How do I distribute my podcast to platforms like Spotify?

PodVault makes it easy to submit your podcast to all major platforms. Once your podcast is created, use our guided submission process to distribute to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, and more with just a few clicks. After approval, any changes or new episodes you publish through PodVault will automatically update on all connected platforms.

How secure are private podcasts?

PodVault uses industry-standard token-based security through private RSS URLs. This creates podcast-level security suitable for internal communications, team updates, and training. Each podcast has its own secure link that you can share with your intended audience. When needed, you can generate new access links to refresh your security.

What podcast apps work with PodVault?

PodVault works with most major podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, YouTube Music. This means your listeners can access content using apps they already know and love.

Can I host both public and private podcasts?

Absolutely! With PodVault, you can manage any combination of public and private podcasts from a single dashboard. This is perfect for organizations that want both internal communications and public-facing content, or for creators who offer both free and members only content.

How do I add my podcast to Apple Podcasts?

Visit podcastsconnect.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Click the '+' button and select 'New Show,' then 'Add a show with an RSS feed.' Paste your PodVault RSS feed URL and Apple will validate it. Provide additional information as prompted, including content rights and contact information. Click 'Save' and then 'Publish' to submit your podcast for review.

PodVault Help Guide: Podcast Hosting & Distribution

How to Use PodVault

1. Creating Your First Podcast

Enter a new podcast category (internal use only, to help keep your podcasts organized)
Enter a podcast name (this will be your actual podcast name e.g. in Apple Podcasts, Spotify etc)
Upload a cover image
Add a description for your podcast

2. Adding Episodes

Drag and drop audio files or click to select them
Maximum total upload: 500MB
You can upload up to 100 files at once
Enable "Enhance Metadata with AI" for automatic metadata enhancement
Wait for uploads to complete (indicated by green checkmarks)

3. Managing Episode Details

Click "Edit Metadata" on any episode to modify its details
Set cateogry (genre), episode titles, descriptions, publication dates etc
Episode numbers help maintain episode order
Season numbers can group Episodes into seasons
The system will use date/time to sort episodes first, and then Track and Volume numbers second

4. Publishing Your Podcast

Click "Add Episodes" at the bottom when you're ready to publish
Your RSS feed URL will be generated automatically
Copy the RSS URL to share with listeners or submit to platforms
Episodes become available immediately after publishing

5. Managing Existing Podcasts

View all your podcasts in the "My Published Podcasts" section
Add new episodes to existing podcasts at any time
Remove individual episodes or entire podcasts

6. Editing Your Published Content

Click on any podcast in "My Published Podcasts" and select "View Details"
Edit podcast name by clicking the pencil icon next to the title
Change cover image by clicking the pencil icon on the cover
Edit podcast description using the edit button in the description box
For episodes, click "Edit" next to any episode to modify:
- Episode title and description
- Publication date
- Season and Epsiode numbers (for episode ordering)
- Artist information and other metadata
All changes will automatically update in your RSS feed

Pro Tips

Prepare your audio files before uploading (MP3 format, optimized quality)
Write clear, descriptive episode titles for better discoverability
Keep your cover image design simple and readable at small sizes
Use batch updates to save time when adding multiple episodes
Test your RSS feed in a podcast app before wider distribution
Note that Google Podcasts has been replaced by YouTube Music - submit there instead

Important Notes

Your podcast URL will remain the same as long as you don't delete the entire podcast
You can edit podcast details after publishing:
- Podcast name and description
- Cover image
- Episode titles, descriptions, and metadata
- Publication dates and track ordering
Changes to published episodes will automatically update in your RSS feed
Updated content may take time to reflect in some podcast apps (typically 1-24 hours)
We recommend keeping your original audio files as backups
Use the "Plan" button to check your storage and feed limits

Sharing Your Podcast

When you use the "Share with Listeners" button, your listeners will get a subscribe page with:

One-click subscription buttons for popular apps (Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts)
Browser playback — listen to episodes directly on the web page
Download options — download episodes for offline listening
Easy RSS feed copying for adding to any podcast app
Step-by-step instructions for manual setup in various apps

Choose the delivery mode that suits your podcast — feed only, browser play, or browser play with downloads — from the Access settings.

Manual Subscription Methods

Apple Podcasts

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Open the Apple Podcasts app on your device.
For iPhone: Go to the Library tab at the bottom and tap "..." in the top right.
For Mac: go to "File" in the top menu bar
Select "Follow a Show by URL".
Paste your podcast RSS feed URL.
Tap "Follow" to add the Podcast to your library.
You will get a "tick" and the word "Following" once the podcast has been added.
Scroll down to find the Podcast in your list. New episodes will automatically appear.

YouTube Music

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Open YouTube Music on your device.
Tap the "Library" button at the bottom.
At the top, find "songs", "albums" etc and scroll across to "Podcasts".
Tap the "+ Add Podcast" button at the bottom.
Select "Add a podcast by RSS feed".
Paste your Podcast RSS feed URL and tap "Add".
You'll eventually see it say "processing...", keep refreshing the page until the Podcast appears.

Pocket Casts

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Open the Pocket Casts app.
Tap the "Discover" icon at the bottom (Settings).
Paste your Podcast RSS feed URL in the search bar at the top.
Click the "+" symbol on the cover image to add it to your library.

Overcast

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Open the Overcast app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the top right.
Select "Add URL".
Paste your podcast RSS feed URL.
That's it.

Spotify

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Unfortunately Spotify does not support custom URL's. (See "Submit to Platforms")

Accepting Payments for Your Podcast

PodVault lets you charge for access to your podcast — either a one-time payment or a recurring subscription (weekly, monthly, or yearly). Payments are processed securely through Stripe — PodVault never holds your money.

Setting Up

Open your podcast and click the Access button
Choose how listeners access your content:
- Podcast App Only — listeners add the RSS feed to their podcast app
- Browser Play — episode list with play buttons on the web, plus the podcast app option
- Browser Play + Download — play buttons plus file downloads, plus the podcast app option
Tick Require payment
Choose One-time or Recurring (weekly, monthly, or yearly)
Set your price and connect your Stripe account
Save — your subscribe page now shows a payment wall

One-Time vs Recurring

One-time — listener pays once and gets permanent access. Payment options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cards via Stripe.
Recurring — listener subscribes and is billed automatically at the interval you set. Payment is via Stripe. If they cancel their subscription, their access ends automatically.

How Listeners Pay

When a listener visits your subscribe page, they enter their email address and complete payment. After payment they get immediate access to your content.

If they need to access on another device or lose access, they can use the "Already paid?" option on your subscribe page to receive a fresh access link via email.

Managing Listener Access

The Paid Listeners section below your Access settings shows all listeners with their payment details, subscription status, and last access date.

Cancel — permanently ends a listener's access. If they have an active subscription, it will also be cancelled in Stripe and they will no longer be billed. They would need to purchase again to regain access.
Regenerate — replaces a listener's access link with a new one and emails it to them. Use this if you suspect a link has been shared. The old link stops working immediately.

Important

Paid access only applies when you share your podcast link privately through PodVault. If you also distribute your podcast to public platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, your episodes will be freely available there unless you use those platforms' own subscription features. If you want to charge exclusively through PodVault, keep your podcast private and share the subscribe link directly with your audience.

Where Does the Money Go?

Payments go directly to your Stripe account. PodVault does not take a cut of your payments and never holds your funds.

Apple Podcasts

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Visit podcastsconnect.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID (or create one).
Click the "+" button and select "New Show," then "Add a show with an RSS feed."
Paste your PodVault RSS feed URL and Apple will validate it.
Provide additional information as prompted, including content rights and contact information.
Click "Save" and then "Publish" to submit your podcast for review.
Approval typically takes 1–3 days, sometimes up to 5 business days. Apple will email you status updates.

Key Notes: Have at least one episode published before submitting. PodVault generates Apple-compliant RSS feeds, so validation errors are uncommon. Your Apple ID login serves as verification (no separate verification email is sent).

Spotify

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Go to creators.spotify.com and log in (or create a Spotify account).
Click "Add or claim your podcast" or "I Have a Podcast" depending on the interface.
Paste your PodVault RSS feed URL and click "Next."
Spotify will send an 8-digit verification code to your email address (the one you used to sign up for PodVault).
Enter the code to verify ownership.
Select podcast categories, confirm language and country details.
Review and submit. Your podcast should appear on Spotify within 24–48 hours without additional review.

Key Notes: PodVault automatically includes your email in the RSS feed, so verification will be sent to the email you used when signing up.

YouTube Music

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Open YouTube Studio and sign in with your Google account.
Click "Create" and select "New Podcast" (or navigate to the Content > Podcasts section).
Select "Submit RSS Feed" and accept the RSS Ingestion Tool Terms of Service.
Paste your podcast RSS feed URL and click "Next".
YouTube will send a verification code to your email address (the one you used to sign up for PodVault).
Choose which episodes to import (all existing episodes or only future ones).
After processing (may take a few days), you'll receive an email notification.
Important: Go to Content > Podcasts in YouTube Studio and click the "Publish" button next to your podcast to make it live on YouTube Music.

Key Notes: Google Podcasts was discontinued in 2024. YouTube Music is now Google's podcast platform. Importing your podcast doesn't automatically publish it—you must manually publish after processing is complete.

Amazon Music/Audible

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Visit podcasters.amazon.com.
Click "Get Started" or "Add/Claim Your Podcast" and sign in with your Amazon account.
Paste your PodVault RSS feed URL when prompted.
Amazon will send a verification code to your email address (the one you used to sign up for PodVault).
Enter the code to verify ownership and complete any required details.
After verification, Amazon will process your podcast – it typically appears on both Amazon Music and Audible within 24-48 hours.

Key Notes: Submitting once covers both Amazon Music and Audible platforms. PodVault automatically includes your email in the RSS feed for verification.

Pocket Casts

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Visit the Pocket Casts Submission Form.
Enter your podcast's RSS feed URL (or Apple Podcasts URL).
Choose visibility setting: Public (searchable) or Private (not in search).
Click "Submit" to add your podcast to their directory.
If successful, your show will be searchable in the app within a few hours.

Key Notes: No email verification needed. As long as your feed is valid, your podcast will be available to all Pocket Casts users.

Overcast

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Overcast primarily uses Apple Podcasts as its directory – if your podcast is on Apple Podcasts, it will automatically appear in Overcast's search (usually within 1-2 days).
You or your listeners can manually add your podcast by pasting your RSS feed using the "Add URL" option in the app.

Key Notes: Focus on getting your podcast approved on Apple Podcasts to ensure it appears in Overcast's search results.

PodVault: Your Central Podcast Hub

After submitting to platforms, PodVault becomes your single control center for managing your podcast everywhere. You only need to make changes once in PodVault, and your RSS feed automatically updates all connected platforms with:

New episodes you publish
Episodes you edit or delete
Changes to podcast description, cover image, or metadata
Any other updates you make in PodVault

This means no more logging into multiple platforms to keep your podcast consistent! PodVault handles all the technical aspects of RSS management behind the scenes, ensuring your listeners always get the latest content no matter where they subscribe.

Note: Sync times vary by platform – some update within hours, others may take 1-3 days. Be patient if changes don't appear immediately.

Ready to Create Your Podcast?

Join PodVault today and start sharing your voice with the world. Our platform makes it easy to distribute to all major platforms or share privately with your team.

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