How to Start a Podcast on Spotify for Free

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve found a topic you could talk about for hours, and now you’re ready to launch a podcast.

The good news: Spotify is becoming a go-to destination for podcasts. In 2021, Spotify listeners passed 78% more time listening to podcasts than the previous year.

Even better news: It’s relatively easy to start a podcast on Spotify—no fancy equipment or advanced skills required.

Here, we’ll explain everything you need to know about podcasting on Spotify and how to upload your next episode to the platform.

How to meet Spotify’s podcast requirements

The first step to starting a podcast on Spotify is to make sure you meet the podcast requirements. Here’s a quick summary.

Your podcast should have:

• A title along with relevant details (ie category and main language).
• Cover in a 1:1 ratio and in PNG, JPEG or TIFF format. The higher the resolution, the better.
• A high-bitrate MP3 (128 kbps+) or MP4 format with AAC-LC.
• Episodes that do not exceed 12 hours.

Once you’ve met the conditions in this checklist, you’re officially ready to upload your podcast to Spotify. See the steps below.

1. Create a Spotify account.

Unsurprisingly, you’ll need a Spotify account to upload your podcast to the platform. If you’re new to Spotify, use this form to sign up.

2. Choose a podcast hosting platform.

Despite its podcast-friendly nature, you can’t host your podcast on Spotify. That’s right: Spotify only provides access to podcasts hosted elsewhere.

That said, Spotify has its own hosting platform, Anchor.fm, which allows you to record, edit and share a podcast on Spotify in one place. It also offers a lot of analytics to better understand your audience.

Of course, there are many other hosting platforms, both free and premium, to choose from, most notably Buzzsprout, Podbean, and Castos. Remember that not all hosting sites are created equal, so pay close attention to how much storage and analytics each one offers.

3. Copy your RSS feed link.

After uploading your podcast to a hosting platform, the next step is to copy the RSS feed link. You can think of your RSS feed as your podcast address. And, like an address, there’s only one RSS feed per podcast.

4. Orpen Spotify for podcasters.

Next, open Spotify for Podcasters and sign in with your Spotify account. Then press “Start”.

Then paste your RSS feed link into the text box. Press “Next”.

Once you submit the RSS link, Spotify will verify that you are the owner of the podcast. what does this look like Spotify will usually email you a code to verify. Most likely, this is the same email you use to log in to your hosting site.

5. Add your podcast information.

Once verified, the next step is to add essential information about your podcast, including where it was produced, its primary language, your hosting provider, and its primary category.

Once you select a main category, you can select three corresponding subcategories. This is especially useful if your podcast spans multiple topics or genres.

After filling out the form, press “Next”.

6. Review and submit your podcast.

The last step is to review the information you filled out in the previous step. When you’re happy, click “Submit.”

After submitting your podcast, the Spotify team will review your information and then send your podcast live. Expect this process to take a few hours. It’s also worth noting that Spotify doesn’t notify you when it’s live, so keep an eye out for your new episode.

back to you

In six easy steps, you can share your podcast on one of the biggest podcasting platforms today. Once your podcast is live, remember to share it far and wide. Make this a regular practice with each episode to grow your audience.