Guide Set Up Podcasting

Set Up Podcasting

Description

Turn the recordings already on your site into a podcast feed that Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps can subscribe to.

How It Fits Together

flowchart LR
  F[Media files] -->|assigned to| P[Podcast]
  P --> R[RSS feed URL]
  R --> A[Apple, Spotify, others]

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A podcast in Proclaim is a feed definition. Media files are assigned to it, and Proclaim generates the RSS that podcast apps read.

Step 1 — Create the podcast

1. Components → Proclaim → Podcasts → New.
2. Fill in Podcast Title, Description and Subtitle. Directories show all three, so write them for a listener rather than for yourself.
3. Set Author, Editor Name and Editor Email. Apple requires a working email address.
4. Save.

Full detail: Help-podcast

Step 2 — Add the artwork

Podcast directories are strict about artwork, and a feed with the wrong image is usually rejected.

1. Open the Podcast Images tab.
2. Supply a square image. Apple wants at least 1400×1400 pixels, and accepts up to 3000×3000.
3. Save.

Warning

A non-square image, or one below the minimum size, is the single most common reason Apple rejects a feed.

Step 3 — Set the iTunes details

The RSS Settings and Podcasting 2.0 tabs carry the metadata directories use for categorising and displaying your show — category, explicit flag, ownership, funding and so on. Fill in at least the category and the explicit flag.

Step 4 — Assign recordings to it

A podcast with no episodes is an empty feed.

1. Open a media file — Components → Proclaim → Media Files, then a name.
2. Set Podcast(s) to the podcast you created. A file can belong to more than one.
3. Save & Close.
4. Repeat for the recordings you want in the feed.

Step 5 — Submit the feed

1. Find the feed URL on the podcast record.
2. Open it in a browser first and check it loads and lists your episodes.
3. Submit it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you want to appear.

Important

Check the feed in a browser before submitting. A directory that rejects a feed can take days to re-review.

Download tracking

Track Downloads is on by default. Each episode's file is served through a Proclaim redirect that counts the download — de-duplicated per listener per 24 hours, with bots excluded — then hands the app the file.

Turn it off if you already use a tracking prefix such as Podtrac or Blubrry, or if you would rather apps fetched your media directly. Episode IDs do not change either way, so existing subscribers are unaffected.

Counted downloads appear as Podcast Downloads on the Analytics dashboard.

Quick Tips

• One media file can be in several podcasts — useful for an "all sermons" feed plus a per-series feed.
• Series podcasts have their own menu item types, so a series can have its own page and feed. See Guide-Show-Proclaim-on-Your-Site.
• Changing a podcast's title in Proclaim changes it in the feed, and directories pick that up on their own schedule, not instantly.

If Something Goes Wrong

What you see	What to check
Apple rejected the feed	Artwork size or shape, and that the editor email works
The feed is empty	No media files are assigned to this podcast
Episodes missing from the feed	Those media files, or their messages, are unpublished
Download counts stay at zero	Track Downloads is off, or a prefix service is in front of Proclaim

Related Information

• Help-podcast · Help-podcasts — the podcast screens
• Guide-Add-Audio-and-Video — getting recordings in first
• Help-mediafile — assigning a file to a podcast