RSS feed
An RSS feed is the standardised file that lists your podcast's episodes and metadata, and is how podcast apps find and play your show. When you publish a new episode, your host updates the RSS feed and every directory that subscribes to it pulls in the episode automatically.
For example, you submit your RSS feed URL once to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and from then on each new episode you publish appears in both apps without any further uploading.
Why it matters: the RSS feed is the single source of truth for your show across every podcast app, so controlling it via your own host means you own distribution rather than depending on any one platform.
A healthy feed is technically clean and stable - valid tags, consistent artwork and titles, and a URL you never have to change when you switch hosts.
- Hard-coding a host-specific feed URL so a host migration breaks every subscriber.
- Inconsistent episode titling and metadata that makes the back catalogue hard to navigate.
- Ignoring feed validation until apps start rejecting or mis-displaying episodes.
What is an RSS feed?
An RSS feed is the standardised file that lists your podcast's episodes and metadata, and is how podcast apps find and play your show. When you publish a new episode, your host updates the RSS feed and every directory that subscribes to it pulls in the episode automatically.
Where does my podcast RSS feed come from?
Your podcast host generates and maintains it. You submit that one feed URL to each directory; you do not create a separate feed per platform.
What happens if I change podcast hosts?
You redirect your old RSS feed to the new one so subscribers and directories follow automatically. Done correctly, listeners do not notice the move.