Episode Summary: A breakdown of how to move a podcast from one hosting company to another without losing subscribers — covering podcast hosts, directories, RSS feeds, and 301 redirects.
What You'll Learn
- What a podcast host actually does: audio storage, RSS feed generation, and directory syndication
- What a podcast directory is and why you only submit your RSS feed once
- What an RSS feed is and why it's the single source of truth for your show
- What a 301 redirect is and how it lets you move hosts without losing subscribers
- The full step-by-step process for migrating a podcast to a new host
This episode covers: what a podcast host is, what a podcast directory is, what an RSS feed is, what a 301 redirect is, and how to move your show without losing subscribers.
What Is a Podcast Host?
Choosing where to host your show is one of the biggest early decisions in podcasting. At the time of recording, Mike worked full-time on the product support and content team at Simplecast. Other popular hosts included Libsyn, Blubrry, Podbean, Buzzsprout, Spreaker, SoundCloud, and Anchor.
What Podcast Hosting Platforms Do
- Audio file storage and delivery — storing audio files and serving them to listener devices whenever someone clicks play or download, whether through an app or an embed player.
- Generating your RSS feed — the link connecting your show to subscribers and every podcast app and directory. Every podcast has one unique RSS feed, and it typically only changes when you change hosts. Note: your RSS feed isn't always generated at the same location as your audio files — when moving a show, you migrate wherever your RSS feed lives, not necessarily where the audio is stored.
- Publishing and syndication to directories — publishing or editing an episode automatically pushes updates out to directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pandora through the RSS feed. This automatic update process is called syndication.
- Everything else — analytics, websites, sharing tools, embed players, and (for some hosts) excellent support.
What Is a Podcast Directory?
A podcast directory is a library or catalog where listeners browse, listen, and subscribe to shows. Major directories at the time included Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Stitcher.
You only submit your show to each directory once — new episodes update automatically everywhere through your RSS feed. Tip: keep a note with the URL for each of your directory listings for easy reference.
What Is an RSS Feed?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication (Wikipedia). A few things worth kn…
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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