How to Upload to Apple Podcast

Apple Podcast (formerly iTunes) is an extremely important place for your podcast to be available to potential listeners because of the sheer number of people who use the native Apple app to discover and listen to content. The bottom line is if you want your podcast to reach more listeners and grow quickly, then you need to ensure you upload your episodes on Apple Podcast.‍

Fortunately, it’s a piece of cake to get setup. In this blog post we will be breaking down the steps on how to upload your podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts.

Step 1: Meet the Apple Podcast Requirements

The first step to getting your podcast uploaded to Apple Podcast is ensuring that your content meets Apple’s podcast requirements. Apple has listed the specifics of what it needs in order to upload your podcast content on their platform.

In terms of the criteria that your podcast needs to meet, it starts with your podcast artwork. Apple has specific requirements for this. For example, the size of your podcast cover art needs to be a square shape; minimum 1400 x 1400 pixels and maximum 3000 x 3000 pixels with 72 dpi resolution. The file type needs to be either JPEG or PNG. The cover art must be original and can’t contain any of the following: blurry, misaligned, mismatched, or pixelated images. Explicit language, placeholder images, and references to illegal drugs, profanity, or violence are also prohibited.

Besides the restrictions to your podcast artwork, Apple also has an extensive list of content requirements for what kind of content within your episodes are acceptable. Read these carefully, so you ensure your podcast episodes meet the content criteria.

Also, ensure the metadata requirements are complete. Apple outlines how you can fulfill these requirements here. They outline best practices for metadata, which can affect whether your podcast shows up in relevant searches, and how likely users are to subscribe to your podcast.

Step 2: Use a Podcast Hosting Website

Remember, your podcast episodes need to be stored somewhere on the internet. That’s where your podcast hosting service comes in. Typically, you will need to pay for a subscription to one of these hosting services and there are various options to choose from. Check out our article on the best podcast hosting websites to use. You don’t need to choose a very expensive option, but in order to have an RSS feed which is what distributes your podcast episodes to various platforms such as Apple Podcast, you will need to have your podcast episodes stored on the internet using a podcast hosting website.

Once you choose your podcast hosting platform, they will provide you with an RSS feed URL. Use the guide your podcast hosting service gives you to retrieve this URL. The next step will explain how to submit your podcast RSS feed URL to Apple Podcast. You will need this URL to be submitted for your podcast to show up on Apple Podcast.

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Step 3: Submitting Your Podcast to Apple Podcast

The last step is submitting your podcast to Apple Podcasts. Use Apple’s dedicated podcast portal called iTunes Connect to submit your podcast. If you don’t already have an active Apple ID, you’ll first have to create one.

Once in the portal, ensure you enter your podcast details including your RSS feed address and click to validate. Once this is done, click the submit button.

After you submit your podcast to Apple Podcast, you will need to wait anywhere between 24 hours to two weeks. You can monitor the status of your show on Podcasts Connect or Apple will email you to confirm that your podcast is under review and provide another link to your active podcast when it is published. If your podcast is rejected by Apple, go back to step one and review Apple’s podcast requirements to make sure your podcast complies with their list. 

Conclusion

If you want your podcast to be listened to by many people, then uploading it on Apple Podcast is an absolute must. Apple Podcast is one of the most popular platforms for people that like to consume content. We’ve made it super easy to get your podcast uploaded to Apple Podcast, so add it to your list of things to do. To cover your bases, also make sure you upload your podcast content to Google Play, Stitcher, and Spotify.