Podcast Publishing 101
Set it up once, publish everywhere — and grow your audience.
Last updated: July 11, 2025
Author: Sam Cook, Multimodal content creator
Publishing your podcast is the last step in the creation process. After a small amount of setup, publishing new episodes across multiple locations takes just a few minutes. That setup will pay off tremendously, allowing you to easily share your show with the world — and hopefully land many new subscribers with each new episode.
While sharing your episodes solely from a hosting platform is possible with direct links and embeds, the best way to reach new and existing listeners is by posting your content to podcast directories. Unlike publishing content on a platform like YouTube or TikTok, publishing your episodes to directories like Spotify or Apple Podcasts requires a few extra steps that are well worth the effort.
The best way to get started is to understand the terms and the technology you’ll need to share your show with listeners.
What is a Podcast Directory?
A podcast directory is a platform designed to make sharing and accessing content from across the world easier for both creators and audiences. Directories operate like digital libraries where anyone can search for and listen to any show that suits their interests. Audiences can also subscribe to channels through a directory, receive updates when new episodes have landed, and (on some directories) rate and review channels and individual episodes.
As a content creator, posting your show to multiple directories is the best way to grow your audience. The biggest directories — like Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, and Spotify — have tens of millions of users. Distributing your content through these platforms provides you with incredible visibility to potential listeners who might not ever discover your show otherwise.
Discoverability isn’t the only benefit of using a directory. You will also enhance your:
- Shareability: Most directories allow users to share episodes or channel pages to their social media accounts.
- Credibility: Directories offer an inherent amount of trust. Publishing your show on directorie helps remove the hesitation that listeners may have about the show's quality and credibility of the show.
- Monetization: Podcasts primarily monetize through ad placements. The larger your audience, the more money you can generate through ads. Additionally, some directories, such as Spotify, allow you to offer paid channel subscriptions that provide listeners with bonus or exclusive content you provide.
Listing on directories is completely free in most cases. Your hosting platform won’t charge you for sending your show to multiple directories. Every major directory also offers free listings. That said, some smaller directories don’t directly receive RSS feeds from hosting platforms. Instead, they pull their listing data from Apple Podcasts. That’s not common, however, so you will still need to submit listing requests to each directory you want to appear in.
What Do You Need to Publish a Podcast?
Creating your first episode is exciting, and it’s tempting to want to hit “publish” and make the magic happen. However, there are several items you need in place before you can publish your podcast in a way that will ensure it gets seen.
1. Audio File
Your audio files are the most important element of your podcast. It’s also possible to get this part wrong, specifically by using the incorrect format for the directories you’re trying to use for your podcast.
You’ll find that most directories prefer three popular file formats:
- MP3 (compressed audio)
- AAC (compressed audio)
- WAV (uncompressed audio)
- M4A (a container format that can have compressed or uncompressed audio)
The first two, MP3 and AAC, are widely accepted among directories due to their smaller file sizes. Streaming large files requires significant bandwidth and data storage. Larger files put more strain on the servers that directories use to deliver content. Instead of paying astronomically more for server space, they prefer to limit which type of audio files they accept.
As you might expect, compression results in some loss of audio quality los. However, as long as you’ve properly utilized speech enhancement and noise cancellation tools, your audience won’t have any issues hearing your content clearly. Adobe Podcast is a great option for this, as you can record, edit, and enhance your episodes, then download them in either MP3 or WAV when you’re ready to publish them.
If you want or need to deliver notably better audio quality to your audience with uncompressed and lossless audio, most directories will accept WAV files or M4A container formats that contain uncompressed or lossless formats.
Note, however, that there are notable variations between directories. The chart below will give you an idea of the varying file format requirements from different directories. Take this into account as you prepare your audio files for publication.
2. A Podcast Host
With a few exceptions (like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Castbox), most podcast directories do not host your content. For that, you need to use a hosting platform that will store and send your podcasts to directories.
Podcast hosting platforms allow you to upload your audio, video, and image files. These platforms are also where you will add your metadata (the details about your podcast and episodes) before sending them to directories. Once you hit 'publish' on your hosting platform, it will then send all the relevant data to all the directories you’ve signed up with.
Your podcast hosting service is also the primary place to view your engagement metrics.
There are many platforms available, and you should consider each one carefully before making a choice. Factors such as accepted file types, storage limits, and cost will play a large part in which hosting platform you choose.
Some of the most popular platforms include (but are not limited to):
- Buzzsprout
- Libsyn
- Podbean
- Anchor (Spotify for Podcasters)
We recommend you check out each one. Many offer free accounts that you can use to test them out.
3. An RSS Feed
RSS feeds are the technology your hosting platform uses to send your content to directories. We recommend you read our detailed post on RSS feeds and how they work.
Every directory will require you to create an RSS feed before it will accept your content. You only have to create and connect your RSS feed once for each directory. After that, each time you publish a new episode, the directory will automatically receive the episode and its metadata.
You can usually submit the same RSS feed to each directory. However, some directories may require information that others do not. Apple Podcasts is a good example here, as it requires additional verification and tags in your RSS feed metadata. Read the requirements for each directory carefully before submitting your RSS feed.
How to Publish a Podcast Using Adobe Podcast
Adobe Podcast provides everything you need to publish high-quality podcasts that work with any content hosting platform. If you record and/or edit your episodes on Adobe Podcast, publishing on a platform takes a few simple steps.
Step 1: Finalize Your Podcast in Adobe Podcast
Use Adobe Podcast’s AI tools to help clean up your audio before you upload your recording to a hosting platform. You can automatically remove unwanted background noises and echoes, and improve the clarity of recorded voices and sounds that you do want.
Podcast also allows you to add your episode’s title, description, and the proper metadata you’ll need to submit your content to directories.
Once you’re happy with the results, use Podcast to export your episode into a compatible file format. Note that MP3 format is universally accepted by every platform and directory, while WAV and AAC are generally, but not always, accepted formats. You may want to download your audio in multiple formats, and opt to use the highest-quality format available to you for whichever directories accept it.
Step 2: Upload to a Podcast Hosting Platform
Once you have your episode polished and ready to submit, it’s time to choose a hosting service. Most hosting services operate the same at a high level. How you decide on which service may come down to pricing, storage limits, data analytics capabilities, and unique features.
We encourage you to research and select your platform carefully. To help you get started, here’s a quick rundown of 5 popularly used hosting platforms
Once you’ve selected your platform and created your account, upload all of the following files:
- Audio file in desired format
- Podcast cover art (most directories recommend 3000x3000 pixels)
- Optional: Video file (if you’re using video and audio)
Once you upload your content, you may also need to enter the title, episode description, categories, and language. Consider entering both required and optional information. The more details you can provide about your podcast, the better. Doing so improves discoverability within the directories.
Step 3: Get Your RSS Feed Link
After you’ve uploaded your episode and entered all the required details, your hosting platform will generate an RSS feed link. The RSS feed link will allow directories to access an XML file that includes all the details you entered about your podcast. It’s required for submission and publication in every directory.
The feed link operates as a personalized URL for your podcast. For example, if your show is called “Awesome Deals Only Bandits Enjoy,” your podcast’s RSS feed link might be “awesomedealsonlybanditsenjoy.libsyn.com/rss.”
Everything will be displayed in the directory the way you entered it, so be sure to check your work (and your spelling) before publishing your episodes.
You only need to submit your RSS feed link once to directories because the link never changes. What does change is the XML file that gets created each time you upload a new episode. Directories will automatically pull the latest episode data and update your show page on their platform with your new episode for your audience to enjoy.
How to Submit Your Podcast to Major Directories
After you’ve uploaded your content to a hosting platform and filled in all of the requisite metadata, you’re ready to submit your show to the directories you most want to appear in. The submission process for each directory should only take a few minutes.
In some cases, the submission process requires you to visit a single landing page, paste your RSS feed link, and click "Submit." Most directories will require you to have or create a user account before submitting your show. In those cases, creating an account is typically free.
To save you some time, we’ve provided you with a list of top directories and links to their submission pages:
- Apple Podcasts (requires an account)
- Spotify for Podcasters (requires an account)
- YouTube (for audio and video shows, requires an account)
- Amazon Music & Audible (account required after submission)
- Podcast Index (no account required)
- Castbox (requires an account)
- Simplecast Creator Connect (formerly Pandora for Podcasters, requires an account)
- iHeart (requires an account)
- Listen Notes (no account required)
Conclusion
While Adobe Podcast helps simplify the recording and editing process, you still need a hosting platform and directory distribution to grow your audience. As such, publishing a podcast is a three step process:
- Create and edit your first podcast episode
- Upload your episode’s content to your hosting platform
- Submit the RSS feed link created by your hosting platform to directories
Creating and publishing a new show is about more than uploading audio files, images, and episode descriptions to a hosting platform. Your new podcast also needs proper and broad distribution. That’s where directories come in. Platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, and many more freely accept new podcasts. The few minutes it takes to submit your RSS feed link to as many directories as possible is well worth the effort and puts your content directly in front of millions of potential subscribers.
About the author: Sam Cook is a former high school English and journalism teacher who specialized in teaching writing with a multimodal approach using audio and visual media. After leaving the classroom to take up writing and marketing, he found himself leading several initiatives at various companies, including scripting and recording YouTube videos. He loves any podcast from Wondry, especially Business Wars and American Innovations.