If you want to be discoverable on arguably the largest podcast platform, Apple Podcasts, you need to ensure that your upload process goes on without a hitch. So, this post focuses on some common mistakes that you should avoid to make this process smooth.
As per a 2024 study by the Podcast Host, about 50% of the listeners discover new podcasts by navigating on their preferred listening app. Thus, to capture more audience as a budding podcaster, you need to appear in the right places. One such place is Apple Podcasts, a platform that has gained immense popularity among podcasters thanks to its large user base.
However, many new podcasters may make some common mistakes, which can harm the discoverability, such as inputting an invalid RSS feed or submitting without complete metadata. Here is a look at the mistakes and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Not Having a Valid RSS Feed
Before going into what happens when a valid RSS feed is not present, it is important to understand what the concept is. RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. To explain this really simply, it shows your podcast’s details, namely, its title, episode summaries, and audio links. It appears as an XML file, and it is what podcast directories use to help your podcasts reach the audience.
So, at this point, it is clear that the RSS feed is extremely crucial. And not having a valid RSS feed will completely ruin its discoverability. If you uploaded your podcast without a valid RSS feed, it simply will not appear in the search results in Apple Podcasts or even be accessible to listeners.
However, you would not make this mistake deliberately. But accidents may happen. To save yourself from such, ensure that there are no missing tags, the formatting is correct, and you have used a podcast software for hosting. Double-check these, and you are good to go.
Mistake #2: Missing or Incorrect Podcast Artwork
An artwork might seem overkill, but it is crucial to keep your podcast discoverable. You have put in the effort and created a podcast that discusses an important topic, something you believe will resonate with the listeners. However, without a compelling cover art, most listeners’ attention would not be on that podcast.
Thus, the podcast’s artwork is a valuable visual aid to your podcast that greatly helps your podcast’s uniqueness shine and facilitates visibility.
Now, when you’re trying to list your podcast on Apple Podcasts, your artwork needs to follow the required specifications. The specifications are as follows:
| Dimensions | Minimum 1400×1400 and Maximum 3000×3000 |
| Format | Either JPEG or PNG |
| Color | RGB color (each color represented by a combination of red, green, and blue) |
Table of Contents
Table: Required artwork specifications for Apple Podcasts
The above table will help you mitigate some of the common pitfalls you may encounter when uploading a podcast artwork on Apple Podcasts. It is important because incorrect dimensions, format, or color can harm the upload process.
Furthermore, ensure that the artwork you create is simple, while also representing the uniqueness that will garner your podcast the desired attention. When you select a podcast software, you need to ensure that it has the appropriate tools to create a cover art that suits the Apple Podcast-favored format.
Mistake #3: Submitting Without an Episode
If you publish a podcast on Apple Podcasts without a single episode, your podcast will show a “published” status but will not have discoverability. Thus, to appear as a choice for the listeners, you need to ensure that you list your podcast on Apple Podcasts with at least a single episode.
The common mistakes that can occur here are submitting a trailer-only feed or submitting an empty podcast. As this will reduce your podcast’s visibility on the directory, this is a mistake that you should avoid.
Therefore, it is generally advisable to publish at least one episode on the submitted podcast to start gaining subscribers.
Mistake #4: Incomplete Metadata
Incomplete metadata can seriously hamper your podcast’s searchability. The metadata process occurs in the following way:
Figure 1
The above chart describes the process of all the inputs into the metadata for a podcast in order. This order implies that missing out on one of the steps can lead to the metadata being incomplete.
Moreover, it is these metadata elements that create an identity for your podcast. These aspects essentially describe your content, gaining the listeners’ attention. The description and the title impact how early in the search results your podcast will show up, increasing your podcast’s chances of being selected by the listeners browsing.
However, keeping this in mind, you need to avoid some critical errors, such as stuffing the description with too many keywords or making it too challenging to figure out. Just ensure that the categories are relevant to your content.
Mistake #5: Submitting Too Early
This is probably a very critical mistake that you need to ensure that you have not made when uploading your podcast. There is no need to rush when submitting it. What you need to ensure is that you have cross-checked all the relevant details before publishing your podcast.
This includes testing the feed validation, re-checking the artwork to see if it matches the recommended specifications, and making sure that you have a fully completed metadata.
Another aspect of inclusion here, which will be very significant, will be following through with Apple’s content guidelines. If you have followed the recommended steps correctly so far, your podcast will likely meet Apple’s guidelines.
Just make sure that everything is in place, and it will guarantee that you have a successful launch day.
Final Thoughts
As learned from this content, some common mistakes to avoid when uploading a podcast to Apple Podcasts include not having a valid RSS feed, missing or incorrect podcast artwork, submitting a podcast with no episodes, submitting incomplete metadata, or submitting a podcast in a rushed manner.
Making sure that these mistakes do not take place can help the podcast submission process go smoothly.
Want to Upload a Podcast to Apple? Here’s How to Start
If you sign up on a reputable podcast-hosting platform, they will guide you through all the correct steps to upload your podcast to Apple Podcasts. However, you yourself can ensure these to make sure that all of the processes are followed correctly:
- Prepare a fully completed episode before publishing.
- Recheck the metadata and the cover art.
- Cross-check the RSS feed and correct any validity issues remaining.
