Launching a podcast through hosting means using a podcast hosting service to publish and distribute your podcast episodes to various podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Before moving on to this stage, you should have completed the branding, chosen your tech, and chosen your hosting. Things will get messy quick, if you didn’t complete those steps.

As a reminder, your podcast hosting service will provide a platform for you to upload your podcast episodes, create an RSS feed, and distribute your podcast to various platforms. They also provide tools to help you manage your podcast, such as analytics to track your podcast’s performance, monetization options, and support for various audio formats.

When you launch a podcast through hosting, you will typically need to create an account with a hosting service, upload your podcast episodes, and provide some information about your podcast, such as its title, description, and artwork. Once your podcast is live on the hosting service, it will be automatically distributed to various podcast platforms. You’ll find those steps below!

What you need to have ready:

You’ll need the following items ready to launch your show through your hosting program:

Show Name
Show Description
Show Graphic as a 1400×1400 JPG
Trailer in MP3 format
Trailer Title – “Introducing [Show Name]”
Trailer Description

Terms you need to know:

Hosting

Podcast hosting is a service that allows podcasters to store and distribute their podcast episodes on the internet. It provides a platform for podcasters to upload their audio files, create and manage their podcast RSS feed, and distribute their podcast to various podcast directories and platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Podcast hosting companies typically offer features such as unlimited storage, bandwidth, and analytics to help podcasters manage and grow their audience. They also provide tools for podcasters to customize their podcast player, embed it on their website, and monetize their podcast through sponsorships, donations, or subscription models.

Using a podcast hosting service is important because it ensures that your podcast episodes are easily accessible to your audience and can be downloaded or streamed from various podcast platforms. It also ensures that your podcast remains available even if your website or personal computer goes offline.

Some popular podcast hosting services include Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Podbean, and Transistor.

RSS Feed

A podcast RSS feed is a type of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed that contains information about a podcast. It is an XML file that includes the podcast’s title, description, author, and episodes.

The RSS feed allows users to subscribe to a podcast and automatically download new episodes when they become available. It also allows podcasters to distribute their content to various podcast directories and platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

The podcast RSS feed contains important metadata, such as the episode title, date of publication, duration, and a link to the audio file. This metadata is used by podcast players and directories to organize and display the podcast episodes.

Podcasters typically create and maintain their RSS feed using a content management system (CMS) or a podcast hosting platform. Once the feed is set up, new episodes can be added by simply uploading the audio file and filling out the episode information in the CMS or hosting platform.

Distribution

Podcast distribution refers to the process of making your podcast episodes available to your audience on various podcast platforms and directories. It involves submitting your podcast’s RSS feed to different platforms and directories, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher, among others.

When you distribute your podcast, it becomes available to a larger audience, which helps you to increase your podcast’s visibility, reach new listeners, and grow your audience. It also makes it easier for your existing audience to listen to your podcast on their preferred platform.

Most podcast hosting services, such as Buzzsprout, Libsyn, and Podbean, offer automatic distribution to major podcast directories, making the process of submitting your podcast to multiple platforms easier. However, it’s still important to manually submit your podcast to directories that don’t support automatic distribution.

Podcast distribution is an ongoing process, as new platforms and directories emerge, and it’s important to stay updated on new platforms and submit your podcast to them to expand your reach.

Launch Your Podcast Through Hosting

Step One | Create Your Podcast Feed

By now, you should have chosen a hosting program based on your needs and strategy for your podcast. At this stage, you should have done your branding work and created your show description, show graphic, and trailer. You’ll use all that to create your RSS feed, aka your podcast feed.

Your hosting program will create a podcast feed for you that you can submit to directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Make sure to include all the necessary information to get started that’s listed above.

Steps will be very similar regardless of what hosting platform you use. You’ll be asked to set the name of your podcast, add a show description, add your show graphic (artwork), list the author (you), add an email address (Apple will reject your show if you don’t have this), choose relevant categories (this should be pretty intuitive), and you’ll need to upload your mp3 trailer to move to step two and submit your show to directories.

When you add your trailer, you’ll need an episode title, set it as a trailer (common option), and a brief description. You can pull the description from your overall show description, as it’s just introducing the show.

Step Two | Submit To Directories

After you have created your podcast feed, you will need to submit it to podcast directories. Apple Podcasts is the most popular directory, but there are many others as well. Once your podcast is listed on these directories, listeners can find and subscribe to your podcast.

It is likely that you can distribute your RSS feed to all podcast apps right from your hosting program. Many connect to the major platforms, Apple, Spotify, Google, and more. If you do not see Apple or Google, you can always submit the RSS to those apps by creating podcast creator accounts through those platforms.

For example, if you use Kajabi as your hosting, you’ll need to set up creator accounts for Apple, Spotify, and Google and then submit the RSS feed generated by Kajabi. Then you’d come back and add the links to your podcast page. this is a unique setup.

It can take up to 24 hours for your show to appear on the apps where you submitted your RSS feed. Google can take three days to two weeks at the absolute longest. If you don’t see your show on Spotify within a few hours, something might be wrong. Remember, if you do not fill out every bit of info in hosting, your show might be rejected by platforms like Apple. A common mistake is forgetting to add an email address of having a show graphic (artwork) that is not the right size.

Step Three | Promote Your Trailer

Finally, you will need to promote your podcast to attract listeners. You can promote your podcast on social media, by running ads, or by collaborating with other podcasters in your niche. It’s important to keep promoting your podcast consistently to grow your audience.

You can use our Canva templates to create graphics to promote your trailer and subscription even before you launch episode one. You’ll also want to set a launch date for episode one so you can promote it in advance. You can share teasers, quotes, and video clips from the episode to promote the launch.

FAQs

What is podcast hosting, and why do I need it?
- Podcast hosting is a service that stores your podcast files and makes them accessible on the internet. You need it to ensure that your podcast can be distributed to major podcast directories and streaming platforms.

How do I choose the right podcast hosting platform?
- Consider the cost, storage, bandwidth, ease of use, analytics, and integrations when choosing a podcast hosting platform.

What file formats do I need for my podcast?
- You will need an MP3 or AAC file for your podcast episodes.

What should I include in my podcast metadata?
- Your podcast metadata should include your podcast title, description, cover art, episode title, and show notes.

How do I submit my podcast to directories and platforms?
- You can submit your podcast to directories and platforms through your hosting platform or manually by submitting your RSS feed to each platform.

How often should I release new podcast episodes?
- The frequency of your podcast episodes depends on your content, audience, and resources. Some podcasters release episodes weekly, while others release bi-weekly or monthly.

How can I promote my podcast?
- You can promote your podcast through social media, email newsletters, collaborations, guest appearances, and advertising.

How can I measure my podcast’s success?
- You can measure your podcast’s success through downloads, listens, subscribers, ratings, reviews, and engagement on social media.