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Set up and submit a sermon podcast

Complete your podcast details, check the main RSS feed, and submit it to the podcast directories your listeners use.

Publish at least one visible sermon with an MP3 before you submit. A sermon dated in the future, an unlisted sermon, or a sermon without audio does not appear in your feed.

Apple and Spotify change their UI from time to time, so follow their own guides if something looks different from the steps below.

1. Complete the podcast settings​

Go to Settings > Podcast, or open podcast settings directly, and complete these fields:

  • Apple Podcasts Email: Use a monitored address. Apple can use it to contact you, and Spotify sends the RSS ownership verification code to the email in the feed.
  • Podcast Subtitle: Add a short supporting line, or leave it blank to use the generated subtitle.
  • Podcast Artwork: Upload a square image between 1400 by 1400 and 3000 by 3000 pixels, which is what Apple requires.
  • Podcast Author: Use the church, ministry, or publisher name listeners will recognise. Leave it blank to use the church name.
  • Podcast Title: Enter the public show title. Leave it blank to use the generated church-and-sermons title.
  • Podcast Description: Explain who the podcast is for and what it contains. Leave it blank to use the generated description.

Select Save Settings.

Podcast settings for email, subtitle, square artwork, author, title, and description

Use show-level artwork here. Square artwork set on a sermon or series only affects that episode or that scoped feed, not the main podcast.

2. Publish an episode​

Open Sermons and confirm that at least one sermon:

  • has a valid MP3
  • is Published
  • is dated today or earlier
  • is not Unlisted
  • is not assigned to an unlisted series or preacher

A sermon also stays out of the feed while its automatic transcript is still Queued, and appears once transcription has started. Check that on the Transcriptions Dashboard, described in use automatic sermon transcripts.

Directories will not accept a feed with no episodes. Apple also needs cover art and show metadata, which we generate from your podcast settings.

3. Find and check the main RSS feed​

  1. Go to Dashboard.
  2. Under Quick Links, find RSS Feed.
  3. Use the copy icon beside it.
  4. Open the copied HTTPS address in a private browser window. It should load without signing in and contain your podcast title and published episodes.
Dashboard Quick Links showing the Public View, main RSS Feed, and Subscribe Links addresses

Submit this main RSS Feed address to directories. The Subscribe Links address is a listener-facing web page, not a feed.

Apple Podcasts Connect validates the feed during submission. To check it beforehand, follow Apple's RSS feed validation guide. Wait until the artwork and at least one episode load properly before submitting.

4. Submit to Apple Podcasts​

You need an Apple Podcasts Connect account and the rights to distribute the audio and any third-party content.

  1. Sign in to Apple Podcasts Connect.
  2. Select Add (+) > New Show.
  3. Choose Add a show with an RSS feed.
  4. Paste the main RSS feed URL and choose the required account access, then select Add.
  5. Review Show Information, set Content Rights, and provide contact information.
  6. Open Availability and choose the countries or regions, distribution, transcript, release, and claiming settings that suit the show.
  7. Select Save, then publish the show.

Apple validates the feed before sending it for review, so clear any warnings before you publish. Passing validation does not guarantee approval, because Apple reviews the content as well. See Apple's guides to submitting a new show and podcast RSS feed requirements.

5. Submit or claim the show on Spotify​

Spotify uses Spotify for Creators for externally hosted shows.

  1. Sign in at Spotify for Creators.
  2. If this is your first show, choose Find an existing show > Somewhere else. If you already manage a show, open your avatar or menu, choose Add a new show, then choose Find an existing show > Somewhere else.
  3. Enter the main RSS feed URL. You can also enter an existing Spotify show URL when claiming a show already in its catalogue.
  4. Check the inbox for the address in Apple Podcasts Email. Spotify sends an eight-digit verification code to the email in the RSS feed.
  5. Enter the code and complete the form.

A show can only be claimed once. If Spotify says it already has an owner, that claim belongs to whoever set it up, so ask them. See Spotify's guides to adding a new show and claiming an externally hosted podcast.

After each listing is live:

  1. Copy its public show URL from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
  2. Go to Settings > Subscribe Links.
  3. Add it to Apple Podcasts URL or Spotify Podcasts URL.
  4. Select Save Settings.
  5. Open the Subscribe Links address from the Dashboard and test each button.

These links do not replace the RSS feed. They just give listeners a shortcut to the app they already use. See configure listener subscribe links for the other supported services.

Main feed or a scoped feed?​

Submit the main feed for the church's main podcast. Series, preacher, and playlist feeds count as separate shows, so submit one only when you really want listeners subscribing to that narrower collection.

For the controls and public links, see create and manage a series and create and manage a preacher. Playlist feeds are available from each published playlist's public page.

If this did not work​

  • The RSS feed has no episodes: Confirm that a sermon has audio, is published, is dated today or earlier, and is not hidden by unlisted or meeting feed settings.
  • A recent sermon is missing from the feed: Check its status on the Transcriptions Dashboard. A sermon stays out of the feed while its transcript is Queued.
  • Artwork is rejected: Upload a square image between 1400 and 3000 pixels on each side, then save and reload the feed.
  • Apple reports a validation error: Use the exact HTTPS RSS address from the Dashboard and compare the message with Apple's validation troubleshooting.
  • Spotify's code does not arrive: Check Apple Podcasts Email, its spam folder, and whether the saved address appears in the latest feed. Then use Spotify's verification email help.
  • New episodes or metadata are not visible in a directory: Check that the RSS feed itself contains the change. How often a directory refreshes is up to the provider - it can take a few minutes for changes to show up.
  • You are still stuck: Email us at admin@yetanothersermon.host and we will help.