Appearance
Publishing and Scheduling
The episode editor's Publish tab controls when your episode records, when it goes live, and everything about its status afterwards.
Before you can publish
- Audio required: a self-hosted episode can't be published without an uploaded audio file. The Publish tab shows an Audio required warning until one is in place. See Upload Audio.
- The Publish readiness checklist in the editor tracks the rest (title, description, cover art, credits, recording date). See Create an Episode.
Set your dates
The Scheduling card holds two dates:
- Recording Date & Time (required): when the episode records. This is also the month the episode counts against on your plan; moving it to another month moves the episode's slot. Your plan sets how far ahead you can schedule a recording, and the field shows that limit.
- Scheduled Publish Date & Time (optional): when the episode should go live automatically.
Dates are locked while an episode is scheduled (cancel the schedule to change them) and can't be changed on published episodes.
Declare AI content
The Content Disclosure card asks Does this episode include AI content? Choose Yes, No, or Inherit from show to use your podcast-wide setting. This disclosure travels with your feed for directories that ask for it.
Publish now
- On the Publish tab, click Publish Now.
- Confirm in the dialog.
The episode is immediately added to your podcast's RSS feed and becomes available to podcast apps and subscribers.
Schedule for later
- Click Schedule.
- Pick the Publish Date & Time in the dialog (it must be in the future) and confirm.
The episode's status changes to Scheduled and PodcasterPlus publishes it automatically at that time. Changed your mind? Click Cancel Schedule: the episode returns to draft and won't publish automatically.
After publishing
Two extra cards appear on the Publish tab once an episode is live:
- Episode analytics with a View analytics button for its downloads, launch curve, and audience. See Episode Analytics.
- Share & embed with the public listen link and the embed code builder. See Share and Embed.
Take an episode down
There are two ways to remove a published episode from your feed, and the difference matters:
- Archive removes the episode from your feed but preserves its publish date. If you republish later, it returns with the original date, so subscribers don't see it as a new episode.
- Unpublish removes the episode from your feed and resets its publish date. If you republish later, it appears as a new episode.
Prefer Archive unless you specifically want the episode to come back as new.
Bring an archived episode back
Archived episodes offer two actions:
- Republish: the episode returns to your feed with its original publish date.
- Reset to Draft: the episode goes back to draft so you can rework it and publish fresh.
Episodes from bookings
An episode created by a guest booking sits in Pending Confirmation and can't be published yet. The Publish tab shows a Review booking button that takes you to the Collaborators tab, where you confirm or decline the booking. See Episode Archive for triaging pending bookings from the episode list.
Externally hosted shows
On shows hosted elsewhere, drafts show Prepare to Publish instead of Publish Now. That opens the Publish handoff, where you copy the episode's details to your external host and confirm publication. See Externally Hosted Shows.
Plan limits that affect publishing
Two separate monthly limits can come up here. Both run on calendar months and reset on the 1st.
Publishing limit (Free plan only). Free accounts can publish 2 episodes per calendar month. Unpublishing an episode does not free up the allowance; it resets on the 1st of the next month. Paid plans have no monthly publishing cap.
Monthly episode slots (all plans). Every episode occupies a slot in its recording month, and each plan includes a set number of slots per month. If a month is full, you can move the recording date to another month, add an episode pack, or upgrade your plan. See Billing and Plans for how slots and episode packs work, and Plan Limits for your plan's numbers.
Delete an episode
Deleting is permanent and removes the episode and all its data. On the Publish tab, expand Advanced, click Delete Episode, and confirm.
No undo
Deleting an episode cannot be undone. If you just want it out of your feed, use Archive instead.