Private Podcasts

A private podcast is a show (or a set of episodes) that only people with access can play. On Beamly, entitlements for private content can come from a free plan, a paid membership or a one-time product.


Whenever you create a new private show, or add "gated" episodes to a public podcast - a private RSS feed would be generated. Only people with the right access could load those feeds on their podcast apps or browsers. Each member gets their own feed, and presented with different subscribe options depending on their devices and operating system.


A public podcast has one RSS URL. Anyone can paste it into an app or the browser to access it or share. A private podcast still uses RSS, but Beamly securely generates different a different URL for each member. Two members of the same show never share the same full URL, and you can revoke access from some users if needed.

How to make a podcast private

There are two options, depending on your use-case. Both paths generate a private member feed:

  1. You can add a whole podcast to a plan or product. This would make the entire show private, including all existing episodes and any future one you publish.

  1. You can instead leave the show public, and lock only some episodes. When you edit your existing episodes, you'll find the Access widget in your sidebar:

    - Public. Anyone can play it. It belongs on the public RSS if the show is hosted on Beamly.

    - Free for members. Any signed-in user on your Free plan can play it.

    - Paid access. You pick one or more paid membership tiers and/or paid one-time products. Only those buyers access the episode.


You can find more info on Gated Content here.

If the parent podcast is already locked, a single episode cannot be made fully public. You can widen who may hear that episode (for example add Free for members on top of a paid parent) but you cannot put it back as fully public.

How listeners can subscribe to private podcasts

After someone purchases access to one of your podcasts, they'd normally get a Purchase Confirmation email sent to their inbox. Inside that email, they'd get instructions to add the private podcast feed on a few different apps.


Also, once they are signed in on your website, they can access and play episodes directly from the website, find subscribe icons that appear next to each private show they can access (or via the "account" area as well).


You can also find a list of platforms where your private podcast can be listed - this is done via the "Distribution" screen in your dashboard.


The actual icons that show up depend on the user's device and operating system. Here's a full breakdown:


iPhone and iPad

Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Castro, Downcast, Pocket Casts, YouTube Music, RSSRadio, Metacast, Podcast Republic, RSS


Android

YouTube Music, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, AntennaPod, Podcast Republic, Metacast, RSS


Mac

YouTube Music, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, Metacast, RSSRadio, RSS


Windows and Linux

YouTube Music, Pocket Casts, Metacast, RSS


Listening on the website without an app

Signed-in members can press play on the episode page on your website. No podcast app is required.

The on-site player still uses the same private URL behind the scenes. If they log out, or their plan no longer includes the episode, the player shows the usual gated preview and the upgrade call-to-action.

Analytics

As with all shows you host on Beamly, a detailed Analytics panel is provided with advanced stats on your show's performance. This works for private podcasts as well. There's a filter you can use to distinguish between public and private podcast content.

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