Acast is an advertising company that offers retail hosting – ie: hosting anyone can sign up for – as well as a service for creators with high listening figures, or good talent agents.

It has a player app that features its own first-party content, as well as podcasts from the rest of the ecosystem. If you’re not hosted on Acast, it’s a good idea to be listed here, so that you can be found among the celebs.

Submitting to the Acast directory

1. Visit the Acast app webpage.
2. Scroll down to the section headed “Are you a podcast creator?” and tap the Add your show button.
3. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL in the box that appears.
4. Tap the Submit button.

You’ll get a URL pointing to your page in the Acast directory. Here’s an example.

Amazon operates Amazon Music, which has a podcast directory, as well as the audiobook platform Audible, which also offers podcast content.

To submit to Amazon Music

1. Head to Amazon Music for Podcasters.
2. Either click the Get started button (left of the page) or the “Add or claim your podcast” link to the right of the page.
3. Sign in with an Amazon account.
4. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL, select your country from the dropdown, and click Submit. (The country list has lots of mistakes in it, so you might not find your country where you expect to.)
5. Review the linked terms of service and tick the box to confirm you agree with them, then click the Confirm email button.
6. Wait for an email from Amazon Music, which contains a big button labeled Confirm ownership. Click it.

After 24 hours, visit the Amazon Music website in your region (for example: music.amazon.co.uk) and search for your podcast by name. Select your podcast from the search results, and copy the URL from your browser’s address bar. This is your Amazon Music podcast URL.

Regardless of whether you use or like Apple products or you think your audience is likely to, the Apple Podcasts directory – or what used to be called “iTunes” – is the first place to submit a new feed to. It’s by no means the only place that matters, but it’s the first, as many apps still use Apple’s directory to help listeners find new podcasts.

Submitting to Apple Podcasts

1. Start by going to Podcast Connect and logging in with an Apple ID. If you don’t already have one, you can create one from the website.
2. Make sure the Podcasts tab is selected, click the blue + button next to the title, and select “New show”.
3. Choose “Add a show with an RSS feed”.
4. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL.
5. Click Add.

If you can’t get past step 1, you might be in the “login loop”. Here’s how to get out of it.

Breaker is a popular app for listening to and sharing podcasts. Users can like, comment, and share episodes, and create playlists. In early 2021, Twitter acquired the Breaker founding team, who are now working on audio within the social media platform. The Breaker app is now maintained by Maple Media, who also operate Player FM.

Due to a mistake in the development of the app, your podcast must already exist in Apple Podcasts. Although you can paste an RSS feed URL into a box to add your show, you’ll have to wait until it’s approved by Apple and searchable in their directory.

Submitting to Breaker

1. Visit the Breaker website and click “Sign in”. Login with a social media account, or register with an email address.
2. Once logged in, click your avatar in the top-right-hand corner of the page, and from the dropdown menu select “For podcasters”.
3. Look for the box headed “Connect your podcast with Breaker”, and enter your RSS feed URL into the text box, then hit Search.
4. Once info has been pulled in about your podcast, you should see a blue button tiled Connect. Click it.
5. You’ll be notified that on the next step, a conformation email will be sent to the address associated with your podcast. Click the Send email to confirm button, and wait for the email from Breaker.
6. Click the link in the email from Breaker, and you’ll be verified as the owner of the feed.

To obtain your Breaker URL (to share with others or to add to your podcast website):

1. Once in your podcast dashboard, click your podcast artwork as shown in the top-left of the page (when you hover over the artwork, you’ll see an icon indicating a page will open in a new tab).
2. Copy the URL of the new page that opens, from your browser’s address bar. That is your Breaker podcast URL.

CastBox is a popular podcast player for iOS and Android. It also has an Alexa skill for integration with Amazon’s family of smart speakers.

To submit to CastBox

1. Visit the CastBox website and click the “Sign in / Sign up” link.
2. Choose a social media account to login with, or create an account with an email address.
3. One logged in, hover over your avatar in the top-right-hand corner of the page, and select “Creator Studio”.
4. Click the grey Claim ownership button near the top of the page.
5. In the popup box that appears, enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL, and the email address associated with your podcast.
6. Click Submit.
7. Wait for an email from CastBox. When it arrives, scroll past all the marketing and get to the link headed “You can claim your show with this link”. Follow that link.
8. Read and confirm you agree to their terms of service.

To get your CastBox URL, to share with others or add to your podcast website:

1. Back at the CastBox “creator studio”, click the tab on the right-hand side of the page, titled Claimed.
2. Click your show artwork. This will open up your CastBox podcast page in a new tab.
3. Copy the URL of the page from your browser’s address bar. This is your CastBox podcast URL.

Goodpods is a podcast player that aims to be more like “Goodreads for podcasts”. It’s aimed more at the casual listener, who’s perhaps unaware that there’s an alternative to the Apple Podcasts app, Spotify, or heaven forbid, BBC Sounds, and is similarly unaware of the vast array of shows they could be listening to.

One of its marquee features is part of the Goodpods “Top shows” screen, which you can access from the Search tab. When claiming your show on Goodpods, you can specify that you’re an indie creator, so when prospective listeners toggle the “Indie only” switch, your show could have a much higher chance of appearing in the ranking.

Submitting to Goodpods

1. Download and install the Goodpods app for your smartphone.
2. Open the app and register as a podcaster, then follow the instructions to claim your podcast(s).

Just as Apple Podcasts comes bundled with new iOS devices, Google Podcasts is now installed on Android phones, although on some devices it needs to be enabled through the Google Play Store.

Submitting to Google Podcasts

1. Login to Google Podcasts Manager with your Google account. If you’re managing a podcast with a Gmail address, that’s a good account to use.
2. Once logged in, click the Start now button. If you already have a podcast listed with Google Podcasts Manager, select the name of the podcast from the left-hand side of the page, then from the bottom of the dropdown menu, select “Add show”.
3. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL and click Next step.
4. Once your podcast appears, click the Next step button again.
5. If your Google account uses a different email address from the one associated with your podcast, you’ll be notified that an email will be sent, with a verification code. Click Send code to confirm. If not, skip this next step.
6. Once the email arrives from Google, copy the numeric code and paste it into the Google Podcast Managers page, then click Submit.
7. On the “Ownership verified” page, click the Get started button.

After a few hours, your podcast will become searchable in the Google Podcasts app. Head to podcasts.google.com and search for your show by name. Once you’ve found your podcast, click it.

Copy the URL in your web browser. This is your Google Podcasts URL, which you can share with others, or add to your podcast website.

iVoox (pronounced “ee-Vox”) is an app and directory for Spanish-language podcasts. It also carries English-speaking podcasts, and addition into the directory can open your listener base wide, as more Spanish-speaking listeners discover podcasts.

Submitting to iVoox

1. Start at the US iVoxo website in English. You might be redirected to an iVoox site in your country. Also note that some parts of the website are still in Spanish, so use a translation website or browser plugin if you get stuck.
2. Click the “Login” link at the top right of the page and login with a social media account, or click “Register” and create an account using your email address.
3. Once logged in, if the language has switched back to Spanish, select your language from the flag menu at the top-right of the page.
4. Click the Upload button in the top-right-hand corner of the page.
5. Select the “Podcast from a feed” tab.
6. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL and click the Check URL button.
7. iVoox uses its own category system, so select the category or categories that best match the ones your podcast already uses.
8. Select “tags” that apply to your podcast, from the dropdown menu.
9. Select “Podcasting” as the “Genre”.
10. Select the language of your podcast.
11. Enter “channel” information. If your podcast is part of a network, you might want to add the name, description and logo for your network. Otherwise, enter your podcast name, add a short description, and upload your cover art. (Ignore the image specs, as the uploader will want to crop your image to be square, like your podcast artwork.)
12. Translate and review the iVoox terms of service, tick the box to agree to them, then click Enviar (Submit).

Player FM is a free podcast player that syncs across devices. As well as having an iOS and Android app, Player FM is also accessible on the web.

Submit to Player FM

1. Visit the Player FM website.
2. Click the menu button at the top-right of the page, and select the “Login” option from the dropdown menu.
3. Choose a social media account to login with, or create an account with a password.
4. Once logged in, go to the Player FM feed import page.
5. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL in answer to the first question.
6. Select “Public” for the second question.
7. Click the Import feed button.
8. Wait for a few seconds for the page to refresh as the app pulls in your feed contents.
9. Copy the URL in your browser’s address bar. This is your Player FM podcast URL, which you can share with people, or add to your website.

Pocket Casts is a free app for iOS and Android, for listening to podcasts. It was previously a paid app, but following its acquisition by NPR and a consortium of other stations, it was made free.

Submitting to Pocket Casts

1. Head to Pocket Casts’ submission page.
2. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL and click the Public option below.
3. Click the Submit button.
4. Scroll down until you hit the section headed “Happy? Off you go, tell the world!”.
5. Copy the URL in the box at the bottom of the page. This is your Pocket Casts podcast URL.

The Podcast Index is the brainchild of Adam Curry, one of the co-inventors of podcasting back in the early 2000s. He started the Index and founded the Podcasting 2.0 movement after growing concerns of unjust censorship. Anyone can submit to the Index and there is no central moderation, thus ensuring that any and all speech can be found within participating podcast players.

Submitting to the Podcast Index

A growing number of podcast hosting providers can submit your podcast to the Index on your behalf, which is the recommended method. If you’d like to be listed but your host doesn’t provide this integration, you can email info@podcastindex.org with your RSS feed URL, and ask them to add it for you.

RadioPublic is an app associated with Radiotopia and the American public radio ecosystem. The company has a number of resources for podcasters, including their embeddable player, and podcast website play.

Submitting to RadioPublic

1. Head to the RadioPublic submission page and enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL and click the Link podcast button.
2. Once validated, click the Next button.
3. Confirm you’re ready to receive a validation email from RadioPublic, sent to the address associated with your podcast. Click Send email to do this.
4. Once the email arrives from RadioPublic, click the Yes, this is my podcast button.
5. Back on the RadioPublic website, click the Confirm signup button.
6. Review the RadioPublic terms of service by ticking the “I agree” box, and click Continue.
7. Opt in to their podcast marketing email drip campaign if you choose – it has good stuff in it – and click Complete signup.

To get your RadioPublic podcast URL, to share it with others or add it to your podcast website:

1. Once signup is completed, you’ll be taken to a dashboard for your show. Look for the link titled “View on RadioPublic”. Right-click the link and copy it to your clipboard. This is your RadioPublic podcast URL.

Rather than piggybacking on Google’s directory, Samsung have chosen to implement their own podcast offering. Given Samsung’s weight within the Android market, it’s possible some customers may use their app over Google’s, so it’s a good idea to be listed.

Submitting to Samsung Podcasts

1. Start by visiting the Samsung account page and clicking “Create one now” to register a new account with Samsung.
2. Next, you need to create an “organisation”. If you have multiple podcasts, make this your production company name. Otherwise you can probably just use your own name if you’re producing a podcast for yourself.
3. Once done, head to Samsung’s podcaster portal, and click the “Add podcast” button.
4. Enter your RSS feed URL, and click “Validate podcast”.
5. Once the button is replaced with one reading “Create podcast”, click it.

Since 2018, Spotify has been aggressive in cornering the market for podcast listening. It’s now the second-largest destination for podcast listening, and could overtake Apple at any minute, since its service is not only available on iOS and Android, but on all major smart speakers, home consoles, TV set top boxes and dongles, and in-car entertainment systems.

Submitting to Spotify

1. Login to the Spotify for Podcasters dashboard with a Spotify account. If you don’t already have one, you can create one for free.
2. Once you’re logged in, select your name from the top-left-hand corner of the page, and click “Add or claim your podcast”.
3. Click Get started.
4. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL, hit Enter, then click Next when the feed has been checked and the button is available.
5. Wait for the confirmation code sent to the email address associated with your feed.
6. Back on the Spotify for Podcasters website, enter the code you received in the email, and click Next.
7. Answer the questions it asks about your podcast, then click Next.
8. Confirm you’re happy with everything, and click Submit.

Once submitted, Spotify will show you your show URL, which you can use to link people to your podcast within Spotify.

Stitcher is a podcast player for iOS and Android. Before Pocket Casts gained popularity and Google shored up their podcast offering, Stitcher was the easiest way for Android users to discover and listen to podcasts. Now it serves primarily as a gateway to their paid products, like Stitcher Premium and their merchandise stores.

Submit to Stitcher

1. Head to the Stitcher Partners join page.
2. Click the Join us today button.
3. Enter your podcast’s RSS feed URL and click “Next”.
4. Once the podcast has been verified by Stitcher, click the “Next step” link, and an email will be sent to the address associated with the podcast.
5. Enter your name and email address, and create a password to setup your free Stitcher Partners account.
6. Read their terms of service and confirm you agree by clicking “Agree”.
7. Wait for an email from Stitcher, with a blue I approve. Add this show to Stitcher button. Click that button.
8. Log back in with your new Stitcher Partner account.
9. Click the new podcast (to begin with the artwork and name may be blank. This will update soon.)
10. Select the “Promote show” item from the left-hand menu.
11. Right-click the “Show URL” link and copy it. This is your Stitcher podcast URL, which you can share with others or add to your website.