Author: Mitchell CopperStad

 

If you are creating content and not making it available where people are listening to podcasts, you’re not maximizing your efforts – in other words, you need to fish where the fish are.

Distributing your podcast where podcasts are being consumed is a vital part to building an audience. In order to be found in podcast directories, you need to establish a relationship between the podcast hosting platform and the podcast directory via your RSS Feed – once the relationship is established, your podcast episodes will automatically update on the given directory as you publish new episodes in your hosting platform.

Some directories have a unique submission process, we have outlined the steps below. Prior to submitting the podcast, it is vital you have your podcast assets in place – note that it may take up to 4 weeks for approval, depending on the directory.

Apple Podcasts is the most popular – and the most important – place to make your podcast available. In fact, many other podcast directories not listed in this article actually search Apple Podcasts to add new podcasts to their own directory. To submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, you need an Apple ID and password – follow the steps and submit your RSS Feed here.

Spotify has a submission portal where you can access an analytics dashboard – follow the steps and submit your RSS Feed here.

iHeart creates stations for your podcast that are accessible online or in their app – follow the steps and submit your RSS Feed here.

TuneIn follow the steps and submit your RSS Feed here.

Amazon Music establish a direct connection with your podcast and Alexa – follow the steps and submit your RSS Feed here.

For those hosting their podcast with C-Suite Radio, your next steps would be to set up the subscription options outlined in Video 12.

This checklist will outline how to transfer your podcast to C-Suite Radio’s hosting platform. If you currently DO NOT have a podcast, find out how C-Suite Radio can help you start one here.

There are many podcast hosting platforms – Libsyn, Spreaker, Megaphone, Simplecast, Buzzsprout, Podetize, Anchor, and Blubrry are just a few.

All these platforms perform similar functions at their core – provide you an RSS Feed that can easily be integrated into the various podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, etc…

An RSS Feed is the lifeblood of your podcast – it is the code that informs the directories and your subscribers you have new episodes.

Where the hosting platforms differ is the ease of use, additional features, and customer support. C-Suite Radio’s preferred hosting platform is Megaphone, a platform built by podcasters for podcasters – and hosting your podcast on it is included within your C-Suite Network membership.

The process to migrate the podcast is easy and involves a 301 redirect, which is a way to send search engines and users to a different URL from the one they originally requested (it’s the most commonly used redirect method).

It is important to note that after it is done, you will still own 100% of the podcast and the process to leave is just as easy.

By migrating your podcast to C-Suite Radio’s Megaphone account, you are making your podcast eligible for dynamically inserted advertisements, industry leading analytics, and support from some of the top podcasting professionals today.

If you have any questions, reach out to concierge@c-suitenetwork.com and we are happy to assist.

IMPORT YOUR PODCAST

1. EMAIL YOUR RSS FEED TO THE C-SUITE NETWORK CONCIERGE: Your current hosting provider will have a URL to your RSS feed that will contain all your published episodes. All episodes must be in .mp3 format. If you are bringing over a show that used dynamic ad insertion, use the ad-free rss feed. Contact your current hosting platform’s support team if you need assistance.
2. IMPORTING PODCAST EPISODES TO C-SUITE RADIO: C-Suite Radio’s team will import your episodes and metadata to our Megaphone account.
3. CONFIRM THAT ALL EPISODES ARE IN MEGAPHONE: After your show has finished importing – you will receive an invite to manage the podcast via Megaphone (sometimes this goes into your junk folder). Follow the steps to login and create your password. Make sure all audio and episodes have been copied over properly, if not, contact concierge@c-suitenetwork.com

*note that episodes scheduled with a future release date WILL NOT be imported into C-Suite’s Megaphone account.

REDIRECT YOUR PODCAST TO MEGAPHONE

1. FIND YOUR HOSTING PROVIDER’S 301 REDIRECT INSTRUCTIONS: Depending on your current hosting platform, the process is slightly different – so the first step is finding your hosting provider’s instructions, you can find them here.
2. SETUP A 301 REDIRECT: After finding your hosting provider’s article, follow their steps to setup a 301 redirect (our Concierge will also email you your new, Megaphone, RSS Feed and steps to complete the redirect).
3. KEEP YOUR OLD HOSTING PLATFORM FOR 30 DAYS: The process is easy, yes, but to ensure all directories and apps index (permanently save) your Megaphone feed, it is best practice to keep your original hosting platform active for 30 days after redirect – after this time, you can discontinue service. This is a great time to update episodes that may be embedded on your website.
4. EXPORT YOUR METRICS: Metrics in Megaphone will begin populating from the time of redirect moving forward. Therefore, you should always export any metrics from your original host and save them for continuity.

Confirm Your Podcast Transfer in Apps

Most apps, including Apple Podcast and Stitcher, follow a 301 Redirect almost seamlessly. There are 2 exceptions that are important to note:

• SPOTIFY: Because Spotify has an ever-evolving process, it is important to claim your new Megaphone RSS Feed after redirecting to ensure metrics populate accurately. To do this, log into your Spotify for Podcasters account and navigate to the dashboard. Click the “Add or claim podcast” link in the bottom right corner, and follow the instructions to submit your new Megaphone RSS feed.
• For any other apps that have issues (which is rare!) you can contact their support teams using the emails or portals listed in this article.

 

What’s the Best Type of Podcast for My Business?

If you ask that question to 10 different podcasters on C-Suite Radio – you’ll get at least 15 different answers.

That’s the beauty of podcasting – there is no “one size fits all”– so the only person who holds that answer is you. But C-Suite Radio is here to guide you and make sure you’re asking the right questions.

Why Get into the Podcasting Game?

Currently, 72% of business owners make podcasts a part of their daily routine – so the audience is certainly out there! But as we all know, time is a finite resource, which they spend wisely – so you need to stand out. C-Suite Radio will help turn up the volume on your business!

Why C-Suite Radio?

Think of C-Suite Radio like a personal trainer for your podcast – we are here to help guide you and provide the resources you need to get results and make your podcast as strong as it can be.

Included with your C-Suite Network Contributor Membership, C-Suite Radio provides an array of podcast services, like consulting, distribution, dynamic ad insertion, access to vetted guests, access to other podcasts, and more. Check out the C-Suite Network Contributor Dashboard to get started!

What Do I Need to Get Started?

Your first step should be to develop a sound strategy and identify the goals of your podcast up front – are you looking to build an audience for your personal brand? To further your business objectives? To make money through advertising? All of the above?

Some other things to consider are – what format will appeal to my business audience? What’s the attention span of my audience? How long should my episodes be to maximize listenership and also allow me to monetize them with advertising?

Once you’re confident in your strategy, you’re ready to take the next step!

How Do I Turn it On?

At the heart of all great podcasts is a powerful hosting platform. Your podcast on C-Suite Radio will be hosted by Megaphone – a premiere platform built by podcasters, for podcasters. Reach out to us here and we’ll get you started.

Once active, you will receive your unique RSS feed – the conduit that enables your podcast to be accessible by listeners on C-Suite Radio, and also turns on advertising to monetize your podcast. So if Megaphone is the “heart” of your podcast, think of your RSS feed as the “arteries.”

Once you’re up and running, you’ll then funnel your RSS feed to other popular podcast directories, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher – the “organs” to get your podcast moving and quickly build your audience.

Once Active, What Assets Will I Need?

Make an impact with your podcast and enable it to stand out! Here are the assets required to get your podcast loaded and available on C-Suite Radio:

• Podcast Title | Keep it short, make an impact and make it relevant to episode content
• Podcast Description | 3 – 5 sentences that “hook” listeners into your show – remember they only have so many hours in a day, so make it good!
• Podcast Artwork | 3000px x 3000px png or .jpg is needed – a member of C-Suite Radio’s team will add the official C-Suite Radio swoop
• Podcast Category | Review the options provided and select the category your podcast fits the best to help your podcast get discovered
• Podcast Slug | Consider it the ‘username’ for your podcast, most commonly it is the condensed title, all one word – all lowercase
• Rating | There is no standard body saying you have to mark it “clean” or “explicit” – but the last thing you want is little Timmy saying they learned a new word/topic from your podcast
• Trailer Episode | Podcast directories (like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc…) will not accept a podcast submission unless an .mp3 file is published. This can be 15 seconds to 3 minutes long – some podcasts use their professionally produced podcast intro and some just talk for a minute about their podcast. Some podcast directories take up to four weeks to accept submissions – and the Trailer Episode is something you can take down after you publish your first few episodes. Learn more about the podcast submission process here.

Ready to Join C-Suite Radio?

Ready to turn up the volume on your business? We’re here to get you started on your journey to podcast success – click here!

Happy [soon-to-be] podcasting!