> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.automate.it.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Submit a podcast to Apple and Spotify

> Checklist and steps to list an Automate It podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Automate It hosts the RSS feed. Apple Podcasts and Spotify will not list the show until you submit that feed in each directory's portal. This page covers the tags the feed must already have, then the submission steps on each site.

Copy the feed URL from **Settings → Integrations** (the copy icon on the podcast card). It looks like:

```
https://api.automate.it.com/api/feeds/{workspace-slug}/{feed-slug}/podcast
```

Paste that RSS URL into the directories — not the HTML show page at `/podcast/{workspace-slug}/{feed-slug}`.

<Warning>
  Spotify mails an 8-digit verification code to the address in `<itunes:owner><itunes:email>`. That field is **Owner email** on the podcast integration. Use an inbox you can read. A typo, a no-reply address, or a mailbox you no longer check is the usual reason a Spotify submission stalls. Apple Podcasts Connect does not email that address — it uses the Apple ID you sign in with.
</Warning>

## Before submitting

Every tag below is set on the podcast integration (**Settings → Integrations**, then edit the show). Apple and Spotify read them from the live feed, not from a form you fill in later.

| Feed tag                             | Integration field | What they expect                                                                                                                      |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `<itunes:owner><itunes:email>`       | **Owner email**   | A reachable inbox. Publicly visible in the RSS. Required on the form; Spotify sends its verification code here.                       |
| `<itunes:owner><itunes:name>`        | **Owner name**    | The person or organization that owns the show.                                                                                        |
| `<itunes:category>`                  | **Category**      | One of Apple's top-level category strings (the chips on the form). Casing matters — the form writes the strings Apple accepts.        |
| `<itunes:image>`                     | **Cover art**     | Square JPEG or PNG, 1400×1400 to 3000×3000. Upload or paste a URL; it must be saved on the integration before it appears in the feed. |
| `<itunes:explicit>`                  | **Explicit**      | `yes`, `no`, or `clean`.                                                                                                              |
| `<language>`                         | **Language**      | A language tag such as `en-us` (the default).                                                                                         |
| `<itunes:author>`                    | **Author**        | The name shown as the show's author.                                                                                                  |
| `<title>`                            | **Show title**    | The show name.                                                                                                                        |
| `<description>` / `<itunes:summary>` | **Description**   | At least 50 characters — Apple flags shorter copy as too short.                                                                       |

The feed must also contain **at least one published episode**. An empty channel is rejected. Publish a task that targets `podcast:{feed-slug}` ([creating content](/workflow/creating-content)) so the feed has an `<item>` with an audio `<enclosure>` before you submit.

Confirm the live XML, not just the form:

```sh theme={null}
curl -s https://api.automate.it.com/api/feeds/<workspace-slug>/<feed-slug>/podcast | head -40
```

You should see `<itunes:email>`, `<itunes:category>`, `<itunes:image href="…">`, `<language>`, `<itunes:author>`, `<itunes:explicit>`, and at least one `<item>` with an `<enclosure>`.

## Apple Podcasts

1. Sign in at [podcastsconnect.apple.com](https://podcastsconnect.apple.com) with an Apple ID.
2. Add a show and choose **Add a show with an RSS feed**.
3. Paste the Automate It feed URL and add it.
4. Review the details Apple pulled from the feed, set content rights and availability, and provide Connect contact info.
5. Save, then Publish.

Apple's review takes **days, not minutes**. Passing feed validation is not the same as the show going live — wait for the review to finish.

## Spotify

[podcasters.spotify.com](https://podcasters.spotify.com) now redirects to [creators.spotify.com](https://creators.spotify.com). Use the Creators site; the old Podcasters domain is not the canonical portal.

1. Sign in at [creators.spotify.com](https://creators.spotify.com) with a Spotify account.
2. Add a podcast by RSS (an existing feed hosted elsewhere — not "host with Spotify").
3. Paste the Automate It feed URL.
4. Enter the verification code emailed to **Owner email**.
5. Confirm category and language, then submit.

Spotify is usually live **within hours**.

## After submitting

Both directories poll the feed on their own schedule. A newly published episode is not instant in Apple Podcasts or Spotify; wait for the next crawl rather than resubmitting.

Each directory issues its own **show URL** after the listing is live. That URL is separate from the Automate It feed URL, and it is what you should share publicly (`podcasts.apple.com/…`, `open.spotify.com/show/…`). Keep the Automate It feed URL for the hosting side — new episodes still publish there, and the directories pick them up on their next poll.

To change title, artwork, category, or owner email later, edit the podcast integration and save. The directories will pick up the new tags on a later crawl; you do not resubmit the feed for routine metadata edits.