Thinking of buying Fusebox to add your podcast to your site? Make sure to read this first. You’ll kick yourself later if you don’t. Full review below.
So…the big questions…what is Fusebox (formerly Smart Podcast Player) and is it worth it? This full review will answer many questions you have and some you didn’t even think to ask.
First off, a full disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Fusebox and I consider Pat Flynn a friend. But to be clear, that does not affect what I share below in any way. It does mean, that if you purchase Fusebox through my affiliate link I’ll get a small commission (gotta love capitalism, right?).
Ok, now that we’ve got the boring disclaimers out of the way, onto the fun stuff…here’s my full review of Fusebox.
What is Fusebox and What’s So Good About It?
Pat Flynn is a Master Podcaster Who Solved a HUGE Problem.
Pat is the founder of Smart Passive Income and has developed a tremendous following built on his Podcast. But in 2015 he ran into one of the biggest problems for podcasters.
It was easy to get a podcast feed to post to your website, but it was awkward and clunky for users to navigate between different episodes and find more relevant content.
So, Pat and his team created the Smart Podcast Player (SPP). This simple WordPress plugin finally made it easy to share your podcast, have it look great on your site, and make it easy for visitors to discover other great episodes.
The Upgrade to Fusebox
I have recommended the Smart Podcast Player on my resources page since I first used it.
Now with their rebranding to Fusebox, Pat and his team have added a ton of great features including the ability to:
Capture Email Addresses with Built-In Email Capture
Embed a signup form directly into your player’s settings and start generating leads.
It integrates with ConvertKit, MailChimp, and many other email service providers.
Easily Share Episodes
Visitors can easily post your podcast to all their favorite social networks or email.
And you can customize the social networks in the customization settings.
Subscribe In Their Favorite Podcast App
Wherever you host your podcast, you can send the feed to different subscription services like iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, etc.
Most podcast listeners are picky about the app they use to listen to podcasts. Some really like Apple Podcasts, while others have sworn their ears to Overcast or PocketCasts.
No matter where they want to listen, they can click a single button in the Fusebox player and download your podcast in their favorite app.
Easily add transcripts and boost SEO
It used to be hard to create transcripts for your podcast and then add them to your site.
With the transition to Fusebox, the team added the ability to embed your transcript directly with your episodes.
They even offer transcription services to make it even easier for you.
And Much More…
- Customize the player to match your brand
- Fully Interactive player
- Ability to directly download episodes
- Completely responsive design for mobile, tablet, laptop, or desktop
- Fast loading
- Stellar support team
- And more…
What’s NOT So Good About Fusebox?
1. Uses WordPress Shortcodes
Some people get intimidated any time they hear the word “code”.
If that’s you, and you don’t know what shortcodes are, you’re not alone. They’re small snippets of text that you paste into a WordPress post to add extra functionality to your page. In this case they add the podcast player.
For example, in your post the shortcode looks like this:
Luckily you don’t have to know or write any code and can easily add shortcodes to your posts with just a few clicks.
This is probably the most difficult part of the plugin, but the team did a good job making it as easy as possible to use.
2. You Have to Pay
This isn’t necessarily a “not so good” part of the plugin. I fully recommend that you pay for and support the services and tools that are going to help you grow your business.
Fusebox does offer a free version, but it’s honestly kind of lame. You get a basic player that sticks your most recent episode to the bottom of your site.
This is a start, but the real power of this plugin comes from purchasing the Pro version.
3. There Are Almost Too Many Options
This is an honest review, so it is important for me to tell you that I have not fully used all the options available in Fusebox.
It does so much and my team is just scratching the surface of how we can use it to spread the word about my podcast, increase conversions, and create a better experience.
Though I haven’t used every feature, I have been watching Pat for a long time and I can tell you that he never does anything halfway. I have no doubt it would move the needle in my business if we implemented all the different features..
Who Is Fusebox For (And Who Is IT NOT For)?
Who Is Fusebox For?
Fusebox is for anyone who currently has a podcast audience or is looking for an easy way to add podcasting to their business.
This includes:
- Podcasters
- Bloggers
- Coaches
- Speakers
- Authors
- Designers
- Consultants
- Experts
- Influencers
…anyone looking to massively grow their audience through podcasting.
Who Is Fusebox NOT For?
This plugin is NOT for you if one or more of the following are true:
- You do not use WordPress. The plugin only works with WordPress.
- You’re unwilling to start a podcast. It’s hard to use a podcast plugin if you don’t have a podcast or don’t want to start one.
- You’re unwilling to make the monetary investment (as of this writing the pro version costs less than a couple cups of coffee per month).
- You think Fusebox is will write, produce, and publish your podcast for you. It won’t.
- You are already a pro at creating WordPress plugins and coding your website.
What’s Included with Fusebox?
Like I mentioned above, there are major differences between the Pro and Free Versions.
Pricing is purposely simple.
- Free
- Pro (Annual or Monthly)
When you purchase the plugin annually you’ll save over 30%.
So, What Risk Is There?
This is one of the biggest questions people ask themselves when investing in business tools…and probably at least partially why you are reading this review now.
What risk is there in purchasing Fusebox?
To be honest, next to none.
Seriously.
If you take a look at Pat’s track record there is really no question as to his ability to build successful products that support your business.
Really, the only variable is whether you are going to try the free version first or if you’re going to jump right into being a Pro!