At Headliner, our mission is to help podcasts get discovered. Disco Free is the latest podcast discovery tool that helps podcasters convert their blog traffic into podcast listens.
Disco Free by Headliner is a dynamic, podcast discovery widget for your website or blog. It is the perfect tool for growing your podcast audience and now – you can seamlessly integrate Disco into your blog using our WordPress Plugin.
How Disco Works.
Disco serves your readers contextually relevant podcasts based on what they are reading.
Disco’s AI uses your podcast transcript to match podcast clips with relevant articles on your site. From there, Disco renders the perfect podcast previews and automatically inserts them into your blog’s designated Disco widget space.
The plugin functions by adding javascript to your WordPress site via a third- party site. The javascript enables Headliner’s servers to scan your podcasts’ transcripts and create Disco’s widget recommendations.
The Disco Free widget provides readers with simple podcast previews that dynamically repopulate on page refresh. During the hover state, Disco Free begins to play readers clips of the highlighted podcast. Once a reader clicks “continue listening”, the plugin will automatically redirect them to Play by Headliner and play the entire episode. Disco even picks up where readers left off for a seamless listening experience!
Plugin Perks
With the Disco Free WordPress Plugin, you can accomplish a lot more AND get 4x more listens!
Automatic – After the initial setup, you’re done! Disco will get to work and automatically add podcast recommendations to the end of each blog post.
Generative – Since Disco is connected to your RSS feed, your latest uploads will always render. Disco’s algorithm will recognize and push new uploads for you. So, no need to go back and manually add new episodes!
Dynamic – Disco supports multiple visuals and provides dynamic widgets optimized for conversions. This means with each page refresh, Disco will update its look so your readers won’t see the same Disco widget every time!
Data-Driven – Speaking of conversions… with the Disco Free WordPress Plugin, you get FREE access to the Headliner Dashboard. In the Dashboard, you’ll be able to track your Disco widget engagement in real-time and watch the listens roll in. No other embed gives you this level of granularity!
Optimized – Since Disco is optimized for conversions, the AI provides compelling clips that capture your readers’ attention to insight listens. Disco won’t just start at 0:00.
Engaging – Disco works using 100% ad-free, internal content and will not compete with existing ad placements. This supports an engaging, fully immersive experience for your audience while maximizing their time spent with your message – not an advertisement!
Set up process
The Disco Free plugin requires you to complete the initial setup through the Headliner Dashboard. To do this, simply visit the Headliner Dashboard, select your widget style, and input your RSS feed and website URL.
Once that is done, we will provide you with a Widget ID code – this process normally takes about 1 hour. Be sure to copy your code, follow the WordPress plugin installation process, and watch the listens role in. It’s really that easy!
We have provided a step-by-step installation guide and walkthrough video for your convenience in the Headliner Learn Center.
Final Thoughts
At Headliner, we are committed to helping podcasters get discovered, taking you from audio to audience. We encourage you to give Disco Free a try and send any feedback or issues our way by contacting us at support@headliner.app.
Disco Free works best with lots of text - think blogs and articles. Headliner will double-check that Disco is right for you when setting up Disco Free.
Headliner will provide you with a few options to set up Disco Free. For the plugin, be sure to follow the WordPress Installation instructions. Simply copy your unique widgetID code starting with “WI_” and paste it directly into your WordPress site for easy installation.
To set up Disco Free, you’ll need to your podcast’s RSS feed and website URL. All you’ll need to do is copy and paste them into the Headliner UI - and that’s it! We’ll take it from there and get to creating your Disco Free widgets!
Customize your Disco Free widgets! Disco Free allows you to pick from two stylized options: episode art-focused or episode title-focused. Whichever one you choose, Disco Free will create stylized widgets based on your selection using your RSS feed.
Currently, we offer two versions of Disco: Disco Free and Disco Enterprise. Disco Free is perfect for self-hosting your Disco widgets and is designed for blogs or independent podcasters. If this sounds like you, great! You’ve come to the right place, simply select “Set Up Your Widget Now” to get started. If you’re a little bigger or represent multiple podcasts, then Disco Enterprise may be perfect for you. Contact the Headliner team to learn more!
Welcome to our dynamic Disco Free widget! This is one of several variations Disco Free can populate. Every time you refresh the page or reload the site, you’ll see something different. Try it for yourself today by visiting the Headliner blog!
To get started with Disco Free, you’ll first need to make a FREE Headliner account (seriously, it’s free! No credit card is required!!). Simply input your email and create a password or use our simple sign-in options through Apple or Google - then you’ll be good to go!
Disco Free is a free widget designed to help promote your podcast content with visitors to your blog. By adding a Disco Free widget to a blog post, you’re connecting your audience across your audio and written content and encouraging them to listen to your podcasts.
Why is it called Disco Free?
It is completely free as compared to our Disco Enterprise product which gives custom options for a custom experience.
How does Disco Free promote my show?
Disco Free uses Headliner’s internal automation tool to parse your podcast for meaningful and interesting clips from its episodes in order to create promotional clips out of it. In addition, we look at the content in your blog posts the widget appears on to find matches between that content and the podcast episode. By adding our widget to your site, you’re giving your site traffic an opportunity to listen to a machine-curated snippet from your show, as well as giving them the opportunity to listen to your full episode with a single click.
Where does Disco Free send my listeners?
Our self-serve widget automatically redirects them to a page that’s been designed specifically for your show over at play.headliner.app. This page hosts the entirety of your episode, other episodes of your show, and also has a share button and follow button.
How is this different from, say, hosting a video clip of my podcast or blog post about it on my site? Why should I use this?
Promoting a podcast on a blog has historically been a manual process. However, Disco Free allows you to set things up once and automatically have all of your posts get podcast recommendations moving forward. We also use AI (recommendation technology) to improve the recommendations.
Do plays on the Disco Free widget count as plays for my podcast?
Each host handles plays differently, so check with your host. We play back directly from the source in the RSS feed, so as long as people listen for more than 60 seconds, your host should record the listen.
Does Disco Free use Javascript and call a 3rd party site?
Yes, we add javascript to your post pages and call Headliner servers for the podcast recommendations.
How can I see the results of Disco Free?
Yes! We have a Dashboard that has all the metrics for engagement! Please visit https://dashboard.headliner.app for more info.
Disco Free sounds great, but I have a bigger site or want to make some adjustments, can you handle that?
Answer: Yes, we support custom solutions via Disco Enterprise, and work with sites and publishers of all sizes including some of the biggest in the world. Just contact us at support@headliner.app and we can see what we can do!
