Most podcasters submit their RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify and call it done. That covers the majority of listening, but it leaves a significant portion of your potential audience unreached. And it ignores the platform that's increasingly driving podcast discovery: YouTube.
The Big Three
Apple Podcasts. Still the default for many listeners, particularly in the UK and US. Submission is via Apple Podcasts Connect. Optimise your show listing with a clear title, compelling description, and appropriate category selection. Episode-level metadata matters: titles should be searchable, and descriptions should include keywords naturally.
Spotify. The fastest-growing podcast platform with the most detailed analytics. Submit through Spotify for Podcasters. Take advantage of Spotify's interactive features: polls, Q&A, and video episodes if you're producing video. Spotify also offers playlist inclusion opportunities that can drive significant discovery.
YouTube. This is the growth frontier. YouTube is a search engine first, a video platform second, and increasingly a podcast platform third. Upload your episodes as video content. Create custom thumbnails. Write detailed descriptions with timestamps. Optimise titles for search. YouTube's recommendation algorithm can put your content in front of entirely new audiences in ways that traditional podcast directories can't.
The Long Tail
Beyond the big three, your podcast should be available on Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castbox, and any other platform your hosting provider supports. Most hosting platforms automate this distribution.
Individually, these platforms have small audiences. Collectively, they represent ten to fifteen percent of total listens. That's not nothing, and the effort to add them is minimal since it's usually a one-time setup through your hosting provider.
RSS Feed Management
Your RSS feed is the backbone of your podcast's distribution. It's the file that tells every platform about your show, your episodes, and your metadata. Most hosting platforms manage this for you, but understanding it matters.
Ensure your feed includes: accurate show-level metadata, episode-level metadata, and any platform-specific tags that improve discoverability.
If you ever switch hosting platforms, your RSS feed redirect is the most important part of the migration. Get it wrong and you lose your subscribers. Get it right and the transition is invisible to listeners.
Hosting Platform Selection
Your hosting platform is where your audio files live and where your RSS feed is generated. Choose based on: reliability, analytics quality, distribution automation, monetisation features if relevant, and cost.
Popular options include Acast, Buzzsprout, Podbean, Transistor, and Captivate. Each has strengths and trade-offs. For most podcasters, the differences are marginal. Pick one that feels right, set it up properly, and don't overthink it.
Next Step
We handle distribution across all platforms as part of every production package. One less thing for you to think about.
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