Wondering how to put a podcast on Spotify? When launching a podcast it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the many moving pieces and growing list of steps you need to take.
But not to worry, there are a simple set of steps you can follow to make sure you’ve crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s, and you can access the full list of steps to go from idea to launch with your podcast for free right now.
But before you run to start checking off your completed podcast to-do’s, let’s chat about one of the most important aspect of your podcast: discoverability.
Making your podcast accessible
As you know, there’s a lot that goes into creating and launching a podcast – not to mention the dedication and drive required to grow an audience once you’ve launched your podcast.
And one of the most critical steps that is oftentimes overlooked by new podcasters (and older podcasters who aren’t paying attention to the rapidly growing industry) is submitting your podcast RSS feed to the major directories.
By submitting your podcast RSS feed to all of the major directories, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and of course getting your podcast to Spotify, you’re giving your listeners access and you’re giving yourself greater discoverability for your content.
Where is your ideal listener searching for content?
Some of the key components to keep in mind when you’re looking at the different podcast directories and which ones you should focus on when it comes to marketing your content include:
- Knowing exactly who your ideal listeners are for your podcast
- Knowing where they’re searching for content (of any kind – not just podcast content)
When you know exactly who your ideal listener is and where they’re searching for content (or spending most of their time online), you give yourself a head start and clear marching orders when it comes to where to submit your podcast RSS feed.
For example, if you know that YouTube is your ideal listener’s main platform where they search for content, then having your podcast on YouTube should be a top priority.
And as always, when in doubt, test! If you’re not sure whether it’s worth your time to upload your podcast to YouTube, commit to testing it out for 30 days and check out your analytics!
Unlike most podcast directories, YouTube acts like a social media platform versus a directory in terms of submitting your podcast RSS feed. A great tool for getting your podcast onto YouTube is Repurpose (that’s what we use, and so that’s our affiliate link!)
Steps for submitting your podcast to the major directories
There’s a simple set of steps you can follow to submit your podcast RSS feed to the major directories, and here we’re going to focus on how to get your podcast on Spotify.
Because Spotify is one of the most popular listening and streaming apps available, getting your podcast to Spotify increases your chances of organic exposure.
According to Wikipedia, “[Spotify] is the world’s largest music streaming service provider, with over 365 million monthly active users, including 165 million paying subscribers, as of June 2021.”
That’s a lot of discoverability potential!
To get started with submitting your podcast to Spotify, follow these steps:
- Visit podcasters.spotify.com
- Login to your Spotify account
- Click the “get started” button
- Locate and copy your RSS feed URL from your podcast hosting platform
- Paste your RSS feed URL into the box and click “next”
- You might find your podcast is already on Spotify at this point. If so, follow the steps to confirm and “claim” to add podcast.
- If your podcast is not already on Spotify, follow the prompts to submit your RSS feed to Spotify to add podcast.
Before you run through all of the steps above, I’ll note: Spotify has teamed up with many of the major podcast hosting platforms to help make submitting your podcast to Spotify as easy as the click of a button!
So first, check with your podcast host company for specific instructions on how to submit your podcast to Spotify (for example, via Libsyn under the “Destinations” tab you can simply add Spotify and confirm!)
We’re an affiliate for Libsyn because they’re an awesome podcast hosting service, so when you use promo code FIRE at sign up you’ll get the rest of this month and next month FREE!
Promoting your podcast once it’s on Spotify
Going back to where your listeners are hanging out at or searching for content: one of my favorite platforms to share my podcast episodes is on Instagram. And it turns out Spotify and Instagram have a pretty awesome integration!
More specifically, I love sharing my new podcast episode via Instagram Stories every week through the Spotify app because it allows viewers of your Instagram Stories to click a link automatically embedded in your story to be taken directly to that episode on Spotify!
Here are the quick and easy steps to get your podcast episode into your Instagram Stories from Spotify:
- Be sure you’re logged in to your Spotify account
- Make sure you have your podcast on Spotify (follow steps above!)
- Search for your podcast on Spotify
- Go to the specific podcast episode you want to share
- Click the ‘Share’ icon (a little white box with an arrow pointing up)
- Select Instagram
- Instagram will open with your episode artwork and podcast info in Instagram Stories (image on the left below)
- Add text, emojis, or GIF’s to your story (I like to add an arrow pointing to the upper lefthand corner of the screen, because that is where the “play on Spotify” link will appear once you add the clip to your Instagram Story. See image on the right below)
- Add the clip to your Instagram Story!
The best discoverability for your podcast
While there are several ways to increase discoverability for your podcast (I’ll share some in just a minute), one of the best ways is through making sure your podcast is on the platforms where your ideal listener is hanging out at and searching for content on.
Because Spotify is such a popular app already, millions of potential listeners are already turning to Spotify to search for content. Plus, Spotify seems to just be getting started when it comes to taking over the airwaves. They’ve just announced an In-Flight Audio Experience with Delta Airlines, which will allow passengers to tune into “curated versions of Spotify’s most popular playlists — in the form of mixtapes curated by Spotify’s editorial experts — along with 42 select podcast series to choose from.”
When a platform as big as Spotify is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to ease of accessibility, why wouldn’t you jump on for a chance to be discovered?
Additional ways to increase discoverability
Be Recommendable
In his keynote presentation at Podcast movement Tom Webster, SVP of Edison Research, highlighted the importance of being recommendable.
Edison Research found that 23% of podcast listeners most often use family and friends as their source for discovering new podcasts. Want to increase your discoverability? Be recommendable!
Leverage Top Podcast Directories
Spotify is definitely a biggie, but they’re not the only game in town.
There are at least 10 major podcast directories you should have your podcast listed in for maximum discoverability. Our complete list of the top podcast directories and how to submit your podcast to each one is a perfect resource to help you with this step!
Guest Podcasting
I’d be remiss to not include one of our favorite (and top) strategies for increasing exposure and discoverability for your podcast: guest podcasting.
It’s being a guest on other podcasts in your industry or niche. These podcasts have the same potential listener base that you’re looking for, and by being a guest and providing incredible value during your interview, you’re putting yourself in front of a potentially brand new audience.
Make this strategy a priority and you will see big results.
Your podcast on Spotify
By now you know that having your podcast on Spotify is only a benefit. Plus, with how simple it is to do, you have no excuses! Don’t waste another minute – head over to your podcast media host, or follow the steps above to get your podcast published on Spotify today!
Want more tips on growing your podcast audience? We created Podcasters’ Paradise to help you do just that. Video tutorials, the perfect launch plan, top ways to grow and monetize your podcast… Plus, you’ll be joining a community of over 3,500 supportive podcasters inside of our private Facebook Group who are on the same path as you!
We look forward to welcoming you to Podcasters’ Paradise!
