To start a podcast, settle on a format you can repeat, record a short trailer and your first few full episodes, upload them to a podcast host that publishes an RSS feed, and then submit that feed to each directory yourself: Apple Podcasts through Apple Podcasts Connect, Spotify through Spotify for Creators and YouTube through YouTube Studio. Spotify and YouTube both confirm that you own the show by emailing a code to the address listed in the feed, so set that address up before you submit anything.
This page is the launch overview for the series. Gear, host selection, artwork, scripting and the platform walkthroughs each have a dedicated guide, linked where they come up. Platform rules quoted here were read from the Apple Podcasts for Creators, Spotify for Creators and YouTube help centers on 1 October 2026.
Pick a format you can sustain, then set the show type
The best format is the one you can produce on schedule without dreading it. Before naming the show, decide who talks, how much preparation each episode needs and whether listeners must start at the beginning. That last choice becomes a setting: Apple's submit a show guide describes a show type field with two values: episodic, meaning episodes work in any order, or serialized, meaning they are built to be heard in sequence. YouTube applies the same idea to playlists, and its create a podcast page tells episodic shows to sort newest first and serial shows oldest first.
| Format | Suits | Hidden production cost | Likely show type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo commentary | An expert with strong opinions and a steady topic list | Writing enough material to hold attention alone | Episodic |
| Co-hosted conversation | Two people with chemistry and opposing angles | Matching two schedules and recording two microphones cleanly | Episodic |
| Guest interview | Hosts with access to interesting people | Booking, research and remote audio you do not control | Episodic |
| Narrative or documentary | One story told across a season | Full scripts, heavier editing, music licensing | Serialized |
Pick the name after the format. Search Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube for it first, because Apple's content guidelines rule out shows that mimic other shows or borrow their artwork, descriptions or search terms.
Record and edit a first batch before anything goes public
Bank the trailer and several finished episodes before you submit. A batch gives you room to fix sound problems once instead of in public, and it keeps you inside Apple's rule against trailers or sample episodes for shows that are not, or will not shortly be, available on Apple Podcasts.
- Give every voice its own microphone and, where you can, its own recorded track, so one person coughing does not ruin another person's best line. The podcast equipment checklist sorts kit by setup size.
- For remote guests, record each side locally and sync the files afterwards. Apple's iPad local capture page describes this double-ender method during a FaceTime call, with the result saved to the Files app.
- Do not plan on recording inside Spotify for Creators. Its creation tools update says the built-in recording and editing tools are gone, and it points creators to a Riverside integration instead.
- Export in a format directories accept. Apple's audio requirements list MP3 or AAC for RSS feeds and recommend overall loudness around -16 LKFS.
- Outline before you record. The fill-in podcast script template covers cold opens, segments, ad-break markers and outros.
Choose a host and switch on the RSS feed
A podcast host stores your audio and turns your episodes into an RSS feed, the file every directory reads. Apple's hosting overview suggests choosing one that supports the features your show needs, such as video, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts or dynamic ads. Prices and feature support vary a lot, so compare them in the podcast hosting comparison before you upload a single file, because moving later means redirecting the feed.
Spotify for Creators is the free option most people meet first. It publishes to Spotify automatically, but its RSS feed article explains that the feed only appears after your first episode, that you must switch it on and submit to other apps yourself, and that enabling it makes your email address public. The Spotify for Creators setup guide walks through that choice.
Whichever host you use, the feed has to meet Apple's RSS feed requirements: publicly reachable and not password-protected, built to the RSS 2.0 specification, with a unique enclosure and a permanent GUID for every episode. Your host handles the code; your job is to never let anyone regenerate those GUIDs. For privacy, put a show-only inbox in the feed rather than your personal address, since anyone who opens the feed can read it.
The metadata you type into the host travels with the feed, so fill it in carefully once. Apple's episode creation guide allows episode titles of up to 150 characters and descriptions of up to 10,000, and it makes episode numbers mandatory for serialized shows. Apple's analytics best practices add that season and episode numbers should be plain whole numbers starting at 1, not “01” or “Season One”, and that every episode needs an accurate release date and duration so its consumption figures calculate properly. Leave the show name and air date out of episode titles; Apple already displays both, and the space is better spent on the topic or guest.
Directory submission table: where to send your feed
Each directory has its own intake route and its own checks. Submit to Apple first, because Apple reviews new shows before they appear.
| Platform | Where to submit | What it needs | Watch for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts | Apple Podcasts Connect, then the Add button, New Show and the option to add a show with an RSS feed | An Apple Account, a public feed with the required tags, at least one episode and a show cover | Validation and a review happen before listing; set content rights, contact details and availability during setup | Apple submission steps |
| Spotify | Spotify for Creators, then Find an existing show and Somewhere else; skip this step if Spotify hosts the show | A Spotify account, the feed URL and the 8-digit code sent to the feed email | A show can be claimed only once, so an old claim has to be released by its admin | Spotify claim guide |
| YouTube and YouTube Music | YouTube Studio, then Create, New podcast and Submit RSS feed, or upload videos into a podcast playlist | Advanced feature access for RSS upload, a code sent to the feed email and a channel in an RSS-eligible country | RSS episodes become static-image videos and stay private until you press Publish | YouTube RSS steps |
| Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, Overcast and others | Each service's own submission form | The public feed URL | Some apps scrape public feeds, so a listing can appear without a submission | Spotify distribution notes |
Apple's listing reaches further than the Apple app. Its page on how Apple distributes shows notes that third-party apps such as Overcast and Pocket Casts reference the Apple Podcasts catalog, and opting out of catalog distribution removes you from those services unless you submit to them directly. YouTube's video route has its own walkthrough in the guide to uploading a podcast to YouTube.
Launch checklist: concept to the first three episodes
Trailer length is one place where the platforms disagree. Apple's trailer advice says to keep a trailer to two minutes or less, while Spotify's trailer tips suggest staying under one minute. Cutting a version that fits Spotify's shorter guidance satisfies both. Then work through the list in order:
- Write the premise in one sentence and a show description that says what a listener gets, leaving out the show name, which the app already displays.
- Confirm the name is not already used by a show in your topic on any of the three big directories.
- Design the square show cover to Apple's spec; the cover art size guide lists every platform's numbers.
- Record the trailer, then episodes one to three, and edit them to a consistent loudness.
- Upload to your host, mark the trailer with the Trailer episode type, and set the show type to episodic or serialized.
- Put a dedicated show inbox in the feed and confirm you can receive mail there.
- Submit to Apple Podcasts Connect and wait for approval, then claim or create the show on Spotify, then connect YouTube.
- Publish the trailer once the listings are live, followed by episode one; decide in advance whether episodes two and three go out together or on your regular cadence, and keep that cadence afterwards.
- Ask listeners to follow the show at the end of each episode, a habit Apple's follow guide encourages because followers get new episodes automatically.
- Review the first episode's numbers after it has had a full week, the wait Spotify's discovery analytics article suggests for impressions, using the podcast analytics glossary to read each platform's terms.
If part of your launch plan is appearing on other people's shows, the outreach side has its own podcast guest pitch template.
Launch mistakes the platforms warn about
- Changing episode GUIDs. Apple's feed URL page warns that altered GUIDs can create duplicate episodes and distort analytics.
- Padding titles. YouTube asks you not to add words such as “podcast” to a show title unless they are part of the name, and Apple treats inaccurate search terms as manipulation.
- Writing titles with asterisks over strong language. Apple asks for words spelled out in full and censors certain terms itself, with an Explicit flag on the episode.
- Sending a still-image video to Apple as a video podcast. Apple's guidelines say episodes that are mostly static imagery or audio visualizers belong in the audio feed.
- Using music, clips or photos without permission, which Apple lists as rights infringement and Spotify calls a terms of service breach.
- Paying for follows, ratings or reviews, which Apple's guidelines prohibit outright.
Limits of this launch guide
This is a general walkthrough, and its limits are worth stating plainly. Platform menus and eligibility rules change, and several features depend on where you live: YouTube's RSS upload works only in listed countries, and Apple notes that some features are unavailable in some regions. Nothing here predicts listener numbers, which depend on the show itself. Music licensing, guest releases and defamation questions sit outside a launch checklist; if your show uses third-party material or discusses real people, get advice from a qualified media lawyer in your country before you publish.