How to Switch Podcast Hosts Without Losing Listeners

Changing podcast hosts sounds scarier than it is. Done in the right order, your listeners never notice. Done in the wrong order, they stop getting new episodes, your show vanishes from an app, or old episodes show up as brand new ones. This guide walks through the order that works.

Why a move can go wrong

Podcast apps do not follow your host. They follow your RSS feed address. When you change hosts, that address changes, so every app has to be told where the show went. If an app is not told, it keeps checking the old address, finds nothing new, and your listeners are left behind.

The fix is a redirect, which is a note on your old feed that says "we moved, and here is the new address". Most of the work in a move is making sure that note is set up correctly and left in place long enough.

Before you start

• Keep your old host. Its feed has to stay online for the whole move. Do not cancel until the move is finished and checked.
• Save what cannot move. Download copies of your audio files, and export any download statistics you want to keep. Statistics history normally stays behind with the old host.
• Check your show details. Look at the title, description, artwork, category, language and the owner email in your feed. Apps use that email to confirm a move is genuine, so make sure you can still read it.

Step 1: Bring your episodes to the new host

Most hosts can import a show from its existing feed address. OnlyCasts does this too: you paste in your current feed link, it shows a preview with the episode count and size, and then it copies your audio and artwork across while keeping each episode's original date and unique ID.

That unique ID matters more than anything else in the move. Apps use it to tell which episodes a listener has already played or downloaded. If the new feed gives every episode a new ID, apps treat your whole back catalog as new, and listeners may see hundreds of "new" episodes appear at once.

Step 2: Check the new feed before you switch

Open the new feed and compare it with the old one. Check these things:

1. The episode count matches, and the newest episode is the same one.
2. Titles, descriptions and publish dates look right.
3. The show artwork and episode artwork load.
4. Each episode plays from start to finish.
5. The owner email is one you can open.

Step 3: Set up the redirect

This is the step that actually moves your listeners. There are two parts, and you want both:

• A permanent redirect (a 301) from the old feed address to the new one. This tells apps and any other software that asks for the old address to go to the new one.
• A new feed notice inside the old feed, using the itunes:new-feed-url tag. Apple Podcasts and many other apps read this tag and update their records on their own.

Your old host controls both of these, so the setting is in your old account. Some hosts hide it, so search their help pages for "redirect" or "move my podcast". Once it is on, open your old feed address in a browser and confirm it now sends you to the new one.

Step 4: Wait, then watch

Apps do not all move at the same moment. Some switch within hours, others take days. Publish your next episode on the new host and check that it appears in the apps you use. Watch your downloads for a week or two. A small dip while apps catch up is normal. A steady drop to zero in one app is a sign that the redirect is not working there.

Step 5: Keep the redirect in place

Leave the redirect running for as long as your old host allows, and at the very least a few months. Listeners who have not opened a podcast app for a while still follow the old address when they come back. Only cancel the old host once your downloads have settled and you are sure the redirect no longer needs to be there.

A short checklist

• Import the show, and confirm the episode IDs and dates were kept.
• Compare the new feed with the old one.
• Turn on the redirect and the new feed notice at the old host.
• Publish one episode on the new host and check it appears.
• Keep the old host and the redirect running for months, not days.

If you are ready to move, you can start a 14 day trial and import your show from its feed link. The import page walks you through the redirect step by step.