Podcast Hosting: An Essential Guide For Creators
Podcast hosting can be confusing for first-time creators.
This quick guide explains what it is, why you need it, and where it fits into your content ecosystem.
What Is Podcast Hosting?
Think of your podcast host as the cloud storage and delivery service for your show.
It's the online home where all your episodes, show notes, and artwork files are securely stored and organised.
Your podcast "lives" on this host.
When a listener decides to play your latest episode on a podcast app such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify, the app pulls the episode from your host and streams it directly to the listener.
Websites work in a similar way.
Creative Kin’s website host is Squarespace.
When you follow a link to The Content Mavericks Club blog, for instance, your browser looks up the address, and Squarespace serves up the webpage.
Another good parallel is a video hosting service like Vimeo or Wistia, which store video files that can then be embedded and played on different websites.
The critical difference is that a podcast host generates and maintains a special file called an RSS feed for your podcast.
This RSS feed is essentially a constantly updated list of your episodes and their information.
When you submit this feed to different podcast listening platforms, it allows them to automatically see and update your podcast whenever you publish a new episode on your hosting service.
This is how your show appears and stays current in all the various podcast apps.
Do I Really Need A Podcast Host For My Show?
Short answer? Yes.
While you could technically store audio files yourself, dedicated podcast hosts are essential because they are optimised to deliver podcasts to multiple listeners at the same time, anywhere in the world.
They ensure your show is available at the best possible quality whenever and wherever listeners press play.
Most podcast hosts also offer features tailored for podcasters, such as detailed listener analytics, tools for creating show notes, and integrations with other services.
Many also provide a basic website for your show, often with the option to use your own custom domain.
The core value of a good host, however, remains fast, reliable distribution of your show to all the places listeners find podcasts.
How Is A Podcast Host Different From Apple Podcasts Or Spotify?
This often confuses people.
Think of it this way:
Your podcast host is where your files are stored and where your RSS feed is generated for distribution.
Listening apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Pocket Casts, are directories and players.
They read your podcast's RSS feed (which you submit to them or they find) and list your show in their catalog.
When a listener finds your show in one of these apps and hits play, the app fetches that episode directly from your hosting provider, not from Apple or Spotify's own storage for that specific episode (unless you are using their direct hosting services, which we'll touch on next).
These apps make it easy for listeners to discover, subscribe to, and listen to podcasts - Spotify even supports seamless switching between audio and video versions of your show.
But they rely on the RSS feed provided by your podcast host to know your show exists and to access the episode files.
So Can I Host My Podcast On Spotify or Apple?
This is where the line between hosting platforms and podcast directories begins to blur:
Spotify: Yes, you can host your podcast directly with Spotify through their Spotify for Creators platform (formerly known as Anchor).
Spotify for Creators is a hosting service that provides tools for recording, editing, distributing (via RSS feed to Spotify and other platforms), and analysing your podcast, often for free.
So, while the Spotify listening app is a player, Spotify for Creators is their dedicated hosting service.
Apple: Apple also has Apple Podcasts for Creators.
While Apple primarily recommends using a third-party hosting provider and submitting your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts Connect, it is possible to host content directly with Apple, particularly if you are offering premium content through the Apple Podcasters Program (which allows for paid subscriptions within Apple Podcasts).
However, for standard free podcasts distributed widely, using a third-party podcast host and submitting the RSS feed to Apple Podcasts is the best and most popular method.
While major platforms like Spotify and Apple have developed their own hosting capabilities (Spotify for Creators and Apple's program), the traditional model of using a dedicated third-party podcast host to generate an RSS feed for distribution to all platforms is typically the most flexible approach for independent podcasters.
What About YouTube?
Good question.
This is another area that can cause confusion, especially since video podcasts have grown in popularity.
It is absolutely possible to put your podcast content on YouTube.
However, YouTube functions differently regarding traditional podcast distribution via RSS feeds.
While you can connect an RSS feed to a YouTube channel designated for podcasts, YouTube primarily uses this to automatically create static image videos from your audio files on their platform.
Crucially, YouTube does not use your RSS feed to distribute your podcast to external listening apps like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Content uploaded to or created within YouTube generally lives within the YouTube ecosystem.
If you want a video version of your podcast on YouTube, you will need to upload that video file directly to the platform.
Similarly, if you want to add video to your audio RSS feed on Spotify, you would upload the video file directly via Spotify for Creators.
Why Does My Brain Hurt?
The crossover between audio and video podcasts, and the competition between major platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple, has complicated what was once a more straightforward picture.
Here’s the simplest way to think about it:
For broad audio podcast distribution: Use a dedicated podcast hosting platform like Captivate, Transistor, or even Spotify for Creators, which generates an RSS feed.
This host creates the essential RSS feed that allows your show to automatically update in all major podcast listening apps when you publish a new episode.
For video podcasts or specific platforms: If you want to present your podcast as video, you will generally need to upload the video file directly to specific video platforms, ie YouTube, Vimeo or Spotify for Creators.
While some hosts help with video distribution, direct uploads are often necessary for the video versions to appear correctly on video-first platforms.
So choose a reliable podcast host to handle your core audio distribution via RSS feed.
And if you plan to create a video podcast, understand that it will require separate uploads.
Takeaways:
A podcast host is essential online storage for your audio files and show information.
Your host generates the RSS feed, which is the key to distributing your podcast to virtually all listening apps.
Listening apps (like Apple Podcasts, Spotify player) read your RSS feed but don't typically host your main audio files themselves (unless you use their specific hosting services).
You can host with Spotify for Creators, which also provides an RSS feed for distribution. Apple offers hosting primarily for premium content within their program.
YouTube is a video platform. While you can link an RSS feed to create static image videos, it does not use the RSS feed to distribute your podcast to other listening apps. Video content for YouTube usually requires direct upload.
For most podcasters, a dedicated third-party host generating an RSS feed for wide distribution is the standard approach. Consider direct uploads for video versions or platform-specific content.
