Podcast directories are the bridge between you and your podcast audience. If you’re serious about getting your podcast in front of as many eyes as possible, you need to know what directories are best.
You’ve surely heard of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and maybe even Google Podcasts? These are all listening platforms where your target audience can find and follow your content. There are many available, but some are more popular than others, and some cater to specific needs like video. The good news is you don’t only need to choose one. If anything, it’s good to post on multiple directories.
But how do you choose which directories are best?
This article will help you out! We’ll explain what podcast directories are and how they work. Then, we’ll give you a list of the seven top directories where you should make sure to submit your podcast—along with 25 other places you can distribute your show for maximum visibility.
What Are Podcast Directories?
A podcast directory is a listening app; it’s the place where podcasts and their listeners meet. Podcast listeners search for, subscribe to, and listen to your podcast using their podcast directory of choice.
For podcasters, the podcast directory is the last step in your podcast creating and distribution journey. After you’ve recorded and edited your show, you’ll upload it to your podcast host of choice. From there, if you’ve submitted your show’s RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed to various podcast directories, those directories will then automatically update with your newest episodes.
If your listeners are subscribed to your podcast, they’ll see each new episode as you publish it to your podcast hosting platform.
How Do You Distribute Podcasts?
The simplest answer is that you need to submit your show’s RSS link to podcast directories.
How to find your RSS feed link depends on which hosting platform your podcast is on. You’ll need to check with your podcast host to find your unique RSS feed URL and have it on hand before submitting your show to any directory.
Submitting your RSS feed to a podcast directory is a one-time action; after that, the directory automatically updates with each of your new episodes. We’ll get into specific details about submitting your RSS feed to various podcast directories below.
Why Does Your Podcast Need to Be Listed on Multiple Directories?
Many directories, like Overcast and Pocket Casts, simply aggregate episodes from Apple Podcasts—so some podcasters simply submit their RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and call it a day.
But if you do this, you’ll be missing out on some listening apps that don’t get their content directly from Apple. Submitting your show only to Apple Podcasts means limiting your show’s potential audience.
8 Top Podcast Directories to Focus on First
While it’s a good rule of thumb to get your show listed on as many directories as possible for maximum exposure, we can’t pretend you don’t have limited time and bandwidth.
Especially if you’re just getting started, it can feel overwhelming to set yourself the task of searching out and registering your podcast with each and every possible directory—
Instead here is the list of the top 8 podcast directories you should focus on first:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Stitcher
TuneIn
Amazon Music and Audible
iHeartRadio
Podchaser
1. Apple Podcasts (iTunes)
Apple Podcasts should be your first priority, since it’s one of the biggest podcast directories in the world with 28 million listeners. And, as mentioned above, several smaller directories pull their content from Apple Podcasts. If your podcast isn’t listed here, you’ll be missing out on a massive audience—not to mention, you may not be taken seriously as a professional podcaster if your show isn’t listed with Apple.
How to Submit a Podcast to Apple Podcasts:
1. Create an Apple ID (if you don’t have one already) and authenticate it on the iTunes app
3. Once you’ve created your account, select the “+” icon in the top left corner of the screen to add your podcast’s RSS feed
Because Apple manually approves each request, your show may take 24-48 hours to be approved.
2. Spotify
Spotify is rapidly gaining traction as a top podcast directory—in fact, it’s predicted to overtake Apple in 2021 with 28.2 million monthly listeners, slightly more than Apple’s 28.0 million. The massively popular music-playing app has been investing heavily in the podcasting game in the last few years, buying Anchor in 2018 and Gimlet Media in 2019 to demonstrate its determination to become a major player.
5. Spotify will send you a verification email to confirm you own the podcast you’re submitting. Enter the code from your email on your dashboard.
6. Finally, fill out the required information about your show (location, language, hosting provider, and category or categories) and click Submit.
How to Submit a Video Podcast to Spotify with Riverside:
Spotify only recently launched video podcasts, but they partnered with Riverside to make video podcasting to their platform a seamless process. Creators can now record in high-quality on Riverside, while sharing their podcast directly to Spotify's viewers.
Follow these steps to submit a video podcast to Spotify with Riverside:
Open a Riverside recording studio and invite up to 7 guests to join your podcast recording.
In the studio click the Record button to start recording your podcast as usual. Click the stop button when you are done and wait for everything to upload.
Go to your video recording and select 'Edit & Export' to start editing and customizing your podcast.
Once you've finalized your podcast click on 'Export', go through the options, and select 'Export' again to prepare your video podcast for exporting. (Note that this may take a few minutes).
When your video is ready for exporting, go to the preview tab and click on the Spotify button to transfer your video podcast to Anchor for distribution.
You'll be redirected to Anchor where you can log in or sign up, choose a podcast to export your video to and then finally fill in your episode's details.
Hit 'Publish now' once you're done and your video podcast will upload to Spotify.
You can watch this video for a full guide on how to submit a video podcast to Spotify through Anchor with Riverside.
Riverside offers a whole lot more. With local recording for high-quality tracks anywhere, it's a great option for any podcaster. Learn more, or start recording professional video podcasts seamlessly.
Start recording with Riverside
Easily record high-quality podcasts & videos remotely
Apple may be popular, but there are many Android users out there—and they often gravitate towards Google’s platform for their media consumption needs. That’s where Google Podcasts comes in.
Now that Google Play Music is gone, Google Podcasts is Google’s primary source for podcast content. It’s a free directory that crawls the web to bring in and aggregate podcast content. Its bots may automatically find your podcast on their own, but why not officially claim your show to ensure it will appear in search results?
As of 2020, Google Podcasts had seen 50 million cumulative downloads in its lifetime, which is not quite up to Apple and Spotify’s standards, but still, it’s no small feat.
How to Submit a Podcast to Google Podcasts:
1. Log into your Google account in your browser (or create an account if you don’t already have one)
4. You’ll receive a verification email in your Gmail account. Enter the verification code in Google Podcasts Manager and click Submit.
4. Stitcher
Stitcher is another extremely popular podcast listening app, especially among Android users.
Stitcher’s popularity is no doubt due to its user-friendly functionality, like recommendations and customizable playlists, which endears the app to many podcast listeners. It also works in any vehicle equipped with Android Auto or Apple’s CarPlay—so if your audience is likely to listen to your show while driving, be sure to connect your podcast to Stitcher.
3. Verify your email, accept the terms and conditions, and you’re done!
5. TuneIn
TuneIn is one of the largest audio content platforms in the world, with 75 million monthly active listeners. The platform primarily functions as an internet radio streaming service—but TuneIn also offers podcasts, which makes it a popular choice for users who want to listen to all of their sports, news, and other talk radio content all in one place.
TuneIn is also compatible with Alexa, making it a great way for your listeners to discover and play your podcast using their smart speakers.
2. Fill out the form with information such as your email, the show’s title and genre, and the RSS feed URL.
3. Accept the Terms and Conditions and select Send email
Your request should be reviewed and approved within a few days. You’ll be able to upload your podcast cover art at this point.
6. Amazon Music and Audible
Audible might be a place best known for its audiobook library, but its parent company, Amazon, is branching into the podcasting space as well—and its relatively small listener count of 41.8 million is expected to rise dramatically in the near future.
If you want to cater to an audience who likes listening to podcasts through their Alexa-enabled devices (or who want to mix podcasts into their audiobook consumption), it’s a good idea to submit your RSS feed to Amazon Music and Audible.
How to Submit Your Podcast to Amazon Music and Audible
3. Enter your RSS feed link into the blank, choose your target audience country (optional), and click Submit
4. Click Confirm Email to get a confirmation email sent to your email address and verify that the podcast is yours.
7. iHeartRadio
You may recognize this online radio streaming platform for its music content—but it’s popular for podcasts too, especially among older audiences. As of 2019, the platform had registered more than 128 million cumulative users.
iHeartRadio is accessible on hundreds of devices, from smart speakers to smartphones and wearable tech. It’s a great way to discover new podcasts, since the app displays both personal recommendations and top charts for various content genres.
3. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed into the prompt box.
4. Review the details of your submission, accept the terms and conditions, and click Submit Podcast.
5. It may take up to 24 hours for your request to process; you can check the status of your submission process on your iHeartRadio dashboard.
8. Podchaser
Podchaser is a large podcast database with 500,000 monthly active users. This platform is often referred to as the “IMDb of podcasts,” because just like IMDb (the Internet Movie Database), Podchaser is a crowdsourced database. Its listeners rate, review, and help each other find podcasts according to individual interests.
Information included in Podchaser’s database includes things like a profile page for each podcast, curated podcast lists, ratings and reviews, and even user activity feeds that foster interaction between listeners, podcast creators, and brands.
Being listed on Podchaser can help your current audience promote you to their connections and those with similar interests.
2. On your home dashboard, click your profile picture in the top right of the screen and select Add a Podcast.
3. Paste your RSS feed link into the dialog box
23 Other Podcast Directories to Consider
Once you’ve submitted your show to all the top directories, consider branching out and submitting your RSS feed to as many of the smaller directories as you can.
The process for listing your show with a directory is similar for each; simply navigate to the site and follow the instructions to copy and paste your RSS feed link into the appropriate dialog box. Some sites require you to create an account first, and others have strict guidelines for the types of shows they allow—so be sure to follow the posted instructions for each directory.
Podcast Gang (click Suggest Podcast at the footer of their website)
The Podcast Index—your show may already be listed on this massive database. If not, you can submit your show using code, through your podcast host, or by emailing your RSS feed to info@podcastindex.org and asking them to add your show to the index.
Women in Podcasting—this directory is reserved for women podcasters, so at least one of your show’s hosts should identify as a woman.
Directories Aren’t Everything: More Ways to Distribute Your Podcast
Are you ready to think outside of the box?
Successfully promoting your podcast takes more than simply submitting your RSS feed to the right directories, then waiting for your audience to grow. If you want maximum reach and engagement, you should get creative with the places your podcast can be found.
YouTube Podcasts
YouTube is one of the biggest platforms for audio content on the web—so it makes sense to make your podcast content available on YouTube, even though it’s not technically a podcast directory.
Keep in mind that podcast distribution via YouTube is not the same thing as starting a YouTube channel.
YouTube isn’t a podcast host—so if your goal is to get your episodes listed on all the main podcast directories like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, you’ll need to start a podcast in the traditional way first. Then, you can take the additional step of uploading each new episode to YouTube as part of your audience-building strategy. This is a great move, as YouTube is starting to cater more to podcasting. For example, they recently released a page dedicated to podcasts.
Yes, you can choose between various directories for your podcast. These directories display your podcasts in an organized way so that listeners can easily find your podcast show. Listeners can also subscribe to your podcast through a directory, to automatically receive updates every time you add a new podcast episode. Some podcast directory examples include Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and more.
How do I find podcast directories?
You can find plenty of good podcast directories online, but we if you don’t know where to start we recommend checking out our list in the above article. To help you find the right podcast directory, we cover various options in detail including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more.
What is the most popular podcast directory to listen to podcasts?
Apple Podcasts used to be the definitive answer to this question. But in 2021, Spotify officially took over Apple Podcasts. Spotify grew to 28.3 million monthly podcast listeners in the US whereas Apple only sat with 2.1 million. It’s estimated Spotify’s winning lead will only grow and that it’s clearly strengthening its spot as the most popular podcast directory.
Are podcast directories free?
Luckily many podcast directories are completely free and other include free plans or options. Some free popular podcast directories in our list include Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or even iHeartRadio.
What's the best free podcast app?
As with anything, the definition of “best” will be different for everyone.
Apple Podcasts has one of the biggest libraries of podcasts, and it’s a great choice for iPhone, iPad, or iOS users who want to ask Siri to navigate their podcast listening experience or suggest new shows.
Spotify is a great choice for those who already listen to music using the app and want to keep everything in one place. It isn’t the most customizable listening app, but its sophisticated algorithm does a great job of recommending new shows based on your tastes.
And those who prioritize advanced customization options and granular control might gravitate toward apps like Stitcheror Overcast.
What are the biggest podcast directories?
The directories that have the biggest listener bases are undoubtedly Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Is submitting to Apple Podcasts enough?
In a word, no. There are several directories that pull their episode content from Apple Podcasts, like:
Overcast
Downcast
PodCruncher
iCatcher
Castaway 2
Podcast Republic
BeyondPod
AntennaPod
doubleTwist
So by submitting your show to Apple Podcasts only, you’ll be visible on several directories. But if you limit yourself to Apple Podcasts, you’ll be missing out on the other top podcast directories like Spotify and Stitcher.
Submit Your Show to as Many Podcast Directories as Possible
Podcast directories are, in a word, plentiful. From giants like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, to crowdsourced databases like Podchaser and The Podcast Index, it seems like there’s a listening app for every listener type and taste preference.
But with this ultimate list, we hope you now have a great idea of where to start—because while it can take a bit of time and effort, getting listed on as many podcast directories as possible helps ensure maximum engagement and visibility for your podcast.
Learn how to promote, grow, and monetize your podcast with proven tactics about SEO, audience building, key analytics, and creative ways to earn money.
Riverside.fm is an audio-video tool that collapses the pod/broadcast studio experience into your browser. The service captures lossless audio and up to 4K video locally, syncs it, and uploads as you go.
Riverside.fm is an audio-video tool that collapses the pod/broadcast studio experience into your browser. The service captures lossless audio and up to 4K video locally, syncs it, and uploads as you go.
Riverside.fm is an audio-video tool that collapses the pod/broadcast studio experience into your browser. The service captures lossless audio and up to 4K video locally, syncs it, and uploads as you go.
“YouTube has the infrastructure to introduce audio hosting and origination, and match it to video with all the rich analytics it already provides. A seamless creator experience, plus SEO marketing tools, plus the benefit of being a platform most have been conditioned to equal. Give it a turn-key opportunity to activate a more cohesive strategy around both video and audio, to the benefit of all parties.”
A.J. Feliciano | Head of Podcast Network
“People are working from home more and more. Audio-only is not as in-demand because the need to multitask while commuting is no longer there.”
Stone Roshell | Head of Podcast Production
“Live streaming may become the biggest way to grow using video for your podcast.”
Stone Roshell | Head of Podcast Production
“With major platforms like Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube putting more resources into video podcasts.. now is a uniquely opportune moment for smart creators to harness that energy by investing in video for audience growth.”
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