Recent estimates suggest that over 3 million podcasts are currently available to listeners worldwide. While some of these podcasts may be inactive, creators are adding new shows and episodes to podcasting platforms daily. With podcast advertising generating nearly $2 billion of revenue in 2022, it’s no surprise that so many business leaders and content creators continue to take the plunge into the world of podcasting.
Part of what makes podcasting so popular today is the relative accessibility of the medium. Just about anyone can produce and share their podcast content with the world via a number of different public platforms like Spotify. This comprehensive guide will discuss how creators can upload their podcasts to Spotify and take advantage of tried-and-true methods to build their unique audience.
What You Need to Know Before Starting
Before we get into the nitty gritty of uploading your podcast to Spotify, we must discuss the basics of podcast hosting. Spotify does not host podcasts within its platform but streams podcast feeds from third-party hosting platforms like Buzzsprout and Blubrry. There are several hosting platforms available to prospective podcast producers, and it’s essential to select the right site for your show carefully. Some platforms are more user-friendly than others, which makes them better suited for early-career podcasters.
Step-by-Step Guide to Uploading Your Podcast to Spotify
Step 1: Setting Up Your Podcast Hosting
The first step on your podcasting journey is to choose which podcast hosting platform you want to use for your new show. Once you have chosen your desired hosting platform, you must choose a subscription tier corresponding to your desired number of monthly upload hours. Some hosting sites offer users a certain number of hosting hours each month for free, but if you plan on posting regularly, you will likely need to upgrade your subscription to account for your additional hosting hours. At this point, you should be able to start uploading content to your podcasting hosting platform for distribution to podcatcher apps like Spotify via an RSS feed.
Step 2: Creating a Spotify for Podcasters Account
In addition to creating an account with your desired hosting platform, you will need to sign up for a Spotify for Podcasters account. You can then link your Spotify account to your hosting platform to distribute your feed efficiently. Spotify for Podcasters also offers a handful of tools and features that creators can use to track the analytics of their show.
Step 3: Submitting Your Podcast’s RSS Feed
Once you have your Spotify account up and running, it’s time to submit your podcast’s RSS feed to the platform. Spotify makes it easy for creators to share their unique RSS feed link for verification and distribution to listeners.
Step 4: Verifying Podcast Ownership
When submitting your RSS feed link, Spotify must verify that you own the content you’re sharing. To verify your identity and ownership, Spotify will send a unique code to the email address associated with your RSS feed. This helps to safeguard against IP theft and prevent users from misappropriating other creators’ content in violation of copyright laws.
Step 5: Customizing Your Podcast’s Details
If Spotify can verify your podcast ownership, you will receive full access to the Spotify for Podcasters platform so you can start customizing your feed. Spotify allows creators to index their content within several different podcast categories depending on the subject matter of their show. Choosing the right primary category helps your podcast find its target audience. It’s important to carefully consider which category best suits your content because you can’t change the category selections later.
Step 6: Reviewing and Submitting Your Podcast
Next, you’ll want to carefully review your podcast’s details before submitting your show for its final review. After submission, Spotify may take a few days to review and approve your podcast. Once the platform verifies that your show complies with all of Spotify’s terms and conditions, it can officially go live to listeners and become discoverable within Spotify’s podcast directories.
Next Steps: Start Promoting!
Once your podcast is live on Spotify, it’s time to promote your show. With so many podcasts currently available to listeners, creators must find innovative ways to make their shows stand out. Social media can be an excellent tool for promoting podcasts. For example, if a podcast creator has an existing social media following, they can share information about their new show and episodes with their followers to drive traffic to their Spotify feed.
Alternatively, a podcast producer may ask a social media influencer to appear on their show to tap into the influencer’s social media following. Collaborations are often an excellent tool for building a digital audience, and every single listener has the potential to help you expand your reach. Podcast creators can encourage listeners to leave positive reviews and share their Spotify feeds with friends and followers.
What About Monetization?
Many podcast creators hope to monetize their content eventually, and they can do so in a few different ways:
- Advertising: Creators can partner with brands to promote specific products and services on-air. Podcasters can sell ad space on their show for a fee in these arrangements.
- Donations and Subscriptions: Podcasters can request that listeners donate to their production efforts via a specific website or platform. Some creators may offer premium content to paid subscribers on platforms like Patreon for additional income.
- Sponsorships: Popular podcasts often receive sponsorship from brands. In some cases, a company will offer to cover certain costs incurred during production in exchange for an on-air advertisement or social media shout-out.
- Royalty Deals: Sometimes, podcasters collaborate with brands to offer listeners discounts on specific products and services via a unique promo code. Generally, podcasters will then receive a percentage of any sales associated with that code, thus incentivizing podcasters to promote the brand to their listeners.
Pro-Tip: Don’t Overlook Accessibility
Podcasting is a remarkably versatile medium that offers many opportunities for listener engagement and audience expansion. However, not all consumers can engage with audio-only content like podcasts equitably. For example, individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing would require additional support to engage with the information being shared in a podcast episode. Similarly, consumers with certain neurodivergent conditions may need or prefer to engage with information in a non-audio-centric format to achieve a more comprehensive content experience.
Thankfully, there are resources available to creators looking to ensure their podcast feed is accessible and engaging. Transcription is a valuable resource for creators of many different media types, including podcasts, because transcripts make information more readily available to audience members of diverse backgrounds and abilities. A podcast transcript provides a word-for-word, written account of a podcast episode so audience members who can’t listen to the episode can still engage with the content of the recording.
In addition to supporting the needs of audience members with disabilities and specific learning needs, transcribing your audio content to text can improve your podcast’s SEO ranking and overall discoverability, making transcription a must-have solution for podcasters of every experience level.
Podcast accessibility and growing larger audiences
Seasoned podcasters will tell you that content creation is only half the battle when it comes to podcast production. Uploading your podcast to Spotify is a great way to make your content readily available to listeners of many backgrounds. You can use Spotify’s popularity to boost your show’s visibility and develop practical marketing and monetization approaches.
Here at Verbit, we specialize in developing software solutions to help modern content creators grow their audience and improve accessibility. If you’re interested in learning more about our assistive technology solutions for podcast creators or want more information about creating accessible digital media content, reach out today to speak to a member of our team.