Building the Perfect Website
Transistor lets you host unlimited shows with unlimited episodes starting at $19 per month. If your combined downloads cross 15,000 per month, the next tier is $49 (up to 75,000 downloads), and $99 covers up to 200,000 downloads. That pricing model works well for networks and multi-show creators who want hosting under one roof.
Every Transistor show comes with a built-in website at no extra cost. The layout is consistent across all Transistor sites: your logo in the center, Home and About links on the left, Episodes and Subscribe on the right. You can adjust colors and some text, but the overall structure stays the same. You cannot add many custom pages, and there is no blog section.
For a brand new show, that default site is a reasonable launch point. But once you want more control over how your website looks, performs in search, and converts visitors into subscribers, the built-in site is not enough.
Beamly connects directly with Transistor and does not require you to change hosts. You keep Transistor for distribution and analytics, and use Beamly to build the website your show actually needs.
What the Transistor website cannot do
The Transistor site works fine as a basic episode directory. Where it falls short is everywhere else.
Every Transistor website follows the same fixed layout. You cannot control how many episodes appear on the homepage, how many columns they display in, or what details show up in each episode card. You also cannot add dynamic pages for categories, seasons, or search results.
Transistor charges $99 per month to remove their branding from the embedded audio player. With Beamly, the custom audio player is fully brandable on every plan, with no extra fees. You can also use a sticky player that continues playback as visitors navigate your site, and it supports timestamps so listeners can jump to specific moments.
There is no way to write blog posts within a Transistor site, which limits your ability to rank for search terms beyond your podcast name. And while Transistor does offer a Twitter integration, it posts links to a Transistor share URL rather than your own domain, which means you are building SEO value for Transistor instead of yourself.
What Beamly adds for Transistor users
Beamly imports your episodes, metadata, and the Transistor embed player automatically. Everything stays synced going forward.
Beyond that, the differences are practical. You can decide exactly how your homepage looks using a visual drag-and-drop editor. Choose the number of episode columns, the details each card shows, and how the rest of the page is structured. Add as many custom pages as you want: about, contact, resources, sponsor info, or anything else relevant to your show. If you need inspiration, browse these podcast website examples to see what Transistor users and other podcasters have built on Beamly.
Beamly also opens up real growth channels. You can publish SEO-focused blog posts under your own domain, import and display podcast reviews from Apple Podcasts and Podchaser, collect new reviews directly on your site, and set up guest intake forms for booking. Integrations with Google Analytics, Mailchimp, HubSpot, ConvertKit, and others are built in.
When you share new episodes on social media, the links point to your website, not a third-party page. You can also create shortlinks and affiliate redirects on your domain, add collaborators to manage your site alongside you, and sell memberships, digital products, or online courses directly from the site.
How to connect Transistor to Beamly
- Create your Beamly account and start a new site.
- Add your Transistor RSS feed or find your show via podcast search.
- Pick a template and publish your initial version.
- Customize your homepage, audio player, and page layouts.
- Connect your custom domain and keep publishing as usual in Transistor.
New episodes sync automatically. You do not need to migrate hosts or re-upload anything.
