Tutorials Podcasting

How to Submit Your Podcast to Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Beginner · ~30 min

Overview

Podcast directories don't host your audio. They subscribe to your RSS feed and pull episodes automatically. You only submit once per directory. After that, every new episode you publish appears in the directory within minutes.

What You Need

At least one published episode on your podcast host
Your RSS feed URL (from your podcast hosting dashboard)
Artwork: 3000×3000px JPG, RGB colour space, under 512KB
An Apple ID and a free Spotify account

Steps

Prepare your RSS feed

Log into your podcast host (Buzzsprout, Captivate, Transistor, etc.) and copy your RSS feed URL. Validate it first using our RSS Feed Validator. Check that it has the required iTunes tags: <itunes:author>, <itunes:image>, <itunes:category>, and <itunes:explicit>. Submission will fail if these are missing.

Submit to Spotify for Podcasters

Go to podcasters.spotify.com → Get Started → Already have an RSS feed? → paste your RSS URL → follow the claim process. Spotify sends a verification code to the email address in your RSS feed, so make sure that address is one you can access. Approval usually takes under an hour.

Submit to Apple Podcasts Connect

Go to podcastsconnect.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Click the + button → New Show → Add a show with an RSS feed → paste your RSS URL. Apple validates the feed automatically and submits it for review. Approval typically takes 24 to 72 hours. You'll receive an email when it's live.

Submit to Amazon Music and Audible

Go to music.amazon.com/podcasters and create a free account. Click Submit your podcast and enter your RSS feed URL. Amazon typically approves within 48 hours. This submission covers both Amazon Music and Audible. A combined audience of over 100 million users.

Wait for approval and monitor

You don't need to do anything further. Once approved, your podcast host will push new episodes to all directories automatically when you publish. Check each directory 48 hours after your first submission to confirm it appears correctly. If Apple rejects your submission, the rejection email will contain the specific tag that needs fixing.

Pro Tips

Also submit to Pocket Casts (pocketcasts.com/submit), iHeart Radio, and Overcast for maximum distribution coverage.
Never change your RSS feed URL after submission, doing so breaks all existing directory subscriptions simultaneously.
Apple Podcasts Connect shows you listener data including plays, follows, and average consumption percentage per episode.

Knowledge Base

What You'll Learn

Distribute your podcast to all major platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more. Learn submission processes, approval timelines, and optimization for each platform.

Platforms in Priority Order

Apple Podcasts: 60% of listening. Requires approval. 2-7 days.
Spotify: 30% of listening. Usually auto-discovers from Apple. Direct submission also available.
YouTube: Growing fast. Upload full episode video or audio only. 10%+ of traffic.
Google Podcasts/Podcasts Manager: Auto-discovers from Apple RSS. Rarely needs direct submission.
Amazon Music/Audible: Growing. Direct submission through Podbean or other hosts.

Submission Requirements

Valid RSS feed. Podcast cover art (3000x3000px max). Show name and description (200 chars). Creator name. Language. Content rating (explicit or not). Category selection (1-3 primary categories).

Approval Timeline

Apple: 2-7 days. Reject if artwork poor quality, metadata missing, or content violates guidelines.
Spotify: Instant (via Anchor/Podbean) or 24-48 hours (direct).
YouTube: Instant if account is established.

After Approval

Share your podcast links. Promote on social media. Cross-post episodes to YouTube. Engage with listeners in comments. Most growth happens through word-of-mouth and social sharing, not directory browsing.

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of podcasting. The wider picture. The whole setup from equipment and recording through editing, publishing, and handling remote guests, is in Best Podcast Setup for Beginners, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to submit to every platform individually?
A: No. Spotify, Google, and Amazon typically auto-discover your show from your Apple Podcasts RSS submission within a day or two. Manually submitting everywhere is rarely necessary and mostly redundant.

Q: Why was my podcast artwork rejected?
A: Usually resolution (below 1400x1400px) or a design issue: too much text, low contrast, or non-square aspect ratio. Check the exact pixel and format requirements before resubmitting to avoid another rejection cycle.