Spotify is one of the most popular streaming services for music and podcasts in the world, with over 422M monthly active users.
Spotify has been investing more and more into podcast listening on their app since 2018 when they first released the podcast feature to all users. Since then they have invested over $1B in podcast-related acquisitions and activities, tested podcast-creation features inside of the Spotify app, and have seen massive growth in the number of people who listen to podcasts on their platform.
If you’re trying to reach a wider audience with your podcast (and who isn’t?!), then you need to add your podcast to Spotify.
It’s very easy to get your podcast on Spotify, and they have one of the fastest acceptance rates of all podcast directories. Your podcast will be live on Spotify in no time!
We’ll show you step-by-step how to upload your podcast to Spotify.
Before You Upload to Spotify
Make sure your podcast’s RSS feed is optimized for Spotify before you upload.
Here are the required items you need to ensure before uploading:
MP3 audio files. The technical details require that your file is an ISO/IEC 11172-3 MPEG-1 Part 3 (MP3) audio containing bitrates between 96 and 320 kbps.
Episode MP3 files may not exceed 200MB.
1:1 ratio cover art of at least 1400x1400 (we recommend 3000x3000) in JPG, PNG, or TIFF file formats.
RSS feed must have at least a title, show cover art image, and one episode to qualify for uploading.
Show name and episode names should be 20 characters or less to avoid words being cut off in Spotify’s app with ellipses (“…”).
Step 1: Create an Account on Spotify for Podcasters
Click Sign up for Spotify. It’s best practice to set up a unique email for your podcast and to set up new accounts on Spotify, Apple, and other directories using this email.
Fill out the signup form to create your account
Verify your account in the email sent to your inbox
Step 2: Paste Your RSS Feed Into Spotify
Click “Get Started” once you’re logged into the app
Paste in the verification code sent to your email. Spotify will send a verification email to the inbox of whatever email is in your RSS feed (ideally a specific email setup for your podcast).
Step 3: Fill out a quick form about your podcast
Tell Spotify your show’s country, language, hosting provider, primary category, and up to 3 subcategories.
Confirm that everything looks good before you submit. Note that you cannot change this information in Spotify after you have submitted it. Make sure that you feel confident that you’ve picked the right category and subcategories before you submit as this will appear on your show’s page.
Step 4: Success! Your Show Will be Live in a Few Hours
That’s it! Your show has been submitted to Spotify and will go live within a few hours. Spotify’s process is one of the fastest available when compared to Apple and other platforms, but it can take up to 24hrs in some cases for your show to go live.
Step 5: Track Verification Status
Click on the “Catalog” tab at the top of Spotify for Podcasters to see the status of your podcast. This will show you when your podcast is live on Spotify.
That’s it! Your show will be live on Spotify shortly. While you’re waiting make sure that you upload it to Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, and all the other shows. You can see a full list of directories that Buzzsprout put together here to make sure you maximize the reach of your podcast.
Why Upload Your Podcast to Spotify?
If you don’t put your show on Spotify you will be missing out on a LOT of potential reach.According to Buzzsprout, Spotify is the second most-used app by podcast listeners, second only to Apple Podcasts. There is some debate about which listening app is truly the most popular, but it’s almost definitely one of the top 3 platforms. Translation?
Spotify has over 422M monthly active users. This is similar to the first point above, but Spotify truly has some of the biggest global reach, so it’s critical to get your show on its platform to reach more listeners.
Unlock additional analytics with Spotify for Podcasters. Spotify is in a unique position that lets them share even more details about your audience so you can understand who is listening to your show. You’ll unlock access to gender, age, and even which artists they are listening to on Spotify.
Spotify FAQs
How long does it take for my podcast to go live on Spotify?
Spotify takes less than 24hrs to approve your podcast. Oftentimes your show will be live within as little as 3-5 hours.
Keep in mind these turnaround times can vary. If it’s been longer than 48 hrs reach out to their support team for help at podcaster-support@spotify.com.
Is it free to upload to Spotify podcast?
Yes. It’s completely free to upload your podcast to Spotify. However, you need a podcast hosting platform to create an RSS feed for your podcast which can then be used to submit your show to Spotify and other platforms. Some free hosting platforms exist like Anchor and Redcircle, while others charge anywhere from $5 to $25 per month on average.
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