Castilo – Audio Podcast WordPress Theme

Your podcast lives on other people's platforms, and so does your audience

Whoever publishes a podcast usually starts by uploading audio to a service and pasting the link into a website they don't control: the feed belongs to someone else, someone else sees the listening numbers and, if you switch services tomorrow, you start almost from scratch. Castilo starts from the opposite idea: you are the host and publisher of the show, and the website is the hub from which episodes go out to the directories.

It is a theme for audio or video podcasts.

Castilo generates the RSS feed, but episodes live in a separate plugin

What it does for your podcast:

• Your own RSS feed: it creates the feed that iTunes, Google Play Music and other RSS-based directories require, with no additional plugins or third-party tweaks.
• Import from another feed: paste the feed address, choose the category for the imported episodes and you are done. An advanced option lets you schedule the import to run periodically.
• Header with image or video: a large visual area, with your own logo, and a live preview in the Customizer to try a different header image, primary color or page background.
• Transcripts and jump points inside episodes.
• Built-in extras: RTL support, translation-ready, social icon menu, sidebar and footer widgets, integration with Gutenberg and with Contact Form 7.

Three things are worth knowing. The episode content type and the whole podcast function sit in a standalone plugin, so that plugin must stay active. Contact Form 7 is another plugin you install yourself if you want forms. And Castilo does not use page builders: you customize it with the Customizer, blocks and widgets, not by dragging sections around.

Listening statistics in your own dashboard

The admin panel shows daily, weekly and monthly data on total plays, listeners and listening sources: the site player, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, direct downloads and others. Audio files are served through your own permanent links, so the originals stay protected. For an independent podcaster, knowing where the audience comes from helps decide which directory deserves more effort.

Questions before moving your podcast to Castilo

Can I bring over the episodes I already have on another service?

Yes, through the import from the external feed. You choose the category they will receive and, if you want, schedule the import to repeat.

Do I need another plugin to send the feed to iTunes?

No. The theme generates the RSS feed those directories require. Just remember to keep the accompanying podcast plugin active.

Is it suitable for video as well as audio?

It is designed for audio and video podcasts, with a header that accepts an image or a video.

Can I run the site in another language?

It is ready to be translated into any language and supports right-to-left (RTL) languages.

The demo imports with one click, but its photos are not included

Castilo comes with a one-click demo importer, useful for seeing the site built and swapping in your own content. The images in the previews are not part of the package: they belong to their authors and are used only as samples, so you will need to add your own covers and header photos.

A sensible order: import the demo, change the logo, primary color and header from the Customizer, publish or import your first episodes and, once the feed is complete, submit it to the directories. Check in the demo how the player and the subscribe buttons look on mobile before you decide.