Simplecast Embeds + WordPress Sites = Magic
How to harness the power of Simplecast embed short links on WordPress
The most seamless of integrations aren’t always the most obvious of integrations, but once you see how one works, you’ll never be the same again. If you are a WordPress user, I wanted to take a few minutes to reveal the magic of Simplecast’s audio and Recast embed short links, and how they work on WordPress.
Embed Short Link
One of the many amazing features of Simplecast is its embed short link. You can find this short link when you are viewing an episode in the Simplecast Dashboard or when you share a Recast.
What makes it so amazing? The Simplecast short link allows for a single URL to be used in a variety of ways depending on where it is used. Think of the short link like a URL with magical hidden powers just waiting for you to unlock them.
For example, if you were to paste a short link into Twitter, Twitter will expand it into an audio player card. If you were to paste that same short link on Medium, it’ll embed a player into the copy. At its most basic level, if you were to send the link to a friend, it would take them to the episode on your Simplecast site.
Pro tip: If you use an iPhone and send a Recast short link to someone via the Messages app, Messages will load the video into the chat!
WordPress Flavors
Now that you understand a bit about Simplecast’s embed short link and what it can do for you, let’s look at how you can use it on Wordpress. It’s important to know that not all WordPress installs are created the same. WordPress has three different flavors of their product that range from basic to enterprise. Which one you use will determine how you will add the Simplecast embed short link to your content.
- WordPress.com (hosted)
- WordPress.org (self-hosted)
- WordPress VIP Go (enterprise hosting)
WordPress.com (hosted)
WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress. What this means is that WordPress manages all the updates, servers, code, etc. for a user’s WordPress site. The user is only responsible for their content and how their site looks. The hosted version of WordPress is the simplest and most user-friendly of the different options.
If you use WordPress.com for your website, you’ll have the easiest time sharing your show. All you have to do is get your Simplecast embed short link and paste it directly into your content. WordPress will automatically turn that link into a player!
WordPress.org (self-hosted)
The self-hosted version of WordPress is for the do-it-yourselfers out there who want to manage the whole ecosystem of their website. The self-hosted version gives a lot more flexibility, and therefore also comes with a lot more complexity.
If you are self-hosting WordPress, in order to embed your player, you’ll need to first install the Simplecast WordPress short code plugin: https://github.com/simplecastapps/wordpress-plugin
Once you have installed and activated the plugin, you’ll be able to add the short code to any of your site’s content. The short code looks like this:
[simplecast-embed src="https://armchairexpert.simplecast.com/episodes/980a207c"]WordPress VIP Go (enterprise hosting)
Similar to the hosted WordPress, VIP Go is an enterprise hosting platform for WordPress sites. VIP Go brings high-availability, security and stability for WordPress sites. While users of VIP Go manage their own WordPress code, this code is extensively vetted by VIP Go before it gets merged into the production code.
To use the Simplecast embed short link on WordPress VIP Go, you’ll need to install and activate the Simplecast WordPress VIP Go plugin: https://github.com/simplecastapps/wordpress-vip-plugin
Once you have installed and activated the plugin, you will be able to add the short code to any of your site’s content. The short code looks like this:
[simplecast-embed src="https://armchairexpert.simplecast.com/episodes/980a207c"]
And that’s it! Go forth and enjoy your embeds!
