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Connect Platforms
Getting listed is a one-time job per directory: you point the directory at your RSS feed, it subscribes, and every future episode arrives automatically. PodcasterPlus sorts every platform into one of three groups, and that's how the Distribution page is organised:
- Submitted for you: directories with an open API. One click, PodcasterPlus submits.
- Guided submissions: you submit at the platform's own portal, with PodcasterPlus walking you through the tricky parts.
- Nothing to do: apps that mirror Apple Podcasts or Podcast Index. Your show arrives on its own.
Everything on this page lives at Settings → Distribution.
Pass the readiness checks
Before submitting anywhere, look at the Submission readiness card. It runs your show through the checks directories actually enforce, shows a percentage ring, and splits results into Fix these first and Cleared.
Blocking checks apply to every platform, and submission buttons are disabled until they all pass:
| Check | Why directories require it |
|---|---|
| Podcast title | Every directory requires a show title |
| Podcast description | Shown on your listing page; feeds without one are rejected |
| Category | Apple and most directories require at least one category |
| Language | Your feed defaults to English (en) when unset, so this rarely fails |
| Owner email | Most platforms email a verification code to this address |
| Cover artwork | Square, between 1400 and 3000 pixels (validated at upload) |
| At least one published episode | Directories reject empty feeds |
| Podcast GUID | The unique identifier inside your RSS feed (assigned automatically) |
Two more checks are recommendations. They never block a submission, but they flag platform-specific quirks:
| Check | Affects | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Episode titles | YouTube Music | YouTube rejects feeds whose titles contain < or > |
| MP3 audio | Spotify, Pandora | Spotify and Pandora only accept MP3 |
Each failed check links straight to the page where you fix it.
Verify you own the show
Platforms want proof that you control the feed you're submitting. The Ownership & Verification card holds everything they might ask for, and every field saves automatically:
- Owner Name: rendered publicly in your RSS feed as the podcast owner.
- Owner Email: the address platforms verify against. To protect you from spam, it's hidden from your feed by default. When a platform needs to email you a code, click Show email in feed for 24 hours; the card shows exactly when the window closes, and Hide now ends it early.
- Apple Podcasts verification code: Apple issues this code inside Apple Podcasts Connect when you claim your show. Paste it here and it appears in your feed within minutes.
- Other verification tokens: some platforms hand you a token to place in your feed when claiming your show. Click Add token to add one; each is rendered in your feed as a separate
<podcast:txt purpose="verify">tag.
You choose what to share
Some platforms verify by email, others by token. You only need to reveal your email (or add a token) when a specific platform asks for it, and the guided steps tell you exactly when that is.
Submitted for you
The Submitted for you section covers directories with an open API, where PodcasterPlus can submit on your behalf. Right now that's Podcast Index: the open directory powering Fountain, AntennaPod, Castro and most Podcasting 2.0 apps.
- Make sure the readiness checks pass (the button is disabled otherwise)
- Click Submit to Podcast Index
- That's it. Your show is usually listed within minutes, and the card updates with a link to your listing.
Guided submissions
The Guided submissions section covers the platforms where you submit at their portal: PodcasterPlus can't do it for you, but it orchestrates the tricky steps. There are twelve:
| Platform | How it verifies you | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | Verification code placed in your feed | Review usually takes 1 to 3 days |
| Spotify | Code emailed to your owner email | Usually live within hours, occasionally up to 5 days; Spotify sends no confirmation email |
| YouTube Music | Code emailed to your owner email | Episodes can take a few days to ingest |
| Amazon Music & Audible | Confirmation link emailed to your owner email (expires after 24 hours) | Hours to a couple of days; one submission covers both |
| iHeartRadio | Validates the owner email in your feed | Can take up to 14 days; accepts submissions from the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand |
| TuneIn | Platform account only | Allow a few weeks for moderation |
| Pandora | Owner email, via a free Simplecast Creator Connect account | Editorial review, expect 4 to 6 weeks |
| Deezer | Code emailed to your owner email | Usually live within about a day |
| Pocket Casts | None (one-time form, no account) | Usually appears within a day |
| Player FM | None (one-time import, no account) | Effectively instant |
| Podcast Addict | None (one-time form) | Usually indexed within about a day |
| Castbox | Optional claim via owner email | Mirrors Apple, so your show usually appears on its own |
Follow the steps for a platform
- On the platform's card, click Start submission
- A panel opens titled Get listed on followed by the platform's name, with numbered steps written for that specific platform
- The tools you need are embedded in the steps at the exact moment you need them: a copy button for your Feed URL, the Show email in feed for 24 hours control when the platform emails a code to your feed's owner address, and the Apple Podcasts verification code field for Apple
- Use the Open button to jump to the platform's portal, complete the submission there, and come back
- Click I've submitted. The card flips to Submitted, and PodcasterPlus flags the listing when it goes live.
While a submission is pending, the card shows honest expectations for that platform (the same timescales as the table above), and View steps reopens the panel any time.
Already listed somewhere?
If your show is already live on a platform (say, from a previous host), skip the steps: click Already listed? Paste your link on the platform's card, paste your listing URL, and the status flips straight to Listed.
Nothing to do
The Nothing to do section lists apps that mirror the big directories. Once your show is confirmed live on the directory they follow, these arrive on their own:
| App | Arrives via |
|---|---|
| Overcast, Goodpods, Podchaser, Listen Notes | Apple Podcasts |
| Fountain, AntennaPod, Castro | Podcast Index |
Each row shows Will appear once you're on the covered directory until then, and Listed automatically afterwards. If you'd like these apps to appear as badges on your listen page, use Add link to paste the show's URL in that app.
Read the status chips
Every platform card carries a status chip. At a glance:
| Chip | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ready | All blocking checks pass; you haven't submitted yet | Click Start submission (or Submit to Podcast Index) |
| Not ready | A blocking readiness check is failing | Fix the items listed under the button; submission is disabled until then |
| Submitted | Submission is in; the platform is reviewing | Wait it out. PodcasterPlus watches Apple, Spotify and Podcast Index for you |
| Listed | Your show is confirmed live, with the listing link saved | Nothing! View your listing opens it |
| Rejected | The platform declined the submission | Read the reason on the card, fix it, then click Review steps |
| Is this your show? | PodcasterPlus found a listing that looks like yours | Click Confirm if it's you, Not mine if it isn't |
For the full story on how listings are watched and what happens when one goes live, see Listing Status.
Control your feed's flags
At the bottom of the page, Distribution controls holds three feed-level switches that directories respect. Each saves automatically and is applied to your feed on the next sync:
- Hide from Apple Podcasts: tells Apple Podcasts (and directories that honour the same flag) not to list this show.
- Show is complete: signals that a serial show has ended and no more episodes are coming.
- Lock feed: prevents other hosting platforms from importing your feed without permission.
Lock the feed after you've finished moving
Lock feed is great protection once you're settled, but if you ever migrate hosts again you'll need to unlock it first, exactly like the lock you may have encountered when importing your podcast.
What's Next?
- Share your listen page: one link that covers every platform you just connected
- Track your listings: statuses, hourly checks, and fixing rejections
- Automate the celebration: trigger an email or webhook when your show goes live on a directory