Add private podcasts to Ghost CMS for members

Publishers on Ghost like Tangle, Lever News, 404 Media, and Platformer already use private podcasts as one of the key perks they offer paying subscribers. But getting that set up, and keeping the subscriber list in sync, required a lot of manual work.

Now there's an official integration between Ghost and Transistor that handles it automatically.

When someone upgrades to a paid membership on your Ghost site, they get instant access to your private podcast on Transistor. When they cancel, that access is revoked. Ghost becomes the source of truth for your subscriber list, and Transistor stays in sync.

Using Ghost and Transistor together is one of the best ways to run a premium podcast alongside your newsletter or blog. You choose who gets access — all members, paid members only, or specific membership tiers — and the integration takes care of the rest.

How it works

1. Create a private podcast on Transistor — go to My Podcasts → Add a Podcast, then configure it as a private podcast.

2. Enable the Transistor integration in Ghost — head to Ghost Settings → Integrations → Transistor.fm, toggle it on, and copy your Admin API key and API URL.

3. Connect Ghost from Transistor — go to your private podcast's Integrations tab, paste in the Ghost API key and URL, and click Connect to Ghost.

4. Choose who gets access — select all members, paid members only, or specific membership tiers. Click Update and Sync Members, and Transistor will import your existing Ghost subscribers right away.

What your members see

Once the integration is live, your members get a few different ways to find and subscribe to the podcast:

• In their Ghost account portal — after logging in, members see the private podcast listed as a membership benefit. One click takes them to a landing page where they can add it to any podcast app, or scan a QR code to do it from their phone.

• Embedded in your posts and pages — type /transistor inside any Ghost post to insert a Transistor embed card. You can set the visibility to paid members only, so free visitors see a prompt to upgrade while paying members see the full player and subscription links.

• In their welcome email — Ghost's welcome email flow lets you include a direct link to the private podcast. New members get immediate access to the perk they just paid for, right in their inbox.

The best way to offer a members-only podcast on Ghost

A common question in the Ghost community has been: can you start a members-only podcast on Ghost? Yes — and this integration is the cleanest way to do it. Ghost handles your memberships and billing. Transistor handles podcast hosting and episode delivery. The integration keeps both sides in sync automatically.

Syncs your Ghost members with your private podcast subscribers on Transistor

Any changes you make in Ghost flow through to Transistor. If a member cancels, they're removed from the private podcast. If you grant someone a complimentary paid membership, they're added. You can also switch the access tier at any time and Transistor will re-sync the subscriber list immediately.

Transistor also emails your private podcast subscribers every time you publish a new episode, so members get notified without you having to do anything extra.

The Ghost integration is available now on all Transistor plans that support private podcasts. To get started, head to your private podcast's Integrations tab in Transistor, or start a free 14-day trial if you haven't yet.