When you first set out on your podcasting journey, one of the most confusing elements is how to distribute your podcast to the major apps – including how to get your podcast on iTunes. Here’s a tip: you can’t post your podcast directly to iTunes!
Podcasters must use a distribution service like Anchor, Podbean, Libsyn, Simplecast, and others. You’ll be charged a monthly hosting fee that varies from distributor to distributor.
This will be the home for your podcast. You’ll be able to edit show details here, list your show categories, add cover art, create episodes, and generate an RSS feed for your podcast. It’s the RSS feed that you’ll be submitting to Apple.
iTunes still exists as an app, but Apple released Apple Podcasts where users can listen to podcasts. So, the big question actually is: how do you put your podcast on Apple Podcasts!
Once you’ve chosen a podcast distributor, you can now move forward with setting up your profile on Apple Podcasts. To use Apple’s Podcast Connect, you’ll need an Apple ID. We highly recommend creating a new Apple ID, especially if it’s for work. This is the account you’ll be using to access Apple’s podcast portal (Podcast Connect) and to see Apple’s podcast analytics.
After your new Apple ID is established, you can log in to Apple’s Podcast Connect. At the same time, have your podcast distribution account up in another tab on your browser and grab the RSS feed link to your podcast. Copy your podcast’s RSS feed URL. Go back to Apple’s Podcast Connect. Paste in your URL, and click “Validate.” Apple will give you a preview of your podcast’s information, including any episodes you have in the feed. If everything looks correct, click “Submit.” You’ll need to wait 24-48 hours (or longer) for Apple to email you a confirmation email.
And that’s it! Apple will then pull new episodes from your distributor and post them on iTunes. Once Apple approves your podcast, you can share the show with others, and add an Apple Podcast badge on your website.
We’re the podcast pros. We can film and host your podcast, set up your podcast distribution, and promote it. All we need one hour of your time each month. Explore our current shows and browse our podcast packages.
