How to Host Your Podcast
If you want to get your podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the other podcast players, then you need to know how to host your podcast. And you’re in the right place!
If you’re like me, when you hear the terms “podcast hosting” and “RSS feed,” your head spins. The whole process seems very complicated and overwhelming. But it’s actually super simple! You don’t have to be techy to host your podcast, and you don’t need to spin a ton of time on it either!
Hosting Platform
First, you need a hosting platform. There’s a bunch of great ones out there – Simplecast, Blubrry, and Libsyn to name a few. My favorite though is Buzzsprout.
Buzzsprout is easy to use, fairly priced, and modern, plus they make a ton of free educational content to help you with your podcast. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the major podcast hosting platforms, but Buzzsprout gets my vote.
Full disclosure – my link is an affiliate link, but I started using them before becoming an affiliate. And, if you sign up using my link, Buzzsprout will send you a $20 gift card to Amazon!
Technically, you could host your podcast yourself without paying for a hosting platform. Unless you’re super techy, I wouldn’t recommend this route. You can get in trouble with your website host and it’s a time consuming process, so I definitely recommend finding a hosting platform your like.
Adding Your Podcast Info
Once you create your account with Buzzsprout, you’ll need to add the general info for your podcast like your podcast title, description, artwork, and categories. Your artwork should be 3000×3000 pixels, and you can use something like Canva to create your own, or hire a graphic designer.
Upload a New Episode
Uploading a new episode is super easy – just click the green button!
Once you’ve uploaded your episode, you can write the description and schedule it to be published. You can either set the episode to publish immediately, or select a later date.
Podcast Directories
Adding your podcast to podcast directories is one of the most important steps, and seems the most complicated, but again Buzzsprout makes it super easy!
Once you’ve published an episode, your podcast is technically “live” – but you have to add it to directories (like Apple and Spotify) for people to be able to listen to it.
Technically, you could just embed your episodes onto your website, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. It will only restrict your reach, so add your podcast to all the directories possible!
Adding your podcast to the podcast directories is super easy with Buzzsprout. Just click the “Get Listed” button.
Some directories, like Apple Podcasts, require a couple of extra steps, but Buzzsprout lists out the steps and makes it super easy!
You only have to add your podcast to the various directories once – this is not a step you need to repeat every time you publish a new episode. Easy peasy!
Keep in mind some of the directories can take between 24 hours and a week to process your podcast. So plan your launch accordingly!
Remember, if you sign up with my link, Buzzsprout will send you a $20 giftcard to Amazon. Thanks Buzzsprout!
I hope this post helps you see just how easy it is to host your podcast. If you want to learn more about starting a podcast, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Launching a Podcast!
