When emerging into the fantastic world of podcasting, you've probably got a lot of ideas and feelings swirling around in your brain. You're enjoying the whole process of creating your show. But even after your podcast is ready to go, you still have some work to do to promote it - you should get it out onto the podcast directory. It is one of the keys to getting more listeners for your podcast fanbase. To make your podcast successful, you should distribute it to the right places. Just like a mini search engine for your podcast, a podcast directory allows your listeners to look up, listen to, subscribe to, and download episodes of your podcast. When compared to other types of content, podcasts are different in that they are rarely reused. Content from blogs and infographics can be replicated easily. Podcasts, on the other hand, are more difficult to steal without a bit more work, and they are harder to have their branding or material stripped out of them; therefore, they aren't syndicated as frequently without particular rights deals. So, you should put in the effort to get your podcast in front of as many people as possible to improve your show's reach. Podcast directory is the final step in the podcast creation and distribution process for podcasters. It's also important to keep in mind that for all directories, you'll also need your podcast's RSS feed first of all. You can quickly create an RSS feed if you don't have one yet (check Podcastle's guide on How to Create a Podcast RSS Feed).
It might be an overwhelming task to search out and register your podcast with each and every possible directory. So, to help you skip the process, we've put together podcast directory list for 2022.
1. Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts should be in the first place on your podcast directories list since it's the most popular podcast listening app and accounts for 37.4% of podcast downloads. To submit your podcast for review, you'll need an Apple ID. After you submit it, you'll have access to Podcasts Connect, where you can manage your show and learn more about your audience's behavior. It typically takes a few days to get accepted.
2. Spotify
Spotify has been a major player in the podcast industry during the previous two years, accounting for 26.8% of all podcast downloads. It's important that you have at least one episode posted to your podcast host. Spotify will not be able to see any episodes until you do so, and your feed will be rejected.
3. Google Podcasts
Although it's relatively new and only accounts for 2.4% of podcast downloads, Google Podcasts is essential because it will allow your show to be playable in Google Search results. As the main podcast directory for Android users, the platform is now also available for iOS users. You should "link" to your RSS feed and ensure that your RSS feed "links" to your website in order to be included in Google Podcasts.
4. Stitcher
Stitcher is a famous podcast directory and podcast app with over 8 million registered users and over 65,000 podcasts. This platform includes podcast data, allowing you to track the performance of your podcast from within the app. It's a place where you should definitely submit your podcast.
5. TuneIn
Being one of the largest audio content platforms in the world, TuneIn has 75 million monthly active listeners. TuneIn is most known for its internet radio streaming service, but it also offers podcasts, making it a popular alternative for customers who want to listen to all of their sports, news, and talk radio programming in one spot.
6. Audible and Amazon Music
Amazon has added podcasts to Amazon Music and Audible, bringing the total number of listeners to over 55 million. It's a great idea to submit your RSS feed to Amazon Music and Audible if you want to appeal to an audience who enjoys listening to podcasts through their Alexa-enabled devices or who wants to incorporate podcasts into their audiobook consumption.
7. iHeartRadio
This all-in-one digital audio streaming service with over 850 stations and 128 million diverse users is popular, especially among older audiences. iHeartRadio is available on a variety of devices, including smart speakers, smartphones, and wearable technology. The app offers both personal recommendations and top charts for different content types, making it an excellent method for finding new podcasts.
8. Podchaser
Being one of the largest podcast databases with 500,000 monthly active users, Podchaser is often referred to as the "IMDb of podcasts" since, just like IMDb, it is a crowdsourced database. The listeners there can rate, review, and help each other find podcasts according to individual interests. Being featured on Podchaser can help your loyal audience spread the word about you to their connections and those who share similar interests.
9. Listen Notes
Listen Notes is a comprehensive web-based podcast search engine. Although this platform gets the least use as a podcast player, it's an important directory for visibility. Users may look up various topics in the directory, and the results frequently include independent podcasts that are not found in Apple Podcast search. In case you have a public RSS feed, you're probably already listed in Listen Notes; all you have to do now is claim your program.
10. Pandora
With its powerful recommendation algorithms, Pandora is another great place to post your podcast. It has over 55 million monthly active listeners. The platform's Podcast Genome Project seeks to provide users with individualized podcast suggestions based on their listening history. Their algorithms make it easy to discover content that other applications may overlook.
Final Thoughts
After submitting your show to all the top directories, you can also think of submitting your RSS feed to as many of the minor directories as you can. However, successful promotion of your podcast implies more than merely uploading your RSS feed to the appropriate directories. If you want your podcast to get the most reach and interaction, you need to think outside the box about where else it may be visible.
