is available for $5/month and is a big step up from Free Stats. Standard Stats allows you to compare episodes and see download trends across your stats history. Standard Stats unlocks Blubrry Media Kit, an excellent tool for promoting your show. This level of Blubrry Stats is also available as part of Blubrry’s $12/month Standard Media Hosting package, providing an affordable full-service podcast publishing solution.
• Blubrry Advanced Statistics: With all Blubrry Advanced Media Hosting plans (starting at $20/month), Blubrry Advanced Stats provides the most comprehensive look at your show’s audience. Along with all of the features in Standard Stats, Advanced Stats estimates total listeners/subscribers and provides listener retention/partial plays and impactful play data.

Go Even Further
Knowing your show’s audience goes beyond just the numbers. Each tier of Blubrry Stats allows you to create Listener Surveys that can be used to gain more specific insights into your audience, like age/gender/economic demographics. Listener surveys are anonymized on the listener side, but their aggregate data can help you get the most indepth picture of your show’s audience.

Leaving the Void
Sign up for Blubrry Stats today and start getting the full picture of your show’s audience. You’ll never again feel like you’re podcasting into the void!