How To Get Your Podcast Approved On Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, And Spotify
Once you’ve developed your fantastic podcast content, the next step involves trying to get it listed on podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify where your listeners can easily find you. But each of these services has its own approval process before your episodes are released into the wild. If you don't know how the different processes work, you've come to the right place as we break it all down for you below.
✴ What is a podcast directory?
A podcast directory is where listeners can find your podcast. It is important to note that you never upload your content directly onto a podcast directory but instead, submit your podcast’s RSS feed. From there, the directory will recognize that your podcast exists and will routinely check for new episodes that are uploaded to your hosting website.
Many first-time podcasters confuse directories with podcast hosts but it’s actually pretty easy to differentiate the two. One (hosting) simply needs to be done before the other (listing on directories). More on that below.
✴ What is a podcast host?
Podcast hosting services allow you to upload and store your podcast audio files. From here, your podcast episodes can be submitted to a directory. Hosts provide a range of decided advantages over uploading your podcasts to your own website.
✴ Useful Features
Podcast hosts will provide you with access to numerous useful features, which will either become more advanced or less advanced depending on the package you choose. Some of these features include:
Access to detailed statistics on your audience.
Mobile apps.
Monetization options.
Unlimited upload bandwidth and storage.
Scheduled uploads.
✴ Automatic generation of RSS
Many podcast hosting services will automatically generate an RSS feed for you. The data found in this feed will boost your visibility in podcast directories and attract more listeners.
While each host is different, most require that you have content ready to go. This includes:
The name of your show
The show’s artwork
The show’s category
A full description
A byline (the name of the creator)
✴ Choose the right directory for you
Now that you understand what podcast hosting services are (and have hopefully chosen one), it’s time to submit your podcast to a directory. There are several podcast directories to choose from – the most popular being Apple Podcasts. It has the single largest user base, which is great for exposure but it's always advisable to publish your podcast to multiple directories to increase reach.
Before your podcast goes live on any of the popular directories, it must go through an approval process first. Below, we explain how to get your podcast approved on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
✴ Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts has a list of criteria that you must meet before submitting your podcast:
Make sure your podcast episode(s) have successfully been uploaded to your chosen podcast hosting service.
Confirm that your episode(s) are in one of the following formats: mp3, mp4, mov, m4v, m4a, epub or pdf.
Create an Apple ID (or use an existing one).
Convert your podcast artwork into a square JPG or PNG image. This must be between 1400 x 1400 and 3000 x 3000px in size.
Generate a unique title for your podcast.
Ensure your podcast fits within at least one Apple Podcast category.
Once you’ve completed all of the above, it’s time to submit your podcast for approval:
Step 1: Sign in to iTunes Podcasts Connect.
Step 2: Click the plus symbol in the top left of the Podcasts Connect dashboard.
Step 3: Enter your RSS feed into the text box provided and click the “validate” button.
Step 4: Your feed preview will appear if there are no validation errors. You should review all the related information about your podcast (e.g. artwork, description, categories, etc.). If you have any validation errors, visit the Podcast Connect help page.
Step 5: After reviewing your podcast information, click the “Submit” button.
And there you have it. You’ve successfully submitted your podcast for approval. Apple Podcasts' approval process can officially take up to 10 days. That being said, most are approved within 3 days and, on occasion, within 24 hours – so you shouldn’t be left waiting for too long.
✴ Google Podcasts
Google Podcasts has a slightly different submission process to other directories. It automatically searches the internet for podcasts to include in the Google Podcasts app. This saves you the time and effort of needing to manually submit your RSS feed for approval.
Step 1: Check that Google has automatically found your RSS feed. To do this, input your RSS feed URL into the Google Direct Link Generator and click “Generate”. If your show has already been added, you will receive a direct link to share with your listeners. In the case that your podcast has not been listed, you will receive an error message. Don’t panic if this happens, you just need to follow the next 2 steps.
Step 2: Verify that your podcast hosting website is compatible with Google Podcasts. You can visit Google Podcast guidelines for more information on this.
Step 3: Register your RSS feed URL with Google. If the Google Direct Link Generator didn’t detect your website in the first instance, you can request that Google manually crawl your website instead. Please note that your podcast hosting website must be compatible for this to work. If you are unsure about this, refer to the Google Podcast guidelines.
You must now wait for Google to index your RSS feed and approve your podcast. This can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a full week.
✴ Spotify
Much like Apple Podcasts, Spotify has a similar list of criteria that you must meet before submitting your podcast:
Choose a podcast title.
Write a podcast description.
Select a podcast category.
Create and format your podcast artwork. This must use a 1:1 aspect ratio in the highest resolution possible and PNG or JPEG are the only accepted formats.
Select the primary language that is spoken on your podcast.
Have at least one live episode.
Convert audio into MP3 format.
Make sure episodes do not exceed 200Mbps each.
Once you have completed these steps, it’s time to submit your podcast for approval.
Step 1: Log in to your Spotify account.
Step 2: Go to your Spotify dashboard and click “Get Started”
Step 3: Insert your RSS feed URL into the input box provided.
Step 4: Check that all your podcast information is correct. If everything is as it should be, click “Next”
Step 5: Go to the email address associated with your Spotify account. There will be a code sent to the email to verify ownership. Copy and paste this code into the form provided and click “Next”.
Step 6: Spotify will now prompt you to provide further information about your podcast. You can choose a primary category and 3 sub-categories that best describe your podcast. After filling out the form, click “Next”.
Step 7: Review the information that you have provided. If everything is correct, submit the form.
Just like that, you have successfully submitted your podcast to Spotify. The approval process usually takes just a few hours.
✴ Recap
As you can see, getting your podcast approved by a directory is pretty straightforward, once you know how. First, find yourself a suitable podcast host and make sure that your podcast details are all in order. This includes everything from the title to the podcast category to the description.
If you’re submitting your podcast to multiple directories – something that is highly recommended – you may need to alter the format a little for each of them. That being so, the popular directories generally share similar approval processes, so you won’t need to do a lot of extra work. Simply follow the easy steps above and watch your podcast take off on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
What are you waiting for? Could it be a complete checklist of everything you need to launch a podcast in 30 days?! Lucky for you, we’ve got that very list available for you here.
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