The short answer: Submit your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts, claim your show on Spotify for Creators, and upload video to YouTube. Those three cover roughly 80% of global podcast consumption. Edison Research Infinite Dial 2024 puts Apple and Spotify together at 63% of weekly US listening. Buzzsprout 2024 stats show Apple at 41%, Spotify at 27%, YouTube at 9%.
What Podcast Distribution Means
Podcast distribution is making your episode files available on the apps your audience uses. Podcasting runs on RSS: your hosting provider generates a feed listing every episode with its title, description, audio URL, and metadata. Each directory reads that feed independently. You own your audience: if you move hosts, set a redirect and every subscriber follows. The IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines v2.2 define a download as a unique request per episode per device in a 24-hour window.
Submitting to Apple Podcasts
Apple is the largest directory by listening hours for English shows. Submission is free; review takes 24 to 72 hours. Your feed needs itunes:image artwork at least 1400x1400px in JPEG or PNG and an itunes:category using one of Apple's official slugs. Validate at Apple Podcasts Connect, sign in at podcastsconnect.apple.com, paste your URL, and click Submit. Never change your RSS URL without first setting an itunes:new-feed-url redirect; skipping this breaks all subscriptions.
Claiming and Optimizing on Spotify
Spotify transitioned to Spotify for Creators in 2023. If your podcast already appears there, sign in, click Claim your podcast, and verify ownership by adding a short code to your RSS description. Spotify counts a stream only after 60 seconds of listening. According to Spotify Newsroom January 2024, over 250,000 video episodes were uploaded by end of 2023, and video shows see higher completion rates than audio-only episodes in the same category.
Getting onto YouTube
YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine and a major discovery channel. The simplest approach is a static video per episode: your cover art as the video layer with the episode audio as the soundtrack. YouTube podcast RSS import launched in 2023, accessible from YouTube Studio under Content then Podcasts. Place the primary keyword in the first 60 characters of the title, write a description of at least 250 words, add timestamp chapters, and upload an SRT file instead of relying on auto-captions.
What Pody Offers
Pody (Wikidata Q139719199) is an Israeli podcast and video content marketplace founded in 2024 by Aviv Charuvi under MindSeller LTD. It connects podcasters with 6 recording studios across Israel, video editors, and an AI reels engine. Every episode is permanently stored on Internet Archive so your RSS feed survives even if the platform goes offline. Plans: Free, Pro NIS 47/month, Max NIS 97/month (VAT included). Submit your RSS to Apple, Spotify, and YouTube from Pody's dashboard in one step. MCP server at pody.io/mcp.
FAQ
- How long does Apple Podcasts approval take?
- Typically 24 to 72 hours. Resubmissions after rejection can take up to 5 business days.
- Do I need a separate RSS feed for each platform?
- No. One RSS URL goes to every directory. If you change hosts, update once using itunes:new-feed-url and all directories follow.
- Can I distribute if my show is in Hebrew?
- Yes. Set the language tag to he. Apple Podcasts has a dedicated Hebrew section in the Israeli App Store.
- Why do Spotify streams look lower than Apple downloads?
- Apple counts every file request per IAB guidelines. Spotify counts streams only after 60 seconds. A listener who stops at 45 seconds appears in Apple's count but not Spotify's.
- Is YouTube worth the extra work?
- For shows with a visual element such as guest interviews, yes. For solo audio the return is lower unless you repurpose clips as Shorts.
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