{"id":25172,"date":"2023-07-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepodcasthost.com\/?p=25172"},"modified":"2023-07-24T08:51:07","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T07:51:07","slug":"what-is-an-rss-feed-for-podcasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepodcasthost.com\/publishing\/what-is-an-rss-feed-for-podcasting\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an RSS Feed for Podcasting? Saying Yes to RSS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some aspects of podcasting are invisible, but crucial to your podcast\u2019s success. One is the RSS feed. Some people say you don\u2019t need an RSS feed to make a podcast. Others claim that RSS is the crucial difference between podcasts and other streaming content. In this article, I\u2019ll answer the question, “What is an RSS feed for podcasting?”. We\u2019ll also discuss why it matters, and how to see this elusive creature in its native habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is an RSS Feed for Podcasts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Syndication means the transfer of content from one organization to another. For example, when a TV sitcom\u2019s reruns go into syndication, the original production company lets another network control the back catalog of episodes, and show them to their audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RSS is a web feed (a piece of code) that transfers content from the media host (where the file is stored) to an app or a directory where people can consume it. For example, digital editions of newspapers and magazines send new articles to newsreader apps<\/a>, where people can read or listen to them. With podcasts, an episode is stored on a media host (also known as a podcast hosting provider<\/a>) and travels via RSS to a podcast directory<\/a> (a listening app or platform).  Here’s what it looks like in Buzzsprout: <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How Do I Get an RSS Feed for My Podcast?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might already be panicking about having to hand-code one of these RSS feed thingies, but there’s no need to worry. Your RSS feed will be created for you automatically when you sign up for a podcast hosting service<\/a> and enter your show’s details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts Use an RSS Feed? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes. When you\u2019re ready to publish, you don\u2019t upload the podcast episode directly to a directory<\/a>, like Apple Podcasts or Google. Instead, you upload it to your podcast hosting service, where the episode is stored. The RSS feed brings the podcast episode from the media host to podcast apps or directories (such as Apple<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, The Podcast Index<\/a>, and so on), where audiences can find and listen to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you upload your podcast to a media host, your RSS feed is the URL you submit to directories<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Analogy to Understand Podcast RSS: The Train, The Route, and The Station<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say that your podcast is a train. The episodes are the individual train cars packed with cool people and ideas. The RSS feed is the railroad track route on which the train travels. The station is the directory where people meet the train. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Someone clicks on a link in a directory, such as Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. This requests your episode. The train (your podcast) chugs along from the railyard (the hosting service) along the route (the podcast feed) to the train station (the directory), where its friends (the podcast\u2019s audience) are waiting to greet them. They don\u2019t need to know anything about the train tracks, how it works, or where it came from. All they know is that there\u2019s stuff on that train they want (your podcast\u2019s content).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Dr. Analogy, what\u2019s the engine, then? That\u2019s the beauty of the RSS feed. There\u2019s no engine; the tracks bring the train to the station. The audience clicks on a link to request the episode, and the tracks bring the train to the station. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RSS feed is a standardized, computer-readable format for consistency. This way, the train can use that route every single time, without getting lost or derailed. Because the route is standardized, the people waiting at the station know the train will arrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A conveyor belt is probably a better analogy, or a monorail. Monorails are cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are The Steps To Use an RSS Feed URL?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Set up your show in your podcast hosting service<\/a>. The podcast hosting service generates a piece of code, which is your RSS feed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Publish at least one episode. This is where an Episode Zero<\/a> or a podcast trailer<\/a> helps. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Copy that RSS feed code and take it to directory websites (such as the Apple Podcasts Connect portal<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Follow the directory\u2019s instructions, enter the RSS feed URL, and you\u2019re all set. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here’s an example from inside the Alitu<\/a> interface. Alitu is a podcast hosting platform, as well as a place to easily record and edit your show. <\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"copying
    Copying your RSS feed in Alitu.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Check out our guide to the Best Podcast Directories<\/a> for an in-depth look at this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can also use an RSS feed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n