Building the perfect website
Pinecast takes an indie-friendly approach to podcast hosting. Pricing is flexible, with a free plan for basic hosting and paid add-ons you can layer in as needed. You are not locked into a large bundle of features you may not use. For creators who value simplicity and control over what they pay for, it is a strong option.
One important detail: the free Pinecast plan does not include a website. You need the paid plan to enable the Pinecast podcast website, which then gives you a custom domain, several design options, and a Google Analytics integration. You can enable the website from your podcast settings with a single button click.
The Pinecast website is serviceable for a new show. It displays your episodes, links, and basic branding. But the feature set is intentionally minimal, and most podcasters who are actively growing their audience will find that it runs out of room quickly.
Where the Pinecast website falls short
The Pinecast website covers the basics and does not try to be more than that. The design options are limited, and the structure is fairly rigid. You cannot build out multiple pages, add a blog, or create content sections beyond the core episode feed.
There is also no way to customize the audio player beyond what Pinecast offers natively. No sticky player, no visual branding on the player, and no way to add social sharing, download buttons, or speed controls from within the site itself.
If you want to build an audience through search, publish show notes as standalone content, create a resources hub, or set up email capture and subscriber flows, the Pinecast website does not support those things. It is a clean episode listing, and that is where it stops. For design and layout inspiration, take a look at these podcast website examples.
What Beamly adds for Pinecast users
Beamly connects to Pinecast through your RSS feed. You can use the free or paid Pinecast plan, since Beamly imports episodes from any valid RSS source. All your existing episodes come in automatically, and future ones keep syncing.
Beamly also imports the Pinecast embed audio player automatically. You can choose to keep using it, or switch to Beamly's custom player, which supports full visual customization, a sticky player that follows visitors across pages, soundbites (timestamps for jumping to specific moments), social sharing buttons, speed control, and download options.
The website builder is a completely different experience. You get drag-and-drop editing, multiple templates, and full control over colors, fonts, layouts, and page structure. Create unlimited custom pages and blog posts to build out content that attracts search traffic and keeps visitors engaged.
Beamly also includes integrations with Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, ConvertKit, Twitter for automatic episode posting, and more. You can import podcast reviews, set up guest intake forms, add contact forms, and display multiple podcasts on a single network site.
Monetization through memberships, paywalls, and digital products is built in, with 0% Beamly transaction fees. And you can create affiliate shortlinks on your own domain for tracking and promotions.
How to connect Pinecast to Beamly
- Create your Beamly account and start a new site.
- Search for your Pinecast podcast or paste the RSS feed URL directly.
- Choose a template and publish your initial site.
- Customize the design, player, pages, and navigation.
- Connect your custom domain and continue publishing in Pinecast.
Your website keeps syncing automatically with new and updated episodes.
