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How to get your podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Last updated 14 October 2026
A podcast lives in one place, the RSS feed, and is listed in many: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and dozens of smaller apps. You submit once per directory. After that every episode you publish reaches every listener through the feed, and you never submit again.
Before you submit anywhere
- One published episode. Directories do not list an empty feed. A short trailer counts.
- Cover art that is square, between 1400 and 3000 pixels on each side, JPG or PNG, under about 500 KB, with no large areas of text.
- A title, a description, a category and a language set in your host's show settings. The title and description are what listeners search.
- An owner email address in the feed. Apple and others confirm ownership by writing to it.
- An explicit flag set correctly. Marking explicit content as clean is the most common cause of removal later.
Apple Podcasts
Apple is the directory most other apps read, so it comes first. Sign in to Apple Podcasts Connect with an Apple ID, add a show with an RSS feed, paste the feed address, and submit. Apple checks the feed automatically and a person reviews new shows; approval usually arrives within a few days, sometimes a week around holidays. Once approved you get an Apple Podcasts link; keep it, your website's subscribe buttons use it.
Common reasons for rejection: artwork outside the size rules, a feed with no episode, a title stuffed with keywords, a description that is empty or copied from elsewhere, or an audio file that cannot be fetched. Fix the feed and resubmit; nothing is lost.
Spotify
Spotify no longer reads from Apple. Sign in at Spotify for Creators, add the show with the same feed address, confirm by the email it sends to the owner address, and pick a category. Listing is usually live within hours. Spotify lists audio episodes; if your feed delivers video files it skips those items.
Amazon Music, Pocket Casts, Overcast and the rest
Amazon Music has its own submission at its podcasters site. Most other apps read Apple's directory and pick a show up within days of Apple's approval, or accept the feed address pasted into a form. The independent Podcast Index lists feeds directly and is read by a growing number of apps.
YouTube
YouTube lists podcasts as playlists on a channel. It can read an RSS feed, in which case it makes a video from the audio and the cover, or you can publish real videos. Either way it is a separate listing to maintain, not part of the feed.
After you are listed
Apps check feeds on their own schedule: most see a new episode within an hour, Apple sometimes takes a few hours. The feed address is now the thing to protect: if you ever change host, redirect the old feed and update the address in each directory rather than submitting again, so subscribers follow.
On Podmaniac
The Distribution screen walks through each directory with the exact steps and the feed address to paste, and stores each listing link for your website. Step by step in Submitting your podcast to Apple Podcasts and other apps.
Common questions
How long does Apple Podcasts take to approve a podcast?
Usually a few days, sometimes up to a week. Spotify is usually live within hours of confirming the owner email.
Do I have to submit every new episode?
No. You submit the show once per directory. Every episode after that arrives through the RSS feed automatically.
Can I be on Apple Podcasts and Spotify at the same time?
Yes, and you should be. Both read the same feed, and listing in one does not restrict the other.
What cover art size do Apple Podcasts and Spotify need?
Square, 1400 to 3000 pixels on each side, JPG or PNG. 3000 by 3000 is the safe choice.