Oncetold: An Opinionated Approach to Podcasting
In 2019, I set out to fix a broken industry. Podcast hosting platforms were built by engineers, not podcasters, and the process of publishing an episode was a mess of jargon, unnecessary complexity, and zero guidance. New podcasters would reach the publishing stage, only to quit in frustration. I wanted to change that.
Oncetold was designed to break down the hosting process into bite-sized, intuitive steps with clear context and education. Every field mattered. Every choice had a purpose. And at no point would a new podcaster feel lost.
From the beginning, Oncetold was more than just another hosting platform—it was a teaching tool. I built Podcasting 2.0 features directly into the core, ensuring podcasters could offer a modern listening experience while keeping their workflow simple. No unnecessary toggles, no overwhelming forms, just a streamlined approach that focused on storytelling first.
If you had a story to tell, Oncetold would help you tell it.
From Concept to Clickable Prototype
I started Oncetold the way I approach most product ideas—with paper prototypes and wireframes in Balsamiq. Then came the clickable prototype, built to validate the user experience before writing a single line of production code.
Once the experience felt right, I built the full application using Vue 3, Node, and Firebase, hosting it all on Netlify. Firestore handled the database, Stripe managed subscriptions, and Google Cloud Storage ensured reliable media hosting.
By October 2021, Oncetold v1.0 was live and in testing.
The platform offered an opinionated, structured approach to podcasting. Instead of throwing new users into a maze of settings, Oncetold guided them through a step-by-step process. Planning came first, recording came later, and publishing was the final step. This workflow mirrored how successful podcasters worked and not how hosting companies thought they should work.
Oncetold Dashboard
Building for the Future
Since its initial launch, Oncetold has gone through five major iterations, each refining and expanding its capabilities. The first release established core functionality: user authentication, episode preparation, audio uploads, and automated RSS feed generation. Later versions added deeper integrations with Stripe, improved user tools, and key Podcasting 2.0 features like chapters, transcripts, and Value4Value support.
As Oncetold evolved, I continued to use it myself, pulling all my podcasts off commercial hosting platforms and proving that a single developer could compete with established companies.
Running my own podcasts on Oncetold was not only about eating my own dogfood, but as proof that the platform worked.
Oncetold Episode Detail
The Road Ahead
Oncetold remains in beta, with full usability testing planned through late 2025. The next major milestone is integrating education directly into the hosting experience, guiding new podcasters through the process with structured learning paths. Instead of just offering hosting, Oncetold will become a complete ecosystem where users learn, build, and launch their podcasts in one place.
Marketing efforts are ramping up through LinkedIn, Substack essays, and my upcoming book Not Easily Squished. The weekly Not Easily Squished podcast is also helping spread the word.
My Role
I built Oncetold from the ground up—design, development, UX, and infrastructure. Every decision, from the technology stack to the user experience, was made with a singular goal: to simplify podcasting without dumbing it down. The result is a platform that eliminates confusion, prioritizes storytelling, and gives new podcasters a real chance at success.
Oncetold is becoming the hosting service I wish I had when I first started podcasting. I’m proud of what I’ve built. Not just because it works, but because it reintroduced me to produect design and how good it feels to solve a real problem.