How to Distribute Your Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

You finished an episode, exported the audio, and now you want it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts where people actually listen. The good news: podcast distribution runs on one shared standard, so you set it up once and every future episode flows to both platforms on its own. This guide walks the whole path, from the file you download to the moment your show goes live in each directory.

One thing to be clear about up front. AudioProducer makes the audio and hands you a finished MP3 to download. It does not host your feed, submit your show, or publish anything to a store on your behalf. You take the exported file and put it where you already publish. Below is exactly how that works.

Can you distribute an AI-made podcast?

Yes. Spotify and Apple Podcasts do not treat an episode differently because the voices were generated rather than recorded in a booth. What they care about is the format: a valid audio file, a working RSS feed, and metadata that follows their listing rules. As long as your episode is a standard MP3 and your feed is well-formed, an AI-narrated show submits through the same door as any microphone recording.

The one honest caveat is voice. If you are cloning a specific person's voice, use your own voice or one you have clear permission to use. That is a content decision on your side, not a platform block, and it is worth getting right before you publish to an audience.

Exporting your episode MP3 from AudioProducer

Start with the file. In AudioProducer you write or paste your script, pick your voices, and generate the episode. If your show has more than one speaker, you can assign a distinct voice per character so a host-and-guest format sounds like two people rather than one. When the render finishes, you download an MP3.

That MP3 is the deliverable. It is a normal audio file you can play anywhere, upload anywhere, and keep as your master copy. The free tier gives you 1,200 words to try the full flow with no card, and paid plans start from $39.99 per month when you need more. Once the file is on your computer, AudioProducer's part is done and the distribution part begins.

If you are still shaping the format, our guides on making a fiction podcast and setting up a multi-speaker podcast cover the production side in more detail.

Setting up an RSS feed with a podcast host

Here is the piece that trips up first-time publishers. You do not upload your MP3 directly to Spotify or Apple. Instead, both platforms read from an RSS feed, which is a single web address that lists your show and every episode in it. To get a feed, you sign up with a podcast host and upload your episode there. The host stores the audio and generates the RSS feed for you automatically.

A podcast host is a separate service whose whole job is to store your audio and serve that feed. Many hosts have a free tier that is enough to start. When you create your show on a host, you fill in the show title, description, category, language, and cover art once. Then you upload each episode MP3, add the episode title and notes, and the host updates your feed. That feed URL is the thing you hand to the directories.

If you would rather keep a show private for a specific group of listeners instead of listing it publicly, the same feed mechanism supports that too. We cover that setup in releasing audio as a private podcast feed.

Submitting to Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Once your feed has at least one published episode, you submit it to each directory. You only do this once per show. After you are accepted, every new episode you add through your host appears automatically, usually within a few hours, because the directories re-check your feed on a schedule.

Spotify. Go to Spotify for Creators and sign in with a Spotify account. Choose the option to add an existing show, paste your RSS feed URL, and confirm ownership through the verification email Spotify sends to the address in your feed. After that, your show is claimed and your episodes start appearing in Spotify search and the podcast tab.

Apple Podcasts. Sign in to Apple Podcasts Connect with an Apple ID. Add a show, paste the same RSS feed URL, and submit it for review. Apple validates the feed and checks your artwork and metadata against its requirements, then approves the show. Approval can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days on a first submission.

Because both platforms read the same feed, you are not re-uploading audio twice. You point each one at the same URL, verify ownership, and let the feed do the ongoing work.

Cover art, tags, and episode metadata

Directories reject shows for artwork and metadata problems more often than for audio problems, so it is worth getting these right the first time. Cover art should be a square image, typically 3000 by 3000 pixels, in JPG or PNG, with no tiny text that turns to mush at thumbnail size. Your show needs a clear title, a real description, a primary category, a language, and an owner email that matches the one you verify with.

Per episode, fill in a specific title and useful show notes. If any episode contains mature language, mark it explicit so the platforms flag it correctly. Consistent, honest metadata is what makes your show findable and keeps it from getting stuck in review. For more on planning a series before you publish, see turning written content into a podcast, and the foundational guide to making narrated audio with AI if you are deciding between formats.

FAQ

These are the questions we hear most from creators taking a first episode to the directories.

Does AudioProducer publish my podcast to Spotify and Apple for me? No. AudioProducer exports a finished MP3 that you download. You host that file with a podcast host to get an RSS feed, then submit the feed to Spotify for Creators and Apple Podcasts Connect yourself. We make the audio; you own the distribution.

Do I have to submit every new episode separately? No. You submit your feed to each directory only once. After your show is accepted, new episodes you upload to your host appear on Spotify and Apple automatically, because both platforms re-read your RSS feed on a regular schedule.

Why do I need a podcast host instead of uploading the MP3 straight to Spotify? Spotify and Apple both distribute from an RSS feed, not from a file you hand them directly. A podcast host stores your audio and generates that feed, which is the single address the directories subscribe to. The host is what makes automatic episode delivery possible.

For platform-specific steps, see our guides on how to put your podcast on Apple Podcasts and how to create a podcast RSS feed.