What Is a Podcast RSS Feed and Why Does It Matter?

If you have ever wondered how a podcast gets from your recording software to someone's phone, the answer is an RSS feed. It is the single most important file in podcasting, and most of the problems new podcasters run into come from not knowing it exists.

The short version

An RSS feed is a web page written for software instead of people. It lists your show's name, description and artwork, followed by every episode with its title, date and a link to the audio file. Podcast apps check that page regularly. When a new episode appears in it, the app shows the episode to your listeners.

You do not upload to Apple or Spotify

This surprises people. You never upload your audio to Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other app. You upload it once to your podcast host, your host puts it in your feed, and the apps read the feed. The apps are directories that point to your feed, not places that store your show.

That is also why you only submit your show to each app once. After that, every new episode reaches every app on its own.

What is inside a feed

A feed has two parts. The first describes the whole show:

• The show title and description.
• The cover art address.
• The language and the categories.
• Whether the show is explicit.
• The author, and an owner email that apps use to confirm you own the show.

The second part is one entry for each episode:

• The title and description, which are your show notes.
• The publish date.
• The address, size and type of the audio file.
• The length of the episode.
• A unique ID, which never changes.
• Optional details such as season number, episode number and episode artwork.

Why the feed address matters so much

Your feed address is the identity of your show to every app. Listeners who subscribe are really subscribing to that address. Directories store it. If it changes without a redirect, apps lose track of you.

So pick a host you intend to stay with, and if you ever do move, set up a redirect from the old address to the new one. We cover that in our guide to switching hosts without losing listeners.

The unique ID of each episode

Each episode in the feed carries an ID that is meant to stay the same forever, even if you fix the title or replace the audio. Apps use it to remember which episodes a listener has already played. Changing an episode's ID makes apps treat it as a new episode, which is why a good host never changes it for you.

Keeping your feed healthy

1. Check it after changes. Open your feed address in a browser after you publish. If you can see the new episode, the apps will too.
2. Use a square cover image at a size apps accept, and keep it reachable.
3. Keep the owner email working. Apps send their verification messages there.
4. Do not edit the feed by hand unless you know why. Your host generates it, and manual edits can be overwritten or break it.
5. Run a feed validator if an app says it cannot read your show. It points to the exact line that is wrong.

Where to find yours

Your host shows your feed address in your show's settings or on a distribution page. At OnlyCasts it is on the Distribution page of your show, next to a checklist that tells you if anything in the feed needs fixing before you submit it anywhere. Copy it from there whenever a directory asks for it.